VC 50 f/1.5 Nokton Aspherical or Nikkor 5cm f/1.4?

R

RanceEric

The name is Rance
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I recently sold my S2 with chrome 5cm f/1.4 lens so I could upgrade to an SP and black 5cm f/1.4.. But I keep checking out the VC 50/1.5.. Could anyone provide examples of photos taken with this lens? I assume it's nice and contrasty. (like the VC 21 f/4 I've used)

Thanks,
Rance
 
Hi Rance

My experience with the nokton is a good one..its a modern design..shooting in colors is contrasty and its sharp..very sharp in my opinion...while some may not like it..its really individual's preference...

Its a little bulky thou...

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Eric: The Nokton is a very good lens, with a decidedly modern rendition. It is quite sharp and contrasty, and fairly even across the field wide open. It doesn't get scary sharp like Leica;s aspheric lenses, but it is more than good enough for most purposes. The one negative is that out of focus highlights like light sources can have a hard edge that bothers some people

The Nikkor is a classic lens derived from the Zeiss Sonnar 50/1.5, as improved by the Japanese after WWII. It was the best fast 50mm lens until Leitz came out with the second version of the 50/1.4 Summilux in the early 1960s. It's a little soft wide open, but quite usable. By f/4 it's as sharp as you need in the center. The edges and corners are always a bit soft, even stopped down further.

I've had both lenses, and still own the Nokton. While I like the Nikkor, wide open the Nokton beats the pants off it. I have a good Russian Jupiter-8 for when I want an old Sonnar look, but I much prefer the Nokton for most available light shooting.

Here are a few recent 50/1.5 Nokton shots, from a nightime Oktoberfest in Seattle. All wide open on a Leica M8:


Girl with hat by peter.a.klein (Boulanger-Croissant), on Flickr


Enforcer by peter.a.klein (Boulanger-Croissant), on Flickr


Sparkle by peter.a.klein (Boulanger-Croissant), on Flickr


Mädchen by peter.a.klein (Boulanger-Croissant), on Flickr


Cashiers by peter.a.klein (Boulanger-Croissant), on Flickr


Feather in her cap by peter.a.klein (Boulanger-Croissant), on Flickr

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NOW LET'S SWITCH LENSES. Here, in contrast, is a JUPITER-8 shot at about f/2.5. It's a crop of about 1/3 of the original frame. The Nikkor would be a little crisper, but probaby not a whole lot different.


Snuggle by peter.a.klein (Boulanger-Croissant), on Flickr

Hope this helps!
--Peter
 
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They're both great lenses in their own way, but the Nokton is a lot bigger. My recommendation would be to try and find a Millennium Nikkor-S 50/1.4. It's performance is way up there with the Leica Summilux 50/1.4 ASPH, and its a lot cheaper. The Millennium is the lens on the left in this photo. The Nokton is on the S2, and the Nikkor-S 5cm f/1.4 is the lens in the middle.

 
jonmanjiro said:
They're both great lenses in their own way, but the Nokton is a lot bigger. My recommendation would be to try and find a Millennium Nikkor-S 50/1.4. It's performance is way up there with the Leica Summilux 50/1.4 ASPH, and its a lot cheaper. The Millennium is the lens on the left in this photo. The Nokton is on the S2, and the Nikkor-S 5cm f/1.4 is the lens in the middle.

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Hi Jon,

Just realised the copy you had is the S mount...i didnt know there is a S mount for this lens.

The pics i posted are from the LTM mount...i guess optically, the difference isnt that huge right?:)
 
Yes, external mount. And also one of the few lenses (maybe just two?) for Nikon RF where the front of the lens does not rotate when focusing. The only other lens I can think of that does that is the Nikkor-N 5cm f/1.1 (and maybe some prototype Nikkor-P 8.5cm f2 lenses).
 
RanceEric said:
I recently sold my S2 with chrome 5cm f/1.4 lens so I could upgrade to an SP and black 5cm f/1.4..
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If the "black 5cm f/1.4" you want to buy is the vintage Nikkor-S 50/1.4, the results will be strictly identical to the ones you had with your chrome 5cm f/1.4.

As Jon says, go for the Millenium Nikkor 50 f/1.4 instead, the results will be day and night versus what you had with the old school 5cm f/1.4.

And if you want a compact 50 for your SP, get a Nikkor-H 5cm f/2, this is a really stunning lens, at f/2 and f/2.8 it's many steps beyond the old 5cm f/1.4.
 
Highway 61 said:
And if you want a compact 50 for your SP, get a Nikkor-H 5cm f/2, this is a really stunning lens, at f/2 and f/2.8 it's many steps beyond the old 5cm f/1.4.
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After two 5cm f/1.4 Nikkors and the Millennium finally the Nikkor-H(-C) 5 cm f/2 is the one I ended up using with my S2 and this lens is amazing. :)
 
I just shot a roll using the nikkor 5cm f2...

i wasnt expecting much out from it..but then it turned out with a surprise!:)

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My experience with the original nikkor 5cm/1.4, fantastic out to about 5 meters. Does glow. Wild bokeh with close shots wide open--but not swirls really.

At infintiy with distant objects the lens is not at all good.

The nokton has more modern rendering of course, but is very sharp at all distances. A far more versatile lens.
 
Highway 61 said:
If the "black 5cm f/1.4" you want to buy is the vintage Nikkor-S 50/1.4, the results will be strictly identical to the ones you had with your chrome 5cm f/1.4.

As Jon says, go for the Millenium Nikkor 50 f/1.4 instead, the results will be day and night versus what you had with the old school 5cm f/1.4.

And if you want a compact 50 for your SP, get a Nikkor-H 5cm f/2, this is a really stunning lens, at f/2 and f/2.8 it's many steps beyond the old 5cm f/1.4.
Click to expand...

Yes, I only wanted the black over the chrome for aesthetics. I do really like the vintage 5cm lens. But after hearing all the options, I think I'm going to go with the Millenium Nikkor :cool:
 
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Nikon M and 50f1.4 #5005xxx. This is from one of the first series of 50f1,4's made for Nikon. Came on a Nikon M (24x34 mm filmgate). Not a bad lens at all - slightly more flare prone than the later ones.
If you want a "modern" rendering - go for the Nokton S-mount. Very good, even at f1.5. It is actually a better lens than the pre-Asph Leica Summilux. Not small, but comfortable on a Nikon body - and it uses 52 mm filters (Nikon F type).
The Millennium 50f1.4 is superb, as good as the Asph Summilux 50 - though it doesn't focus as close. One of the lenses that will achieve "iconic" status at some time.
The "regular" Nikkor 50f1.4's are good. Early ones can flare, but a hood helps - and, yes - they do look right on a S2/S3/SP.
There is also the Zeiss C Sonnar in S-mount. Probably my most used 50 among my Nikon Rf lenses. Small, easy to use and really good. There has been a lot of talk about "focus shift" - I have never had any problem with it.
The choices are plentiful - it is a matter of preference, budget, ergonomics etc.
 
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"I have to change what????" Zeiss C Sonnar 50mm f1.5. Neopan Presto 400 in HC 110/1:60/11.5 min. This was with a M2 and the M-mount version of the C Sonnar 50f1.5 - optically they are identical in M or S mount.
 
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