Whether Noktonlux or Plain-Jane-ar...

[SaveKodak]

I'm looking at getting a 50 here pretty soon. I love my Biogon F2, and I know the F2 Planar is a very good lens, nay, great lens! But I sometimes squint an eye at those 1.5 Noktons and think, what might I be missing...

Planar Pros:
As sharp as the devil himself.
Same filter size as my Biogon!
Zeiss Planars generally have my bokeh preference.

Nokton Pros:
Faster
More boooookeh
???

I do shoot a lot of portraits close up. I do have fast lenses for my SLRs. Will I miss the 1 stop advantage from a DoF perspective at 0.7 MFD? I will also only be using this on film so the speed could actually have a real-world advantage with films like Portra 160 and Provia.

I would love to hear thoughts and see image samples.

 

[larmarv916]

I would highly suggest that you go to YouTube and look at the short video review from "Professor Foto" on the Nokton "New Version" F1.5. As someone who has owned an original Nocti ( E58 ) and Zeiss Sonnar F1.5. I would say that the Nokton F1.5 is really a killer performer at full aperture....If you stop down to F2 or 2.8....the results are stunning. The Zeiss is also the same story...but costs double! The Boke of the new Nokton....is better than the Planar...it melts steam. but this is all subjective. it all you call but your over thinking this! You also can not lose with any other choices your talking about either. At close focus the Sonnar and Nokton deliver better resolution of details. Best Regards

 

[SaveKodak]

I should mention that for me personally I have a deal where the Planar is the cheaper option.

 

[A.S.]

I'm looking at getting a 50 here pretty soon. I love my Biogon F2, and I know the F2 Planar is a very good lens, nay, great lens! But I sometimes squint an eye at those 1.5 Noktons and think, what might I be missing...

Planar Pros:
As sharp as the devil himself.
Same filter size as my Biogon!
Zeiss Planars generally have my bokeh preference.

Nokton Pros:
Faster
More boooookeh
???

I do shoot a lot of portraits close up. I do have fast lenses for my SLRs. Will I miss the 1 stop advantage from a DoF perspective at 0.7 MFD? I will also only be using this on film so the speed could actually have a real-world advantage with films like Portra 160 and Provia.

I would love to hear thoughts and see image samples.

The VM 50/1.5 and ZM 50/2.0 both focus down to 0.7m. At f/2.0 that's an "acceptable" depth of field of less than an inch. Do you need less or more than that for your portraits? If you need less, the f/1.5 will have less at f/1.5. Note also that if you need to get REALLY specific with DOF measurements, the Planar is closer to 49mm, while the Nokton is closer to 51mm. DOF difference will present itself then there, too. Regardless, and in general, I recall preferring the rear OOF areas of the Nokton.

Both are fantastic lenses, and practically the same size (a nod to the Nokton there).

My only complaint with the Nokton was the way the purple fringing presented itself with the two copies I had had. At f/4.0 and wider, it wasn't just the edges of high contrast scenes that were purple-ish. The color was completely off across most of the frame. It's a beautiful lens otherwise.

 

[brbo]

My only complaint with the Nokton was the way the purple fringing presented itself with the two copies I had had. At f/4.0 and wider, it wasn't just the edges of high contrast scenes that were purple-ish. The color was completely off across most of the frame. It's a beautiful lens otherwise.

That's funny. I haven't noticed anything like that. This picture (wide open or maybe f2) should be a perfect candidate for fringing... and it's got none of it.

 

[SaveKodak]

The VM 50/1.5 and ZM 50/2.0 both focus down to 0.7m. At f/2.0 that's an "acceptable" depth of field of less than an inch. Do you need less or more than that for your portraits? If you need less, the f/1.5 will have less at f/1.5.

Both are fantastic lenses, and practically the same size (a nod to the Nokton there).

When you put it like that, it makes me lean toward the Planar. That will be pretty nice and dreamy at F2 that close and sharing the same filter size/hood with my Biogon & Rolleiflex is a wonderful thing.

 

[A.S.]

This picture (wide open or maybe f2) should be a perfect candidate for fringing... and it's got none of it.

I'm not familiar with Velvia. Here's an unretouched scan (54mb) of Portra 160 at around f/2.8 (not that I would recommend photographing a scene like this at f/2.8): http://abbottshimkus.com/misc/2015-03-31 (6).tif

 

[brbo]

Here's an unretouched scan (54mb) of Portra 160 at around f/2.8 (not that I would recommend photographing a scene like this at f/2.8): http://abbottshimkus.com/misc/2015-03-31 (6).tif

That's just an unprocessed scan with poor inversion from negative. The magenta tint in your scan has nothing to do with the lens.

A few clicks to go from:

to something like this:

Where is the problem? The branches? Every lens will have some fringing there. Some even much more (like Zeiss Sonnar 1,5/50). There is definitely not a problem like you describe with Nokton M 1,5/50.

 

[A.S.]

A poor inversion?

 

[brbo]

A poor inversion?

