In an accompanying article I wrote some generalities about the Icarex 35 SLR system from the 1960’s. I wrote there that, in my view, there are two lenses in the system that stand above the others. One of them is the Voigtländer-designed Color Skoparex 35mm f/3.4. One could be forgiven for thinking that there might not be anything special about this lens. For instance, it is not fast, and it does not have the name recognition of the Zeiss Flektogon. But, as it turns out, it would be a shame not to take this lens for a spin in the real world. For it is a true gem.
Many of the great photographers of the twentieth century (which is to say many of the greatest photographers ever) were partial to the 35mm focal length, even to the point of insisting that it was the only focal length one needed in order to create photographic art. It took me many decades to understand and come to appreciate that opinion, which is probably why I don’t make a living out of photography. I think that I am now beginning to understand that point of view. It is not a focal length that is easy to work with. Go wider (24 and 21mm) and it is not all that difficult to come up with dramatic perspectives that “suck you” into the scene. Go longer (50 to 100mm) and there is a lot to work with in terms of detail, depth of field, bokeh, contrast and the whole toolkit of photographic technique and art. But at 35mm (and 28mm) there is little margin for error. Unless you get it right, the images are dull and uninspiring. I don’t think that I can describe what it means to “get it right”, nor do I claim that I do very often. I think that it is one of those “you know it when you see it” answers, and perhaps you can see some of that in the images below.
A great lens also helps, and here is where the Skoparex comes in. Some of the images in the following blocks were shot at the same time (and using the same camera) as similar images that illustrate the 50mm Ultron article. I processed them so as to achieve final results that were as similar as possible in terms of color, contrast and exposure. The difference in angle of view is subtle, but if you look carefully you may notice what I think is the great power of the 35mm focal length – an expansiveness that is a tad beyond that of the “normal” 50mm length, yet close enough to it that the tension between “is it real or is it not” is never resolved. The effect is even more powerful at 28mm, and also harder to get right.
But back to the characteristics of this particular lens. It is almost as sharp as the remarkable Ultron – not quite but very close. And the color rendition is equally stunning. And there is one more thing that is especially important in a 35mm lens, or in any wide angle lens for that matter. If you look closely at the two uppermost pictures in the previous block you will notice that there is a remarkable amount of detail in the shadows. Granted, the superb Sony sensors play a big role here, but a sensor cannot make up information that it does not receive. I think that the secret here is a masterfully balanced lens contrast.
Another aspect of using the 35mm focal length effectively is, I think, being able to capture plenty of close-up detail while also including an interesting yet non distracting background. What you need for this is a lens that is very sharp while open and with a natural-looking bokeh. The Skoparex shines in these respects. The rendition of the out of focus areas is, as close as I can perceive it, almost exactly what the unfocused human eye sees.
There is nothing like black and white to highlight the level of detail that a lens is capable of. And there is nothing like a street scene at sunset with a fire hydrant to experiment with the wide-but-not-so-wide angle of view of a 35mm lens.
For unknown reasons, I am strongly attracted to the textures and colors of old, and often abandoned, rail yard settings. I can spend hours roaming around them and looking for seemingly inconsequential details. You can compare some of these pictures with those shot in the same place and at the same time with the 50mm Ultron. I don’t think that I need to add anything to what the images thenselves have to say.
I leave you with one last picture of the rather photogenic Claypit Pond in Sandy Creek Park in Athens, Georgia, USA. The original is, alas, not as pretty…
Thank you for this review! I purchased a set of Zeiss lenses for Icarex yesterday and the 35mm Skoparex is among them. Love your photography and candid review. I am also looking forward to reading your reviews on other vintage lenses as I am collecting and using them as well.
Thank you for your visit, Adele. You will love those lenses!
Great article, i recently bought an Icarex 35s BM with the skoparex, the Ultron and the dynarex 135. You kong of any mount converter to a Nikon F mount?
Hi Francesco, thanks for your visit! I believe that I have seen adapters for the new Nikon full frame mirrorless mount, but I don’t recall ever seeing a Nikon F adapter. I wonder if the flange distances are incompatible? Sorry I can’t be more helpful.
Thank you Alberto,
probably you are right, I saw the Nikon Z too (only 16mm flange distance)! The Nikon F Flange distance is 46,5 mm.
I’ve found some info i’d like to share:
1- “Icarex (BM, breech lock,Voigtländer lenses) TM models were M42 – Flange distance 48 mm”
https://cameramarket.eu/data/pdf/cameramarket_Lens%20mounts%20and%20flange%20focal%20distances.pdf
2- “Ikarex BM (Breech lock), Icarex BM – Flange distance 44,7mm”
https://cameramarket.eu/data/pdf/cameramarket_Lens%20mounts%20and%20flange%20focal%20distances.pdf
3- “Icarex BM (Breech lock) – Flange distance 48mm” http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Lens_mount
https://stephen-westin.com/misc/mounts-by-register.html
Do you know if it is accurate?
I don’t really know, is it that the lenses are also different each other or just the Bayonette/M42 have different sizes? Is it possible to manually change the mount?
Hi Francesco,
I think that there may be some confusion in that document. The information that I have is:
M42: 45.46mm
Icarex BM: 48mm
Which I believe is likely to be correct because when Zeiss switched from the BM mount to M42 they appeared to have offered adapters to use the old lenses (BM) on M42 bodies. These adapters appear to be very difficult to find now. You can get a difference of 2.5mm to work with a simple screw mount, but with only 1.5 mm to play with relative to the more complex Nikon F mount it is almost certainly impossible to make an adapter.
