Voigtlander 50/1.1 Nokton Images !

[Cindy Flood]

Auctioneer captured at f1.1 with Panasonic G1 (makes it 100mm with the crop). I don't have any film back from my M4P yet, but can't wait to see what I've got.

 

[Tom A]

To the owners: I'm curious how much does the 1m minimum focusing distance really bother you? Ideally I would like it to focus closer too, but I'm not sure if it's really that big of a factor.

I asked about this in March when I was trying out the prototype. The answer was that in the current form it would have limited the performance in the mid range and added more complexities to the lens.
To correct across the board for a 0.7mm close focussing lens would have required a new design and a hefty price increase.
Mr Kobayashi was more interested in making a high performance, fast 50 at a price that was affordable - and was willing to accept the limitations to the close up distance.

 

[panda81]

Ah, I wasn't really complaining about it, but more just trying to assess how much the minimum focusing distance will be bothersome or even prohibitive. Of course, in the ideal world, it would be nice if it focused even closer...heck, let's even make it a macro 2:1 lens with f/1.1 in a tiny package at a low price, etc...😉 Just kidding, of course.

I think my concern is that I really didn't like how the Zeiss ZF 85mm f/1.4 had a minimum focusing distance of 1 meter as well. I constantly found myself trying to get closer, then realizing I couldn't. I don't know if that changes anything now that I'm looking at a different lens focal length with a different purpose, but I was interested in getting other people's input before investing $1k+ in another lens, that's all 🙂

 

[lngu81]

This is the same reason I'm hesitate to buy this 50mm f1.1 lens, I'm also prefer to shoot closer than 1m. Therefore I think I will save up for the Summilux,

 

[Krosya]

To the owners: I'm curious how much does the 1m minimum focusing distance really bother you? Ideally I would like it to focus closer too, but I'm not sure if it's really that big of a factor.

I dont own this lens, but 1m close focus is one of the reasons why. I had a Canon 50/1.2 which had the same issue, so it got sold. I had another lens, - UC-Hexanon 35/2, which I loved dearly, but it too had a 0.9m close focus, so I sold it. I'm pretty sure it would bother me. This is why I like Nikkor 5cm/1.4 - I adjusted for it to focus close and now its a much more usable lens for me. But I suppose, it all depends on your shooting style.

 

[Bellie]

Panasonic Lumix G1, wide open, 2nd is a 100% crop w/o sharpening

 

[ampguy]

interesting

interesting

How the 50 lux pre-asph didn't need any changes other than a 3mm larger filter size to go from 1m to .7m (or did it??)

I asked about this in March when I was trying out the prototype. The answer was that in the current form it would have limited the performance in the mid range and added more complexities to the lens.
To correct across the board for a 0.7mm close focussing lens would have required a new design and a hefty price increase.
Mr Kobayashi was more interested in making a high performance, fast 50 at a price that was affordable - and was willing to accept the limitations to the close up distance.

 

[Bellie]

Not a typical usage, the Nokton as a macro lens, again Panasonic Lumix G1, F/4, first picture at closed distance of the lens itself:

Second using a Canon 250D (+4 dpt) close up lens:

 

[thrice]

Such a shame this lens lacks character eh? All wide open on Superia 400:

 

[Tom A]

Nokton 50mm f1.1 @ f1.1, Efke 25 in Beutler 1:1:10/7 min

 

[Juan Valdenebro]

Clearly that lens is able to deliver one of the most wonderful bokehs I've seen in my life.

And you master not only the lens and composition! You really take everything out from that combo!

My old teachers would be so impressed and happy... (Although this only matters my old teachers and me)

Really great news those are 1.1 shots!!!

 

[Tom A]

Juan, thanks 0 but I can only take credit for holding the camera and pointing it in the right direction (and focus it) - the lens and film took care of the rest.

 

[Juan Valdenebro]

Ha ha ha ha ha

 

[Juan Valdenebro]

Seriously... I don't want anyone to share this opinion, but I felt it just when I saw it for the first time: the first image has some elements that allow me easily to consider it a lot more than a superb lens very well used and great expo&dev... Some say art is in the eye of the beholder, and some, in l'ouvre... Certainly Mr. A's creation (that first shot) was born from his idea of the shot, but it has also the life anyone of us can give to it when we feel something naturally...


The two basic elements that make it strong are: First, the very soft and dreamy background ALL along the frame, in contrast with the very present foreground ALL along the frame, being all this AT THE SAME TIME a tough contrast between a beautiful place we can't visually access completely AND what directly seems to keep us away from that dream... Second, the unusual total centering of the foreground instead of a more relaxed thirds composition adds a lot to the intensely obtrusive character of what stops us, making us dream even more of getting in, and then comes the ambiguous sensation of feeling that just maybe the photographer is creating more than the camera because the whole image talks about things related to emotions, not only about space...


And by the way, the lens starts to get out of focus from the center to the right with a surprising delicateness, far from double images from the thin metal...


Warhol: “Art? Art is what you can go away with”. I went there, and then I went away, with that shot.

 

[samoksner]

Night portrait.



A few more here..

Cheers,

I'm very impressed by the lack of fringing or light spill over (in the hair for example). The OOF circles are particularly pleasing in that they are nicely uniform and don't have that defining ring around them. They also display very little color fringing around the OOF circles. Very impressive. The brute sharpness on the hair is just an added bonus.

 

[samoksner]

The answer to carping about the lens not having a "signature" is for CV to make a special "Signature" edition. This version would have strong field curvature, making it unpredictable for off center focus. It needs loads of vignetting, so that the outer 30% of the frame is so dark you might as well have been using an F2 lens, and a definite yellow color cast, so your slides will never match in color balance with your other lenses.

Just for giggles, lets give it some strong focus shift, and don't forget to make it a chore to focus by designing in a slow, heavy focus action. To cap it off lets add a nice plastic built in lens hood that never stays in place!

What shall we call it?

Ummm, what you describe sounds faintly familiar, i think i have heard of such a lens? Isn't it the one that's around $4000 and yet has a whole following that would swear by it simply because of all those special features?

Get real people, it's signature doesn't yell: we had to make too many compromises to make this lens. The signature says: "we opted for sharpness, lack of coma, aberrations, vignetting and falloff over swirly bokeh." To each his own, this lens is special because it's ridiculously well corrected and sharp at 1/4 of old Noct prices and at 1/8th of new Noct prices. And as an added bonus, you can shoot at f8 all day and it'll look great!

 

[0bli0]

hmm - another empty chair...
leica m6 || nokton 50mm f/1.1 || fuji astia

 

[Steve M.]

A little late to the party here, but I don't like the bokeh. It's not nearly as smooth as my 50 2.0 Summicron. Nice to have the extra speed, but not a lens I would use.

 

[thinkfloyd]

I'm really thinking hard if I would get this super nokton or not, anyone have shots from f2-f4? I usually shoot wide open or f8. But with the lens being 'too fast' wide open in bright light, I'm curious as to the OOF rendition stopped down a little. (I read around here somewhere that sometimes lenses give their best 'bokeh' stopped down a little...)

 

[Juan Valdenebro]

I'm really thinking hard if I would get this super nokton or not, anyone have shots from f2-f4? I usually shoot wide open or f8. But with the lens being 'too fast' wide open in bright light, I'm curious as to the OOF rendition stopped down a little. (I read around here somewhere that sometimes lenses give their best 'bokeh' stopped down a little...)

Yes. In some harsh bokeh cases (double images, donuts, etc.), closing half or one stop, can help a lot... There are some examples of great bokeh in that way (wide open too!) with the 40 Nokton at 1.8 and 2. I just don't remember where I saw them...