Nokton classic 35 f1.4 MC or SC for R-D1?

Nokton classic 35 f1.4 MC or SC for R-D1?

  • SC - R-D1 or M8

    Votes: 19 19.0%
  • MC - R-D1 or M8

    Votes: 16 16.0%
  • SC - Film cameras

    Votes: 14 14.0%
  • MC - Film cameras

    Votes: 3 3.0%
  • SC - Using digital and film cameras

    Votes: 10 10.0%
  • MC - Using digital and film cameras

    Votes: 18 18.0%
  • I don't care, is the same for me.

    Votes: 20 20.0%

  • Total voters
    100
The previous tandem of SC and MC was the VC 40mm 1.4. Samples showed marginal differences between the two. Really, the single coated version looked in no way like the pre 80's classic glasses. It just look like any other modern lens, just a very touch less contrasty than its MC twin. Get the best deal in order to choose between those two, the difference in results is trivial IMO.

I agree, I owned the 35mm Nokton SC and it was very modern looking IMHO.
 
I agree, I owned the 35mm Nokton SC and it was very modern looking IMHO.
I disagree as far as my SC copy is concerned. Looks much like the last pre-asph Summilux 35/1.4 with more sharpness at f/1.4 and f/2 but not the same 'modern' fingerprint as that of asph Leica lenses by far. Lots of flare though.
 
The VC 35/1.4 gives some pretty harsh bokeh..SC or MC.

To my eye, this is not harsh at all. Consider outside the window is a park with trees and bright light.

VC Nokton 35mm F1.4 (multicoated), wide open
4078751069_ba21d2e1bb.jpg


But maybe what I consider not harsh is harsh to some.
 
Last edited:
Under the "right" circumstances of light, subject, distances, lens openings, most lenses can produce harsh or smooth bokeh. There's some bokeh in my second shot in post #19 with the 35SC, not harsh.

I think too that it's aberrations in the lenses that cause them to tend toward smoother more pleasing bokeh, and modern lenses with improved optics therefore have higher contrast with fewer of these aberrations and thus tend toward sharper-edged and unsettled bokeh. But in any case it's a tendency, not an absolute, as other factors mentioned above can override.

I've noticed too that larger formats usually produce more pleasant bokeh, and wondering how this happens. Maybe a matter of scale.
 
Last edited:
Very nice comparisons LCT, both look good to me. Are these the whole frame, or center, edge, or corner crops?
 
LCT, thanks for the very interesting comparison! The most noticeable difference to my eye, at f/1.4 and f/2, is the purple fringing visible in the Nokton shot but absent from the Summilux. And it seems to me the Nokton's bokeh is very slightly smoother than the Summilux's. Also, I don't see any sign of focus shift in either.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top Bottom