lct Posted November 23, 2009 Share #41 Posted November 23, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) LCT - any thoughts with the CV35/1.4 at f11ish?... No sorry David, i like shooting fast and i try to avoid diffraction so f/8 is the limit for me. Now DoF is wide at f/11 so i wouldn't be surprised if back-focus is compensated by DoF then. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted November 23, 2009 Posted November 23, 2009 Hi lct, Take a look here Leica M8 and Voigtlander 35mm f1.4 Nokton S.C.?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
burkey Posted November 23, 2009 Share #42 Posted November 23, 2009 No sorry David, i like shooting fast and i try to avoid diffraction so f/8 is the limit for me. Now DoF is wide at f/11 so i wouldn't be surprised if back-focus is compensated by DoF then. Thanks, LCT. As soon as I have the flange back and coded I'll try another set of test images. If issues at f8 - f11 are obvious then I may simply send the M8 and the 35/1.4 out to Steve Choi for a calibration. By the way, thanks for posting the images, they were very interesting. . . . David Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsrockit Posted November 23, 2009 Author Share #43 Posted November 23, 2009 Wait, you guys are stating you have the back focus issue even at f/8 and f/11? I must not be very picky. I'm not seeing any of this in normal use. That said, I don't believe in tests, I believe and just going out and making photographs. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted November 23, 2009 Share #44 Posted November 23, 2009 Wait, you guys are stating you have the back focus issue even at f/8 and f/11? I must not be very picky. I'm not seeing any of this in normal use... As i said above i find this lens pretty good at f/8. But i don't use it much at that aperture as i prefer shooting faster and my other 35s are better from f/2.8 to f/8 in my opinion. But at f/1.4 and f/2 the CV is my favorite 35 when i need more sharpness than that of my pre-asph Summicron and Summilux. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
burkey Posted November 23, 2009 Share #45 Posted November 23, 2009 jsrockit - nope, not me. The only "tests" of sorts I've run thus far were with aperture around 1.4 to 2.8. I shoot a lot of low light stuff but also expect my lenses to play nice when I'm outside shooting architecture, scenics etc. I don't expect problems around f8 or f11 but I will check to make sure. The 35/1.4 writes the image in a way I really enjoy so discovering its unique characteristics is worthwhile to me. . . . David Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
farnz Posted November 23, 2009 Share #46 Posted November 23, 2009 Wait, you guys are stating you have the back focus issue even at f/8 and f/11? I must not be very picky. I'm not seeing any of this in normal use. That said, I don't believe in tests, I believe and just going out and making photographs. jsrockit, I'll repeat what I said earlier in this thread: there is a significant degree of variation between different samples of the same Voigtlander lenses so just because someone discovers back focus with their lens does not mean that yours will behave the same way. You may have a sample that is spot on so my advice is not to go looking for problems or you might 'find' some where there aren't any. It's predisposition; human nature. Pete. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsrockit Posted November 24, 2009 Author Share #47 Posted November 24, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) jsrockit, I'll repeat what I said earlier in this thread: there is a significant degree of variation between different samples of the same Voigtlander lenses so just because someone discovers back focus with their lens does not mean that yours will behave the same way. I understand that, but I'm still surprised that any of them have issues at f/8 and f/11. That seems a bit extreme. That said, I have purchased a M8 and will be using this lens with it. Hopefully it works out. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
farnz Posted November 24, 2009 Share #48 Posted November 24, 2009 I understand that, but I'm still surprised that any of them have issues at f/8 and f/11. That seems a bit extreme. That said, I have purchased a M8 and will be using this lens with it. Hopefully it works out. There are no reports of back focus at f/8 to f/11 because Burky said "if issues at f8 - f11 are obvious ..." I agree with LCT: any back focus at f/8 to f/11 would be hidden by the depth of focus at those apertures so it wouldn't be visible anyway. Pete. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
burkey Posted December 21, 2009 Share #49 Posted December 21, 2009 Hi Folks, I got the flange back from John Milich on Saturday for my Nokton 35/1.4, (MC). I coded the lens as if it was a Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH and am now shooting with it. By the way, the flange screws off and is also held on with four screws. Getting it back on the lens correctly took a couple of tries to say the least. Here's a shot I took at ISO 640, f-stop half way between 1.4 and 2. Processed in LR2.5, normal correction, and CS4 for posting. Focus was on the right corner, (his left), of my son's glasses. This printed very well and with a fine level of sharpness. Note 100% crop. 2nd image was a grab shot for a focus check. Focus is on top edge of shovel. Shot at around f8. So back focus, at least with this lens, appears to not be an issue. 'Just thought I'd share this. Have a nice holiday season. . . . David, (Burkey) Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/103738-leica-m8-and-voigtlander-35mm-f14-nokton-sc/?do=findComment&comment=1159291'>More sharing options...
