Voigtländer 50/1.5 Nokton Review by James Klotz
We all know the drill. You just dropped a big chunk of change on that shiny new M8 or M9, and then started looking at the prices for the Leica glass. You read Steve’s reviews, poured over the other review sites, poked around in the forums, and what happened? You found yourself with an angel sitting on one shoulder whispering “fiscal responsibility”, and the devil is on the other, screaming “YOU NEED THAT NOCTILUX”! What’s a guy/girl to do?
If price were no object, we’d all just head over to our favorite dealer, plunk down the well worn amex and load up on just about everything we could find that had a red dot on it. We all know Leica lenses are legendary. But the reality is, particularly in this economy, most of us can’t (if you are one of the lucky few that can, I hate you. Just kidding). So it’s my intention to offer some alternatives that even “real” photographers can afford.
As many of you may know, Zeiss makes a line of lenses for the Leica M mount and they are MUCH less expensive than their Leica counterparts. And from what I have experienced, they make some damn fine glass. But let’s face it, they still aren’t cheap. A 3 lens Ziess combo will still set you back almost $4,000. Don’t have a spare $4K sitting around? Enter Voigtländer.
The name Voigtländer has been around since 1756, and has been bought and sold more times than Cher has had plastic surgery. Sometime around 1982, the rights to the name were bought by the Japanese company Cosina. It’s often referred to as Cosina Voigtländer now. Currently they manufacture a line of film rangefinder cameras and lenses. The current lens lineup consists of the 12/5.6, 15/4.5, 21/4, 25/4, 28/3.5, 28/2, 35/1.2, 35/1.4, 35/2.5 C, 35/2.5 P1, 35/2.5 PII, 40/1.4, 50/2, 50/1.5, 50/1.1, 75/2.5, and 90/3.5. In this article, I’m going to discuss the 50/1.5 Nokton.
The Stats: The 50/1.5 Nokton is a rangefinder coupled lens with two aspherical surfaces. Weight with lens shade is 9 oz, and it’s available in silver or black. It has half click stops and ten aperture blades. Minimum aperture is f/16. Close focus distance is .9 meter or just under 3 feet. It uses a 52mm filter, and is not accessible for removal or mounting without 1st removing the screw on shade. It comes with the lens shade, front and back caps. If you require a larger shade, the LH-3 vented hood designed for the 35/1.2 will also fit this lens. It is not a perfect fit, but will work, from what I understand. I haven’t tried it.
Zen and the Art of Screw Mount Lenses
The Nokton is an LTM mount lens. LTM is a screw mount that was used by Leica, among others until the late 1950’s . This means we’ll need an adaptor to make it compatible with current M mount cameras. It may sound a little complicated, but it’s really not. Basically, it’s a ring that screws onto the lens and, once on, just forget it’s there and use it like any other M mount lens. There are several available adaptors, which can be had for as little as $75, although my favorite is made by John Milich (contact jm@milich.com) because it comes with “divots” that allow the lens to be permanently coded, should you so desire. Several have said that a 50mm and longer focal length on the digital M cameras don’t need to be coded, but we’ll look at that in a sec. I coded mine as a 50 pre-asph Summilux with some black and white Testers model paint and a toothpick. The adaptors are what select the frame lines in the viewer, so make sure you buy the proper adaptor for the focal length you are using. (The Voigtlander adapter is available here)
But is it Built for the Long Haul?
The lens is built fairly well. Compared to the plastic DSLR lenses, it’s actually quite robust. Is it a Leica? No. Compared to the 50 Summilux, it feel a little toyish. While the Summilux comes in at 1.39 lbs, the Nokton is only 9 oz. The Summiluxs’ aperture ring clicks into place with authority. The Noktons’ feels a little less precise. The relatively short throw focus ring is well damped, and does it’s job, but it’s not as good as the Leica. Is it a “lifetime” lens? I can’t answer that, but I will say that, in the three years I’ve owned it, it hasn’t given me a lick of trouble, and that includes a cross country trip strapped to the back of a motorcycle. The bottom line: Is it Leica quality? Absolutely not. Does it make great pictures and hold up to day to day usage? Yes, it does.
Some have complained that there is sample variation among the Voigtländer lenses. I have had good luck with mine, however I recommend purchasing them from a reliable dealer with a good return policy, should you have trouble.
To Code or Not to Code; That is the Question!
