Lens recommendations

[EpicRavenLord]

Hi everyone I'm loving my R-D1x and im thinking of getting a second lens. I currently have the voigtlander 28 f/2 ultron and am extremely happy with it. I am trying to decide between 3 lenses. I'm sticking with voigtlander and here is what I'm trying to decide between.

Nokton 50 f/1.1 $999
Nokton 50 f/1.5 $899
Nokton 40 f/1.4 $449

It will be used for candid and street people photography. Obviously I want the most for my money. If any users here have personal experience with these in regards to image quality any feed back would be greatly appreciated. The 40 wins on size, weight, price, and it has a focus tab.... But I wouldn't mind paying the extra money for superior IQ, bokeh, focusing... Etc.

Thanks
Nick

 

[back alley]

get the 40…it's a great lens and perfect size for the rd1.

 

[lightwriter]

focus mechanism limitation

focus mechanism limitation

Have you tried any of these lenses or similar (faster than f2) on your RD1? I have the Voigtlander 35mm f1.2 which I absolutely love because of the images that it paints in the RD1 sensor. That being said, it stays on my M8 because it frustrates me on the RD1.

I cannot consistently (to my satisfaction) focus the f1.2 wide open on my RD1.

My RD1 is now almost permanently mated with my Leica 40mm f2. It makes for a compact carry around/vacation kit and I really like the images as well.

The unfortunate part is that while the f1.2 works very well with my M8, i still prefer the handling of the RD1.

I've contemplated the 40mm f1.4 but worry that I would always have it stopped down because of mu above issue.

Whatever you decide, I hope it works well for your shooting style.
Regards,
Carlos

 

[Turtle]

Zeiss 50mm ZM planar? Stunning IQ.

 

[le-alain]

I have no problem to get accurate focus with both my nokton 35 1.4 and 50 1.5, they don't seem to have focus shift.
Both lens are sharp in the center full open, but need f4, 5.6 to get sharp accross the frame, but that is their caracter.

as the recomandation above, for the bet IQ, the ZMplanar 50 f2

😉

 

[bpaul233]

I had the 40 for a while, but never really liked it, even though it's a good lens. I tried out the 50 1.5 last summer and loved it. It's a tough focal length (IMO) on the RD 1, but I was impressed and preferred the way it rendered compared to the Zeiss 50 Planar. Definitely on my wish list.

 

[paradoxbox]

50mm is definitely hard on the RD1, for most people.

but for photos of models, or for getting photos of people that are in a film camera's 85mm range, they're quite nice.

if you are going to use the voigtlander F1.1, you're also going to need nikon's magnifier piece. it's not expensive but it's a little bulky. luckily it's fairly easy to screw on and off of the viewfinder so you can just swap on the fly if you've got a few seconds free.

another nice thing about the nikon flip magnifier is that it can be flipped up so you can quickly see the framing then flipped back down to check the focus patch.

without the magnifier you will absolutely not be able to focus correctly at F1.1, there's just not enough VF magnification to handle it.

 

[EpicRavenLord]

Thanks for all your great feedback. I think Im just going to save for a 1994 or earlier Summicron 50F/2 … the one with the focus tab and the detachable hood. That will keep me on with the R-D1x until that M9-P or M type240 funds roll in.

 

[Johnmcd]

My vote goes to the vc 40/1.4 It was glued to my R-D1 and still is with the new owner. Very sharp wide open. Great price too.