Voigtlander Macro APO-Lanthar 65mm F2 Aspherical (Nikon Z)

Reviewers place it among the sharpest manual-focus lenses on any mirrorless mount: detail is excellent across the frame from f/2 and peaks around f/4–f/5.6, with negligible distortion and no visible longitudinal CA. The Z version uses the same optical formula as the E-mount original, and tests on Nikon Z bodies report the same behaviour, with the 1:2 close-up performance standing out.

The drawbacks noted are practical ones: manual focus only, a 1:2 rather than 1:1 maximum, an extending barrel, and an aperture ring without a de-click option. Bokeh is judged smooth for an APO design, if not as soft as dedicated portrait lenses.

Nikon Z owners describe it as a lens that is hard to take off the camera, using it as a sharper, more versatile alternative to a 50mm with close-focus as a bonus. The long, precise focus throw and the green focus-confirmation frame on Z bodies make critical focusing easy for still subjects.

Complaints centre on size and weight (618g), the long throw being slow for moving subjects, and the lack of a de-click option for video. Some wish it reached 1:1, and a few note that older Z bodies need current firmware for every focus aid to work.