One of the great things about an M9 is that it has the ability to select various lens corrections via the menu, manually. Therefore we can easily test various in camera corrections before hand coding a lens permanently, should you so desire. I’m sure Leica has some very expensive test equipment that could be used for such a purpose, however, I simply look to the heavens. Literally. I simply point the camera at the sky, take a shot, change to the next setting, and take another, until I’ve been through the applicable focal length choices. Afterwards, I view them on a color corrected monitor and see which setting exhibits the least amount of vignetting and color cast. For instance, with the Nokton, I first set lens correction to off, then took a picture of the sky. Then I set it to “manual” and selected 50 f1 Noctulux, then the pre-ASPH Summilux, on and on until I had tried all the 50mm options. I’ll refrain from boring you with pictures of the sky, however, I did find it to be best when set to a 50 pre-asph Summilux. With the 50mm focal length, the differences are subtle, but why not make it as good as you can? I also like my lenses coded so I can have the info in the EXIF data, as I tend to change lenses often and like to know which lens I used after the fact. Some might not be a finicky as I am, and be perfectly happy shooting it without coding.
Three 50’s – The 50 Summicron (older version), 50 Summilux ASPH and the Nokton 1.5
The same three 50’s with hoods attached and extended
Warts and All…..
Is this a perfect lens? No. Is there such a thing? Probably not. For starters, with the lens hood mounted, it blocks a small portion of the viewfinder. Take the hood off and it blocks a little less. It bothered be for the first 20 frames, then I got used to it and it doesn’t bother me at all. I never take the lens hood off. Your mileage may vary.
As mentioned before, it’s very light for a lens of this size. Personally, I see this a benefit, however, it does lack that solid “Leica” feel. The markings are white, which reads very well on my black lens. My only complaint in this department is that the “feet” on the distance scale is red, not white, and the red is actually more of a washed out maroon, and is quite difficult to read. Forget it in low light. If you like to zone focus and you think in feet instead of meters, this may be an issue.
I noticed a very slight amount of barrel distortion, which was easily corrected in post, but unless you are shooting architecture, I doubt this will be an issue. That being said, I don’t see a fast 50mm lens on a rangefinder to be the setup one would typically use for architecture anyway.
If you plan to use it on the M8, you’ll need an IR/UV filter. The filter size is 52, which Leica does not make. I used it with the B+W 486 filter for 2 years on my M8 and it worked fine.
I find this lens to be prone to veiling flare to some degree, which is why I never remove the hood. I suppose the larger vented hood made for the 35/1.2 may help, but I never found the need. Personally, I’d rather be aware of how the lens reacts and shoot accordingly than to have a larger hood sticking into my viewfinder.
It’s fairly large by M standards, compared to my Canon 50 1.2L, it’s tiny.
Takin’ it to the Streets
I really have enjoyed using this lens. It’s tack sharp and has a wonderful bokeh. The look reminds me a little of the summicron, although possibly a little cooler in color rendition. The micro contrast is decent, but don’t expect a current ASPH Lux’. This could be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on the type of picture you want to make, and the look you prefer. I haven’t had any back or front focusing issues with it, which is good, because at 1.5, the depth of field is pretty darn thin.
Coded as a 50 pre-asph Summilux, there is a very slight amount of vignetting wide open, which you may or may not notice in real world shooting. Personally, I like it for most subjects, but again, it is so easy to remove in post, it’s not an issue for me. Stopping it down to 2.8 pretty much removes it.
It feels good on the camera and focuses easily. I’d consider it to be a medium contrast lens, which is helpful shooting in higher contrast situations, although I find myself bringing up the black levels slightly in post for a lot of shots. From my experience, it’s usually easier to bring up the blacks in post that to take a picture with too much contrast and try to lighten the shadows after the fact. Again, your mileage may vary.
A Tale of Two Bokeh’s
Just for fun, here is a shot of the same subject, taken with the 50 Nokton and a Leica 50 ASPH Summilux. To my eyes, the bokeh is creamer and smoother with the Leica lens. The Nokton is a little “jittery”. Not that either is good or bad, it’s just a preference I suppose. Also noteworthy is the warmer rendering of the Leica lens. They were both white balanced to the same settings – pretty drastic, huh? In terms of sharpness, the Leica wins, but the Nokton is no slouch. Keep in mind the $3200 difference in price between the two.
