Review: Voigtländer 40mm F:1.2 Nokton Aspherical
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- Опубліковано 5 вер 2024
- Late October 2017 I purchased the Voigtländer VM 40mm F/1,2 Nokton Apherical for Leica M. It's not a lens I love, but it's one worth talking about and showing pictures of and those taken with it. Herein I show examples of bokeh, sharpness, colour, flare, and more. I'm not a professional lens reviewer, so take it all with a grain of salt. I hope it's helpful.
Leica Rumors kindly published a truncated version of the review I wrote for my blog. Both can be found below.
Relevant links:
1. ohm-image.net/o...
2. leicarumors.co...
Awesome review. This was one of only a few videos I could find that had some criticisms of the 40 1.2.Thanks for putting this out there!
This is my favourite lens on A7III (using the VM version - not native FE). Love how compact it is for a 1.2 lens. Renders incredible dreamy bokeh with sharp subjects.
I was going to order the native FE for my 7III, but prefer the smaller VM. Pretty sure I can live without knowing the EXIF and auto magnification focusing. What pushed you to get the VM version?
Toni Palmén are you using it on the Techart? How does it compare to the 35mm 1.2 ?
Great review. I bought this lens last week and only your review was truthful about the onion bokeh issue, which is definitely noticeable for staged shots. No other reviewer mentioned this, but I like the look generally and the unusual focal length so I am happy. My oddball Voigtlander holy trinity for my SL is the 21 f1.8, the 40 F1.2 and the 75 F1.5. Anyway, a couple of points. Firstly the 40 vs the 35f1.2iii in the UK THE 40 costs £750 while the 35 is £1100, so a lot more + the 40 is a fascinating look I think. Secondly about you, I think you’re underselling yourself and you should start each video explaining what you do for a living and where you’re based. I think this sets the scene as to why you assess lenses differently to others as you have a more technical appreciation from your product / studio work. Keep up the great work, Marcus
Very high praise (this is Fauxtaku from another channel I will begin soon). I will take your advice to heart and am glad you enjoy this lens. Voigtlander make incredible lenses, and I am a bit of a bokeh autist.
The full frame manual voigtlander 40mm f/1.2 will be available for e-mount too. It will offer auto focus magnification, aperture reporting, compatible with the inside stabilization and full exif tag for later auto lens correction with Lightroom.
Unfortunately, that lens doesn't automatically stop down and open aperture, making its compatibility with Sony's E mount only half in the bag. Focusing through a stopped down lens isn't a problem for rangefinders, but for TTL systems, it can present a lot of problems: noise, grain, too much DOF, slower updates, choppy refresh rates, and more. For these reasons among others, I wish Voigtlander's lenses for E-mount were compatible the same way autofocus lenses are as regards aperture actuation.
Bought this lens for my Nikon Z7. M mount lenses work really well with the Z bodies, corner sharpness is good. And with a Megadap AF adapter, autofocus is now possible. Thanks for the video, and your expertise on Voigtlander lenses.
I'd like to see how well these heavy lenses focus on adapters like the Megadap.
3:30 i think voigtlander fixed this. the rear lens cap i got with mine has reinforcements along the space between the walls. great review. some of these voigtlander lenses are so great, the pros/cons are all subjective. something i'm not too fond of is how dramatic the difference is with glowing/color muting between f1.2 and f1.4 as i feel like that 50mm f1.5 nokton you have sitting next to you doesn't do that
I am a owner of a voigtlander nokton 40 mm F/1,2 VM. I love it and I use it on my leica monochrome type 246
I have the 50mm f/1.1, and I love it. So this is pretty exciting to me.
Wish Voigtlander would make a digital full frame rangefinder with 40mm lines.
May be a B roll?
They’d do a good job.
Fauxtaku Lounge ha ha, my bad. I need to pay more attention. Btw, visit the Maps Camera last winter, very nice store. Good you mention it.
Hi, can you do a video about your life in Japan? Maybe showing your favorite places to take photos?
