Your Opinion of the Voightlander Nocton 35mm f1.4 II

[Stephen.s1]

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Title asks it all.  I'm trying to keep my lenses small, but don't want any dogy lenses taking up shelf space.  My 35 Summilux is just too big (in my opinion)

for street shooting,  

Edited August 16 by Stephen.s1
typo

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[lct]

My Nokton 35/1.4 version is the SC v2. I only use the Summilux 35/1.4 v2 for its glow now that i have the Nokton. The Nokton has less glow but more sharpness w/o being clinical but it has also more distortion. Not a problem if you're used to adjust distortion in post. Both lenses have almost exactly the same size, the Nokton being slightly heavier (190g vs 184g). Edit: Forgot to say the Nokton's MFD is 0.7m vs 1m for the Summilux.

Edited August 16 by lct

[jdlaing]

Look at the Voigtlander 40mm.

[Keith (M)]

I bought the Classic vII SC in early 2023 partly as result of reading a very long review on Fred Miranda, where he carried out comparisons with the then recent re-release of the 35mm f1.4 Steel-Rim.

In use it has tended to usurp my f2.8 Summaron and f2 Biogon mainly due to its lightweight and larger aperture.  I also have the VM 35mm f1.2 vIII but that generally comes into play when I convince myself I really need its max aperture.  All in all I find the Classic f1.4 vII SC a pleasure to use and enjoy the results.  A couple of results from initial tests on M11.

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[evikne]

The Voigtländer 35/1.4 MC II is everything I wish the Leica 35mm Summilux SR reissue was: Closer near limit and much sharper and less glow wide open. Instead, they created a new version that retained all the shortcomings. The only drawback of the Voigtländer is the distortion, but as mentioned, this is easy to correct in post.

[lct]

Couple of snaps with Nokton 35/1.4 SC v2 on M11:
• Bokeh @ f/1.4 
• Bokeh @ f/1.4 
• Glow & bokeh @ f/1.4
• Glow @ f/1.4
• Shadows @ f/8
• Corrected Distortion @ f/1.4
• Uncorrected Distortion @ f/1.4
 

[jgeenen]

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Please allow my minority vote. I bought the v2 to support my Summicron 2/35 asph for wide open.I never liked the results. Glow? A bit, but very often when I did not expect it (if you don’t have pointy highlights, glow turns into muddy softness easily). Wide open performance? Only usable for artistic shots on the M11. Performance stopped down? Better, but never exceptional. I sold the Nokton meanwhile and replaced it with a Lux. 

Concluding: if I rated the Lux asph to heavy or bulky, I‘d replace it with a good, modern 2/35. 

[Stephen.s1]

2 hours ago, jdlaing said:

Look at the Voigtlander 40mm.

I have that. A fine small lens.

Thanks to you all.  Given the cost of the lens.. It's an easy decision.  

 

Edited August 16 by Stephen.s1
addenda

[lct]

There are plenty of "modern" 35mm lenses already. People interested in the Nokton 35/1.4 SC v2 would hesitate between compact-fast-gentle-lenses like Summilux 35/1.4 v1 or v2, Summilux 35/1.4 Reissue, Nokton 35/1.4 SC v1, and... i don't know if there are other lenses like that. 

[lebanese blonde]

I liked the images coming out of the Nokton but i hated the small focus tab so much that i sold it quite fast.

[Jewl]

Was my first lens on the M10 - really liked it! Then got the M11 and had a front focus issue. Sold it then. But still thinking of it… might consider it again bc it is so cheap and helps to keep the overall value of the setup a little lower if you are traveling… 

[Derbyshire Man]

9 hours ago, Stephen.s1 said:

Title asks it all.  I'm trying to keep my lenses small, but don't want any dogy lenses taking up shelf space.  My 35 Summilux is just too big (in my opinion)

for street shooting,  

Had a multi coated version, didn’t like it, fuzzy but not enough to be a thing, just enough to look dodgy, also issues with focus shift.

