Zeiss C Sonnar and Nokton II 50mm comparison

[Harpomatic]

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I fully agree with Adan about the nostalgia trip. Many, many people love vintage cars. I do respect that and understand it. Hey, I am shooting a Leica M! That certainly is a bit of a nostalgia trip. But that for me is about the experience of shooting the rangefinder, which I thoroughly enjoy, while maintaining the capability of recording very high quality, modern images that won't transfer the nostalgia on the final image.

We all have very different taste in how the images should look and the Leica M system is a fantastic option for variety: we can use natively lenses from 90 years ago (L39 for me is native: Leica intended the M mount to use those lenses) the same way as the very latest ones, with the APOs being the most modern look possible.

I do respect this and the fact that each of us have very, very different tastes. To be honest, I haven't spent so many hours (believe me, the amount of hours is very high) writing the articles and taking, cropping or compositing as needed, analysing the images about the C Sonnar just to dismiss it. I always had a genuine interest in that lens but I also try to be objective about its characteristics.

If I just gushed about its magical rendering and subjectively said that it is the best thing after sliced bread, much like a certain individual that also sells devices to talk to the dead, my readers would be left with a very debatable piece of information. How does the lens actually perform? As soon as we look at a vintage rendering we know we are accepting (or looking for) a higher amount of optical flaws that modern lenses. The point is: to what extent? Which kind of flaws? How do they modify the final image?

I think a honest look on these properties allows a potential buyer to make a more informed decision and an owner to understand what the difference is with a different optic. An objective kind of analysis is the only quantifiable and repeatable one. If you like the vintage look it's going to be visible in the sample and test shots.

Anyway, thanks Steve1959, Ray Vonn, Adan for clarifying the concept!

And thanks Ecar for the kind words. Enjoy your Sonnar!

[Robert Blanko]

Am 7.5.2021 um 01:05 schrieb Harpomatic:

Hello everyone,

 

I finally completed my comparison of the Zeiss C Sonnar T* 50mm 1.5 ZM and the Voigtlander Nokton 50mm 1.5 II VM.

You can read it here:

https://www.47-degree.com/focus-shift/nokton-50mm-1-5-ii-sonnar-50mm-1-5-comparison

I hope you enjoy it and find it useful!

I also published individual reviews of each lens plus the Nokton 1.2 and the Nokton 1.5 VM version 1:

https://www.47-degree.com/focus-shift/zeiss-c-sonnar-50mm-1-5-zm-review

https://www.47-degree.com/focus-shift/Voigtlander-Nokton-50mm-1.5-II-VM-review

https://www.47-degree.com/focus-shift/Voigtlander-Nokton-50mm-1-2-Aspherical-VM-review

https://www.47-degree.com/focus-shift/voigtlander-nokton-50mm-15-vm-aspherical-review

 

Next I will do the comparison between the Nokton 1.5 I vs II, then the Nokton 1.5 II vs Nokton 1.2.

I am still waiting for my Summilux ASPH and Summicron v5 to come back from repair...I will add those to the reviews as well when possible.

Hi Harpomatic, 

Interesting review!

I was just wondering why these two photos taken at 1.5 with the Sonnar look so dramatically different in terms of sharpness (at least on my iPad they do). Or were they actually taken at different apertures?

Best,

RB

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[tgray]

Nice review!  The Nokton definitely looks like a great all-around lens.  I wish it was available years ago when I was looking.

I own the Sonnar and quite enjoy it.  The way I view it is that I get to use a 'vintage' lens without all the annoyances (to me) that a vintage lens comes with: ergonomics, poor coatings, and unknown quality.

[patashnik]

Indeed, thank you for an interesting test. I have the Sonnar, and I would trade it for a Voigtlander 50mm Nokton II in a heartbeat. That doesn't mean that I think it's a bad lens, but I find myself reaching for the Voigtlander 40mm f/1.2 nine out of ten times. 

 

Edited May 9, 2021 by patashnik

[Harpomatic]

5 hours ago, Robert Blanko said:

Hi Harpomatic, 

Interesting review!

I was just wondering why these two photos taken at 1.5 with the Sonnar look so dramatically different in terms of sharpness (at least on my iPad they do). Or were they actually taken at different apertures?

Best,

RB

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Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

Hi Robert, these pictures are of the same subject that has been reframed to place it in the centre for the first, mid-frame for the second and in the corner for the third series.

The Sonnar does lose that much sharpness in mid-frame, there is no mistake!

[Harpomatic]

5 hours ago, tgray said:

The Nokton definitely looks like a great all-around lens.

I agree, it certainly is a great all-rounder.

5 hours ago, tgray said:

a 'vintage' lens without all the annoyances (to me) that a vintage lens comes with:

I totally agree with that as well. For me, were I interested in the vintage look, I would go for the C Sonnar straight away for the same reason!