Cheers again, nice simple review. I am still flipping back and forth on the 35mm f/2
I think I would love to see a few more images taken with your lenses.
Simon Johnson I’ll try to do that in subsequent videos.
I was grasping at straws really. Only because I am considering grabbing the lens and just don't have much to go by online. how did you get yours?
Simon Johnson I purchased the Voigtländer at Map Camera and the 7 Artisans direct.
They are not Phillips heads on lenses that’s why they are stripping on you . It’s a Japanese standard can’t remember exactly the name of the head . They are a very secure grip better than a standard flat slot for grip .
It amazes me how small their lens lineup are compared to its competitors
Great video.
Many thanks.
I bought it for my a7r3. Trust even for 2000 dollars still it's Cheap. One of the amazing lense the contrast, Micro contrast and many many good stuff if you know it in-depth.
It certainly is a capable lens. However, I really dislike how it renders portions of the out of focus areas up close.
Would be nice if you speak about image quality, micro contrast and everything. Peace
David Lefrançois thanks for them comment. I’m afraid that I don’t really get the micro contrast thing and am not set up to make definitive statements about image quality metrics. For me, lenses are intuitive, or they are not and I will have to review them from that perspective. Many thanks.
Yes I understand, I just care about image quality, but yes you are right to care about the other things. A good lens is a lens that you like. Peace
David Lefrançois to me, ‘quality’ takes on subjective measures: fall off style, bokeh shape, colour, aperture shape occlusion, and more. It’s all very personal. Sharpness has something to do with it; fringing has something else to do with it; certainly sharpness does, too.
But again, I’m not set up to show you all the Ken Rockwell and DPReview tests, nor do they matter as much to me personally in lenses I shoot people with. If it is macro and other things I tackle professionally, I certainly will have something to say.
Agree, so why not speaking about professional things ? It would have been great if you give yr opinion about this lens in the "professional world" ? I visited yr website i like the way you use the light. Hope you understand my point of view. Peace
I keep coming back to this comment. I appreciate that you actually visited my website. Light is incredibly important to me, but I shoot advertising photography, which tends to mean a lot of controlled light and lenses stopped down to the right aperture stops (unless in macro), and everything in order. I'm not a street photographer, so I add photos of that milieu in a way I understand but I am not the best authority for that.
Very good review. Thank you!
is it me or do the images look 3D? your shots and many on flicker look this, thanks
I'm on Flickr? I forgot about that!
I have to choose between THIS NOKTON 40 OR the SIGMA Art 40mm 1.4 (for panasonic L-mount camera)..... speaking of images quality look and rendering ONLY ... which would be the difference... which you would prefer ? i see the nokton a bit too much contrast maybe ?
I've never tried the Sigma Art. But if you're choosing between AF and MF, at least consider that. My problem with the 40 VM is the triangular and crushed bokeh highlights and the aperture click feel. It is a fine lens otherwise.
Voigtländer Color Ultron 55mm f1.4 ??? Not much info about this one
Thank you for the video.
Did you consider the f/1.4 version, it is much smaller. Is it equal optically from f/1.4?
I reckon I'm just not a 40mm guy when it comes to rangefinder lenses.
It its not optically equal. I have the 1.4. It's a nice lens but from tests I've seen doesn't play as nicely with the sony alpha sensor and a tendency toward nervous bokeh. I'm planning to upgrade to the 1.2 as soon as I can decide whether to get the VM or FE.
Did not understand the triangle bokeh part. But i did gave a thumbs up.
You might notice in the corners that the bokeh balls make upward or downward tipping arrow points, which I call triangles. Arches is probably more accurate. They are over-pronounced and not to my liking.
Many thanks for the feedback and like.
Have you tried the Voigtlander 35mm f2 Ultron Vintage yet? I'd be interested in your thoughts on the lens.
I have not. I have the ultron 1,7 classic, which is amazing and which I used primarily in a recent prom shoot.
