Voigtlander 35/1.4 Nokton -- underrated?

I occasionally feel the urge to cheat on this little workhorse with something else...but I always find it hard to let go. The bang for buck is just tremendous.

Shot on $0.50 mystery 400 iso film from the bargain bin and scanned on a Coolscan IV.


U6408I1473991326.SEQ.0.jpg




U6408I1473991328.SEQ.1.jpg
 
I was hoping to find a few more contributions to this thread since my last post, but it looks like I'm stuck posting back-to-back entries.


U6408I1483139851.SEQ.0.jpg


That's our dog B, waiting for her best friend to wake up and go play with her.


By the way, is there an official Nokton images thread as there is for many other CV lenses? I could not find one, so I keep posting here...
 
Ok, here's a 1.4/35 Nokton SC shot!

Doug, did you corredt the barrel distortion in PP? It mrarely bothers me with this lens, but it's definitely there, and yours is the kind of shot that would really bring it to the forefront.
 
Doug, did you corredt the barrel distortion in PP? It mrarely bothers me with this lens, but it's definitely there, and yours is the kind of shot that would really bring it to the forefront.
No, I don't think I did... The lowest siding join line shows evidence of curvature from barrel distortion, and the upper one would too I suspect if it continued full width. I would have to open the original with Lightroom to be sure if I made any adjustment though. I do this kind of correction as suits the individual photo. It doesn't really bother me in this instance, but there sure are times where it would.
 
I found focusing this lens difficult for some reason. Perhaps it was my own fault, I do not know. I sold it to someone who wanted to use it on a digital camera and bought a used Ultron f1.7 LTM. I have been very happy with this lens, though it is larger and not so pretty as the Nokton.

Edit: There is also a new version of the Ultron in M mount. Reportedly it is the equal of the LTM optically and better ergonomically.
 
Tea Party Concert

Tea Party Concert

M2 w/HP5 @ a concert. Usually use my Summaron 2.8 but needed lightweight and SPEED. The Nokton works perfect for me in this way, though I found composing very difficult in a crowded area.

35011148344_7144f8d864.jpg
[/url]Tea Party Crowd by Chris Coppola, on Flickr[/IMG]

35011150494_ebe465ce8f_z.jpg
[/url]TeaParty2017-2-Edit by Chris Coppola, on Flickr[/IMG]

Kentmere 400 @1600 (wasn't sure it could do that)
35041806233_12c4aaa0d8_z.jpg
[/url]TeaParty2017-13 by Chris Coppola, on Flickr[/IMG]
 
I bought this lens, tested it for a few days, then returned it and bought the Zeiss 35mm f/1.4 Distagon ZM. The Zeiss is fantastic, no appreciable distortion, sharp at every distance and aperture and overall about the best 35 I've ever used; except it's huge.

My new Nokton Classic S.C. should arrive Tuesday (I'm keeping the Zeiss as well).
 
It's a tiny bit hazy wide open, but still sharp. Contrast is low compared with modern lenses, even with the multi coated version. There's some barrel distortion, but nothing that can't be corrected easily. And the bokeh has delightful soap bubble effects wide open too. I really enjoy the look produced by this lens; wide open and across a table, it produces some great portraits with a dreamy, classic character.
 
I’ve had my copy about a month, and have only shot one complete roll with it, but I can already say it’s way better than the Summilux Pre-asph that I once owned. Same sort of aberrations, and dreamy quality wide open, but seemingly more controlled. And sharper.
Plus, the whole filter/hood thing is so much easier.
 
Thanks to everyone whose posted images from this lens! I've decided to pick one up tomorrow and am more than excited to start shooting some rolls through it.
 
Thanks to everyone whose posted images from this lens! I've decided to pick one up tomorrow and am more than excited to start shooting some rolls through it.

Good luck with it! It's really a fantastic little workhorse lens that works great as a walk around lens. Work with its limitations in mind and you will be very happy
 
Back
Top Bottom