Voigtlander 50mm f/1 VM

[J S H]

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Focus on center. Full frame and 100% crop from the left edge at F5.6.

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[wdshuck]

I had mostly been using this on my SL2S, but focusing at F1 actually isn’t bad on the M10. It does look comically large though 😂

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[Product Details]

More about Voigtlander 50 mm F1.0 Nokton Aspherical

Available at Amazon and B&H Photo Video

[LarsHP]

21 hours ago, J S H said:

Here is a test chart with the Nikon 5T, shot at 18 inches, which is very near the MFD with this combo. Performance actually looks pretty good to me...certainly no glaring issues. I don't think the lens has a very flat field to begin with, but the close-up lens doesn't seem to be creating any major issues. I would never be using this combo for reproduction work, so the performance is more than adequate for my needs. 

Focus on center. Full frame and 100% crop from the left edge at F1.

Okay, thanks. Since we don't know if the edge is in focus or not, these test shots may not tell how good or bad the combination works in the mid-frame or at the edge.

The way I test my diopter-lens combination is with the target paper at an angle, so even though the plane of focus may bend, I will still be able to scrutinize the performance all the way from the center to the edge.

[J S H]

2 hours ago, LarsHP said:

Okay, thanks. Since we don't know if the edge is in focus or not, these test shots may not tell how good or bad the combination works in the mid-frame or at the edge.

The way I test my diopter-lens combination is with the target paper at an angle, so even though the plane of focus may bend, I will still be able to scrutinize the performance all the way from the center to the edge.

Actually, I learned what I wanted to know  - any part of the frame can be brought into sharp focus with the close-up lens attached, even wide open. My observations tell me that the lens itself is not flat field at MFD, especially at wider apertures. I checked the corners at MFD wide open, both with and without the close-up lens - they could be focused sharply, if desired, but the center would then be soft. I chose to focus on the center for these tests, as that was the most relevant method for me. There aren't many applications which require a flat field at the higher magnification achieved with the close-up lens added, so no real need to try and document the performance across the entire frame.

The way I'm using the lens & close-up filter combo, only the focus point needs to be sharp. Everything else in the frame will be out of focus. If you need a flat field at high magnification, that isn't going to be achievable with this lens...you would normally use a macro lens. 

 

[LarsHP]

53 minutes ago, J S H said:

Actually, I learned what I wanted to know  - any part of the frame can be brought into sharp focus with the close-up lens attached, even wide open. My observations tell me that the lens itself is not flat field at MFD, especially at wider apertures. I checked the corners at MFD wide open, both with and without the close-up lens - they could be focused sharply, if desired, but the center would then be soft. I chose to focus on the center for these tests, as that was the most relevant method for me. There aren't many applications which require a flat field at the higher magnification achieved with the close-up lens added, so no real need to try and document the performance across the entire frame.

The way I'm using the lens & close-up filter combo, only the focus point needs to be sharp. Everything else in the frame will be out of focus. If you need a flat field at high magnification, that isn't going to be achievable with this lens...you would normally use a macro lens.

What you are describing; only the focus point needs to be sharp; is my viewpoint too, when using diopters and fast lenses.

However, the test shots you uploaded doesn't show that. The point I was trying to make is that by having the test chart (or whatever) at an angle, you will be able to find the place where the plane of focus is and check there - right from the center to the edge of the frame. The out of focus areas will also tell you something about how the combo behaves there.

[Adam Bonn]

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m10-r

[J S H]

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Wide open on the M11. I continue to be impressed by this lens. 

 

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[J S H]

Wide open on the M11.

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[J S H]

Wide open on the M11.

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[01maciel]

vor 5 Stunden schrieb J S H:

I continue to be impressed by this lens.

Yes, it's an amazing lens
M10 + Voigtländer Nokton 50mm 1:1.0 VM (click to view properly)

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[fededuran]

The curious thing about this lens is that people who have compared it to its sibling the 50mm 1.2 nokton almost always tend to prefer the later. 

I'm still on the fence. Owning a 50 lux, would like to add another fifty with different rendering and always focusing on portraiture. Those two Voigtlanders make me hesitate a lot.

Edited June 4, 2023 by fededuran

[J S H]

4 hours ago, fededuran said:

The curious thing about this lens is that people who have compared it to its sibling the 50mm 1.2 nokton almost always tend to prefer the later. 

I'm still on the fence. Owning a 50 lux, would like to add another fifty with different rendering and always focusing on portraiture. Those two Voigtlanders make me hesitate a lot.

In the past, I have owned the Noctilux .95 and 50 Lux. I currently have the Voigtlander F1 and F1.2. This 50 F1 is the best and most versatile of the entire group. It's a little larger than the 50 Lux and VM 1.2, which is the only trade-off. 

