35/1.4 Nokton II Preview

Thanks for taking the time to show us those results.
It seems to me the V2 improvements would be a solid step up on digital bodies. Perhaps not as noticeable on film though?

vincentbihler said:
Hello again everyone,

Here is some very non-scientific side by side measurements between the v1 and v2 Nokton 35 1.4 SC

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1kq7AmslAHJLLYgVDLiA4dh2-ylvTL1VF?usp=sharing

The things I noticed:

- Less distortion (from around 3%, to around 2.2%)
- Less field curvature (compare the max distances between green line and pink line in the "curv" pictures)
- A bit less focus shift at f4 (v1 is around 5th line shift on the chart. v2 is around 3rd line)
- At 1.4, both lenses are spot on.
- Bokeh of the v2 is a tad rounder on the edges.

The increased sharpness I felt before certainly comes from the better field flatness.

All in all, we can clearly observe the v2 is a greatly improved lens.

All the testings has been made with a Leica M240. On sony cameras, all of these figures will be worse because of sensor filter stack thickness of these cameras.

Cheers!
Click to expand...
 
It all depends what were your concerns on the v1. If it is about the distortion, I think it may be worth the upgrade as there is no other way to cope with distortion than having a good lens on a silver print.

About the focus shift, as you can see, it only causes a problem if your subject and point of focus is dead in the center. If you reframe your subject with the rule of thirds for example, the point of focus is actually well placed in the focus field. That is why some people never noticed it !

Lastly, about the sharpness, I think it can be relevant if you like to frame straight on flat surface, geometric walls, to get textures and so on.. A better field flatness fill give you sharper pictures.

It is up to ou weather or not the price difference is worth it (considering the fact that v2 noktons are still rare on the 2nd hand market)
 
vincentbihler said:
Hello again everyone,

Here is some very non-scientific side by side measurements between the v1 and v2 Nokton 35 1.4 SC

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1kq7AmslAHJLLYgVDLiA4dh2-ylvTL1VF?usp=sharing

The things I noticed:

- Less distortion (from around 3%, to around 2.2%)
- Less field curvature (compare the max distances between green line and pink line in the "curv" pictures)
- A bit less focus shift at f4 (v1 is around 5th line shift on the chart. v2 is around 3rd line)
- At 1.4, both lenses are spot on.
- Bokeh of the v2 is a tad rounder on the edges.

The increased sharpness I felt before certainly comes from the better field flatness.

All in all, we can clearly observe the v2 is a greatly improved lens.

All the testings has been made with a Leica M240. On sony cameras, all of these figures will be worse because of sensor filter stack thickness of these cameras.

Cheers!
Click to expand...

Absolutely loved the clever workarounds for measuring the barrel distortion and the field curvature. Bravo!

If I weren't in love with the 40/1.2 I'd certainly go for a 35/1.4 v2 in MC version. Lovely tiny lens. I've in fact kept the vented rectangular 3d printed hood I used on the 40/1.4 I've had. Who knows... 🙂
 
Nice photos Steve. Really like the one with the dog and the waves. That's some great composition/use of foreground blurriness there!

And while I never tried the first version, it really looks like they have refined it to be a winner with the 2nd version. Some distortion apparently remains, but I wonder how much it is practically and if it would bother me.
 
vincentbihler said:
Around 2.2 ~ 2.3 % distortion 😉
Click to expand...

Hah. I saw your very imaginative tests. Very helpful and definitely an improvement over the first version which I deemed as having too much distortion. I have a problem visualizing the distortion in real world shots though. I shoot a lot through windows, but at the same time I rarely shoot stuff straight on.

Unlike some others, I don't fundamentally hate a lens having a bit of distortion as long as it's not a bothersome amount or is unpredictable in behavior... (looking at you UC Hexanon!) .. as long as the lens is free from other major vices.
 
TenEleven said:
Nice photos Steve. Really like the one with the dog and the waves. That's some great composition/use of foreground blurriness there!

And while I never tried the first version, it really looks like they have refined it to be a winner with the 2nd version. Some distortion apparently remains, but I wonder how much it is practically and if it would bother me.
Click to expand...

Thanks. Pretty amazing that we have such great choices today. we truly are living in the golden age of rangefinder optics. This Nokton is sharp enough for my B&W film needs (and skill), but it has loads of character too. Great ergonomics. I now see why the pre-asph summilux has such a cult following.
 
This sounds like an interesting lens. I had the first version two times and loved the ergonomics, but hated the prominent flare in even the easiest situations. Maybe, the comparison I had, were not fair, because I compared to Leicas FLE and Zeiss' Distagon 35/1.4 lenses. The VC is very tempting, not only because of its price, but also because of size and weight mainly. But if the flares ruin my pictures, it makes no sense.

Has someone here have some experience, about improvements regarding flare-resistance of version II?
 
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