Nokton or Cron 50?

[gimenosaiz]

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Hello!

 

I need your opinion, please.

I've got the Cron 50/2 DR and the "new" Nokton 50/1,5 VM.

I purchased them nearly at the same time .... 

Well, I want to know your opinion: which one do you think is best for a M4 or M6? Why? I guess that the DR is the perfect couple for my M3, but ... what if I want another body?

 

 

Thanks a lot !

 

Best regards

Antonio

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[james.liam]

Depends upon what film you primarily use.

 

The Nokton is a modern design; higher contrast, better coatings, incorporating an aspheric element and color-corrected with digital sensors in mind; @ ƒ/1,5 the rendering reminds me a lot of the pre-ASPH 50 Summilux. The image tightens up quite nicely once you stop down beyond ƒ/2.

 

The DR/Rigid was born in the B&W, Kodachrome age and color renderings are very different.

 

Personally, I prefer the tonal gradations from the older Leica when using B&W film. You might consider swapping out the DR for a Rigid to use in the M4/6.

 

As an aside, the title of the thread may confuse some; the DR and Rigid are referred to as such, so as not to be confused with later 50 Summicrons.

[Herr Barnack]

My preference for film would be any of the pre-ASPH Leica M lenses. 

[billo101]

50DR on film, 50CV on digital but DR is much better....

[TomB_tx]

I have all the 50 (non-asph) Summicrons from the collapsible to the current non-asph, and both the LTM an M 1.5 Noktons. The choice depends on how you like the image qualities (not just sharpness). I tend to pair the v2 (rigid) with my M3 as the handling and images feel right in that combo. It has given some lovely color as well as B&W pictures. I've used the v3 (1969) on my M4 since 1969, and on my M6, and that combo is my favorite. But the LTM Nokton is the perfect fit on my M5, where the size feels right, and the color images seem to have more impact. I'm not as impressed with the images from the M Nokton, although the mechanics are great. I notice a shiny ring at the edge of one of the elements that I don't see on the LTM version, which I think adds a bit if glow or veil to the image, and this is the second sample I've tried.

The current Summicron (v4 or 5 depending how one counts) is better on digital than the others.

[250swb]

I've seen great examples from the M Nokton rivalling the Noctilux, and even owned one myself. But ultimately the Nokton is a big lump of a lens (and the Nocti) and even though I do use a tripod much of the time it just wasn't for me. The other thing was there can be too much shallow DOF before it is self defeating, so a Summilux is for me a better option but the Nokton is good if you like that sort of thing.

[TomB_tx]

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Remember, there are the Nokton 1.1 and the smaller 1.5. The OP mentioned the 1.5.

[gimenosaiz]

Hello!

 

Thank you very much everybody! 

 

I'm mostly a B&W film photographer, so the choice seems much more clear to me now ;-) 

I love the DOF of the Nokton ... but, I prefer those "tonal gradations" of the old Cron. Sharpness is not a problem, as I believe both are impressive in b&w film, don't they?

 

Thanks again!

 

Best regards,

Antonio

[TRIago]

The Leica.