Anniversary Voigtländer Color-Skopar: Compact Classic in Silver

For the Skopar series’ centenary, Cosina will release a silver Color-Skopar 35mm f/2.5 with a vintage-style body and the optics of the P II model. Sales will begin in November, with a price of 75,000 yen in Japan.

Cosina Voigtländer Color-Skopar 35mm f/2.5: Centenary Edition

Cosina Voigtländer will mark the 100th anniversary of its Skopar lens series with the release of a special Color-Skopar 35mm f/2.5 100th Model. It is based on the long-running Color-Skopar 35mm f/2.5 P II, but features a new body with a vintage look.

The lens comes in an “elegant silver” finish. It includes a matching metal slotted hood and a special rear cap made of three aluminum parts. According to Cosina, the hood does not cause vignetting.

The original Color-Skopar 35mm f/2.5 P II has been on sale since March 2004 and remains in the company’s lineup. Its current price is $479. The anniversary edition retains the original model’s foundation, but its body has been redesigned to make the lens even easier to carry.

Compact Design and Construction

The VM-mount lens has a 35mm focal length and a maximum aperture of f/2.5. It is just 23mm (0.9 inches) long, weighs 134g, and has a 39mm front filter thread. Without the hood and rear cap attached, the lens is less than an inch long.

Cosina describes the lens as offering “excellent operability,” with convenient, precise handling. Manual focus is controlled by a tab shaped to fit the photographer’s finger. The design also features a precisely machined metal helicoid and a high-precision rangefinder coupling mechanism.

The minimum focusing distance is 0.7m (2.3 feet), a typical figure for many rangefinder-coupled lenses. The optical design consists of seven elements in five groups, including one element made of glass with anomalous partial dispersion. The aperture has 10 blades.

Using the Lens with Mirrorless Cameras

Although the VM-mount lens was originally designed for rangefinder cameras, it can also be adapted to other full-frame systems, including modern mirrorless models. One option is the Voigtländer VM-E Close Focus Adapter II for the E-mount, which reduces the lens’s minimum focusing distance while adding almost nothing to its overall length.

Sample Photos

The gallery features five photos taken with the lens. All were shot by Shumpei Osugi.

Price and Availability

The Cosina Voigtländer Color-Skopar 35mm f/2.5 Skopar 100th Model will go on sale in November. The recommended retail price in Japan is 75,000 yen, or approximately $475 at the current exchange rate. No official pricing for other markets has been announced yet.