Yesterday, I took a short trip to Lund to visit my trusted camera dealer. The purpose? To pick up a new addition to my lens collection: the Voigtländer 50mm f/2 APO lens. I’ve heard about the lens’s performance and precision and couldn’t wait to put it to the test. After a few friendly words with the dealer and checking out the lens in my hands, I decided to dive right into exploring its capabilities.
Lund, a city rich in history and character, was the perfect place for this test drive. I wandered through the charming streets of central Lund, drawn instinctively to Lund Cathedral, a place I’ve visited countless times. Yet, there’s something about seeing familiar places through a camera lens—especially a new one—that invites you to look a bit closer, maybe even a little differently.
Approaching the cathedral, I found myself noticing things I had never really paid attention to before. The building is an imposing masterpiece, and while I’ve admired its towering structure and intricate features for years, this time I looked up to see the carvings above the main gate. A series of intricate, almost mystical figures and symbols adorned the space above, their presence both subtle and commanding. These carvings—so finely detailed yet hidden in plain sight—were like a hidden narrative I’d somehow missed. It’s these moments that remind me why I love photography. It has an uncanny way of revealing layers that our daily gaze might pass over.
Photography, at its core, is about seeing and capturing nuances that might otherwise go unnoticed. With my new lens, I felt the subtle thrill of rediscovery, as though I was looking at Lund Cathedral with fresh eyes, despite my countless visits over the years.
Testing the Voigtländer 50mm f/2 APO Lens
The Voigtländer 50mm f/2 APO lens has a well-deserved reputation. Known for its clarity and color rendering, it’s a manual focus lens with a tactile precision that makes you feel like you’re crafting each shot rather than just snapping a photo. Voigtländer has put great effort into this lens, which stands out for its apochromatic design, minimizing chromatic aberration and ensuring images are rendered with high fidelity. This is especially important in architectural photography, where capturing true-to-life details without distortion is essential.
As I wandered through Lund, I tested its ability to capture intricate textures and the interplay of light and shadow on the cathedral’s surfaces. The sandstone walls, rich in history and texture, appeared crisp and vivid through the lens. The lens’s sharpness surprised me; it captured the fine details of the carvings above the door, from the expressions on the carved figures’ faces to the delicate textures of their clothing and surroundings.
What struck me most about the Voigtländer lens was its ability to bring out both the grand and minute details of the cathedral. From the towering twin spires to the tiny, overlooked patterns in the stone, every element was captured with a sharpness that made the images feel almost tangible. It’s one thing to know a lens is technically capable, but it’s quite another to experience it in action, seeing how it translates real-world beauty into photographic form. I’ll share a full review soon, but my initial impressions are overwhelmingly positive.
Rediscovering Lund Cathedral
Lund Cathedral is not only one of Sweden’s oldest churches; it’s one of its most cherished. Built in the early 12th century, this Romanesque cathedral has stood the test of time, evolving and adapting through centuries of history. Standing before it, you can feel the weight of its nearly thousand-year history, the way it merges artistry with spirituality. Its twin towers, reaching skyward, are symbols of permanence and resilience, towering above the cityscape like guardians of history.
The cathedral’s exterior is a masterclass in medieval craftsmanship, from its impressive symmetry to the intricate carvings that decorate its facade. The main doorway is particularly captivating. The carvings, which I only noticed fully this time, depict scenes from the Bible, intertwined with Nordic iconography—a blend that speaks to the merging of religious and local traditions in medieval Scandinavia. The figures are both familiar and mysterious, bridging the spiritual with the historical, adding layers to the cathedral’s story that feel as though they’ve been waiting to be uncovered.
Inside the cathedral, the atmosphere shifts. The architecture draws you in with its high vaulted ceilings and sweeping arches. Soft light filters through stained-glass windows, casting an ethereal glow that gives the interior a sense of timelessness. It’s easy to understand why Lund Cathedral is revered as one of Sweden’s spiritual centers. It’s a place that feels alive, with the whispered echoes of countless visitors, prayers, and ceremonies held over centuries.
Iconic Features: The Crypt and Astronomical Clock
The crypt and the astronomical clock are two of Lund Cathedral’s most iconic features. Descending into the crypt is like stepping back in time. Built in the early 12th century, the crypt retains its original Romanesque style. Its low ceilings and dim lighting create an atmosphere that’s almost mystical. The crypt is supported by rows of thick, rounded columns, each one different from the next, giving the space a unique and almost personal feel. Carved figures, legends, and lore surround the crypt, including the famous statue of the giant Finn, a figure from local folklore. According to legend, Finn was a giant who helped build the cathedral, and his statue still “guards” the crypt today.
Above in the main hall, the 14th-century astronomical clock is a marvel of medieval engineering and artistry. This ornate clock, adorned with figures of knights, kings, and saints, doesn’t just tell time; it tracks the phases of the moon and provides a glimpse into how people once viewed time, the cosmos, and their place within it. Every day, at specific times, the clock comes to life, with figures moving in a display that has been delighting visitors for centuries. Standing before it, it’s hard not to feel a connection to those past generations who gazed upon it in wonder, much as we do today.
The Eternal Allure of Photography
Photography, at its best, is an invitation to look deeper. With each click, a photographer seeks to capture not just a scene but a moment of insight, a fresh angle, a hidden detail. Sometimes, you capture a fleeting expression, a play of light, or an overlooked detail that tells an entire story within the frame. Using a high-quality lens like the Voigtländer heightens this experience, allowing you to capture intricate layers and subtleties that would otherwise fade into the background.
As I left Lund, reviewing some of the shots I’d taken, I was struck by how even familiar places, like Lund Cathedral, still have new secrets to reveal. It’s an endless exploration, one that deepens each time you approach with an open eye and a curious heart. Every visit to the cathedral, every walk through the historic streets, offers an invitation to see anew. That’s one of the joys of photography—it gives you a reason to look again, to pause, and to see what you might have missed the first time around.
My experience with the Voigtländer lens at Lund Cathedral has left me with a renewed appreciation for the power of both photography and perspective. No matter how well you think you know a place, there’s always something waiting to surprise you. Whether it’s the fine detail of a carving, the play of light on stone, or the sense of history permeating the walls, photography allows you to capture and share those moments. I look forward to exploring more with this lens and sharing a more in-depth review of its performance. But for now, I’m grateful for the reminder that sometimes, all it takes is a fresh perspective to see something familiar in a completely new light.
In many ways, this day was a microcosm of what makes photography so fulfilling. It’s about learning to see, even in the most familiar places, the details that time or routine might otherwise obscure.
