Sonnar or Nokton

Sonnar or Nokton

  • Zeiss 50mm Sonnar 1.5

    Votes: 261 76.1%

  • Voigtlander 50mm Nokton 1.1

    Votes: 82 23.9%
  • Total voters
    343
I've had the Sonnar for six months or so and I like it, even when stopped down to f4 - 5.6, which is how I use it mostly.

Neopan 1600 @ f1.5:

1b-1.jpg



FP4+ @ probably f5.6:

1-14.jpg
 
For me it was down to size and weight, rather than brand or optical performance, as I like to travel light. Hence I ended up with the C Sonnar.

C for compact is what swung it.🙂
 
tom.w.bn said:
Desperately searching for the infamous focus shift.....but couldn't find it. So far sharp in every 1.5 situation.
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Cheers,

If your lens is sharp in every 1.5 situation it must be optimized for 1.5. My lens is optimized for 2.8, and a 1.5 shot at minimum focus is off by about 2", which is about normal. If you want to see the focus shift for your lens try a shot at minimum focus distance using f2.8 or so and it should be off.

If your lens focuses perfectly at all apertures there is some new age physics happening.

😉

Edit: Forgot to add that I like your images a lot, especially the candle lit cathedral images. Very nice.
 
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I had the Nokton 1.5 and I now have the Sonnar 1.5 I can't really quite explain why I like the Sonnar better (Maybe I'm a closet snob) but the Nokton and I never really clicked. It was never exceptional, I had some focusshift and it was a bit big. (Contrary to the Nokton 35/1.4 which is permanently fixed on my M8). The Sonnar is a lot smaller, and Somehow has more character. I just had my Sonnar, so I still have to get used to it, the first pics I took with it where unsharp.
 
Double Negative said:
I can see that... The Nokton is a nice lens, especially for B&W. The Sonnar has tons of character though and even looks more modern when you stop it down (like two lenses in one). Does take a little practice, but well worth it, IMO.
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Indeed! Since I have the sonnar, I started doing a bit of colour again!
 
toothless said:
Waiting - Photo with Sonnar @ 1.5

Istanbul Beggar - Photo with Nokton @ 1.1

I prefer the Sonnar, the Nokton is a bit too big for my taste and the build quality isn't as good IMO.
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I much prefer 'Waiting', though that's lilely the picture rather than the lens I suspect. I like my sonnar too - film or digital, in or out of focus... it is always nice.

You did well to get the lady in focus - the C-Sonnar has a lot of field curvature at wide apertures - here's a post I put up a few weeks ago. Click through for a bigger picture.

Mike
 
Forgot about this poll.

How come you can't check "Both". Very different lenses, the Nokton is optimal for low-light and the Sonnar- Character Counts.

Both are nice. I do not regret my "non-decision" on deciding between them. I can always put the C-Sonnar on the M8 and the Nokton on the M9.
 
Brian Sweeney said:
Forgot about this poll.

How come you can't check "Both". Very different lenses, the Nokton is optimal for low-light and the Sonnar- Character Counts.

Both are nice. I do not regret my "non-decision" on deciding between them. I can always put the C-Sonnar on the M8 and the Nokton on the M9.
Click to expand...

Well, I guess the poll is intended for people that "have" to choose. Not that they want to, but for some people owning an M8, an M9 and 2 50mm lens is maybe out of reach. Mind you, there is even people using old j8 lenses with an adaptor because £760 for a new sonnar is quite a bit ;-)
 
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