EP244: Finally, the Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f2 — Olympus OM-2 with Kodak Vision3 250D/5207 (Remjet Removed)

Roll #244 — and somehow this ended up being my favorite frame on the roll

Film: Kodak Vision3 250D/5207, remjet removed (Vibe Max 400 repackaged version, metered at ISO 250)
Developed & scanned: Li-lai Photo, 2025/2/6
Camera: Olympus OM-2
Lens: Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f2 SL Aspherical

Sponsored by Mr. Chiang in Chiang Mai.

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I finally got my hands on the Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f2 SL Aspherical. Compared to the Olympus OM Zuiko 40mm f2, these are two lenses with different priorities. The Zuiko is all about handling — featherlight, and with a breathtaking 0.3m minimum focus distance. The Voigtlander prioritizes image quality: wide open at f2, it outperforms the Zuiko at f2, though minimum focus distance steps back to 0.4m.

If handling is what matters to you, and you want to experience what people mean by "the Olympus spirit," the Zuiko 40mm f2 is still the first recommendation. But if you want to shoot without constantly reminding yourself to stop down for better sharpness, the Voigtlander version is the more relaxed choice.

Personally, I love the Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f2 — partly because the Olympus OM mount version is so hard to find. The Zuiko 40mm f2 is much easier to source, and as of 2024 they're priced similarly. If you can manage it, get both. One thing to note with the Voigtlander: the focus ring turns in the opposite direction from native Olympus OM lenses. Takes some adjustment.

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#1
Just before the Lunar New Year holiday — still working, driving south to Taichung for a client meeting and their year-end party. Self-portrait at the Baoshan rest stop on the way.
Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f2 SL Aspherical (1/500, f2)

 

#2
Since I was heading south anyway, I detoured a bit further to Dacun Township in Changhua to pick up two rolls of 110 film I'd left at Jin Ying Photo for development — they'd been sitting there for months.
Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f2 SL Aspherical (1/1000, f8)

 

#3
The storefront at Jin Ying Photo. Looking at the setup, I'd guess about ninety percent of their business comes from online orders.
Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f2 SL Aspherical (1/1000, f2.8)

 

#4
This frame genuinely surprised me. The Voigtlander 40mm f2 wide open is this sharp — at this distance, I can barely tell the difference between f2 and f2.8 in terms of resolution. The next frame is f2.8 for comparison.
Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f2 SL Aspherical (1/1000, f2)

 

#5
The Voigtlander at f2.8 — nearly identical to f2. Maybe that's the advantage of a larger optical formula. Weight-wise: the Zuiko 40mm f2 is 140g, the Voigtlander is 238g — close to the Olympus OM Zuiko 35mm f2 at 240g. None of them are heavy.
Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f2 SL Aspherical (1/500, f2.8)

 

#6
Last Friday before the Lunar New Year break. Took the day off to see a doctor — early signs of a cold coming on — then headed to Neihu afterward to drop off a Pentax 6x7 MLU with a shutter problem that had been in and out of repair multiple times.
Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f2 SL Aspherical (1/125, f2)

 

#7
So much to take care of before the holiday — including dropping off film.
Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f2 SL Aspherical (1/1000, f8)

 

#8
Doctor, film drop-off, camera repair, then a client meeting in the afternoon — a full day. Now it's done. Holiday starts now.
Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f2 SL Aspherical (1/60, f2)

 

#9
Looking down from a building near Zhongxiao Xinsheng MRT Station.
Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f2 SL Aspherical (1/125, f8)

 

#10
With the Zuiko 40mm f2, I used to manually stop down to f2.8 whenever the light allowed — a constant mental calculation. With the Voigtlander, that's gone. Wide open, shoot freely. — This was during the New Year holiday, riding the bus with my wife and son to browse a toy store.
Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f2 SL Aspherical (1/250, f2)

 

#11
Aperture test series — f2.
Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f2 SL Aspherical (1/500, f2)

 

#12
Aperture test series — f2.8.
Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f2 SL Aspherical (1/250, f2.8)

 

#13
Aperture test series — f4. All three shots are at the lens's 0.4m minimum focus distance. You can see that the resolution gap between f2 and f2.8 is more visible up close, but overall performance across all three apertures is excellent.
Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f2 SL Aspherical (1/125, f4)

 

#14
Back from the toy store — a five-year-old (almost six) fully absorbed in building Lego.
Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f2 SL Aspherical (1/60, f2)

 

#15
A big one this time: Lego 71797 Ninjago — Destiny's Bounty Race vs. Time.
Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f2 SL Aspherical (1/125, f2.8)

 

#16
A view I look at multiple times a day. Worth documenting.
Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f2 SL Aspherical (1/30, f2)

 

#17
Took the family to IKEA Xinzhuang during the holiday and found they'd decorated an entire display with real film cameras. Someone on that team is clearly into it.
Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f2 SL Aspherical (1/60, f2.8)

 

#18
Just before turning six, still in kindergarten, and already standing on the altar table to help with the ritual cleaning. He's ahead of where I was at that age.
Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f2 SL Aspherical (1/60, f2)

 

#19
The obligatory burning of joss paper.
Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f2 SL Aspherical (1/125, f2)

 

#20
The ancestral tablet at home.
Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f2 SL Aspherical (1/30, f2)

 

#21
The ash after the joss paper burned out. I love the depth layering in this frame — I wonder if smartphone computational photography will ever genuinely replicate this kind of gradual focus transition.
Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f2 SL Aspherical (1/60, f2)

 

#22
A tiled wall in a park. Based on the tiles, what do you think this used to be — a bathroom or a kitchen?
Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f2 SL Aspherical (1/60, f4)

 

That's the full roll — Olympus OM-2 with Kodak Vision3 250D/5207, remjet removed. Thanks for reading, and thank you to Mr. Chiang in Chiang Mai for this roll as a birthday gift. Wishing you a year where things keep going your way.