40mm 1.4 Nokton vs. 35mm 1.2 Nokton. which is better and why.

[eleskin]

I have the 40mm 1.4 Nokton and am contemplating the 35mm f1.2 Nokton.

So here is the question: Those of you who have both. Which is the better lens and why. What is gained by 35mm vs 40mm and f1.2 vs f1.4. Is the price worth it?

 

[kully]

I have both. The 40/1.4 was my first RF lens and the 35/1.2 is my favourite lens.

What do you want to know? What do you do that would allow an attempt at quantifying the questions in your first post?

 

[kully]

Whoops, I didn't actually say anything useful in that post 🙂

The 35/1.2 has nice smooth bokeh, the 40/1.4 gets a little ragged under some conditions. I'll suffix that by saying that I only noticed that until someone pointed it out to me, I was happily ignorant to that before.

For the M8, the 35/1.2 seems to be sharper below f/2-f/2.8 for 12x8 enlargements.

Having said all that, the 40/1.4 is useful because it is small and I know keep it on a M2.

 

[Juan Valdenebro]

Pick the 40 if you want small size and high speed in the same lens.

Pick the 35 if you don't care about bigger size but you care about bokeh in a wide angle.

Both are fast and sharp enough. The 35 has a bit of more wide angle character, and the 40 is a normal view (it's a 43mm lens).

Cheers,

Juan

 

[snausages]

I have the 40mm 1.4 Nokton and am contemplating the 35mm f1.2 Nokton.

So here is the question: Those of you who have both. Which is the better lens and why. What is gained by 35mm vs 40mm and f1.2 vs f1.4. Is the price worth it?

The proximity of 1.4 and 1.2 makes them seem comparable but they're such different lenses and not really suited to an either/or evaluation.

The 1.4 is super compact and can do everything you need in daylight. The 1.2 is large for a RF lens, but has a beautiful signature at wide apertures.

 

[kuvvy]

No experience of the 35 but in the short time I've owned the 40mm SC I've found it a very good lens and it's given me some good results and I undertsand why it has it's followers. That said I much prefer my 28/2 Ultron on my RD1 and the Nokton will be getting re-sold soon. If I was still shooting film though I would've definitely kept it.

 

[Benjamin Marks]

I agree with Juan. I have both. I use the 35/1.2 more often because of its speed and because I like the way it renders more. The 40 is a nice walk-around lens, though. Within reason, I don't care about lens weight, so that is not a consideration for me.

Ben Marks

 

[Juan Valdenebro]

The proximity of 1.4 and 1.2 makes them seem comparable but they're such different lenses and not really suited to an either/or evaluation.

The 1.4 is super compact and can do everything you need in daylight. The 1.2 is large for a RF lens, but has a beautiful signature at wide apertures.

In daylight and in artificial light too... I have used it handheld inside a dark church (tungsten light) with fast film, at a more than comfortable speed: 1/60th. With a 1.2 lens, things are just the same...

Cheers,

Juan

 

[Krosya]

The proximity of 1.4 and 1.2 makes them seem comparable but they're such different lenses and not really suited to an either/or evaluation.

The 1.4 is super compact and can do everything you need in daylight. The 1.2 is large for a RF lens, but has a beautiful signature at wide apertures.

Exactly! I haveboth as well and use them for different things. I also have a few oher 35mm lenses and if it ever came to keeping just one, I'd never let CV 35/1.2 go. There is simply no other 35mm lens out there that draws like it! I dont care thats it's larger - images I get from it - thats what counts for me, even if I have to deal with the size (which is really not that large, after all).

 

[Rob-F]

I don't know that I would buy f/1.2 just for the extra 1/2 stop. That's only like the difference between D-76 vs. XTOL. Of course, if you really need that little bit of extra speed, maybe to keep your shutter speed up, then it might be worth it.

The glowing reports about the drawing ability of the 35/1.2 could be a much greater incentive to buy the fast lens. I have wondered, though, how much that big lens blocks the finder.

 

[eleskin]

I bought the 35mm Nokton from Cameraquest yesterday!

I bought the 35mm Nokton from Cameraquest yesterday!

I was leaning in the direction of the 35 anyway and took the plunge and bought the 35 mm Nokton yesterday. The extra speed is important to me. The way the lens draws is the most important of all and I am sure I will be pleased with this thing on my M8. In fact, my walk around street photography kit will be this 35mm Nokton and 15mm Super wide Heliar! Can't wait!!!