Any experience with Voigtlander 50mm f1.5 or f1.2?

[james.liam]

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2 hours ago, CosmoM3 said:

The 50mm f/1.5 ASPH is an excellent lens with beautiful, classical rendering with the swirly bokeh balls and fantastic focus/out of focus transitions. It was my budget Summilux ASPH.

I thought I read somewhere that the 1,5/50 was based on the 50 Summilux pre-ASPH design.

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[TomB_tx]

19 minutes ago, james.liam said:

I thought I read somewhere that the 1,5/50 was based on the 50 Summilux pre-ASPH design.

The original VC ltm body does resemble the ver1 Summilux body, but the optics are different.

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Edited January 28, 2020 by TomB_tx

[Harpomatic]

5 hours ago, james.liam said:

I thought I read somewhere that the 1,5/50 was based on the 50 Summilux pre-ASPH design.

I wouldn’t think the optics are, given that the Nokton is indeed an aspherical design 

[jdlaing]

5 hours ago, james.liam said:

I thought I read somewhere that the 1,5/50 was based on the 50 Summilux pre-ASPH design.

 

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[Robert Blanko]

I use the 50/1.2 from time to time on my M10. I love the bokeh rendering at 1.2.

[Ko.Fe.]

Had lnib CV 50 1.5 VM.

Focus ring is with increasing resistance. Doesn’t like fast focusing. It also has sharp edges.

Hood is tiny and self unscrewing.

Color fringing wide open and it’s own colors on M-E. Good bw in camera jpeg1 and bw film negatives.

 

[jdlaing]

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Hogwash. 
My lens has none of those issues. 
 

[Ecar]

1 hour ago, Ko.Fe. said:

Had lnib CV 50 1.5 VM.

Focus ring is with increasing resistance. Doesn’t like fast focusing. It also has sharp edges.

Hood is tiny and self unscrewing.

Color fringing wide open and it’s own colors on M-E. Good bw in camera jpeg1 and bw film negatives.

 

I have ended up with owning two copies of this lens, both chrome (don't ask...). Heavier, but sooo much better-looking than the black ones...

Anyway, on both copies:

Focus resistance is even across the range, perfectly dampened and not faster or slower than a Summilux ASPH (although perhaps a tad slower than my E46 pre-ASPH). This may be down to particular samples, age, or a variety of other factors. I wouldn't make sweeping statements in this respect. The edges of the focus ring are indeed a polarising topic regarding this lens: AFAIC, I don't mind them, but I see how others may dislike the feeling they provide.

In my experience, the hood is perfectly adequate for its purpose, and stays where it should. If anything, it's a bit too large and adds to an already fairly substantial chunk of glass and metal. But since the OP is considering the 50/1.2 as well, I doubt that size a primary concern.

CA is comparable to that of other modern fast lenses wide open: manageable in PP and goes away when stopped down. Colors are subtly different from Leica or Zeiss, but I find them quite accurate, especially skin tones, which are rendered very naturally IMO. I don't use JPEG, so digital BW is whatever I am able to achieve in PP from the RAW file.

[Ko.Fe.]

35 minutes ago, Ecar said:

I have ended up with owning two copies of this lens, both chrome (don't ask...). Heavier, but sooo much better-looking than the black ones...

Anyway, on both copies:

Focus resistance is even across the range, perfectly dampened and not faster or slower than a Summilux ASPH (although perhaps a tad slower than my E46 pre-ASPH). This may be down to particular samples, age, or a variety of other factors. I wouldn't make sweeping statements in this respect. The edges of the focus ring are indeed a polarising topic regarding this lens: AFAIC, I don't mind them, but I see how others may dislike the feeling they provide.

In my experience, the hood is perfectly adequate for its purpose, and stays where it should. If anything, it's a bit too large and adds to an already fairly substantial chunk of glass and metal. But since the OP is considering the 50/1.2 as well, I doubt that size a primary concern.

CA is comparable to that of other modern fast lenses wide open: manageable in PP and goes away when stopped down. Colors are subtly different from Leica or Zeiss, but I find them quite accurate, especially skin tones, which are rendered very naturally IMO. I don't use JPEG, so digital BW is whatever I am able to achieve in PP from the RAW file.

LNIB means "like new in the box".  All of these lenses are with little or next to none age.

I didn't wrote about uneven focus resistance. I wrote how it was increasing with rotating speed. Do you focus yours within second from close to infinity or back? I'm street photographer,  not landscaper, I do focus very fast. I prefer black lenses with bright numbers. Easier to read on the street.

I owned four CV Color Skopar lenses of different age. They were all the same in handling. And similar hoods were not getting loose. 

My Jupiter-3 doesn't have this color fringing wide open. I prefer lenses which gives images without defects required my valuable time to be used for non creative PP.

