Nokton f1.1 vs ?

[ktmrider]

Have a 35f1.2 so know large and heavy. Have a chrome 50 Summicron so know small and sharp. Am thinking of adding a 50 f1.1 to the mix. For those of you who have it, how do you like it?

Will be traveling this fall on a round the world trip. I suspect my lens mix will be 35/50/90. Have a 35f2.8 C Biogon as well as the 35f1.2. I love the small size of the Biogon but am almost convinced on the Nokton for this trip. So go big with the 50f1.1 or stick with the Summicron?

And what would you recommend for a 50f1.4? Do not want to spend 50 Summilux prices.

 

[simonankor]

I adore mine. It is a most enjoyable lens!

 

[BLKRCAT]

x2 on loving it. I carry a 35/50/50 kit and use the 1.1 for low light. Great lens.

 

[peterm1]

I like mine very much. While for some reason it never quite took off as I expected it to do, I have absolutely no complaints about mine. Actually I think I do know why it never went as big as I thought it might as a product. People seemed to compare it with the $10,000 Leica equivalent. and of course it is not a $10,000 lens it is a $1000 lens. A pretty darn good one at that. But it lacks the soft buttery Leica Noctilux bokeh and this has put some off. If you keep your expectations on the realistic side I doubt you will be disappointed however. Its a lens I constantly find uses for and in addition to using it on my Leica M, I find it works perfectly on an m4/3 cameras and a Sony NEX with appropriate adapters. Looks wicked too.

Have a look on Youtube for a review done by Kai of Digital Rev TV. He complains about it for exactly the reason I mention above - that "It is not a Leica Noctilux" a lens he is in love with. But he has trouble coming up with much else to be critical about and I think he is being unreasonable as even though he never damns it outright he does "damn it with faint praise". I say go for it.

 

[f16sunshine]

I adore mine. It is a most enjoyable lens!

Adore the lens ehe?

😉

 

[sebastel]

for 50/1.4, i can recommend the pre-asph summilux. especially the E43 version (v2) can be found at reasonable prices. however nice, i sold mine.
while the v1 summilux is said to be the worst in 50mm land, i still like it and won't sell.

beside, there is not much more. the nokton f/1.5 seems a reasonable choice. no own experience, though.
the c-sonnar is lovely and compact, but can be tricky - mine develops sticky focus helicoil (needs to be re-lubed).

but, in the end, the summilux asph is just so good, i hardly use another 50 ever since i got mine.

cheers,
sebastian

 

[nickthetasmaniac]

And what would you recommend for a 50f1.4? Do not want to spend 50 Summilux prices.

Without a huge amount of M-mount experience, I've really enjoyed the VM 50/f1.5, and obviously its significantly cheaper than a Summilux!

The 50/f1.5 on HP5+

 

[simonankor]

Adore the lens ehe?

😉

This one is prettier (this one is my wife) :angel:

11:30 at night, in the back of a taxi at 1/4s.

 

[Lss]

Have a 35f2.8 C Biogon as well as the 35f1.2. I love the small size of the Biogon but am almost convinced on the Nokton for this trip. So go big with the 50f1.1 or stick with the Summicron?

Out of the lenses you list, I own the 35/2.8, the 50/2, and the 50/1.1. I have never used the 35/1.2, but it looks sweet and obviously has a large fan base. The 50/1.1 is not as liked. It's a good lens, but I definitely prefer my Summicron. The Biogon C is a beauty and one of my favorites. Still, I think you lose less and gain more by having the fast 35 rather than the fast 50. But this is difficult to quantify, and depends on personal needs and preferences. Unless you really need the speed, I would stick with the lenses you have.

 

[uhoh7]

The 50/1.1 is a really nice lens and very well behaved both WO and at F/8

It is really big and really heavy. For Travel I prefer the Sonnetar 50/1.1 which costs about the same new: 1064USD.

It is not as technically good, but it's great none the less, with very unique and vivid color sig.
It weighs less than 200g.

Sonnetar WO on A7.mod:

DSC09197 by unoh7, on Flickr

Here it is next to 1.1


Sonnetar and fast friends by unoh7, on Flickr

I got this lens in less than 10 days, new, from Japan this winter. I believe there is stock available.

Daylight on M9:

Coffee Baron by unoh7, on Flickr

Oh wait, I forgot, Bokeh shots are "out" now LOL

 

[Erik van Straten]

The Nokton f/1.1 is nice, contrasty and very sharp. It has no distortion, but you pay for that with some coma in the corners.

