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As we mentioned in the introduction, there has recently been no shortage of f/2 40 mm lenses designed for use with full-frame mirrorless cameras, so we had no trouble putting together the comparison table below.

In terms of size, weight and optical complexity, the oldest lens in this group, the Batis 40 mm f/2 CF, stands out. The Septon ranks second in terms of weight, but this is mainly because its body is entirely metal and contains no plastic components. What's more, Voigtlander stands out by featuring as many as 10 aperture blades. The Batis and Nikkor offer shorter minimum focusing distances, while the Lumix performs similarly in this respect, with the TTArtisan bringing up the rear. Along with the Batis and TTArtisan, the Septon has the smallest filter diameter, at 52 mm.

In the photograph above, the Voigtlander Septon 40 mm f/2 Aspherical is positioned between the Voigtlander Apo-Lanthar 2/50 and the DSLR Canon EF 2/35 USM.

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The tested lens starts with a metal mount surrounded by electrical contacts and a rear element with a diameter of 26 mm. The metal rim of the mount bears the lens's serial number and the inscription "COSINA CO., LTD.". The rear element is surrounded by a black, well-matted material. When focused at infinity, it sits a few millimetres below the level of the contacts. When we switch to the minimum focusing distance, it retracts to a depth of approximately 1.5 cm.

The main lens barrel is made of metal and begins with a fixed ring measuring 4 mm in width. It features a depth-of-field scale with markings for f/22, f/16, f/11, f/8 and f/4.0. Almost the entire circumference of this ring is covered with narrow ridges to provide a better grip.

The largest part of the lens is the manual focusing ring, which is 22 mm wide. Its central section features prominent ridges with a fine texture and additional indentations for the fingers. Beneath it, we find a distance scale marked in both feet and meters. The ring operates smoothly and with appropriate resistance. Traversing the entire scale requires a rotation of approximately 160 degrees. This is a substantial value that allows for comfortable operation. The same ring also bears the number 40, indicating the lens's focal length, the letter Z referring to the mount, and the inscription "Lens made in Japan".

Turning the manual focusing ring moves the entire optical assembly, causing the whole front section of the lens, including the front element, to extend forward.

The next component is a narrow aperture ring, which is only 4 mm wide. It features fine ridges to provide a better grip. The ring operates in 1/3 EV increments.

The lens ends with a fixed section of the barrel, which does not feature a conventional bayonet mount for attaching the lens hood. In this case, the hood is screwed onto a thread.

The front element has a diameter of 21 mm and is slightly convex. It is surrounded by a section of the barrel bearing inscriptions with the lens name and specifications, as well as a non-rotating 52 mm filter thread.

As for the optical construction, the lens consists of 7 elements arranged in 6 groups. One element is made of glass with anomalous dispersion, while another has an aspherical shape. Inside, we also find an aperture diaphragm with as many as 10 blades, which can be stopped down to a maximum of f/22.

The package includes a metal lens hood and both caps.