Edited January 29, 2020 by Ko.Fe.

[Ecar]

1 hour ago, Ko.Fe. said:

My Jupiter-3 doesn't have this color fringing wide open. I prefer lenses which gives images without defects required my valuable time to be used for non creative PP.

Kostya,

I usually pre-focus and/or use narrower apertures on the street, so I tend to be gentle with the focus ring. We clearly have differing practices - and views on the CV 50/1.5 - but that's OK.

This however made me laugh: the J-3 "giving images without defects"? Seriously?

Don't get me wrong: I love my J-3s too (I have a soft spot for Sonnars) - and would probably also pick them over the CVs if I had to choose between them. But that's precisely because of the J-3's imperfections (aka "character"), not a lack thereof...

Besides, the rendering of these lenses is so different (not to mention the differences between one J-3 and another) that I would not even try to compare them.

[Ko.Fe.]

1 hour ago, Ecar said:

Kostya,

I usually pre-focus and/or use narrower apertures on the street, so I tend to be gentle with the focus ring. We clearly have differing practices - and views on the CV 50/1.5 - but that's OK.

This however made me laugh: the J-3 "giving images without defects"? Seriously?

Don't get me wrong: I love my J-3s too (I have a soft spot for Sonnars) - and would probably also pick them over the CVs if I had to choose between them. But that's precisely because of the J-3's imperfections (aka "character"), not a lack thereof...

Besides, the rendering of these lenses is so different (not to mention the differences between one J-3 and another) that I would not even try to compare them.

These are exactly my words:

My Jupiter-3 doesn't have this color fringing wide open. 

I consider purple fringing as serious defect which I prefer not to deal with. And my J-3 doesn't gives me images with defects which I consider to be waste of my time to deal with them in PP. 

Pictures I took with J-3 on M-E under low light were good enough to get published in the local magazine.

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This is not ideal lens, but rendering, colors and else happens to be closer to me.  Maybe because the way it came to me (via Leica, film gear collector and user) and because I CLA'd it before use.

Recent ones from this weekend.

They are not ideal, not Leica colors, but this J-3 is the only 50mm lens I consider worth of keeping after trying Cosina and Leitz 50mm rf lenses.  

Small weight, smooth handling. After I CLA'd it, focus ring is way better than on new Viogtlander/Zeiss and newer than J-3 (this one is from fifties) Leitz 50mm I have tried.

If Leica did really good job to make lenses like J-3 works well, why should I keep bigger, less handy lens? 

 

 

 

Edited January 29, 2020 by Ko.Fe.

[Ecar]

57 minutes ago, Ko.Fe. said:

These are exactly my words:

My Jupiter-3 doesn't have this color fringing wide open. 

I consider purple fringing as serious defect which I prefer not to deal with. And my J-3 doesn't gives me images with defects which I consider to be waste of my time to deal with them in PP. 

Pictures I took with J-3 on M-E under low light were good enough to get published in the local magazine.

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!

This is not ideal lens, but rendering, colors and else happens to be closer to me.  Maybe because the way it came to me (via Leica, film gear collector and user) and because I CLA'd it before use.

Recent ones from this weekend.

They are not ideal, not Leica colors, but this J-3 is the only 50mm lens I consider worth of keeping after trying Cosina and Leitz 50mm rf lenses.  

Small weight, smooth handling. After I CLA'd it, focus ring is way better than on new Viogtlander/Zeiss and newer than J-3 (this one is from fifties) Leitz 50mm I have tried.

If Leica did really good job to make lenses like J-3 works well, why should I keep bigger, less handy lens? 

 

 

 

You are making a good case for the J-3. It clearly works for you.

A somewhat tangential question: what's the black ring on the barrel of the lens on the 1st picture? A home-made focusing aid?

 

[Ko.Fe.]

4 hours ago, Ecar said:

You are making a good case for the J-3. It clearly works for you.

A somewhat tangential question: what's the black ring on the barrel of the lens on the 1st picture? A home-made focusing aid?

 

Thank you!

Yes, cable tie to serve as focus tab. Four meters are 6'O clock. To the right - far distance. To the left - close distance. With it I always know where focus is, without looking at focus scale.

[Tp2000]

I've had both of these, as well as the 1.1. Previously have used the latest Summicron and the Summilux ASPH. I can't speak highly enough of the 50/1.2 - haptics are excellent, IQ (for me) is fabulous - both wide and stopped down. Having toyed with a Summilux again, I just can't bring myself to part with the 1.2.....just wish I could get it 6 bit coded! 

 

The 1.5 is lovely, however I never took to it (possibly in part to the haptics and feel of the focus ring)

 

I still have the Summicron in my bag and despite its more diminutive size, it hardly gets a look in vs the 50/1.2. I don't think you'd regret it....