I’m not sure whether it is possible to change the mount. What I can tell you is that the BM mount is quite complicated. Some time ago I got a very cheap Icarex Tessar that was full of fungus, thinking that I might be able to take it apart and clean it. Wrong, I failed miserably. I have taken apart and successfully reassembled complex mounts such as the Canon FD and Leica R, but this one completely defeated me. There is little documentation about it, too. But the lenses, especially the Ultron and the Skoparex, are outstanding.
Best
Alberto
That Cornell page has been superseded by https://stephen-westin.com/misc/mounts-by-register.html; I haven’t worked at Cornell for over 15 years, and I don’t have any way to replace that page to redirect it.
– Stephen H. Westin
Thanks for the update. It has now been fixed. And thank you for compiling the information.
Alberto
Hi Alberto,
We have talked previously on another review page and I have pretty much read it all now.
What a wonderful data base of knowledge you have provided!
In any event I wanted to let you know I found and ordered this Skoparex and received it, original case and caps in what I would consider mint for its’ age.
I thought I might point out one thing you missed in your review: After opening, seeing and feeling this beautiful lens I felt it really bordered on being orgasimic! 🙂 Nothing like it today.
I’ve also watched one of your early videos on these lenses and now have more understanding on where you are coming from and could not agree more.Keep up the wonderful work, you have another fan.
Hi John,
Thanks for the kind words! I’m just trying to give back a bit, as time permits. We have recently moved from Athens (GA) to Santa Fe (NM) and are in the middle of a house remodeling which seems to take every waking minute of my time. I have several posts in the backburner that I hope to get to sometime this fall, fingers crossed.
Regarding the Skoparex, yes, the quality construction is hard to match and rarely seen in today’s lenses. Have you had a chance to shoot with it? It may not be a very fast lens, but boy does it make up for hat in just about every other respect. I’d love to hear what you think.
Take care!!
Alberto
Alblerto,
Thought you might enjoy this, Skoparex 35mm last month.
John
https://www.flickr.com/photos/90930462@N08/52241344583/in/pool-allmontana/
Hi Alberto,
Hope this finds you well. Last I heard from you was that you were well clear of those terrible fires last fall.
I keep returning here to my favorite source on wonderful manual lenses and hoping for recent articles from you but to no avail. Perhaps your remodeling project is still demanding your attention.
In any event, I did finally read your piece on the transformation to the Leica zooms and much of the reasoning behind your actions made a great deal of sense to me! At 86 my love of photography has not diminished however my physical abilities have! The realization that reducing my lenses to basically a couple with the same adapter (using Sony A7 ii and A7r ii) makes so much sense at this point in my life that I am strongly considering it.
So I have have a couple of questions: Is your german dealer still a good source for these two lenses and if so might you provide me with contact info? Secondly, would you mind sharing your thoughts and brand of adapter for the R lenses. (In my readings it seems these lenses are very critical when it comes to flange distance/infinity focus.)
Looking forward to hearing from you. Also don’t know if you saw it or not, but last July I posted a photo in the 35mm Skoparex blog taken with that lens. Nothing to shout about but the colors and rendering made me a believer in it.
Regards,
John
Besides the Icarex BM version, the very same Voigtländer Skoparex 35 mm exists in DKL mount. It was intended for the Bessamatic or Ultramatic cameras. And ALL DKL-mount lenses (there must be over 50) can be adapted to Nikon F with the same adapter. Moreover, there’s no need for the infamous “infinity lens” in-between. I strongly advise buying a good adapter: there are many around, from anything like 15 US$ to close to 100 US$. I’m very pleased with the Fotodiox versions, mid of the range. Alas, the register for Icarex cameras make the lenses totally unsuitable for Nikon F. But you can easily adapt them to most current mirrorless cameras.
I agree wholeheartedly on buying a good adapter for DKL mount lenses. I am glad that your Fotodiox adapter is working well for you. I originally purchased a Fotodiox adapter and it turned out that it would not lock the lens in place for one of my DKL mount lenses – apparently, there are two variations in the DKL mount design. That adapter was replaced with one made by Yeenon and the Yeenon works very well with both of the DKL mount variations.
I finally have a home studio – not a big one, but high ceilings – and I’ve settled on 35mm as a good focal length for the space for full body portraits. Not sure why I bought this lens in a DKL mount for my sony full frame mirrorless but it was in the cabinet waiting to be tried.
I did some test shots with some faux “north night” and I’m loving the result. Shot at f/8 and f/11 and they are sharp and with personality.
Of course, I just figured out that mine is the Voigtlander Skoparex 🙂
Hi Gregory,
As far as I can tell it is the same lens, perhaps the Zeiss version has better coatings but that’s about it. Glad that it is working for you! I’d be interested to know how it works as a portrait lens, I never tried it in that task.
bonjour
enfin j’ai trouvé ce que je cherchais depuis longtemps un avis sérieux
je suis sur le point d’acheter le “” Voigtlânder Skoparex F:3,4/35 mm “”
pour monter sur X-T1-X-T2 et ou X-Pro1 Fuji
si vous avez un avis je suis preneur
merci
::
Good morning
finally I found what I had been looking for for a long time, a serious opinion
I’m about to buy the “”Voigtlânder Skoparex F:3.4/35mm””
to mount on X-T1-X-T2 and or X-Pro1 Fuji
if you have an opinion I’m interested
THANKS
Hi,
I don’t have any experience with Fuji cameras. I would think that, given that the lens performs so well on full frame, it will be at least as good, if not better, on an APS-C sensor, where the crop factor will give you an equivalent focal length of about 52mm. I hope this helps!
I first used this lens on a FujiX-T2 and Fuji X-H1 and loved it. Fuji’s colors work super well with this lens.