Got my CV 40mm f/1.4 Nokton today. This is such a tiny lens! I knew it was small, but it looks even smaller in person, even with the M adapter attached. The lens does have a nice heft to it, though. This is my first time using a rangefinder lens of any kind, so I didn't know how I'd feel about the focus tab, but I love it! So easy to operate with the left hand under the camera. Beautiful little lens. The lens is pretty good optically, though it has some quirks. Bokeh is a bit harsh (or full of character, depending on your POV), but only at f/1.4-f/1.7. It's worst at f/1.4, softens quite a bit at f/1.7 and by f/2, the bokeh is actually quite pleasing. The lens is acceptably sharp at f/1.4, and very sharp by f/2 over the middle 85% of the frame. The very edges take until about f/5.6 to get completely sharp, but it's pretty good over most of the frame. I really like the color. It's got a relatively low contrast curve, which is good for high DR situations, and it's got a nice rolloff.
To give a better idea to most people here about the size of the lens, here is the smallest SLR lens I have...the Olympus 28mm f/3.5. By all accounts a very tiny lens.
I use the Nokton F1.4 on my Leica RF. Beautiful lens and perfect fit for dim light photography. It's not edge-to-edge sharp like most leica lens, but it's not $-for-$ expensive like Leica's lenses either. Love mine.
I've been looking at getting one of these, as it looks like a nice compact solution, and your photos certainly attest to that. Then jinfinance emailed me (and I assume all his other customers) announcing that he will release a Contax G adapter by the end of the month. So I got myself a G 45. Should be about the same size as the Nokton, a stop slower, but the lens is ridiculously good. If the adapter is user friendly - I imagine it will just move the whole lens, which (correct me if I'm wrong) is fine for the 45 as it doesn't use any floating elements - this will be a killer combination.
Slightly off topic, but it's another medium telephoto option for m4/3.
Justin D wrote:
I've been looking at getting one of these, as it looks like a nice compact solution, and your photos certainly attest to that. Then jinfinance emailed me (and I assume all his other customers) announcing that he will release a Contax G adapter by the end of the month. So I got myself a G 45. Should be about the same size as the Nokton, a stop slower, but the lens is ridiculously good. If the adapter is user friendly - I imagine it will just move the whole lens, which (correct me if I'm wrong) is fine for the 45 as it doesn't use any floating elements - this will be a killer combination.
Slightly off topic, but it's another medium telephoto option for m4/3....Show more →
Sounds great...you'll have to post how you find the G 45mm...I've heard it's supposed to be one of the sharpest lenses ever made.
It's definitely a nice combo. It's the most compact of the faster CV lenses, however, if you want really compact and crazy sharp, try the CV 35mm f/2.5 Color-Skopar P Type II. Works really well on the E-P1.
I use the Color-Skopar 28/3.5 and 50/2.5. As Jeff says about the 35/2.5, they are very small and very sharp. With mFT adapter, they're only 27mm and 35mm long, compared to 48mm for the Nokton. Of course, the f/1.4 is a large plus for the Nokton. I'll be trying out an Oly Pen F 38/1.8 in a week or so. With adapter, it comes in at 41mm length.
Another option is the 40mm f/2 Summicron or Rokkor from the CL series. I have the Rokkor. With adapter, it's about 33mm in length. A lens hood adds to the length, of course.
Outstanding! I'd really like to get this combo myself. The only thing holding me back is the expectation of a MFT system lens from Oly or Panasonic in the same range (50-ish and f/1.4-ish). I'd hate to buy this lens and its adapter and then find an equivalent system lens was made that is about the same size and gives me AF and aperture control.
I'm also worried that if I bought an M adapter, this would only be the first in a long line of lens purchases.
One thing to remember...aperture control is a non-issue. Just stop down and go. Because you're focusing live, and the LCD auto-gains up, the lens can be stopped down to like f/16 and still focused just fine. About the only time you'd have to focus, stop down and shoot is if you were shooting landscapes in dim light where small apertures would be beyond the gain possible. But, in good light, f/11, f/16, whatever, it's fine. Now, if I'm stopping down that far, I will usually focus at a wider aperture just to get the focus point where I want, but focusing with the lens just set to f/2.8 or f/4 or something is easy and has essentially no impact on the LCD.
Jman13 wrote:
One thing to remember...aperture control is a non-issue. Just stop down and go. Because you're focusing live, and the LCD auto-gains up, the lens can be stopped down to like f/16 and still focused just fine. About the only time you'd have to focus, stop down and shoot is if you were shooting landscapes in dim light where small apertures would be beyond the gain possible. But, in good light, f/11, f/16, whatever, it's fine. Now, if I'm stopping down that far, I will usually focus at a wider aperture just to get the focus point where I want, but focusing with the lens just set to f/2.8 or f/4 or something is easy and has essentially no impact on the LCD....Show more →
My experience is that this is true except at the smallest apertures. On the G1 I've occasionally had the sensor run out of light when using a lens at very small apertures (usually f22 or smaller).
It's not much of an issue for me as I rarely stop down past f11.
You can see the funky large aperture bokeh in these next two shots. Sometimes it can be distracting...but, at least to me, I like the character in these two shots. These are both at f/1.7, I believe. By f/2, the bright line rings are gone in the bokeh.
Thank you Jordan for a very nice little mini-test... :-) Looks good...!
As you say - too bad the background OOF-blur gets a little edgy at full/almost full apertures - it certainly doesn't seem to be lacking in the sharpness/contrast department (meaning you would WANT to use it wide open in dimly lite circumstances...)
Thanks for the review!