Nokton Classic 35mm f1.4 II MC vs Ultron 35mm f/2

[stevierose]

Hello RFF friends
I want to buy a compact 35mm M mount lens to use on my M mount cameras to shoot film. I usually shoot BW film. Both the Nokton f1.4 II MC and the new Ultron 35 f/2 are compact and lightweight. I am trying to decide between them. Besides the additional stop provided on the Nokton f/1.4 what differences have you noticed between the two in terms of image quality? I have looked at threads in this forum showing photos taken with both lenses, and they both look good to me. I have read that the Nokton had some issues with distortion and focus shift that has improved somewhat in version II. It would be nice to have the extra stop for low light situations, but not if the Ultron image quality is significantly better? Has anyone used both of these who can comment? Thanks!
Steve Rosenblum
Ann Arbor

 

[gavinlg]

I have the v1 nokton f1.4 and it’s wonderful, but it’s like using a lens from the 60’s or 70s. It has a lot of aberration wide open and does clean up pretty nicely as you stop it down but I wouldn’t call it a modern lens. It has more distortion close up and straightens out a quite a bit as you get further away from the subject. Around f1.8-f2 it sings In a way that’s completely different to a modern highly corrected lens - I love it.

Focus shift has not proven to be an issue for me and I constantly shoot around f2-f4 where it’s supposed to be highest. IMO it’s a non issue in real world use.

The Ultron looks to me like a super sharp, super corrected modern lens.

 

[Ccoppola82]

Pretty good description above. If you’re a BW shooter, I think more importantly the contrast might be lower on the Nokton. More control for you in post. The only real drawback is the distortion which is very real in certain shots. I use mine in low light for people, so it doesn’t bother me much but is something to keep in mind. I think of the thousands of images I’ve taken with it maybe a dozen or so had enough distortion for me to throw away...HOWEVER it’s size and aperture have given me some of my favorite shots ever because
1. The size made me carry it
2. The wide aperture allowed me to shoot in the dark.

It’s a photo of my son with my grandfather and his train set/model with my son sitting on the same stool I sat on as a boy playing with the trains. Very sentimental and unplanned photo. I wouldn’t have gotten it without that lens.

 

[steveyork]

I have both; the new Ultron and the MC VII Nokton. For the price, either is a winner. I like the ergonomics of the Nokton better, and for creative and speed considerations, the 1.4 is nice. The Ultron is probably sharper. Can't go wrong with either.