[fededuran]

1 hour ago, J S H said:

In the past, I have owned the Noctilux .95 and 50 Lux. I currently have the Voigtlander F1 and F1.2. This 50 F1 is the best and most versatile of the entire group. It's a little larger than the 50 Lux and VM 1.2, which is the only trade-off. 

I'm a 50 guy and luckily have used and owned a good amount of canons, fujis, nikkors, zeisses and sonys... my all time favorite is the M summilux, it shows the best mix of attributes being sharp but still rendering beautifully. I used to have the CV 50mm 1.2 nokton for sony e mount, but never was impressed even admitting it was (and is) a nice lens. 

Regarding this CV 50mm f1: if the consensus is that it surpasses the noctiluxes in sharpness and even some people think its rendering and bokeh is smoother in some situations too, then I'm willing to give it a try. Size is not a problem. I own and love a silver 90mm summicron from the 80s and it is a tank. 

Thanks for your feedback, @JHS.

[J S H]

3 hours ago, fededuran said:

I'm a 50 guy and luckily have used and owned a good amount of canons, fujis, nikkors, zeisses and sonys... my all time favorite is the M summilux, it shows the best mix of attributes being sharp but still rendering beautifully. I used to have the CV 50mm 1.2 nokton for sony e mount, but never was impressed even admitting it was (and is) a nice lens. 

Regarding this CV 50mm f1: if the consensus is that it surpasses the noctiluxes in sharpness and even some people think its rendering and bokeh is smoother in some situations too, then I'm willing to give it a try. Size is not a problem. I own and love a silver 90mm summicron from the 80s and it is a tank. 

Thanks for your feedback, @JHS.

Yeah, it's definitely sharper and also slightly better corrected than any of the various Noctilux versions. Take a look at the tests Fred Miranda did and you can see detailed comparisons. 

[LarsHP]

9 hours ago, fededuran said:

The curious thing about this lens is that people who have compared it to its sibling the 50mm 1.2 nokton almost always tend to prefer the later. 

I'm still on the fence. Owning a 50 lux, would like to add another fifty with different rendering and always focusing on portraiture. Those two Voigtlanders make me hesitate a lot.

The Nokton f/1.2 show some spherical aberration at portrait distance since it has no FLE. Whether that is a pro or con depends on what you prefer in a portrait. I'm sure that females in general will prefer the softer look that the f/1.2 has, but technically, I'm sure the Summilux-M and Nokton f/1.0 are better when focused at around 1 meter. Note that the Nokton f/1.0 has outward field curvature at medium to close distances, though (just like the Noctilux-M f/0.95 BTW).

[J S H]

16 minutes ago, LarsHP said:

The Nokton f/1.2 show some spherical aberration at portrait distance since it has no FLE. Whether that is a pro or con depends on what you prefer in a portrait. I'm sure that females in general will prefer the softer look that the f/1.2 has, but technically, I'm sure the Summilux-M and Nokton f/1.0 are better when focused at around 1 meter. Note that the Nokton f/1.0 has outward field curvature at medium to close distances, though (just like the Noctilux-M f/0.95 BTW).

Lars is correct about the outward field curvature. For me, it's usually only noticeable at medium distances, but that may just be due to my shooting style. Usually if it's wide open and under 2 meters, only the point of focus is sharp and the rest of the image is far enough out of focus that I don't see it. One of the great qualities of this lens, is that no matter where in the frame you put the point of focus, it will be razor sharp. Some ultra fast lenses just don't have that capability, if you choose to focus in the outer third of the image.

[J S H]

Here's an image near MFD where I can see some of the outward field curvature, but in this case it was helping to extend the plane of focus to include the wine labels...so not always a bad thing. This was around F4, so not wide open. 

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[stout_trapdoor9]

Had this lens for few months now, and still getting to know it.  Really like what I'm getting out of it, it's like having two completely different lenses in one - ultra dreamy, and crazy sharp. Both shot wide open on an SL2-S.

 

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Edited June 10, 2023 by stout_trapdoor9

[Jan1985]

Am 4.6.2023 um 20:21 schrieb J S H:

Yeah, it's definitely sharper and also slightly better corrected than any of the various Noctilux versions. Take a look at the tests Fred Miranda did and you can see detailed comparisons. 

I want to sell my 50 Noct for the 35 APO. Later when I miss that kind of look I will definitely choose this lens. But than any Noctilux version... The 75 Noctilux I also have is optical in a quite different league than the 50 Noctilux.

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[J S H]

24 minutes ago, Jan1985 said:

I want to sell my 50 Noct for the 35 APO. Later when I miss that kind of look I will definitely choose this lens. But than any Noctilux version... The 75 Noctilux I also have is optical in a quite different league than the 50 Noctilux.

Yes, I’m sure the 75 Noctilux is much better corrected. All of Fred Miranda’s tests were with the Voigtlander 50 F1 and various versions of the 50 Noctilux lenses.