How did your 40mm Nokton work after servicing? I mostly used mine with film and there it was excellent. But on the Leica M(240) at wider apertures there was corner smearing and color shading. I suspect it's the compact design that just isn't optimum for digital sensors. Interestingly the 40mm Rokkor did much better on the 240.
Derek Leath
dl__images Instagram
What do you think about the Nokton 1.5 Aspherical in LTM for the M9?
Derek Leath
dl__images Instagram
Can you see through the viewfinder OK with this lens on the M9?
maartenmoerman
Established
I have the 1.1, and i can look quite well through the viewfinder. You can see the lens, but it's not really in the way of composing (imho). Ken Rockwell has a review on it where he posts an image through the viewfinder, i use a different hood then the original, a cheap ventilated ebay hood which let me look through it. Don't believe what Ken Rockwell says in his review though, well, you can believe it, but i don't really agree with his opinion on this lens.
Huss
Veteran
Yeah he got a bad lens (it happens, maybe it was dropped) because my Nokton 50 1.1 is extremely sharp.
Bill Blackwell
Leica M Shooter
I would agree with those who have already said you really don't need anything else. f/2 is plenty fast enough for a wedding.
I've owned two or three examples of the CV Nokton f/1.1 and could never warm up to it. It's very soft wide-open through around f/2, which means (to me) those faster speeds are completely worthless!
I have to date yet to own one, but every review I've seen on the CV 50mm (or 40mm, for that matter) Nokton f/1.2 indicates it would be worth a look if you're still inclined to more speed than f/2.
Huss
Veteran
Mine is very sharp wide open, and lensrentals.com found it to be sharper than the Noctilux .95.
If you had 3 which weren't sharp it sounds like your RF calibration on your camera(s) is off. A slightly out of focus picture can be confused with an unsharp lens. At 1.1 focus needs to be perfect.
Huss
Veteran
Nokton shot at 1.1:
100% crop. I focused on the filter ring text:
This lens is sharp wide open (and everywhere else). If you can't get a sharp image you are missing focus.
100% crop. I focused on the filter ring text:
This lens is sharp wide open (and everywhere else). If you can't get a sharp image you are missing focus.
Bill Blackwell
Leica M Shooter
Very impressive, Huss!
You almost make me want to find another example and try it again. I believe this speaks to the limitations of an RF (and I used a 1.25 mag finder), and most probably my eyes, with a lens this fast. There are other issues I had with the Nokton f/1.1 I won't get into here, but your example certainly has no issue with the first!
You almost make me want to find another example and try it again. I believe this speaks to the limitations of an RF (and I used a 1.25 mag finder), and most probably my eyes, with a lens this fast. There are other issues I had with the Nokton f/1.1 I won't get into here, but your example certainly has no issue with the first!
On rangefinder cameras, it has focus shift... that is why people think it is soft.
Bill Blackwell
Leica M Shooter
That explains a great deal!
Huss
Veteran
Bill I think your rangefinder needs calibration. I use this lens on my M5 (because it balances so well on larger bodies) and it nails focus like this.
If the rf is a tiny bit off, you may not notice that at 2.8 etc, but it will make the lens seem soft at 1.1 etc.
I haven't experienced focus shift with this lens, perhaps because I use it wide open or stopped down, never really in between. Not saying it doesn't do it, I just never noticed it.
Huss
Veteran
FYI I also use the new CV 40 1.2, and that lens is just fantastic. I prefer it to the 50 1.1.
It is almost permanently mounted on my M7. I just prefer the way the images look.
It is almost permanently mounted on my M7. I just prefer the way the images look.
Erik van Straten
Veteran
I've never seen any focus-shift with the Nokton 50mm f/1.1.
In fact it is a classic lens in the tradition of the Xenon and Summarit 50mm f/1.5 and the Summilux f/1.4 v1, only a stop faster ...
No aspherical elements. A lovely, but very underrated lens in my opinion.
Erik.
In fact it is a classic lens in the tradition of the Xenon and Summarit 50mm f/1.5 and the Summilux f/1.4 v1, only a stop faster ...
No aspherical elements. A lovely, but very underrated lens in my opinion.
Erik.
Huss
Veteran
Perhaps the focus shift claim is from the same people who claim it is soft? But haven't actually used the lens.
maartenmoerman
Established
Well, the build quality is good, but the quality assurance is not so. Mine developed a loose/wobbly first ring (next to focus), and i needed to retighten the 4 screws with some nail polish. And now the front ring is loose/wobbly, the element is still fix, but the filter ring is loose, so my hood is loose. If you google, you will find more people with similar problems. Other then that, i find it a great lens. I shot it on M9 (sold now), color rendition is great, shoot it on A7, works great with focus peaking, and shoot it in M6. On M6, i never shoot at 1.1, as that is just too hard for RF focussing, my M6 is recently calibrated, and proper, but at f1.1 it's just way too hard to nail focus. On f2 and higher it's a great & sharp lens.
Beemermark
Veteran
Based on lenses I own (or have owned):
50/1.4 Summilux - dead nuts perfect. If you can afford it forget anything else. I don't care what anyone says, earlier Summiluxes don't hold a candle to current fast lenses. Unfortunately I sold mine sometime previous when I needed money.
Zeiss 50mm/1.5 - I love this lens. Not as good as above but close, and nice rendering. It's tough to nail focus with a lens this fast. One shot an inch before, one an inch after, and one according to focus and you've got it. Easy with digital.
50/1.5 VC a nice lens, lots to like. Just don't like as much as the Zeiss.
50/1.1 VC a great lens wide open that everyone hates. But for the price you can't beat it. Not sure what's to hate.
50/2 Summicron - current. Another fantastic lens that beats the pants off everything else. All 50 Summicrons are nice but this is the best.
Canon 50/1.5 & 1.4, nice lenses but come on, '50's technology. Like the older Summiluxes, good on film - no so much on digital.
50/1.4 Summilux - dead nuts perfect. If you can afford it forget anything else. I don't care what anyone says, earlier Summiluxes don't hold a candle to current fast lenses. Unfortunately I sold mine sometime previous when I needed money.
Zeiss 50mm/1.5 - I love this lens. Not as good as above but close, and nice rendering. It's tough to nail focus with a lens this fast. One shot an inch before, one an inch after, and one according to focus and you've got it. Easy with digital.
50/1.5 VC a nice lens, lots to like. Just don't like as much as the Zeiss.
50/1.1 VC a great lens wide open that everyone hates. But for the price you can't beat it. Not sure what's to hate.
50/2 Summicron - current. Another fantastic lens that beats the pants off everything else. All 50 Summicrons are nice but this is the best.
Canon 50/1.5 & 1.4, nice lenses but come on, '50's technology. Like the older Summiluxes, good on film - no so much on digital.
DanskDynamit
Well-known
Canon 50 1.4 is a gem.
dourbalistar
Buy more film
Indeed it is.
There's nearly 10 years and 12 pages and counting of image samples here on the forum. I've never shot mine on a digital M, but it balances well on my M5, which is the one of the larger film M cameras:https://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86792
xichlo
Member
The composition and the B&W dev skill are so nice no matter what lens you used.
The Summilux 50mm f/1.4 v1 is better at f/2 than the Summicron 50mm f/2 v2 at full aperture.
The Nokton f/1.1 is fine but it cuts off a large part of the viewfinder image.
Leica M5, Summilux 50mm f/1.4 v1, 400-2TMY @ f/2.
Erik.
