Summarit 35mm - more consistent than Nokton?

[kentishrev]

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Was playing around with my new Voigtlander 35mm f/1.4 Nokton.  By chance I shot two almost identical shots, but at f/1.4 and f/4.0.  Excjusing the mess (ahem), I was very surprised at the large degree of distortion wide open (note in particular the blue shiny bucket and the verticals on the window).  Was thinking of keeping this for low light work (I can't afford a Summilux), but perhaps buying a Summarit f/2.5 for daylight shots.  Will I see similar distortion as I move through apertures on the Summarit?

 

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[TomB_tx]

The Nokton does have a fair amount of distortion. I've used one for several years as a low-light 35, but not for architecture! The size, handling, and general build quality are nice, but it has "character"

I also have a 35 Summarit 2.5, which is now my favorite lens on my M9. It is sharper than the Nokton with much less distortion, but still has a small size and great handling. The focus action is lighter, and the images have higher contrast in general. I liked it so much I got a matching 50 mm for times when I want a 50, even though I also have Summicrons in both 35 & 50.

[JonPB]

My understanding is that optical distortion is not affected by aperture, at all, in any lens. I think what you're seeing is how the lens varies distortion across the frame, which is complicated by the photos being taken from slightly different positions. Far be it from me to dissuade you from buying another lens, especially the Summarit 35 (which would be my one lens if I had to rebuild my kit on a budget), but there's enough grey area when it comes to lens choice that it'd be unfortunate to act on a simple misunderstanding. That said, the Summarit 35 has a gentle, continuous barrel distortion, which I find more attractive than the mustache distortion of the Summilux 35, and both appear to have somewhat lower linear distortion than the Nokton.

 

Hope this helps,

Jon

[AceVentura1986]

I think that what you have to think of here is that the Nokton is not really made to be totally corrected to shoot without any distortion. For it's intended use of low light wide aperture pictures of people then you don't actually see this distortion that you are showing in your above pictures.

 

If you use it in this way then, to me, I think that it's actually a very good lens that is more than sharp enough wide open.

 

If you are looking for a 35mm lens without any distortion and still at a relatively affordable price, then have you thought about the Zeiss  C 35mm F2.8 lens. This is one of the hidden gems of 35mm lenses - pin sharp as in really really sharp, no distortion and no flare. Don't be put off by the F2.8 aperture and "low price" as this lens is optically superb up there with Leica's best and will easily outperform any Nikon or Canon 35mm lens.

That's exactly right. The Nokton has its purpose and really should be viewed this way. FWIW, whenever I shoot it I apply -6 manual distortion correction in Lightroom. This essentially flattens the image and rids it of distortion.

[250swb]

That's exactly right. The Nokton has its purpose and really should be viewed this way. FWIW, whenever I shoot it I apply -6 manual distortion correction in Lightroom. This essentially flattens the image and rids it of distortion.

 

This +1

 

For the number of shots that may be 'spoilt' by noticeable distortion just dial in a bit of correction. I would bet you won't notice it on most shots over an average year, and you could set up your own profile for it in ACR so the adjustment is almost instant.

[animalhairs]

The Noktons definitely have a lot of distortion.