@@FauxtakuLounge I have enjoyed that lens too and prefer it over the coverted ZM35mm 1.4, but I've recently bought the Voigtlander 35mm f2 Ultron Vintage and I must say the Bokeh and fall off is beautiful. The lens appears to perform like a lens with a wider aperture, in that it gives great isolation of the subject. You will love or hate the handerling though I'm sure, much like the 50mm Heliar f3.5.
Hi great review on this. Which one would be your pick as an overall better lens? the Voigtlander 40mm 1.2 Nokton or the 35mm 1.7 Ultron VM
Personally I prefer the 35/1,7, and by a long margin. But it will all be personal.
@@FauxtakuLounge Thank you
you should do a review of the 50 1.5 !!!
im debating getting the 50 1.5 voigtlander or the new 40 1.2 for my m2 !
how do they compare?
James Meterissian that’s next on the list. A fantastic lens. The only thing I dislike about it is the aspherical element which makes onions in out of focus light points. Otherwise, it is one of the most beautiful lenses I’ve used.
I vastly prefer it: mechanically and optically to the 40.
Fauxtaku Lounge awesome ! Can't wait for the review, I've subscribed
Cheers
You might want to wait for the 50mm f1.2 that Voigtlander is bringing out. In all honesty though, The 50mm f1.6 is a great lens. I love it and used it exclusively on my M cameras until I got a Leica 50mm F1.4 for a steal. The Voigtlander became my second favorite 50mm after the Summilux.
I'm afraid that my review of the 50/1,5 will only be published this week. My favourite of all VM lenses.
i have the 35 nokton ii, should i still get the 40 nokton?
(also, whens your next stream with amos?)
Albert C. Is that to say that you liked the stream? If so, thanks. I can’t say whether you should or should not get a lens. For an M, a 40mm lens is a special problem with an interesting in between focal length. I don’t like this lens but you might.
Albert C. How do you like the nokton 35 1.2?. Mine in on it way, just not a Leica user but Sony .
@@charruaporelmundo i think 40 is sharper but i don’t know what is the detail comparison
onion ring that what kept me for not buying this lens maybe due to 10 design blade ??
It's because it is an aspherical design. All aspherical lenses have some sort of onion ring bokeh, sometimes with an internal flower pattern, sometimes just onion.
Hi, it's a really good review! May I ask which city do you live in Japan?
サカエウシュウ I live in Tsukuba. Thanks for the encouragement.
Fauxtaku Lounge I see. It’s not far from Tokyo . I live in Tokyo. I recently bought a Leica M10 and I’m choosing lens for it. I have Voigtländer 50mm f1.5 now. Maybe I will buy Zeiss 35mm f2 Biogon as my second lens for Leica.
サカエウシュウ great camera. The Zeiss is an interesting lens. Great contrast and decent build. What I dislike about the 40/1,2’s bokeh I similarly dislike about the Zeiss 35/2. The 2,8 is different.
I’ve compared the Zeiss 35/2 to the classic M-mount Canon 35/2 below (on Fuji X-Pro 1):
ohm-image.net/opinion/photophile/2013/5/5/a-tale-of-two-bokehs-zeiss-352-biogon-zm-and-canon-352-ltm
I hope it helps.
Fauxtaku Lounge Thank you for your information. I will reconsider it.
I am hoping to pull together an English-speaking Leica shooter’s group for the Tokyo area if possible. I’m not much of an organiser but would love to hobnob with other M owners.
I like WYSIWYG ! So I do not like range finder cameras ! You really do not now precise what you get, THAT is even worse using an aperture 1.2 !
Enjoy your review, just Need a bit closer framing of you and the subject you present
Charlie Liu I’m trying to think how I would do that without having to hug the product the entire time.
'Try to hide the cheat sheet behind the Leica.' Nice, hahaha
raksh9 I reckon that cheat sheet will come out more in the coming months.
Nice & Thanks :)
At least the XH-1 focuses much faster than my XPro-2.
I don't have a problem with its focus speed. My problem is with everything else.
You cannot get your own video in focus, what should I think about your opinions?
I’m sure this is a troll.
Wearing cow boy hat LOL
That was booring!