ashrafazlan Posted December 21, 2009 Share #50 Posted December 21, 2009 Nice, looks like you've got a good copy of the nokton Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsrockit Posted January 13, 2010 Author Share #51 Posted January 13, 2010 Burkey, it is strange that you had to code the Nokton. I never coded mine and saw no abnormalities. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makten Posted January 14, 2010 Share #52 Posted January 14, 2010 (edited) I've also had lots of problems with this lens. It shifts focus VERY much when stopping down, and it seems to be calibrated to focus correctly at ~f/2.8. In other words: mine focused infront of the subject at f/1.4 and behind it at f/4 and beyond. I actually suspect that there are two versions of this lens. The one that I and several other people have had trouble with, including terribly smeared corners even at f/8, and one that has since been corrected to get rid of the issues. The reason for me to believe this, is that there are no (or at least very few) reports of Noktons behaving "alright but not good". They are either crap or stellar. I recently sold mine, but during the time I had it, I solved the focusing issues by recalibrating the rangefinder myself so that it focused correctly at f/1.4 and used it only wide open. This is not a solution if you use several lenses though, since the others will be off all of the time. The Nokton didn't reach infinity wide open, which also corresponded to what the RF showed when set to infinity (after RF calibration). Edit: Mine was supposed to be the M.C. version, but the was no markings on the front barrel rim telling this. The ones sold today clearly says "M.C." or "S.C.". Perhaps it's the older versions that suck? Here are some shots with M8 with the RF calibrated for wide open use: And here is a shot of the smeared corners stopped down. The left side is much softer than the right side in this photo, indicating that the smearing is due to heavy curvature of field, since the corners are equally unsharp when shooting a flat subject. Sharpness in the middle is really really good at f/1.4, and if you can get one of those that have sharp corners and only minor focus shift, this lens probably rocks. Mine didn't. Edited January 14, 2010 by Makten Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsrockit Posted January 14, 2010 Author Share #53 Posted January 14, 2010 Edit: Mine was supposed to be the M.C. version, but the was no markings on the front barrel rim telling this. The ones sold today clearly says "M.C." or "S.C.". Perhaps it's the older versions that suck? Mine was a relatively new S.C. version. Love that last photo by the way. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegrantgreen Posted January 14, 2010 Share #54 Posted January 14, 2010 mine too. also have the new - august '09 - S.C. version and i have to say, i'm good with it, nothing to complain about. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- matthias thoelen's photosets on Flickr Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bo_Lorentzen Posted January 14, 2010 Share #55 Posted January 14, 2010 Interesting, mine is just about a year old and have significant problems when stopped down. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
juppdiesel Posted January 15, 2010 Share #56 Posted January 15, 2010 I have one MC here for testing which I will send back to the dealer, the S/N is 983xxxx. At 1,4 and 2 it was very soft. Too soft for me and from 2,8 on the focus shift started. I have a Summicron 35 IV and a Summicron C 40 (both by far better open wide) which I wanted to sell and go for the 1.4. Next week they will ship another one to me, maybe I have better luck then. Jari Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsrockit Posted January 15, 2010 Author Share #57 Posted January 15, 2010 juppdiesel, you'd be crazy to get rid of that summicron for this lens... you basically have the best 35mm there is, why mess with perfection? The extra stop? The bokeh of the nokton at f/1.4 isn't that smooth anyway. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted January 15, 2010 Share #58 Posted January 15, 2010 ...The bokeh of the nokton at f/1.4 isn't that smooth anyway. Not my esperience as far as the SC is concerned. Has the same kind of bokeh at full aperture as the pre-asph Summilux 35 IMHO. The Nokton is an excellent lens if you use it at f/1.4 or f/2. Sharper than the pre-asph Summilux there with the same smooth bokeh. Lot of flare though. Also forget the lens (at least mine) at slower apertures due to focus shift though. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ted_grant Posted January 15, 2010 Share #59 Posted January 15, 2010 Or single coated in general or even Voigtlander wide angles in general. Hi there as this is my first post please be gentle if I screw-up.;-) I have been using the C/V 35 f 1.2 for several years and it's a beauty. Actually a counter balance when I'm working 2 M's at the same time . One with the Noctilux, the other the 35 f 1.2. The 35 1.2 images are cut as though using a razor blade, works beautifully with the M8. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ted_grant Posted January 15, 2010 Share #60 Posted January 15, 2010 Wait, you guys are stating you have the back focus issue even at f/8 and f/11? I must not be very picky. I'm not seeing any of this in normal use. That said, I don't believe in tests, I believe and just going out and making photographs. You sound like my kind of shooter :-) .... it works like this: "SEE-SHOOT!" I've never been a techie tester in 60 years as a working photojournalist with Leicas of various models. Testing is a great waste of mind and shooting time. You can't think and shoot. Well I suppose you can if you are shooting rocks, ferns and non-breating things! :-) No different than Yogi Berra said... "YOU CAN'T THINK AND BAT!" The only testing I've ever done is a new lens out of the box onto camera shoot a bunch of frames wide open and stopped down.... see what it looks like and right into shooting the assignment. Best bet with digital? Now I don't waste a roll of film seeing what it looks like. :-) cheers, ted Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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