Voigtlander 21mm f/1.4 Nokton Review
p.9 #1Voigtlander 21mm f/1.4 Nokton Review
Final thoughts:
Is the Voigtlander 21/1.4 Nokton E-mount the new king of the hill at 21mm?
In terms of resolution and contrast, the Voigtlander 21/1.4 Nokton performs very similarly if not better than the Zeiss Loxia 21/2.8 which is something no other E-mount lens was able to achieve until now. It's longer and 166g heavier than the Loxia but in exchange, it's capable of gathering 4 times more light.
Compared to the Sony FE 24/1.4 GM, the CV 21/1.4 is sharper at the center at wider apertures and is capable of higher contrast but can't compete with the FE 24/1.4 GM's smooth rendering, especially at mid-distance. Wide open, It's also not as sharp away from center compared to the GM. The FE 24/1.4 GM is flat field from wide open while both Loxia 21/2.8 and Voigtlander 21/1.4 have some field curvature. The former is inwards and the latter is wavy.
Pros
Cons
In my opinion, Voigtlander offers the best native 21mm glass on the market today. With proven performance, you'd be hard-pressed to dethrone the Loxia 21/2.8 from the top slot, but the Voigtlander 21/1.4 slightly outperforms the Loxia 21/2.8 in many aspects.
The bottom line, Voigtlander is on a winning streak - offering high IQ lenses for the E-mount without breaking the bank. (or our backs!
)
_____________
Order the Voigtlander 21mm f/1.4 Nokton: Amazon | B&H Photo | Adorama | CameraQuest
Is the Voigtlander 21/1.4 Nokton E-mount the new king of the hill at 21mm?
In terms of resolution and contrast, the Voigtlander 21/1.4 Nokton performs very similarly if not better than the Zeiss Loxia 21/2.8 which is something no other E-mount lens was able to achieve until now. It's longer and 166g heavier than the Loxia but in exchange, it's capable of gathering 4 times more light.
Compared to the Sony FE 24/1.4 GM, the CV 21/1.4 is sharper at the center at wider apertures and is capable of higher contrast but can't compete with the FE 24/1.4 GM's smooth rendering, especially at mid-distance. Wide open, It's also not as sharp away from center compared to the GM. The FE 24/1.4 GM is flat field from wide open while both Loxia 21/2.8 and Voigtlander 21/1.4 have some field curvature. The former is inwards and the latter is wavy.
Pros
- Solid all-metal construction with tight manufacturing tolerance
- Superb resolution and contrast at all distances, including MFD, thanks to its floating element system
- Voigtlander signature color and contrast
- Very good flare performance
- Distance encoder provides 5-axis IBIS
- Round bokeh balls with clean inner structure. (No onion ring pattern)
- Great coma performance starting at f/2.2
- Low distortion (Barrel, easy to correct)
- Precise manual focus and well damped focusing rotation
- 12-blade straight aperture allows 12-point well-defined sunstars starting at f/1.8
- Well controlled LoCA at f/2 (best at f/2.8) and above average lateral CA suppression
- Reasonably priced compared to the competition
Cons
- Pronounced vignetting wide open that never truly goes away (over 3 stops at f/1.4)
- Wavy field curvature
- Rendering can be a big harsh/structured at mid-distance, especially off-axis
- Noticeable coma (sagittal flare) at f/1.4
In my opinion, Voigtlander offers the best native 21mm glass on the market today. With proven performance, you'd be hard-pressed to dethrone the Loxia 21/2.8 from the top slot, but the Voigtlander 21/1.4 slightly outperforms the Loxia 21/2.8 in many aspects.
The bottom line, Voigtlander is on a winning streak - offering high IQ lenses for the E-mount without breaking the bank. (or our backs!
) _____________
Order the Voigtlander 21mm f/1.4 Nokton: Amazon | B&H Photo | Adorama | CameraQuest
Jul 15, 2019 at 09:08 AM
p.9 #2Voigtlander 21mm f/1.4 Nokton Review
Voigtlander 21/1.4 @f/1.4
0.5m distance
2m distance (Very high contrast)
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0.5m distance
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2m distance (Very high contrast)
Jul 15, 2019 at 11:29 AM
p.9 #4Voigtlander 21mm f/1.4 Nokton Review
Fred Miranda wrote:
Final thoughts:
Is the Voigtlander 21/1.4 Nokton E-mount the new king of the hill at 21mm?
In terms of resolution and contrast, the Voigtlander 21/1.4 Nokton performs very similar if not better than the Zeiss Loxia 21/2.8 which is something no other E-mount lens was able to achieve until now. It's taller and 166g heavier than the Loxia but in exchange, it's capable of gathering 4 times more light and field curvature is super low.