Leica M5, Nokton 50mm f/1.1, Tmax400.

Erik.

 

[bideford]

It is not as bad as some say - and mostly these comments are comparing against the Noctilux (which is hardly fair!).

I used it on my M8.2 - poor high iso performance required the extra light. However the substantial focus shift between 1.1 and 5.6 made it a two trick pony - wide open or f/8, and the (at times) awful oof rendering was not to my liking. I also found the lens a bit too soft.

With the M240 (and consequent better iso) I now use an old Canon 50mm 1.2 that I find a bit sharper than the Nocton, but easily superior in terms of oof rendering.

Otherwise I'm happy with both the CV 50mm 1.5 (a ridiculously sharp fast 50) or Canon 50mm 1.4 (that I prefer over the CV).

James

 

[YYV_146]

The Nokton is huge and heavy. Not as huge and heavy as the Noctilux, but still enough to weight down your bag. It's not a bad performer in any sense. A bit soft wide open and the bokeh can be nervous, but stopped down it performs about as well as the gen 1 CV 50 1.5 ASPH.

The thing is, quality issues aside, do you feel the need to have a F1.1 lens instead of f1.4? I own the Noctilux ASPH, and for very specific purposes (concerts, night reportage) it is simply wonderful to have an extra stop of light. But for 80% of what I shoot with a standard lens, f1.4 is good enough. Whether the Nokton is a good choice depends on how much of your work needs the extra light or OOF.

 

[nikonosguy]

Another good alternative is the canon 50/1.2. Stellar lens

 

[Erik van Straten]

I like the combination M5/Nokton 50mm f/1.1.

Leica M5, Nokton 50mm f/1.1, Tmax400.

Erik.

 

[krötenblender]

I had the Voigtländer 50/1,1 two times, but never got really comfortable with it. Too big and heavy. Did you consider the Miyazaki MS-Optical Sonnetar 50/1,1? That thing is tiny! And a really special lens.

 

[filmtwit]

I've had one for the last 6 months. It's a very good lens. I like and enjoy most of the images I have shot with it. I also picked it up used for a song.
My only complaint is the size and weight, especially when I also own the 50mm f1.1 Sonnetar.

 

[Huss]

I had the Voigtländer 50/1,1 two times, but never got really comfortable with it. Too big and heavy. Did you consider the Miyazaki MS-Optical Sonnetar 50/1,1? That thing is tiny! And a really special lens.

Is it really a 1.1 lens? I mean I know that is the claim but it is so much smaller than its competition.
uhoh have you tested the exposures? i.e. fix the iso setting on your camera, and then take a meter reading of the same subject/lighting with it and the Nokton 1.1

 

[Huss]

Have a 35f1.2 so know large and heavy. Have a chrome 50 Summicron so know small and sharp. Am thinking of adding a 50 f1.1 to the mix. For those of you who have it, how do you like it?

Will be traveling this fall on a round the world trip. I suspect my lens mix will be 35/50/90. Have a 35f2.8 C Biogon as well as the 35f1.2. I love the small size of the Biogon but am almost convinced on the Nokton for this trip. So go big with the 50f1.1 or stick with the Summicron?

And what would you recommend for a 50f1.4? Do not want to spend 50 Summilux prices.

I have the 35 1.2 v2 and love it. I've tried the Nokton 1.1 twice and was not happy. Just was not sharp wide open (as all the examples posted above show) and it really blocked the VF. My 35 1.2 is sharp wide open.
Here's the thing, for low light use you will see no difference in exposure between a 1.1 and a 1.2 lens. So if u are getting it for low light use, the 35 that u have is actually better as u will be able to hand hold it down to slower shutter speeds. (basic rule of thumb of 1/30 vs 1/60 etc).

A really great 50 1.4 is the canon ltm 1.4 (Japanese Summilux). As long as you get a clean/ no haze one. Not pricey either. Tried the Canon 50 1.2 and it is soft soft until you really stop down.

 

[krötenblender]

Is it really a 1.1 lens? I mean I know that is the claim but it is so much smaller than its competition.
uhoh have you tested the exposures? i.e. fix the iso setting on your camera, and then take a meter reading of the same subject/lighting with it and the Nokton 1.1

No, I also don't take pictures of of brick-walls, sorry... But my M240 guesses the aperture wide open to be 1,0. So it is probably very near 1,1. or 1,2. - See EXIF of the picture below.

AFAIK the Nokton also is not exactly 1,1. Anyway, both let pretty much light through, but I would prefer the Sonnetar for size, weight and character. - Not for price, though...