Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.1 focus issue.

[Snap Happy]

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I purchased a Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.1 a few months ago. I use it specifically for its very wide maximum aperture, and take it out at night for hand-held shots, fully open. I use an EVF (on a Leica M240) to ensure focus. Over the last couple of months it won't focus beyond 30-40 meters fully open. Stopped down it still behaves as it should. It's not camera shake - it just won't focus more than across the road when at f1.1. Can anyone shed some light on this?

Edited March 3, 2020 by Snap Happy

[jankap]

Have you tried to use the rangefinder for focussing? If you stop down the distance is less critical, f/1.1 is not easy. Does this lens have a FLE correction?  FLE means floating elements. That is, does it change lens positions inside if the distance is set to smaller distances. What happens, if you move over the complete distance throw of the lens (from 1 meter to infinity) during focussing?

 

Edited March 3, 2020 by jankap
FLE meaning

[a.noctilux]

Hello,

As long time lover of wide aperture lenses, I had for some years the Nokton f/1.1 (sold now as miracle didn't occur).

This lens with simple optical formula (no FLE) was optimized (observations when I had it) for close distance, full open.

Non-corrected aberrations were much larger than more expensive Noctilux that I know well.

As consequence, at far distance, I had fussy details with this Nokton.

 

Maybe why Voigtlander replaced this 1.1 with "better" 1.2/50 Nokton with asph. lens , recently.

[jankap]

 Hello a.noctilux. The name is a sign. 

Snap Happy run into a problem: "Over the last couple of months it won't focus beyond 30-40 meters fully open."

What has happened? Has SH become more critical or is something wrong with his lens? 

 

Edited March 3, 2020 by jankap

[a.noctilux]

Jankap, thanks I assume since decade 😇 .

 

My ex Nokton 1.1/50 may have same "fussy details" as the OP uses EVF ( which in my M240 the EVF focussing is very "poor" with wider open lens, f/1.4 or less,

lack of resolutions in EVF, I think ).

[jaeger]

The focus peaking need sharpness (or contrasts) to function properly.  When you say it can't focus meaning @ f/1.1 is too soft that the sensor can't detect where is focused.  7artisian lenses have the same issue but I think those newer VM f/1.2 lenses have better optics recently, but they have focus shift. 

[Snap Happy]

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Jaeger, I have also owned the 7 Artisans lens, which is indeed very soft and also prone to flaring. The Voigtlander is a vastly superior lens, and easy to focus using the EFV at f1.1 because night street scenes produce good contrast.

Edited March 4, 2020 by Snap Happy
various

[Harpomatic]

20 hours ago, Snap Happy said:

Jaeger, I have also owned the 7 Artisans lens, which is indeed very soft and also prone to flaring. The Voigtlander is a vastly superior lens, and easy to focus using the EFV at f1.1 because night street scenes produce good contrast.

I agree, the Nokton 1.1 is a vastly underrated lens, and it’s quite sharp wide open. 
 

On 3/3/2020 at 11:21 AM, a.noctilux said:

Hello,

As long time lover of wide aperture lenses, I had for some years the Nokton f/1.1 (sold now as miracle didn't occur).

This lens with simple optical formula (no FLE) was optimized (observations when I had it) for close distance, full open.

Non-corrected aberrations were much larger than more expensive Noctilux that I know well.

As consequence, at far distance, I had fussy details with this Nokton.

 

Maybe why Voigtlander replaced this 1.1 with "better" 1.2/50 Nokton with asph. lens , recently.

I have not found the Nokton 1.1 to be lacking at all at any focus distance: when closed down a couple of stops it becomes a really good and modern lens, with plenty of details even in the distance. Wide open it still produces detailed images and it focuses to infinity indeed.

 

I don’t think any of these answers help the OP: that lens should reach infinity without issues and produce great images. In my opinion the OP’s lens has developed an issue. What would cause it I don’t know though.

[01maciel]

vor 11 Stunden schrieb Harpomatic:

I agree, the Nokton 1.1 is a vastly underrated lens, and it’s quite sharp wide open. 

+1

[jaeger]

so why do they made f/1.2 if f/1.1 is a good enough lens?

