These are the best Voigtländer prime lenses when you want exquisite micro-contrast, disciplined CA control, silky long-throw manual focus, and compact, metal builds for portraits, travel, street, product, astro, and hybrid video—and here’s what to look for as you buy: prioritize APO-Lanthar designs for reference-grade sharpness and color, Nokton/Ultron lines for speed and character, de-clickable apertures on E/Z versions for cinema-friendly exposure, long damped throws with hard stops, modest focus breathing if you film, and sensible filtration (threaded fronts where possible; standardize step-ups so one slim VND and gentle CPL cover the set); pair unstabilized lenses with strong IBIS or solid support, and leverage close-focus Voigtländer housings (native E/Z often focus closer than classic VM). Full-frame “reference” heroes: APO-Lanthar 35mm ƒ2 and 50mm ƒ2 (clinical-perfect yet beautiful rendering with near-zero LoCA—interviews, product, landscape), APO-Lanthar 65mm ƒ2 Macro 1:2 (short-tele bridge with biting detail and versatile working distance), and APO-Lanthar 110mm ƒ2.5 Macro 1:1 (studio-grade beauty/product with elegant bokeh and velvet mechanics). Speed/character Noktons for low light and mood: 21mm ƒ1.4 (night streets, environmental portraits, narrative gimbal work), 35mm ƒ1.2 (cinematic falloff and gentle micro-contrast), 40mm ƒ1.2 (buttery pulls, compact “do-it-all” normal), and 50mm ƒ1.0 (dreamy signature with precise manual control). Compact classics for travel/street: Color-Skopar 21mm ƒ3.5, 28mm ƒ2.8, and 35mm ƒ2.5 (tiny, flare-disciplined, pocketable), plus Ultron 28mm ƒ2 and 35mm ƒ2 (crisp micro-contrast in compact barrels) and Ultron 75mm ƒ1.9 (light, fast portrait sweetheart). Ultra-wide specialists: 10mm ƒ5.6 Hyper-Wide, 12mm ƒ5.6, and 15mm ƒ4.5 (disciplined geometry, gorgeous sunstars, close focus on E-mount variants). Legacy/grail primes worth adapting: APO-Lanthar 125mm ƒ2.5 1:1 (coveted rendering), APO-Lanthar 90mm ƒ3.5 1:2 (elegant compact tele), and SL II-S pancakes (20/3.5, 40/2) that turn modern bodies into featherweight travel rigs. APS-C users can run the same primes for compact kits (e.g., 21/1.4 ≈ 31-eq, 35/2 ≈ 52-eq) with instant gimbal balance. Practical buyer tips: build a two- or three-prime spine to match your style—“APO set” (35/2 + 50/2 + 65/2 or 110/2.5) for commercial/doc color fidelity; “Speed set” (21/1.4 + 35/1.2 + 50/1.0) for night narrative; “Travel classic” (15/4.5 + 40/1.2 + 75/1.9) for light packs—then standardize fronts (e.g., step to 77/82/95 mm), add 0.8 focus gears if you pull for video, and use native E/Z versions for declick + EXIF + auto magnify; VM versions adapt beautifully with rigid mounts. Prime-shooting tips: run Aperture Priority near wide open and stop 1/3–2/3 stop for eyelash-crisp portraits with smooth falloff, mind background distance (1–3 m) for clean bokeh, level horizons and shade the front element for cleaner sunstars, and for macro/beauty lean on the 65/2 or 110/2.5 with cross-polarization; for video lock a 180° shutter with a quality VND, enable IBIS but disable stabilization on sticks to avoid micro-jitter, set peaking/magnification, and tape marks for repeatable racks; whether you’re crafting editorial character studies, blue-hour city stories, meticulous product sets, or travel diaries, the best Voigtländer prime choices combine APO discipline or Nokton character with long-throw mechanics and compact, all-metal builds—so your files land sharp, color-true, and gorgeously intentional straight out of camera.