Voigtländer APO-LANTHAR 50mm F2 Aspherical (Nikon Z, original)

Testers on 45MP Z bodies count it among the sharpest standard lenses available for the mount, with near-perfect correction of colour aberrations from f/2 into the corners. Distortion is negligible and micro-contrast is often described as three-dimensional.

The trade-offs are the f/2 maximum aperture, manual focus only and focus breathing of around 14% from infinity to close focus. Reviewers also missed the E-mount version's de-click ring and found the price high next to Nikon's autofocus 50mm f/1.8 S, which is nearly as sharp.

Landscape, architecture and studio photographers love the bite and lack of fringing, and Zf and Z fc owners like how its compact metal barrel suits those bodies. Focus-point colour change and peaking make manual focus quick on static subjects.

Some owners note the focus ring can feel stiff in the cold and that the clicked aperture is a drawback for video. A few find the bokeh slightly busy compared with softer, vintage-style fifties. Since June 2024 it mostly appears as used or remaining stock.