Voigtländer’s ‘Astonishingly Compact’ 90mm f/4 M-Mount Lens Arrives Soon

Jul 15, 2026 - 19:07

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Voigtländer’s ‘Astonishingly Compact’ 90mm f/4 M-Mount Lens Arrives Soon

Two camera lenses, one silver and one black, are standing upright side by side on a reflective dark surface, both showing aperture and focus markings.

Cosina had a very busy CP+ 2026 this February, showing off early examples of numerous new Voigtländer lenses, including the APO-Lanthar f/4 Close Focus VM-Mount lens. This distinct new prime has now been fully revealed ahead of its August launch.

The Voigtländer APO-Lanthar 90mm f/4 Close Focus is an impressively compact and lightweight 90mm telephoto lens for Leica M-Mount cameras. Longer lenses, like 90mm primes, can often be challenging to use on Leica M-Mount rangefinders because their barrels block the rangefinder. However, with the new Voigtländer APO-Lanthar 90mm f/4 Close Focus, the lens diameter is just 53 millimeters (2.1 inches), and it is only 54.8 millimeters (2.16 inches) long. The lens accepts 43mm filters. The lens weighs just 235 grams (8.3 ounces).

Three camera lenses, two standing upright (one silver, one black) and one lying on its side with its front cap off, displayed on a reflective black surface. "APO-LANTHAR" logo is visible in the lower right corner.

The APO-Lanthar 90mm f/4 Close Focus features an apochromatic design, as its name explains. This means that the lens has been carefully constructed to “thoroughly eliminate” axial chromatic aberrations. As PetaPixel recently explained, it can be very difficult to eliminate chromatic aberration, as different wavelengths of light do not typically want to focus at the same point.

Specifically, the new lens has eight elements arranged across six groups, including abnormal partial dispersion glass. Only two of the lens elements are not made using abnormal partial dispersion glass. The lens features a 10-bladed aperture diaphragm.

Beyond its compact form factor, the new Voigtländer APO-Lanthar 90mm f/4’s claim to fame is its close focusing performance. The lens can focus as close as 0.5 meters (1.6 feet) when using a camera’s live view functionality. It is rangefinder-coupled to 0.7 meters (2.3 feet), depending on the camera used. The lens has a maximum magnification ratio of 0.28x, which is just beyond 1:4 macro capability. While not a “true” macro lens or even a half-macro, it still promises respectable close-focusing performance, especially for a VM-mount lens.

On the topic of VM mount, this means the lens is natively compatible with Leica M-Mount cameras and other rangefinders that use the M-mount. However, its generous full-frame image circle makes it easy to adapt to other cameras, including full-frame mirrorless bodies.

Sample Images

A train travels across a bridge over water, with modern high-rise buildings in the background under a partly cloudy sky.

A red train arrives at a small rural station beside grassy tracks with wildflowers in bloom beneath a partly cloudy sky.

A row of sleek, white bullet trains parked side by side on railway tracks, with their pointed noses aligned, under bright daylight.

An orange train crosses a long bridge over blue water with small islands and distant hills in the background under a clear sky.

A train crosses a green bridge over a river with rocky banks, with snow-capped mountains and blue sky in the background.

Two people sit back to back, separated by window frames on a rainy train. Raindrops dot the glass, and a blue sign with white Japanese characters is below the windows on the red and beige train exterior.

A circular red and white lever with a black center is attached to a red wall. Above it, there is an oval plaque with Japanese characters embossed on it.

Pricing and Availability

The new Voigtländer APO-Lanthar 90mm f/4 Close Focus is expected to begin shipping in August. In Japan, it will be priced at 103,320 yen, which is around $640 at current exchange rates. Global pricing has not been announced.

Image creditsCosina Voigtländer. Sample photos by Takashi Koike.

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