The 50 Nokton wide open…
The 50 Summilux wide open…
UPDATE FROM STEVE : Since there seemed to possibly be some confusion with the samples above concerning which camera took which shot, and many readers thinking that they appeared reversed (Lux labeled as Noct, etc) James has taken another set of comparison photos to show bokeh wide open. Here are the new samples and I must say, the Nokton looks pretty damn good for the cost of that lens!
Voigtlander Nokton at 1.5
Leica 50 Summilux wide open at 1.4
Conclusion
In my personal case, I bought into an M8 without any prior rangefinder experience. Now I’m on to the M9, which is my favorite camera. Having come from the world of large format and DSLR’s, I knew very little about rangefinder cameras. Voigtländer lenses gave me the opportunity to experience several different focal lengths and really get to know the system, despite my meager budget. I am slowly replacing the ones I really like with the Leica equivalents, but I now know which focal lengths I use most often, and which I prefer for the types of pictures I like to make.
For me, a lens is a tool. I don’t collect or fondle them. I use them as they were intended, on the front of my camera, out shooting. This lens has character in spades. It widens my tool kit. I know what type of picture it will take, and I use it when I want to make that type of picture. Is it perfect? No. But it does make some great pictures, has a wonderful, smooth bokeh, does pretty good in low light and helps me to realize my vision when I want to make the type of picture it produces. And when you consider a new one could be had for $399 in Black or $449 in Silver, it is a nice option to have.
The great thing about Voigtländer lenses is they are inexpensive, and most perform very well, optically speaking. The 50/1.5 Nokton is one of those lenses.
Pros
- Can be had for $474, including M adaptor
- Nice, smooth bokeh
- Light weight
- Sharp
Cons
- Vignettes slightly until 2.8
- Has slight barrel distortion
- Distance markings (in feet) are hard to read
- At 1.5, focusing can be a real challenge
- Resale won’t be nearly as good as the Leica equivalent
- It’s not a Leica
A Note About the Pictures
I use Photoshop, Capture One and Lightroom extensively. These tools are my darkroom. Therefore, if you see vignetting, grain, increased sharpness, selective contrast or any other “creative adjustment”, I probably put them in there. To each his/her own, but that’s how I do things. The image of the angel bird fountain is pretty much straight out of the camera, as are the bokeh test shots.
About James Klotz
James is a professional architectural photographer based in Atlanta, Ga. He also teaches architectural photography at Creative Circus. He has a passion for photography and is a self confessed lens junkie.
For more information about James, please see his website at www.jamesklotz.com
From Steve: Thanks James for this informative look at the Voigtlander 50 Nokton 1.5 lens. I have never been able to try this lens out so it is nice to see some first hand experience from a guy who loves his M9 just as much as I do! Thanks for the fine review and pics!
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Hi fellows, Steve
I have 2 old Voigtlander Nokton lenses (1.5 50mm and 4.5 150mm) from Prominent II that I am planning to slap on my PEN EP-3. I am just wonderin’ if there is an available adaptor for me to use. Thanks!
It seems to me that some of the shots taken with the Nokton are better than the ones taken with the Leica.
This lens is wonderful. I also own a 50mm Summicron Rigid, and a 28mm Elmarit, so I am a fan of the Leica build. This lens feels like it was made in a factory out of stamped metal. It does not have that solid weight that even my much smaller Zeiss 35mm f2.8 has. That being said, this lens PERFORMS. Even thought the build isn’t Leica, it feels good on my M3. I shoot Tri-x at 800 and develop in D76 for 11.5 minutes. At this ISO and development the 3/4 of a stop 1.5 maximum aperture needs no compensation. I print with a larger border on 11×14 paper, and all my images are very sharp even at 1.5.I am very happy I own this lens. I would recommend this to anyone as a starting low light lens. The first photograph under the album “Family and Friends” on my website is shot at F2 on this lens.
Can someone tell me if it’s normal that
the lens goes from F/1.5 -> F/2.0 is there no F/1.7?
Great review!
I bought the lens a couple of weeks ago.
Good information, much appreciated.
There seems to be a lot of confusion about adapting this lens to µ4/3 mount cameras like the Olympus and Panasonic cameras. The Voigtlander NOKTON 50mm F1.5 ASPHERICAL was designed for the standard Leica M39 screw mount are respects those specifications intrinsically. So for µ4/3 mount cameras all that is needed is an M39 adapter.
