Voigtländer’s APO-Lanthar 90mm F4 Close Focus VM is now available to pre-order. The Leica M-mount short telephoto was announced by Cosina in July, and retailers including Red Dot Cameras in the UK are now taking orders, as reported by Leica Rumors.

The selling point is in the name. Rangefinder lenses usually stop focusing where the rangefinder coupling ends, which for most M-mount 90mm lenses is around 1m. This lens is coupled down to 0.7m, marked by a click, and then keeps going to 0.5m when you’re using live view on a digital M or an M-mount adapter on a mirrorless body. That gives a maximum magnification of 0.28x, useful for detail shots, food and tighter portraits.

Small, light and apochromatic

At 235g and 54.8mm long, it’s a lens that suits the M system’s compact ethos. The APO designation means Voigtländer has corrected it to keep colour fringing to a minimum, and the 10-blade aperture should give rounded out-of-focus highlights. It takes 43mm filters and comes with a metal hood.

An f/4 maximum aperture is slower than many 90mm lenses, but it’s what keeps the lens this small. For street and travel shooters who want a short tele that doesn’t weigh down a bag, it looks like a tempting option, and it comes in silver or black.

Voigtländer APO-Lanthar 90mm F4 Close Focus VM specifications

Voigtländer APO-Lanthar 90mm F4 Close Focus VM price and availability

The lens is available to pre-order now. We’re waiting for confirmed UK pricing and a shipping date. Full specifications are on the Cosina Voigtländer website.