New Voigtlander Color-Skopar 35mm f/3.5 VM Lens Is Ridiculously Small

Feb 14, 2025

Jeremy Gray

Two camera lenses are displayed side by side on a reflective black surface. The lens on the left is silver with engraving, while the lens on the right is black with similar features. Both lenses have textured grips and marked aperture settings.

Cosina announced the Voigtlander Color-Skopar 35mm f/3.5 Aspherical lens for VM mount, a new lightweight and compact prime lens designed for Leica M mount-equipped rangefinder cameras.

The Voigtlander Color-Skopar 35mm f/3.5 weighs only 99 grams (3.5 ounces), making it among the lightest 35mm prime lenses on the market. The lens is also impressively small, measuring 14 millimeters (0.55 inches) from the mount to the front surface. It is downright tiny! The lens has a 34mm front filter thread.

The compact, lightweight lens has a “simple” optical design, featuring six elements arranged across four groups. Among these are a single double-sided aspherical glass element and three anomalous partial dispersion elements. Cosina promises “clean, sharp images.”

Two camera lenses with their caps and accessories on a dark surface. The left lens is silver with matching caps, while the right lens is black with corresponding caps. Both lenses are from the brand Voigtländer.

The manual focus lens has a fairly prominent focusing lever to adjust focus easily. In typical Voigtlander fashion, the lens features an all-metal helicoid unit for “precise focus control.” The focusing unit has high-quality grease to deliver optimal torque, ensuring smooth but reliable focus, even when making minor adjustments.

The lens barrel is constructed using brass and comes in two colorways: silver and black paint. The black paint finish goes all the way to the mount and also affects the focus lock button and focus lever. Cosina notes that infinity and close-focus stoppers are nickel-plated to add a bit of contrast to the design. The lens ships with an included color-matched metal hood.

Two Voigtländer camera lenses are displayed against a dark background. The lens on the left is silver, and the one on the right is black. Both lenses have visible aperture and focus adjustment rings with engraved settings.

“In order to prevent the overall length from increasing when used in conjunction with the hood, a specially made thin frame filter with a thickness of only 1.1 millimeter from the lens filter thread is also included,” Cosina notes.

The lens features a high-precision rangefinder linkage mechanism, can focus as close as 0.7 meters (2.3 feet), and includes a 10-bladed aperture diaphragm. The lens covers a full-frame image circle, and since it is a VM mount lens, it is easily adapted to a wide range of modern mirrorless cameras. Cosina notes that its “well-balanced design” makes the lens a great pairing to mirrorless cameras with a mount adapter.

Sample Images

A single feather-like plant stands in focus on a cliff edge, overlooking a vast ocean and rocky coastline in the background. The foreground is detailed, while the ocean and coast in the background are slightly blurred.

A dimly lit train station platform at dusk, with overhead wires silhouetted against a dark, cloudy sky. The station is empty, with the soft glow of lights highlighting the structure. Curved tracks extend into the distance.

Old building with weathered wooden exterior and mismatched, faded sliding doors in shades of brown, orange, and gray. A shadow of a person holding a camera is cast on the wall. A paved road runs in front of the structure.

Industrial facility with tall chimneys emitting smoke, set against a snowy mountain and cloudy sky. Foreground features bare trees and trailers, suggesting a cold, rural environment.

Cozy coffee shop interior with wooden walls, featuring jars on shelves, a coffee grinder, and a weighing scale on a counter. Warm lighting creates a welcoming atmosphere, enhanced by decorative string lights and a gold balloon.

Pricing and Availability

The Cosina Voigtlander Color-Skopar 35mm f/3.5 Aspherical VM lens is scheduled to launch in March for 102,000 yen in silver and 105,000 yen for the black paint version. Although individual market prices may vary, these prices convert to $670 and $690 at current exchange rates.

Image credits: Product photos courtesy of Cosina; sample photos by Mitsuru Kano.