I own the Voigtlander NOKTON 50mm F1.5 ASPHERICAL lens and am using it with a $15 M39 adapter I purchased from rainbowimaging.biz and operation is perfect. The adapted lens focuses to infinity (actually just a hair past) and also focuses down to 87cm from the focal plane of my GH1 (as measured by me personally). Since the range markings on the lens state 90cm (“0.9” on the meters scale) is the minimum focus distance (MFD) this is correct.
The adapter I got has three screws which allowed me to center the lens markings (rotationally) with the top of the camera so that everything looks normal. Out of the box the lens markings were rotated about 30˚ toward the shutter release when placed on the adapter and mounted on my GH1 camera. The adjustment was pretty simple; I placed the lens tightly on the adapter, loosened the three screws about a half a turn, and then rotated the lens till the markings matched up with the center of the adapter label, mounted the set on the GH1 to check for perfection, and then tightened the screws back down – done.
I clicked the “Notify me of new posts by email.” so if you have any questions just ask here and I’ll eventually get back around and answer any that others haven’t.
Thanks to James Klotz for this review BTW! Very nicely done!
Dear LPIG,
I have an M8 which I have been using with a Voigtlander 50 1.5 Nokton. I’m interested in learning what camera(s) you used with the 50 1.5 Nokton and the price of the Nokton 50 1.5 you have as a friend who uses Leica digital and film cameras asked about my 50 1.5.
Kind regards,
Louise Sweet
Sorry Louise, really sorry…
I see your messege just now.. and the nokton is gone… 🙁
I used this lens with M6 and M4P and (with adapter) on Sony NEX. No experience on M8/M9.
Best regards
MAX
I used Nokton 50 1,5 on EP-1 ad on NEX-5 with latest firmware (one with focus peaking). Really exciting, but too heavy to carry around for me … Now it is on sale at w m i k e @ excite.it, if you are interested in. Regards
I purchased this lens ( nikon rangefinder mount ) and a NEX-5 as a very poor man’s digital Leica and also to redo some of the product shots on my corporate website. The results obtained using the NEX-5/Nokton combo are beyond my expectations. Some of the photos i have taken up till now have almost a 3D effect to them.
Having started practicing photography in the film era using German SLRs, i am impressed how Sony “got it right” the first time around with the NEX series. It is actually more fun using adapted manual focus lenses on the NEX than it is to use the AF kit lens. Of the three RF lenses i bought for this camera, the Nokton is physically the best balanced and optically the most versatile of the four prime lenses i have at the present time. The Nokton really has character.
Thank you for the excellent write-up. Though i purchased this lens before reading your review, you have confirmed my own results.
Salutations
I am going to Dallas and SanJose soon and want to know the best camera shops to get Voigtlander lenses ?
Cheers
Never mind about the question above. User error.
On the other hand, the Voigtlander Nokton 50/1.5 (on the M9) is amazingly sharp wide open and yields a nice bokeh too. Out of the three lenses that I have used so far extensively (Nokton 35/1.4, Nokton 50/1.1 and the Nokton 50/1.5) on the M9, my favorite is definitely the 50/1.5. Great review James. I couldn’t agree more with your review. This lens is definitely a keeper.
To M9 owner that uses the Nokton 50/1.5, did you notice that the framelines are off? I am using it with the Voigtlander 50/75 LTM to M adapter, I’ve manually put in that I’m using the 50/1.4 pre-APH, but it looks like I’m getting the 35 frameline.
Ruby,
Maybe you’ve already gotten an answer to your adapter question. If not, perhaps this will help:
The Nokton 35mm f1.4 is an M mount lens. That is, it has a bayonet mount like a modern Leica rangefinder lens. To mount it on an Ep-2 you need any one of the “Leica M to micro 4/3” adapters you listed.
The Pentax K adapter won’t help you at all here.
The Nokton 50mm f1.5 is a Leica thread mount lens. (Often called “LTM”, or “Screw mount”) As far as I know, there isn’t any LTM to micro 4/3 adapter, so first, you need one of the Leica M to micro 4/3 adapters, same as above.
Then you need an LTM to Leica M adapter. These are simple and relatively cheap ($40 or $50) You can get a used Leica brand one on eBay or a new Voigtlander brand one from any of the online camera stores. You should probably avoid the no-brand Chinese ones on eBay.
These LTM to Leica M adapters are labeled for specific focal length lenses. This doesn’t make any difference for the Ep-2, because all it does is control which viewfinder frame lights up on a Leica M camera. If you think you might ever get a Leica, get a 50mm adapter for the 50mm f1.5.
Hope this helps.
