The Nokton 50/1.1 Revisited

I’m planning to pick this lens up soon as there are several on the market right now for a low price. I’m curious to see how it performs on mirrorless, both for stills and video.
 
On mirrorless- which camera do you plan on using it with?
The thinner the filter stack the better.
I use mine mostly on the M9, but have used the Canon 50mm F0.95 on the Nikon z5. That lens is "extreme" with respect to the optical path and digital sensors. The 50/1.1 Nokton, a longer optical path meaning less vignetting due to the sensor.
 
On mirrorless- which camera do you plan on using it with?
The thinner the filter stack the better.
I use mine mostly on the M9, but have used the Canon 50mm F0.95 on the Nikon z5. That lens is "extreme" with respect to the optical path and digital sensors. The 50/1.1 Nokton, a longer optical path meaning less vignetting due to the sensor.

Likely a Z6ii if I can find one used for the right price - I've read that Nikon full-frame mirrorless cameras have a somewhat thinner sensor stack than some of the competitors, but still thicker than Leica.
 
Two examples of the 50mm f/1.1 Nokton shot wide open. First shot focused at infinity or thereabouts; second shot focused at roughly 2 meters.

National Cathedral and Surfside tortilla
Washington, DC, USA
August 2nd, 2025

Lumix S5
Voigtlander 50mm f/1.1 Nokton
Urth adapter (Leica M - Leica L)
Urth 6-stop neutral density filter and circular polarizer


Cathedral Tower - Lumix S5 - Voigtlander 50mm f1pt1 Nokton - Aug 2025.jpg

Surfside tortilla - Lumix S5 - Voigtlander 50mm f1pt1 Nokton - Aug 2025.jpg
 
Well, you guys did it to me again. A few months ago I was considering the 50mm Nokton ƒ/1.1 as a stable mate to the 35 ƒ/1.2 Nokton. Focus shift seemed to be the biggest gripe about the lens but I use M-mount lenses on Nikon Z bodies. Not an issue for me. I did the usual Googling on reviews of the 50 and ended here on this thread. Bought it (used, of course) from B&H in nearly new condition but missing the hood. I actually seldom use hoods...again, not an issue for me. I love the lens. It's big but compared to my older manual focus and autofocus Nikkors on the FTZ adapters and the more recent Z-mount "S" Nikkors it's not really overly large. Things look pretty when made with this lens is how I would put it. I'm not an extreme bokeh guy--I seldom shoot at max aperture. This lens is very satisfying in its rendering of subjects.

So thanks for pushing me over the edge on this lens. You guys often do that to me. Gotta give up reading lens reviews. Gotta. Just gotta.




.........................................
 
Well, you guys did it to me again. A few months ago I was considering the 50mm Nokton ƒ/1.1 as a stable mate to the 35 ƒ/1.2 Nokton. Focus shift seemed to be the biggest gripe about the lens but I use M-mount lenses on Nikon Z bodies. Not an issue for me. I did the usual Googling on reviews of the 50 and ended here on this thread. Bought it (used, of course) from B&H in nearly new condition but missing the hood. I actually seldom use hoods...again, not an issue for me. I love the lens. It's big but compared to my older manual focus and autofocus Nikkors on the FTZ adapters and the more recent Z-mount "S" Nikkors it's not really overly large. Things look pretty when made with this lens is how I would put it. I'm not an extreme bokeh guy--I seldom shoot at max aperture. This lens is very satisfying in its rendering of subjects.

So thanks for pushing me over the edge on this lens. You guys often do that to me. Gotta give up reading lens reviews. Gotta. Just gotta.


I have the same pair of lenses - the Voigtlander 50mm f1.1 and the Voigtlander 35mm f1.2 (version 1). As to hoods. I do have the original hood for the 50mm f1.1 but it is very shallow and does not seem to do much in terms of preventing flare. But in any event, I personally like to have a hood on my lenses - more for the protective factor (against bumps and scrapes) than for prevention of flares which after all is seldom a huge issue with modern lenses and their hi-tech coatings.

I realize you the lack of a hood is not an issue for you but what I did in this case is that I used a Nikon HK-11 hood which, from memory, was made for the Nikkor MF 35-105mm f3.5-4.5 AIS. It is cheap to buy and very robustly made. This hood uses a thumb screw clamp to mount it securely on a lens and while it mounts loosely on the Voightlander (its diameter being a tad too large) I fixed this by gluing to the inside of the lens' clamping ring, some rather thick dense felt material of the sort which comes with its own glue backing and is sold in hardware stores for the mundane purpose of sticking to the underside of "object d' art" which will sit on polished wooden furniture in the house in order to prevent scratching. When cinched down tight with the thumb wheel, the hood becomes very secure. I rather like this arrangement and I do not recall it vignetting very much in normal shooting though when shot against a blank wall to test, there is definitely some when shot below about f2...............but it's perfectly correctible in post so never bothers me.

The 35mm f1.2 (version 1) has an OEM metal "flower hood" and mine fortunately still has it as they are hard to come by and reasonably expensive.

.........................................
 
Well, you guys did it to me again. A few months ago I was considering the 50mm Nokton ƒ/1.1 as a stable mate to the 35 ƒ/1.2 Nokton. Focus shift seemed to be the biggest gripe about the lens but I use M-mount lenses on Nikon Z bodies. Not an issue for me. I did the usual Googling on reviews of the 50 and ended here on this thread. Bought it (used, of course) from B&H in nearly new condition but missing the hood. I actually seldom use hoods...again, not an issue for me. I love the lens. It's big but compared to my older manual focus and autofocus Nikkors on the FTZ adapters and the more recent Z-mount "S" Nikkors it's not really overly large. Things look pretty when made with this lens is how I would put it. I'm not an extreme bokeh guy--I seldom shoot at max aperture. This lens is very satisfying in its rendering of subjects.

So thanks for pushing me over the edge on this lens. You guys often do that to me. Gotta give up reading lens reviews. Gotta. Just gotta.




.........................................
I have the hood and it drives me nuts, I may be able to send it your way for free
 
Thanks for the offer, Jared, but I would never use it.

And, Peter, I agree the hood can be protective. I've mainly found hoods good for protecting the front element from raindrops. Nowadays, I just stay out of the rain.


................................
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the offer, Jared, but I would never use it.

And, Peter, I agree the hood can be protective. I've mainly found hoods good for protecting the front element from raindrops. Nowadays, I just stay out of the rain.


................................
All good 🙂

I have a combination 6-stop ND/CPL that lives on mine full-time in lieu of the hood. It’s great when I want to shoot f/1.1 to f/2.8 in bright sun, plus it’s essential on the odd occasion I do video with that lens due to the longer shutter speeds involved.
 
Back
Top Bottom