Cosina released the Voigtländer APO-LANTHAR 90mm F4 Close Focus VM, a medium telephoto lens, on August 26, 2026. It is a manual focus lens with a VM mount compatible with the Leica M mount, packing a 0.28x maximum magnification into a body that weighs 235g and measures 54.8mm from the mount flange. The suggested retail price is 121,000 yen including tax, and it comes in silver and black.
An F4 Maximum Aperture Is What Made It Small
The first thing that stands out about this lens is not a performance figure but its dimensions. The maximum diameter is 53.0mm, the length is 54.8mm, and the weight is 235g, which keeps a rangefinder body from becoming front heavy.
The reason for that compactness is clear. Cosina limited the maximum aperture to F4 and chose a simple unit focusing design in which the whole optical block moves forward. F4 is also the traditional maximum aperture for 90mm rangefinder lenses. Instead of competing on speed, the design puts that budget into size and optical performance.
The short barrel brings a second practical benefit. When you compose through an optical rangefinder, a long barrel intrudes into the bright line frame and blocks part of the view. Cosina states that this length eliminates that obstruction. The filter size is 43mm, so stacking a filter does not add much length up front.
Six of the Eight Elements Use Anomalous Partial Dispersion Glass
The APO-LANTHAR name has been reserved for Voigtländer products that push hardest on optical performance. This lens follows an apochromatic design, which aligns the focal positions of red, green and blue as closely as possible and drives axial chromatic aberration toward zero.
The optical formula is 8 elements in 7 groups, and 6 of those 8 elements use anomalous partial dispersion glass. That ratio is an unusually generous allocation for a lens of this size. Cosina says it made no compromises on either resolving power or contrast reproduction, so the interesting question is how far the lens holds up on high contrast subjects where color fringing normally appears.
The diaphragm has 10 blades and stops down to F22. The angle of view is 27.5 degrees, and the image circle covers 35mm full frame.
Focusing to 0.5m, Beyond the Rangefinder Coupling Range
The Close Focus in the product name refers to a minimum focusing distance of 0.5m. The rangefinder couples down to 0.7m, and focusing closer than that assumes a camera with live view. At 0.5m the magnification reaches 0.28x, which puts the lens past quarter macro territory.
Maintaining image quality at close range was part of the design brief alongside the apochromatic correction. In other words, the lens is meant to avoid the familiar compromise where a medium telephoto can focus close but softens when it does.
Cosina also added a click stop that you can feel through the focusing ring at the boundary between the rangefinder coupled range and the closer range beyond it. You can tell which range you are in by touch while still looking through the finder. It is a small detail, but a useful one if you move back and forth between the rangefinder and live view.
Handling and the Included Hood
The barrel is all metal, and the helicoid unit is machined and adjusted to tight tolerances and paired with a high quality grease that produces moderate torque. On a manual focus lens, that feel matters about as much as the optics.
A dedicated metal hood is included. It protrudes only about 9mm, a length chosen to cut flare while staying clear of the viewfinder frame. Even with the hood attached, the lens stays consistent with its 54.8mm body.
Who It Suits
Because the VM mount is compatible with the Leica M mount, the lens works on M mount rangefinders and, through an adapter, on mirrorless bodies. There is no autofocus. Given that, the combination of 0.5m close focusing and 235g suits photographers who shoot street work and want to move in close, or who want a light medium telephoto to carry on a mirrorless body.
On the other hand, an F4 maximum aperture will feel limiting in low light or when you want heavy background blur. The design intent here is explicit, so that is a trade you accept when you choose this lens.
Summary
The APO-LANTHAR 90mm F4 Close Focus VM uses an F4 maximum aperture to reach 235g and a 54.8mm barrel, then spends 6 of its 8 elements on anomalous partial dispersion glass in an apochromatic design. It focuses to 0.5m for 0.28x magnification and adds a click stop at the edge of the rangefinder coupled range. It went on sale on August 26, 2026, at a suggested retail price of 121,000 yen including tax, in silver and black.