This has made me excited about buying a Nokton for my e-p2! either a 35 1.4 or 50 1.5… but I’m not sure yet. =)
Just on the adapter side… so it looks like two are required? is there ‘one’ adapter out there? do you need different one for the 35 and 50?
I’ve had a look at some of the blogs and these are the adapters for e-p2 that have been recommended:
‘Voigtlander Micro 4/3 Adapter for using Pentax K Lenses on Micro 4/3 Cameras’
‘Fotodiox Leica M Lens to Micro 4/3 Four Thirds System Camera Mount Adapter, Olympus PEN E-P1’
‘Voigtlander Micro 4/3 Adapter for using Leica M Lenses on Micro 4/3 Cameras’
‘Voigtlander M-Bayonet Adapter for 50mm, 75mm Leica L Screw Mount lenses’
Could you please help with recommending exactly what len/s I require?
Many thanks!!!
Ruby
Hello Ruby,
I just spotted your comments here. I too have a E-P2 (just bought) and I havd a few Voigtlander lenses and also a Sum 35mm M-lens.
I want to buy Nokton lens now and from B&H I have seen many options- can you comment on the differences between them as the price varies.
– Nokton classic 35mm f1.4 (USD 579)
– Nokton 35mm f1.4 single coated (USD 579)
– Nokton 40mm f1.4 (USD 399)
– Nokton 40mm f1.4 single coated (USD 399)
– Nokton 50mm f1.1 (USD 999)
So, what is the difference with the single coated vs non-single coated ?
What about the Bokeh ‘quality’ for this whole range of Noktons ?
Look forward to your reply.
Harry
Twiter Harry_Das
I hope so Damen, however, I still love my 50 Lux’. It took me 3 years to “convince” myself to buy it, but I am glad I have it now. If the Nokton hadn’t been so good, I might have pulled the trigger sooner. I did decide I’m keeping my Nokton though. A man like me can never have too many 50’s laying around….
Wow Wow Wow – I was one of those who though the Nokton/Leica shots may have been mislabled considering the descriptions of both in the text … but those reshoots confirmed it – whilst I can see the “nervousness” you ascribe to the Nokton in some of the photos, I am overall “blown away” by this lens in comparison to the expensive Leica … THANKS for this comparison – you may have saved many people many dollars and increased their enjoyment of photography !!
The shot of the fountain was only taken with the Nokton so it is difficult to say whether the LUX would have been more consistent. I personally like the Nokton. I have owned most Leica 50’s and I personally find the Nokton to be a better lens than the 50 CRON in terms of rendering and bokeh. And every bit as good as the LUX. Sean Reid has also reviewed all these lenses and rates the Nokton as one of the best 50mm lenses irrespective of price.
Thanks guys, I had fun doing it. One thing I realized when doing the review was that the bokeh on the Nokton can look really pretty sometimes, and a little “jittery”, subject dependent of course, other times. For instance, look at the tree behind the angel fountain. Does it look a little “caffeinated” to you? From this standpoint, the lux’ seems more consistent. $3200 worth of more consistent? Only you can decide. Hopefully that makes sense.
My apologies to James Klotz for my previous post where I failed to acknowledge him as the one testing the CV 50 1.5.I wanted to thank Steve
Huff for his great site and bringing us test that we arent going to get most other places.an oversight on my part.Thanks again.
I bet that they WILL indeed update this lens for M mount. If they did, it would probably be their biggest selling lens, if it is isnt already.
Very interesting update, the Nokton does seem to be a bit longer than the Lux (in both sets), but in the second set of bokeh images it seems the roles are reversed when it comes to the softness of the bokeh.. in this case the Lux has the edge (less ‘onion rings’ in the highlight blobs).
Thanks for taking the effort of making a second set, I know the 50 1.5 Nokton has a good reputation, and this review shows why I think. Hopefully CV will update the lens design to an M-mount version and keep it in their lineup. I’d recommend this lens for sure to my friends if they ever go M (one can always hope!)
James shot new samples with the lenses this morning so I Just updated the Bokeh samples! Enjoy 🙂
The Nocton produces richer colours to my liking atleast from the comparison that was shown. If an extra three thousand dollars just gets you a bit sharper and somewhat faster I think I would stick with the Noc of course I can see the appeal of a rugged hand made german masterpiece of a lens.
