FM Review: Voigtlander 21mm f/1.4 Nokton

JerryFusselman
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p.45 #1 · p.45 #1 · FM Review: Voigtlander 21mm f/1.4 Nokton

Fred Miranda gave us a fine list on p. 8, #18:
Which lens is better? Voigtlander 21/1.4 or Loxia 21/2.8?

I think a key issue missing from the list is that the Loxia 21mm is well weather sealed, and the Voigtlander 21mm Nokton is not at all weather sealed. Sometimes that is a big factor in favor of the Loxia.

I don't have any difficulty mounting or dismounting Loxias, but I have ordered two Lens-Grips from PocketPano for possible more safety.

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Jun 05, 2022 at 11:10 AM

JerryFusselman
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p.45 #2 · p.45 #2 · FM Review: Voigtlander 21mm f/1.4 Nokton

The comparison I find most interesting would be the Sony 12-24mm f/2.8 GM at 21mm vs. the Voigtlander 21mm Nokton f/1.4. Since I have both lenses, maybe I should do it myself, but Fred's testing, if he has the time and inclination, would likely be more comprehensive and far more authoritative.

A nonobvious advantage of the Sony would be its weather sealing; to me an advantage of the Voigtlander would be its sunstars.

Jun 05, 2022 at 02:56 PM

Grenache
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p.45 #3 · p.45 #3 · FM Review: Voigtlander 21mm f/1.4 Nokton

While I do not intentionally try to get them, the 12-24GM can certainly make sun stars…

Jim

https://flic.kr/p/2n7FNbM

Jun 06, 2022 at 02:03 PM

Fred Miranda
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p.45 #4 · p.45 #4 · FM Review: Voigtlander 21mm f/1.4 Nokton

JerryFusselman wrote:
I think a key issue missing from the list is that the Loxia 21mm is well weather sealed, and the Voigtlander 21mm Nokton is not at all weather sealed. Sometimes that is a big factor in favor of the Loxia.

I don't have any difficulty mounting or dismounting Loxias, but I have ordered two Lens-Grips from PocketPano for possible more safety.

The Loxia is only weather sealed at the mount. It does not mean much if water drops on the lens.

Jun 06, 2022 at 02:06 PM

JerryFusselman
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p.45 #5 · p.45 #5 · FM Review: Voigtlander 21mm f/1.4 Nokton

Grenache wrote:
While I do not intentionally try to get them, the 12-24GM can certainly make sun stars…

To me, the sun stars of the 21mm Voigtlander Nokton are superior; I almost always prefer 12-point sun stars to 18-point. (That's why I had used the phrases "to me" and "its sunstars".) Fred points out that Voigtlander's sun stars are even possible starting at f/2 for night scenes, which I find delightful. Great painters have long used sun stars to help give the impression of glow, such as for "The Starry Night".

Fred Miranda wrote:
The Loxia is only weather sealed at the mount. It does not mean much if water drops on the lens.

Thanks, Fred, I hadn't noticed that it is only at the mount. Zeiss explicitly says so. But the mount is the most vulnerable spot, for one example quote of many: "The lens mount is the most vulnerable point for water entry during foul weather use."

Perfect weather sealing for a lens is nearly impossible, but some lenses are better sealed than others. The Loxia 21mm is much better sealed than the Voigtlander 21mm, agreed? (I am imagining a tightly fitted rain cape on the lens, and using an A1.)

Jun 07, 2022 at 09:13 AM

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