Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.5 ASPH II VM lens announcement

[raphael]

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52 minutes ago, farnz said:

Did you mean the first VM version?

Yes, that's the VM v1. The LTM has much better handling.

[raphael]

Jack Takahashi's review on the M10 and comparison with the 50 Lux ASPH.:

http://jacktaka.com/voigtlander-50mm-f15-ii

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[Robert Blanko]

vor 7 Stunden schrieb raphael:

Jack Takahashi's review on the M10 and comparison with the 50 Lux ASPH.:

http://jacktaka.com/voigtlander-50mm-f15-ii

Interesting review! I would be curious to see examples showing the bokeh.

[raphael]

Voigtlander has updated the german version of their website with some sample images, showing the difference between the SC and MC version:

https://www.voigtlaender.de/objektive/vm/50-mm-115-nokton-vintage-line-asphaerisch/

Edited October 29, 2020 by raphael

[raizans]

10 hours ago, raphael said:

Jack Takahashi's review on the M10 and comparison with the 50 Lux ASPH.:

http://jacktaka.com/voigtlander-50mm-f15-ii

He doesn't say it, but it appears that the Voigtländer has focus shift that behaves just like a Zeiss C Sonnar calibrated for f/2.8.

[trisberg]

11 hours ago, farnz said:

Are you certain that the lens on the right is version 1 of the 50/1.5 Nokton?  I have had the version 1 50/1.5 Nokton for many years, it looks quite different to the lens you've shown, and it is LTM.

Did you mean the first VM version?

Pete.

Yes, they are all VM lenses, so the first version of the VM Nokton f1.5.

-Thomas

Edited October 29, 2020 by trisberg

[trisberg]

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17 hours ago, raphael said:

I loved the 1.5 v1 for its rendering. It somewhat remembered be of the 50 Lux ASPH. But I hated the retro-style focus ring with its sharp notches, and returned it.

Now I have the 1.2 and find it quite pleasing in use. But that 1.5 v2 could make a nice addition to my collection 😬

Questions @trisberg

1. How does the v2 compare to the v1 regarding handling, general rendition and bokeh?

2. How does the v2 compare to the 1.2 regarding general rendition and bokeh?

I expect the v2 to render a bit more 'classically' than the 1.2 due to the swirl effect. I’d love to hear your personal opinion!

I agree about the 1.5 v1, not the best feel with that focus ring. I'll most likely sell it and keep the v2. The v2 lens seems sharper wide open at the far corners compared to both 1.5 v1 and 1.2.

Took some wide open shots with all three, the box indicates the lens used for the photo.

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-Thomas

[trisberg]

18 hours ago, raphael said:

Questions @trisberg

1. How does the v2 compare to the v1 regarding handling, general rendition and bokeh?

2. How does the v2 compare to the 1.2 regarding general rendition and bokeh?

I expect the v2 to render a bit more 'classically' than the 1.2 due to the swirl effect. I’d love to hear your personal opinion!

1. From what I have seen so far the rendering and bokeh is similar. The v1 has slight barrel distorsion while the v2 has slight pincushion distortion. I only noticed this when comparing some shots of the same subject. The v2 seems sharper in the extreme corners, at least for shots at 1m or so. In terms of handling v2 wins hands down.

2. If you want nice bokeh I think the 1.2 is better. Bokeh seems much "creamier" plus it has approx. an extra stop. If you want sharp corners wide open the 1.5 v2 wins.

As for bokeh swirl, not my favorite, never really look for it so can't really comment there.

-Thomas

 

[raizans]

The f/1.2 is more swirly.

I'm very glad that the bokeh of the f/1.5 v2 is smoother than the v1. Look at how the outline of the chair in the middle is actually smooth on the v2, rather than distinctly "edgy" on the v1. The difference will be more pronounced on more challenging objects and situations.

Edited October 30, 2020 by raizans

[raphael]

2 hours ago, raizans said:

The f/1.2 is more swirly.

I don't think so. I have the 50/1.2 and my sample is not swirly at all.

[raphael]

7 hours ago, trisberg said:

If you want nice bokeh I think the 1.2 is better. Bokeh seems much "creamier" plus it has approx. an extra stop. If you want sharp corners wide open the 1.5 v2 wins.

Thanks a lot, trisberg! This was a really helpful comparison. I'm gonna stay with my 1.2 as I prefer that creamier rendering.

[trisberg]

Some comparison shots between the VM f1.5 v1 and v2.

VM Nokton 50mm f1.5 v2 at 1.5:

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VM Nokton 50mm f1.5 v1 at 1.5:

VM Nokton 50mm f1.5 v2 at 4.0:

VM Nokton 50mm f1.5 v1 at 4.0:

I think the v2 has better corner sharpness but also a bit more light falloff.

-Thomas

[raizans]

6 hours ago, raphael said:

I don't think so. I have the 50/1.2 and my sample is not swirly at all.

If we're being nitpicky, I'd say it's "more" swirly than the 1.5 because of optical vignetting, merely due to the larger aperture, but not "swirly" in the way of a Cooke Amotal. Fair enough?

Photos from Flickr:

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[raphael]

Okay, I was referring to the swirly bokeh:

Nokton 50/1.5 v2 (sample shots from Fred Miranda)

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[kivis]

I HAD THE FIRST VERSION AND NEVER REALLY GOT COMFORTABLE WITH THE EGORNOMICS, SO I TRADED UP TO VERSION TWO. VOIGT NAILED IT JUST RIGHT.

[Hornhauer]

f/2.8

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f/1.5 MFD

 

[algrove]

If I want creamy and dreamy with nice round bokeh wide open. Will the Ver II SC give me that?

Edited January 4, 2022 by algrove