Nokton 1.1 ... is it just 'ho hum?'

Keith

Keith

The best camera is one that still works!
Local time
8:38 AM
Joined
May 5, 2006
Messages
19,237
Location
Australia
View My Gallery
I can't help but notice that this lens, in spite of all the pre release anticipation at someone finally giving us a cheap Noctilux, seems to have created less of a bang and more of a whimper from where I see it.

There's already been several for sale in the classifieds and the forum hasn't exactly been peppered with threads saying ... "Wow my new 1.1 Nokton has just blown my socks off!"

I remember 'P Lynn Miller' being very un-excited about his when he received it and amazingly I don't think Joe (Back Alley) has bought one yet! :angel:

What gives ... I thought this was going to be the new low light messiah?
 
I personally think that most likely because our friends who bought the lens was quite disappointed with the bokeh quality, especially when you compare it to the Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.5 ;-)
 
Last edited:
Krosya said:
Keith, my man, I think you'll be in trouble here for this thread. Run for cover! 😉
Click to expand...


It's a legitimate question Krosya ... I was expecting a huge reaction to this lens and actually considered getting one briefly because the price is very reasonable here in Oz ... and I figured if I didn't like it I could always sell it!

I'm trying not to troll but I expected this lens to be the fast glass flavour that everyone was waiting for ... and it doesn't really seem to be that way to me!
 
Keith said:
I can't help but notice that this lens, in spite of all the pre release anticipation at someone finally giving us a cheap Noctilux, seems to have created less of a bang and more of a whimper from where I see it.
Click to expand...

Keith -- You're brutal mate. Tom A. isn't gonna ever talk wit you again!
 
Its a fast lens but no magic I suppose -- no Noct of the night. They were saying the Noct price was gonna take a hit -- looks like the other way around. Alot of 1 weekers in the classifieds. What gives?
 
I was interested in one, but I'm not very adventurous w/ my $$. I decided to wait and see the results of tests by others. 'Looks like it's no world-beater and CV is gonna take a real hit if it doesn't sell in the numbers they expected. Too bad for all of us.
 
35mmdelux said:
Its a fast lens but no magic I suppose
Click to expand...

AFAIC, "no magic" is a good thing. I like sharpness and I don't like vignetting. This lens fits the bill. I will buy one of these the next time I do a project or get an assignment that requires a lot of low light work - if I do the job on film, that is. For now, I'm not gonna drop $1K for a lens I don't need when I already have the 1.5. As for "charater," my feeling is the better the less the less "character" it has. I want the character and personality in my images to come from me, not a lens. But I think I'm in the minority here.
 
I had to deide between getting a Nokton 1.1 or get a Pentax Limited 43mm 1.9 plus a Hexar 50mm 3.5 LTM [with a Bessa T added to themix].

I went for tradition.
 
you gotta pay for 'mystic'...

but in all seriousness, most people don't 'need' ultra-fast gear and because the super-nokton is so accessible/available, it doesn't seem to have the same attraction (not an elite ownership club) as the more exotic glass...

how is the build quality on it? i heard from a owner that his aperture blades failed on his new model and it had to be sent back ... probably a rare occurrence but wondering how it's holding up for other early adopters?
 
I guess my expectations were pretty low. I knew I was not going to get a Noctilux. All I wanted was a very fast, sharp 50 mm lens in M mount. It seems like I got that and more. It fills the same role as my Nikon 50 mm 1.2. With the Nikon I knew I was not getting a Noct but I did get a very serviceable lens that I can use as my only 50 mm F mount lens. People keep finding all sorts of absurd reasons why the lens is not up to snuff. The lens is what it is and if it is not the lens for the lens connoisseur it may be the lens for us proletariat RFFers. Check back in six months and see what its reputation is then.
 
I would tend to agree that there is a reason why the German product costs (a lot) more.

My father, for example, has a Zeiss Victory scope and in the failing light, through it you can see better than you can in day light. It is quite incredible. In a lot of ways I think that the Germans have perfected the optical formula in such a way that the perceived arrogance of their pricing is justified.

That said, people did ask for a faster Nokton at a price that most could afford and now there is one, I think that maybe the excitment of the latest, greatest product, blah blah is over they still lust for things that they don't need, and greater still aspire to be able to afford.
 
Thardy said:
Discussions on the Nokton 1.1 falls into the "been there - done" that category.
Click to expand...


As you say it's optical qualities have been discussed plenty ... I'm more interested in the slightly tepid reaction to what was asked for repeatedly from Cosina for a long time!
 
Yes, and it's not a Noctilux in a cheaper barrel now is it.. That's what I think people thought that they would be getting.

Still, hat's off to Cosina for making this stuff. Shame they didn't just carry on making the 28mm f/3.5 Skopar, I would take one of those head over heels before the Nokton, regardless of price.
 
I can't wait to get one of these. There's nothing in this price range in rangefinder lenses that comes close to its low-light capability. Technically that's really what it's about. As a collectible I'm sure it has serious long term potential as well.
 
Perhaps it has also been impacted by the rapid movement from film to digital, even among those on this forum. And that 50 on an M8 or RD-1, or even a 2x crop Pany or Olympus just isn't that useful a lens with the crop factor to drop 1K on.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

A
Voigtlander Nokton 21mm f/1.4 Asph Review
Replies
6
Views
2K
WJJ3
WJJ3
Back
Top Bottom