Voigtlander 40mm S.C. vs MC

[theunconquered]

Hi all, I'm new to the forum.

I'm planning to pick up a R3A as soon as Uncle Sam sends me my tax refund, and I plan to get a CV 40mm with it. As I shoot mostly B&W I am inclined to go with the single coated version. After reviewing the previous posts, I've found some regarding the S.C. version, but not much in the way of comparisons. I also haven't been able to find many photo examples from the MC version...can anyone help me out with this? I'd be interested in any images you could provide, or if there's anyone out there who has used both, I'd be glad to hear from you!

Thanks a zillion!

 

[Dougg]

Welcome to RFF, unconquered! Lucky you to be anticipating a refund from Uncle; I had to fork over more, putting a crimp into the lens acquisition budget. 🙁 But, fortunately I already had blown the budget on this 40 Nokton S.C., here used wide open on a Minolta CLE. I have seen some nervous bokeh in other 40 Nok shots, but this looks fairly decent to me.

I see Cameraquest still lists both versions of the lens, noting 1000 of the S.C. made. Wonder how close they are to selling out, as I hear this was primarily catering to request by Japanese photogs.

 

[back alley]

eye popping sharpness.

i think you could do some amazing things with that lens doug!

joe

 

[bmoc]

Nice pic, Doug. I've seen quite a bit of the 'nervous' (good adjective for it) bokeh from the nokton as well. Does yours usually behave as it did above? if so, quite nice!

Barry

 

[back alley]

damn you doug!

now all i can think about is that lens on my cl...😉

joe

 

[glchua]

There is a comparison published in "Photo Techniques", March/April 2006 issue. One of the figures published show that the bokeh difference due to coating is slight.

I have the MC version, shot 10 rolls already. For normal subject distances (half-body shots of people) with background at least twice the distance away, the bokeh is actually not bad to my eye, even at f1.4 to f2.

However, one test shot with subject at 0.7m, busy background, the bokeh is horrible from f1.4 all the way to 4.

Attached are 2 photos to illustrate.

 

[theunconquered]

Wow, thanks for so many quick responses - I see this is indeed the place to be!

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

I use the Nokton 40mm SC with color film because where I live is super-saturated with light and color anyway and I wanted a slightly 'vintage' feel rather than an 'in your face' type of look.

Click on the link in my signature to see examples, all the 35mm full frame (not panoramics), are Nokton 40mm SC. The Panoramics are Leica Summarit 40mm MC for comparison.

Your light, your subject matter, and your style may differ.

 

[pvdhaar]

Attached are 2 photos to illustrate.

The one on the left looks like it's been painted by Van Gogh..

Love it or hate it, it's definately got 'character'..

 

[Dougg]

Interesting shots, glchua! Bokeh sure does depend on the circumstances, and the 40 Nokton seems to respond with either nice bokeh or terrible! Encouraged by Joe and Barry, here's another... Maybe useful for looking at tonal transitions and textures... I lived in this small apartment building for several years when I settled in Seattle after getting out of the service in 1966... and home for my used M2 also!

Probably around f/8

 

[galaxenspreside]

I went for the multicoated version. If you'd like less contrast you could overexpose and underdevelop or use an uncoated filter.

I love the two-eye focusing capability of the R3a BTW 🙂

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

Yes, it's the only camera I've ever used two eyes open. It's worth it just for that feature.

 

[Simon Larbalestier]

You may have seen this already but someone did a review of these lenses with pics on the Pnet forum here's the link

http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=455219

heres's the link to the whole thread which might provide more info

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00AOXk

 

[Goodyear]

This thread is the first I've seen of colour shots with the SC version, and they are very nice. The slightly more laid back colours are welcome in a digitally super-saturated world.

 

[back alley]

looking at those shots, w/o checking what lenses were in play, i like the cv single coat the best, then the multicoat and then the 40 summicron.

very interesting...

 

[RayPA]

I like the 40 'cron the best in those shots, then the Leica 35/1.4, then the Noktons. Maybe not the best test to make an overall determination on lens preference (?).

I have the 40 'cron and the Nokont SC. The SC is a very nice lens, especially for b&w. I think it has a very distinct look.


.

 

[jja]

My question about the SC and Noktons in general: How is the focusing? Early reports stated the focusing was somewhat stiff (and perhaps uneven), an issue that was addressed in a subsequent redesign, which involved removing three screws that were located at the lens cam. I am not sure if the SC benefited from the redesign, given it was produced in a limited number of 1000 units.

This thread from p-net contains photos and discussion of what I'm talking about:

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00Blw9

(Check the link within the link for comparison photos of the cams.)

 

[RayPA]

My question about the SC and Noktons in general: How is the focusing? Early reports stated the focusing was somewhat stiff (and perhaps uneven)...

...

I have the Nokton 50/1.5 and the 40/1.4, neither is "stiff" to focus.

🙂

 

[sockeyed]

I've only got the SC version of the Nokton 40. I do love this lens, not only for its sharpness, but also for how it renders colours. B&W tones are also beautiful. I've attached a few samples to this post, and many more can be seen on my photostream:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sockeyed/tags/cv4014/

The Bokeh really smooths out when stopped down below f/2.

The focus, if a bit stiff (mine was) smooths out with time.

 

[RayPA]

I've only got the SC version of the Nokton 40. I do love this lens, not only for its sharpness, but also for how it renders colours. B&W tones are also beautiful. I've attached a few samples to this post, and many more can be seen on my photostream:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sockeyed/tags/cv4014/

The Bokeh really smooths out when stopped down below f/2.

The focus, if a bit stiff (mine was) smooths out with time.

Nice images, Ben! I'll have to shoot some color with my SC. 🙂



.