[01maciel]

Agree, it is quite hard to focus. In this example of a Pharaoh I used the rangefinder at around f1.1 at low light and tried to focus the left eye. What I got is a sharp area left to his/her (?) ear. And no, this is not a backfocus - it's the photographer 😙

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[01maciel]

 another try but more successfully. I focused the signature on the scull and it seems quite sharp for me. All in all I am quite happy with this lens and I wouldn't sell it

M10, CV 50/1.1 at f1.1 ISO800 1/90s

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[Jean-Michel]

I do not have anything wider than f/2, so my comment is not from experience wit a f/1 or so lens. But. If you look at the skull photo, Maciel will have focused on the writing on the skull then moved the camera slightly to the left in order to recompose, given the extremely small depth of field at f/1.1, the small motion is enough to change what is un focus. In the Pharaoh image the camera would have to moved left and up to ensure that the eye would not be in focus. In such cases chances are that not only is the camera moved, but the photographer also moves between focus, recompose and press the shutter release.

[Harpomatic]

6 hours ago, jaeger said:

so why do they made f/1.2 if f/1.1 is a good enough lens?

For the same reason that Leica made the Summilux 50mm 1.4 ASPH after the pre-ASPH? What kind of question is that?

[Harpomatic]

On 3/3/2020 at 8:24 PM, jaeger said:

The focus peaking need sharpness (or contrasts) to function properly.  When you say it can't focus meaning @ f/1.1 is too soft that the sensor can't detect where is focused.  7artisian lenses have the same issue but I think those newer VM f/1.2 lenses have better optics recently, but they have focus shift. 

Sorry to ask, but do you have a chip on your shoulder with Voigtlander lenses? Have you ever used the lenses in question? I have, and extensively: focus shift is indeed present on the 1.1 in real photography at shorter distances at f2.8 and f4 especially, whereas the 1.2 has such a small amount of it that I never saw it in my pictures, and I do check critical focus in post and shoot at every f stop as needed. 

I found both lenses surprisingly easy to focus wide open, but the rangefinder needs to be spot on and focus and recompose must be done in small doses fully open due to field curvature.

[jaeger]

2 hours ago, Harpomatic said:

For the same reason that Leica made the Summilux 50mm 1.4 ASPH after the pre-ASPH? What kind of question is that?

No question is stupid question, but your attitude is for sure is a smartA$$.  Can anyone teach me how to block a person in this forum?  I don't deserve this criticism.

Edited March 6, 2020 by jaeger

[jaeger]

2 hours ago, Harpomatic said:

Sorry to ask, but do you have a chip on your shoulder with Voigtlander lenses? Have you ever used the lenses in question? I have, and extensively: focus shift is indeed present on the 1.1 in real photography at shorter distances at f2.8 and f4 especially, whereas the 1.2 has such a small amount of it that I never saw it in my pictures, and I do check critical focus in post and shoot at every f stop as needed. 

I found both lenses surprisingly easy to focus wide open, but the rangefinder needs to be spot on and focus and recompose must be done in small doses fully open due to field curvature.

Do I need to teach you any thing more?  Go figure it out yourself.

[J.Nordvik]

There are four screws on the barrel, check if they are tightened. They came loose on my lens, and I think I had the same problem reaching infinity (but I am not sure).

[Harpomatic]

7 hours ago, jaeger said:

No question is stupid question, but your attitude is for sure is a smartA$$.  Can anyone teach me how to block a person in this forum?  I don't deserve this criticism.

Look, I apologise if I offended you, but th question you asked could be interpreted as “smarta$$” as anything as well, that’s why I replied so. 

 

7 hours ago, jaeger said:

Do I need to teach you any thing more?  Go figure it out yourself.

You don’t need to “teach” me anything, but you didn’t answer my question. I asked if you used the lenses because just bashing the OP’s lens doesn’t add anything to the thread, and I feel the bashing is unjustified. More to the point the OP asked for advice about a possible malfunction of his lens, not its optical qualities.

 

In any case, I have no intention of insulting anybody or create any tension: I just try to add useful information to the thread. I reacted because I perceived the answers not to be helpful at all.

 

Regards

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[Snap Happy]

On 3/6/2020 at 5:35 PM, J.Nordvik said:

There are four screws on the barrel, check if they are tightened. They came loose on my lens, and I think I had the same problem reaching infinity (but I am not sure).

I had a look, and all four screws are nice and tight.