Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.1

[edvatza]

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I will admit straight out that I am new to Leica. I recently turned over my Canon kit and picked up a M-E, an Elmarit 28mm, a Summarit 35mm and a Summicron 50mm. So I have a 50mm f/2.0 in the bag. I am noodling around the idea of a very fast 50 specifically for night/low light conditions. Unless I hit the lottery, there is no way i can afford a Noctilux. The CV Nokton 50 1.1 sounds intriguing but I have seen some mixed reviews.

 

I did search around the forum a bit but couldn't really find anything. Of course, my wife reminds me that I can't find the milk in the refrigerator!

 

Anyone with experience with the lens who would talk me into or out of buying it? Looking for any information that could help with a decision. Thanks!

[kokoshawnuff]

It's large and the quality is going to be disappointing compared to the lenses your currently have. I had it for a while and enjoyed its lowlight capabilities (this was before i eventually purchsed a Summilux), but in the end it was too large, heavy, and didn't live up optically to what I was used to. If you can afford it, a Summilux of some newer variety is going to be fast enough, smaller, and better optically than the nokton. The new voigtlander f/1.5 is a great option, as is the Zeiss ZM sonnar f/1.5. Ultimately the difference between f/1.1 and f/1.4 or 1.5 in most cases won't matter.

[250swb]

I think the Nokton f/1.1 has mixed reviews because there are sample variations, some are sharp wide open, some aren't. I had one that was sharp wide open, and it made some very nice pictures, but ultimately it was a great big lump hung from the front of the camera (as is a Noctilux), so I changed it for a Summilux. If the light is so low that you need anything faster than a Summilux you will already be making compromises anyway, like what you can make sense of photographing with such narrow DOF, so fast lenses have a small operating window. The Zeiss ZM Sonnar f/1.5 is a very nice lens, but, it is designed to be soft and glowing wide open (like uncoated older lenses), only becoming sharp in the normal sense at around f/2.8 or f/4, so you may not like this.

 

Steve

[farnz]

Ed,

 

I haven't owned the CV Nokton 50/1.1 but I've read a number of reports of focus shift, back focus wide open and sample variation as mentioned by Steve.

 

Other alternatives you might consider are the Canon 50/1.2 in LTM and the Konica Hexanon 50/1.2. There are also older fast lenses such as the Nikkor Nippon Kogaku 50/1.4 and the Carl Zeiss Jena 50/1.5 Sonnar or Zeiss Opton Sonnar 50/1.5 although the last two can be difficult to find in LTM mount and natural ageing may require a CLA.

 

Pete.

[jankap]

With digital cameras one does not need fast lenses for low light situations. The automatic in the camera simply chooses a higher ISO. With film you have a problem in a low light situation, if you have the wrong ISO (film) in the camera.

Fast lenses are of interest for selective focus. The bokeh, that the lens offers in the unsharp areas of the photo is important. In this respect Leica is very good (look for the not so good Sonnetar lens).

 

I have (for my Ricoh camera) a 12, a 35 and an 135mm lens. That means a factor 3 to the nearest higher one. That is too much. I think a factor of 2 would be better, so I am looking for a 21mm. The gap between 35 and 135 is not important, because I seldom use the 135er.

In your case the line 28, 35 and 50mm would be too narrow for me. One has to carry all these stuff!

 

My proposal for you is to try to give back to your dealer the Summarit and the Summicron and in stead buy a Summilux 50mm. The 1.4/50mm is sufficient for selective focus, I think. A focus of 50mm still is useful for portraits (shooting not too close and cropping by the software).

An extra ND filter of 2 or 3 stops could be useful. With a ND filter you can choose the f/stop 1.4 in sun light situations, if you like.

Your Elmarit 28mm is a fine lens.

Jan

[FlashGordonPhotography]

I like my 1.1 Nokton. I use my 1.5 90% of the time but there are places where the 1.1 shines. People say it's a bit like the 1.0 Noctilux. I wouldn't know But if the Noctilux 1.0 has some focus shift, purple fringing wide open and a DOF so thin at minimum distances that everything looks a bit soft, then yes, it's similar.

 

it's got a ton of compromises. It's large for a Leica lens, and heavy. 58mm filters are uncommon. There is sample variation. Bokeh can be beautiful in one shot and squirrily in the next. The focus action is short and light. You'll need a PERFECTLY calibrated rangefinder to shoot it wide open. Neither of my cameras were, out of the box. It shows focus shift between f2 and f5.6. Common in non ASPH lenses and similar to the Canon 50L. It has vignettes about a stop wide open. It's certainly not as sharp as your summicron. Close focus, like old Leicas lenses, is a metre not 0.7.

 

But. It's a whole lot of fun to shoot with. It's has a real classic signature. In soft light it can make some absolutely beautiful images. When I've got big soft light coming through a window or a flat overcast day, I'll pull the 1.1 out. In bright, direct or backlit situations put it away. So use it when the contrast is low or the background is darker than your subject. I really like shooting full length portraits wide open with the 1.1. If the light is right. Wow. It remindes me a bit of the signature of my old Canon 85 1.2L version 1. I certainly do notice the extra stop of DOF over my 1.5 version and the rendering is very different. If I want that look, bumping the ISO won't do it.

 

If you can find a good used one you can always sell it with no loss. Certainly worth a try.

 

Gordon