Then bought the 35mm summilux fle1 which I love. Other than due to the FLE the focus mech is a bit slow.

So then bought the OG 35mm v2 summilux 1.4 pre-asph, proper glow at 1.4, tidy by f2. Still has focus shift but somehow I can handle it and the imaging makes it worth the hassle. It’s also negligible at f2 and fine by f2.5

Finally, bought the Rokkor 40mm f2, which is my absolute favourite, the other two have barely got on the camera since it arrived 3 or 4 months ago.

[spydrxx]

I haven't been blown away by it, but have been using my LTM Summaron 35/3.5 much more due to its compactness. I had a 35 Summicron Asph. for a couple of months, but for my tastes it was too clinical.

[raizans]

Too much distortion for a film user like me, who likes to walk around and often photographs scenes with buildings in them.

[FrozenInTime]

The Voigtländer lens is no dog ! 

It may not draw or sparkle like an APO or aspherical lens, but given the size, speed, 0.7m focus, and solid mechanics, the lens earns its keep as an everywhere carry; probably more so than the SRR, which elevates itself on prestige, being the original design.

Edited August 17 by FrozenInTime

[costa43]

The Voigtlander is a very good lens. I’ve owned the MC. I found the colours a bit too punchy but I was using it on the M9 mainly so that’s likely to be the reason. I enjoyed it at f1.4 a lot. I’ve since moved over to the 35mm Summilux pre-ASPH v2, a lens with multiple personalities! 

[TomB_tx]

I've had both the v1 & 2 of the Nokton 35 1.4 (both MC), and have had nice results from both, but the V2 largely cured the focus shift so that it hasn't been an issue. I still use it on film, but found I liked images better with the 35 f2.5 Summarit on Digital.

[Tux4711]

I used the lens for many years. But for me personally, an aperture of 2.8 was my personal lower limit. Wide open, the lens shows a lot of character, which I would describe as artistic, watercolor-like bokeh with some glow. However, the bokeh wasn't my problem. Rather, it was that the sharpness in the center is significantly lower at an aperture of 1.4 than at 2.8.

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[Viktor Long]

i use this fast 35mm Lens with my Leica m8, which crop to 45mm view field. I shot almost 3000 pics with it during last 1 years. The most important reason to get this lens, is just its inexpensive price, and f1.4 can improve old CCD digital camera’s feature in dark environment. If you concern about price, it’s good enough. CV 35mm f1.5 nokton is far better than 35mm f1.4 ii, but more expensive.

the negative review towards to this lens, often comes about the wide open picture quality. At f1.4, the corner turn to be very soft and with horrible coma, and purple edges on highlight. Stop at f2.8, everything turn to good.

Here are a photo shot by this lens with leica m8. f1.4 at iso640, 1/60s

 

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[Tux4711]

vor 26 Minuten schrieb Viktor Long:

i use this fast 35mm Lens with my Leica m8, which crop to 45mm view field. I shot almost 3000 pics with it during last 1 years. The most important reason to get this lens, is just its inexpensive price, and f1.4 can improve old CCD digital camera’s feature in dark environment. If you concern about price, it’s good enough. CV 35mm f1.5 nokton is far better than 35mm f1.4 ii, but more expensive.

the negative review towards to this lens, often comes about the wide open picture quality. At f1.4, the corner turn to be very soft and with horrible coma, and purple edges on highlight. Stop at f2.8, everything turn to good.

Here are a photo shot by this lens with leica m8. f1.4 at iso640, 1/60s

 

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

Thanks for the example photo; I couldn't find a suitable one on my hard drive. 

The photo demonstrates very well how the lens behaves when wide open. This behavior would no longer be visible when stopping down to 2.8. I always had the impression that nothing was really in focus in these wide open photos, so I personally considered the lens to be a 2.8 lens (from which on it is really good). That's a matter of taste, of course.