I don't think this is a thread to discuss scanning of C-41 film. My point was that the problem you've show here has got nothing to do with the lens.

 

[SaveKodak]

I understood that he was showing me a SooS scan, and that it's not representative of a properly corrected image. But I also appreciate the processed version that you posted.

I have shifted a little bit toward considering the Nokton over the Planar. I think I might appreciate the extra F stop and I've seen a lot of pretty nice image samples out there. Overall though it doesn't seem like there are a ton of people shooting with this lens. The Flickr group is rarely updated and there isn't much action here. I figured this lens was all the rage after it's release a while back...

Is it a Sonnar derivative or more like a Planar? It looks less symmetrical than the 50/2 Planar, but it has the same number of elements front to and back, just smaller in the rear...

 

[A.S.]

My point was that the problem you've show here has got nothing to do with the lens.

The problem I've shown here is specific to that lens, which is why I posted it. But's it's good to have a range of beliefs out there floating around.

Edit: You said magenta, but the artifacts in question are closer to violet, which is going to have a greater impact on the blue channel when processing then, say, the Planar (it's spherical). So perhaps my qualm is with the aspherical element at apertures wider than f/5.6 screwing up the color all over the place, which is why the bark in the tree of your edit has a green cast on it (you corrected for the magenta), but there's no yellow cast in the concrete (your few clicks didn't address the blue side of the spectrum).

 

[A.S.]

Is it a Sonnar derivative or more like a Planar? It looks less symmetrical than the 50/2 Planar, but it has the same number of elements front to and back, just smaller in the rear...

I'm tempted by the Sonnar, too, but it's definitely not the Planar.

 

[SaveKodak]

I'm tempted by the Sonnar, too, but it's definitely not the Planar.

I actually owned the C Sonnar for a while. While it's a lovely little optic, the problems became more pronounced in the kind of shooting I was doing. Mine was 1.5 optimized and that means that at f2-5.6 the focus shift is REALLY bad at long distances, of likesay 20ft or so. I think that's why Zeiss used to deliver them out of the box 2.8 optimized. Overall I'm willing to sacrifice the special rendering of the C Sonnar for more consistent performance throughout the range.

 

[brbo]

I actually owned the C Sonnar for a while. While it's a lovely little optic, the problems became more pronounced in the kind of shooting I was doing. Mine was 1.5 optimized and that means that at f2-5.6 the focus shift is REALLY bad at long distances, of likesay 20ft or so. I think that's why Zeiss used to deliver them out of the box 2.8 optimized. Overall I'm willing to sacrifice the special rendering of the C Sonnar for more consistent performance throughout the range.

I had C Sonnar and I still have post WW2 Zeiss Sonnar in Contax mount. I bought Nokton thinking I'd then finally be able to sell the Sonnar.

If you are looking for a f1.4/1.5 lens, Nokton is a perfect candidate. Well behaved, sharp enough wide open, you don't have to worry about focus shift and if you like your lenses black and light it's also pretty cheap. What I don't like about it is the focusing ring (looks cool, but I keep grabbing the wrong part of the lens) and supplied hood and lens cap look ridiculous on the lens. A perfect, boring (when boring is good) fast lens. Except when it's aspherical element decides to render the shot in purple 😀

If you haven't said that you'd only be using it on film I'd recommend Planar for the obvious reasons you already stated in the first post. But, fastest slide film is now ISO 100 (if you don't count Rollei CR200), who knows if Superia 1600/800, Portra 800 will make it another year... For me, 1/15 vs. 1/8s makes much more difference than a tiny bit of sharpness I won't notice on film anyway. It's obviously a different story if you are using wide apertures when there is plenty of light...

 

[A.S.]

I actually owned the C Sonnar for a while. While it's a lovely little optic, the problems became more pronounced in the kind of shooting I was doing. Mine was 1.5 optimized and that means that at f2-5.6 the focus shift is REALLY bad at long distances, of likesay 20ft or so. I think that's why Zeiss used to deliver them out of the box 2.8 optimized. Overall I'm willing to sacrifice the special rendering of the C Sonnar for more consistent performance throughout the range.

Focus shift with both of the lenses you're considering is negligible. Wide open at 20' field curvature is more apparent with the Nokton, but the very far corners of Planar will be a tiny bit more swirly, for lack of a more technical description, from what I've experienced. Here's a fifty something MB unretouched example of the latter: http://abbottshimkus.com/misc/2015-03-31 (6).tif

 

[SaveKodak]

Ended up getting the Nokton and I love it! Really exceeding my expectations. It's got a great balance of classic and modern rendering. Plus the construction is just top notch. I ended up getting the black version and I think it looks great on my chrome M4.


Untitled by Mark A. Sperry, on Flickr


Untitled by Mark A. Sperry, on Flickr

 

[brennanphotoguy]

That guy looks like a model.

 

[SaveKodak]

That guy looks like a model.

It took a proper CV Nokton to capture his various grotesquities.