Thanks for all the interest guys. Like Steve said, I am going to redo those bokeh shots tomorrow. Steve, I wouldn’t say I’m 100%, just 98.5% 🙂 Problem is they are both coded as a 50 lux’, so there is no way to be absolutely positive without a re-shoot. Either way, please do check back tomorrow. We’ll get to the bottom of this, I promise.
Just spoke with James and he is going to do one more comparison between the two lenses tomorrow, so check back tomorrow afternoon for an update 🙂 He did 100% confirm that these images are labeled correctly.
James, thanks for your answer.. it’s still funky to me though.. I have the Summilux ASPH myself and I don’t really recognize the pretty busy bokeh I’m seeing here. If wide open, I’m expecting very soft bokeh. What bothers me is that the Nokton shot looks more blurred, while it’s an f/1.5 lens, not f/1.4. Also it seems warmer.. the Summilux shot has some purple fringing at the highlights on the cross it seems, which is absent on the Nokton shot. Also the sugar sticks seem to glow a bit with the Summilux, also this is much clearer on the Nokton shot.
I don’t know, if you say the labels are correct, then I tip my hat to the Nokton. I haven’t had my Summilux for that long yet, so I might be wrong.
It would be nice to see some more comparison shots like this, regardless whether my suspicion is correct or not 🙂
Sorry to echo what Renze wrote, but it really does look like the labels on the cross photos are reversed. James writes that the Summilux bokeh is smoother and creamier, but the Nokton bokeh is pretty convincingly smoother and creamier (if the labels are correct). Puzzling!
Thanks Ashwin. Your thoughts are very close to mine about the 2 lenses. Optically, they are both great. Be sure and look at the two bokeh shots large – the Leica gets the edge on sharpness, no question, although the Nokton can make some great pictures also.
Wow, an excellent review. This will definitely be a reference source for friends who may be looking to enter into the world of fast 50’s cheaply when into the Leica M system (or even on the M4/3 models), where it’d be a a 100 mm f/3 equivalent in terms of depth of field and focal length….
Great work, James. I have the wonderful summilux 50 asph, but your images provide hard evidence that these 2 lenses are not too far off. Typically, I have heard the Nokton 1.5 compared to the rendering of the summilux pre-asph, so it’s interesting to not that it holds up well to the critical sharpness of the newer ‘lux asph!
Thanks again. Great review!
The adapter that attaches to the lens really adds no size or bulk. It is very thin and sits flush against the lens. Just remember a 50 will be a 100 on an m4/3 cam. That is my biggest gripe. I would love to be able to shoot a 35 F2 as a 35 F2 on the PEN but there are no 18mm F2 lenses that I know of 🙂
thanks Steve. So two adpaters…
i am considering the EP2 with a pair of voigltanders to be able to shoot with fast lenses. but with two adapters, this will be maybe too heavy and not in the spirit of the EP2 which aims at having a light camera all the time with me
Hey Greg, the Nokton CAN be used with an E-P but you would need the Voigtlander M adapter on the Nokton, and also the M to micro 4/3 adapter on the E-P…
hi,
can this nokton 1.5 be used with the EP-1 or P2 ?
if yes, would it require a specific Voigtlander adapter or M adapter as for M-leica lenses?
I use my Voigtlander 50/1.5 Nokton Aspherical on my µ4/3 Panasonic GH1 with just a cheap $15 M39 adapter and it works just fine. I get infinity focus and it focuses down to 87cm from the film-plane – So that’s correct. Thus it’s my experience that there are no other “special” adapters needed – just a cheapy M39 will do it! I got my M39 adapter from rainbowimaging.biz for reference.
And I have to say I really like this lens! Very nice!
Renze, I also saw that and clarified with James and he tells me those are correct. He coded the Voigtlander as a 50 Lux 1.4 ASPH for the comparison as well.
regarding the bokeh comparisons, are you sure those are correct? It seems to me the labels on the images are reversed… the Summilux shot to me looks worse, cooler and with less smooth background blur.
Great timing with this one. I’ve been eagerly waiting for the 50 Nokton review ever since your review of the Zeiss Planar. I thought James filled in nicely.
Personally, I went through two copies of this lens – one of which had backfocusing issues. Sample variation aside, the 50 1.5 is a great performer.
You read my mind, I was about to ask for a nokton 1.5 review!
Steve,
Thanks for the excellent reviews,down to earth,real world without all the hyper
technical nonsense of a number of other sites.Like yourself I love cameras too,
however cameras were made to take photographs! If sometime in the future you
get your hands on a CV40 1.4 classic please review it for us.
Thank You,
Danny