Voigtlander 50mm f/1 Nokton Images Thread

[Sonnar Brian]

On the M Monochrom, all wide-open. I find the focus of the lens to be very smooth. I get about a 50% hit rate on the M Monochrom and M9 when the main lights are off, with a fast-moving subject.

 

[Erik van Straten]

Hi. OP here. All of my photos in this thread are shot with the f/1 Nokton on film.

Yes, the f/1 looks really sharp @ f/1 !!! Thanks for the reminder.

 

[raid]

Yes, the f/1 looks really sharp @ f/1 !!! Thanks for the reminder.

The lens snaps right into focus, even wide open. Then I see comments on the CV 50/2 APO that say "it is unbelievably sharp".
Which lens is sharper here? CV 50/1.0 or CV 50/2 APO?
Which lens is "better"?
Which lens do you prefer using and why?
Is the OOF from the 50/1 so extreme that it adds to the feeling that the lens is extra sharp?
Are both lenses super sharp?

 

[Slumgullion]

The lens snaps right into focus, even wide open. Then I see comments on the CV 50/2 APO that say "it is unbelievably sharp".
Which lens is sharper here? CV 50/1.0 or CV 50/2 APO?
Which lens is "better"?
Which lens do you prefer using and why?
Is the OOF from the 50/1 so extreme that it adds to the feeling that the lens is extra sharp?
Are both lenses super sharp?

In my informal tests, the 50/1 at f/2 is sharper than the APO-Lanthar in the center of the frame. The APO is much sharper away from center at all apertures.

 

[raid]

This makes sense to me. The APO is sharper across the lens while when we want most sharpness in the center (OOF looks good), we use the 50/1.

 

[Yokosuka Mike]

Voigtländer 50mm f1 Nokton​

Photographer: Yokosuka Mike
Sony A7III camera
Voigtländer 50mm f1 Nokton Aspherical VM lens
February 2024 - Yokohama, Japan​

 

[Yokosuka Mike]

Voigtländer 50mm f1 Nokton​

Photographer: Yokosuka Mike
Sony A7III camera
Voigtländer 50mm f1 Nokton Aspherical VM lens
February 2024 - Yokohama, Japan​

 

[Yokosuka Mike]

Voigtländer 50mm f1 Nokton​

Photographer: Yokosuka Mike
Sony A7III camera
Voigtländer 50mm f1 Nokton Aspherical VM lens
February 2024 - Yokohama, Japan​

 

[Yokosuka Mike]

Voigtländer 50mm f1 Nokton​

Photographer: Yokosuka Mike
Sony A7III camera
Voigtländer 50mm f1 Nokton Aspherical VM lens
February 2024 - Yokohama, Japan​

 

[Yokosuka Mike]

Voigtländer 50mm f1 Nokton lens​

Photographer: Yokosuka Mike
Sony A7III camera
Voigtländer 50mm f1 Nokton Aspherical VM lens
February 2024 - Yokohama, Japan
​

 

[Erik van Straten]

Just to compare.
I am surprised how sharp the old Nokton f1.1 is at the very edge of the image (see pants). The sharpness area is surprisingly flat. The face and the hair are nicely sharp too. The picture has a stong 3D effect because of the extremely thin dept of field.

This shot is at full aperture, on film and printed on Ilford multigrade.

gelatin silver print (nokton f1.1) leica m2

C. de R, Amsterdam, 2024

 

[raid]

How "old" is the old Nokton?

 

[Erik van Straten]

How "old" is the old Nokton?

AFAIK this lens was introduced in 2009, so 15 years ago. I forgot when I bought the lens. I haven't used it much because it's so big. It's a nice lens, though, because the optical quality is so good.
The mechanical quality is very good too, like that of most Cosina lenses. On RFf, one of the members is working hard to demonstrate that quality, but his photos all look very similar. He always photographs groups of people in busy streets. His photos are also all on digital and in color. It often takes a long time for someone else to try one of the lenses on film and print the photos on silver gelatin paper. However, I haven't seen many pictures made with the 50mm f1.1 lens on RFf.

 

[raid]

I also own such a lens, and I use it rarely.

 

[Yokosuka Mike]

Fun with the Voigtländer 50mm f1 Nokton
A tree in Yokohama park​

Sony A7III camera
Voigtländer 50mm f1 Nokton Aspherical VM lens
February 2024 - Yokohama, Japan​

 

[Erik van Straten]

It would be nice if someone bothered to use both lenses (the 50mm f1.1 and the 50mm f1) side by side so that the differences can be clearly seen. It is clear that both are excellent, but also that they are different.

 

[Out to Lunch]

I bought the 1.1/50 in 2009 and have posted a few photos on RFF since then. Most were made with the Epson R-D1 rangefinder which is slightly problematic due to its short rangefinder base length. I am now using the 1.1/50 with the Leica SL2S which makes critical focussing at full aperture a breeze.

 

[Erik van Straten]

Is the Leica SL2S a digital camera? I've never heard of this camera.

 

[Out to Lunch]

Yes, it is a mirrorless camera: Leica SL2-S | Leica Camera US

 

[Erik van Straten]

Thank you, I now remember the pictures!