Compared to the Sony FE 24/1.4 GM, the CV 21/1.4 is sharper at the center at wider apertures and is capable of higher contrast but can't compete...Show more →
As always, thanks for the informative, thorough and exhaustive review Fred. I’ll keep my GM 24 as its smaller, better corrected for astro and autofocus, but CV has put out a great lens. I like this coupled with the 21/3.4 as a light weight trade-off.
Hopefully they make a fast native 28
Final thoughts:
Is the Voigtlander 21/1.4 Nokton E-mount the new king of the hill at 21mm?
In terms of resolution and contrast, the Voigtlander 21/1.4 Nokton performs very similar if not better than the Zeiss Loxia 21/2.8 which is something no other E-mount lens was able to achieve until now. It's taller and 166g heavier than the Loxia but in exchange, it's capable of gathering 4 times more light and field curvature is super low.
Compared to the Sony FE 24/1.4 GM, the CV 21/1.4 is sharper at the center at wider apertures and is capable of higher contrast but can't compete...Show more →
As always, thanks for the informative, thorough and exhaustive review Fred. I’ll keep my GM 24 as its smaller, better corrected for astro and autofocus, but CV has put out a great lens. I like this coupled with the 21/3.4 as a light weight trade-off.
Hopefully they make a fast native 28
Jul 15, 2019 at 12:40 PM
p.9 #5Voigtlander 21mm f/1.4 Nokton Review
Just bought one. Have it Thursday here in NY . I’ll go shoot as much as I can
Jul 15, 2019 at 01:16 PM
p.9 #6Voigtlander 21mm f/1.4 Nokton Review
So now I’ll be faster with a CV 12, CV21 1.4 and a CV 50 1.2
That’s my manual focus kit
. I’m feeling it maybe all I really need
That’s my manual focus kit
. I’m feeling it maybe all I really need
Jul 15, 2019 at 01:18 PM
p.9 #7Voigtlander 21mm f/1.4 Nokton Review
GMPhotography wrote:
So now I’ll be faster with a CV 12, CV21 1.4 and a CV 50 1.2
That’s my manual focus kit
. I’m feeling it maybe all I really need
I thought you had a Loxia 85 too? My manual kit are made up with CV 15, 21 f1.4 and 40 f1.2. Just sold the CV 12, not using it much. Even the CV 15 gets little use but I like to have something wider than 21mm just in case.
So now I’ll be faster with a CV 12, CV21 1.4 and a CV 50 1.2
That’s my manual focus kit
. I’m feeling it maybe all I really need
I thought you had a Loxia 85 too? My manual kit are made up with CV 15, 21 f1.4 and 40 f1.2. Just sold the CV 12, not using it much. Even the CV 15 gets little use but I like to have something wider than 21mm just in case.
Jul 15, 2019 at 01:34 PM
p.9 #8Voigtlander 21mm f/1.4 Nokton Review
Now 85 now but maybe a 90 at some point
Jul 15, 2019 at 01:45 PM
p.9 #9Voigtlander 21mm f/1.4 Nokton Review
nehemiahphoto wrote:
Is the Voigtlander 21/1.4 Nokton E-mount the new king of the hill at 21mm?
In terms of resolution and contrast, the Voigtlander 21/1.4 Nokton performs very similar if not better than the Zeiss Loxia 21/2.8 which is something no other E-mount lens was able to achieve until now. It's taller and 166g heavier than the Loxia but in exchange, it's capable of gathering 4 times more light and field curvature is super low.
Compared to the Sony FE 24/1.4 GM, the CV 21/1.4 is sharper at the center at wider apertures and is capable of higher contrast but can't compete with the FE 24/1.4 GM's smooth rendering, especially at mid-distance. Wide open, It's also not as sharp away from center compared to the GM.
Pros
Cons
In my opinion, Voigtlander offers the best native 21mm glass on the market today. With proven performance, you'd be hard-pressed to dethrone the Loxia 21/2.8 from the top slot, but the Voigtlander 21/1.4 slightly outperforms the Loxia 21/2.8 in many aspects.
The bottom line, Voigtlander is on a winning streak - offering high IQ lenses for the E-mount without breaking the bank. (or our backs!)
Highly recommended!
As always, thanks for the informative, thorough and exhaustive review Fred. I’ll keep my GM 24 as its smaller, better corrected for astro and autofocus, but CV has put out a great lens. I like this coupled with the 21/3.4 as a light weight trade-off.
Hopefully they make a fast native 28
You're welcome! The 24 GM is definitely stronger for astro with lower vignetting and more than a stop better coma correction but it's not as wide as the CV 21/1.4. You said the GM is smaller but it's actually bigger. (link)
Still, I agree it's hard to justify owning both lenses since they share the same speed and are close in FL, but I also think they produce images with distinctive looks.
Fred Miranda wrote
Final thoughts:Is the Voigtlander 21/1.4 Nokton E-mount the new king of the hill at 21mm?
In terms of resolution and contrast, the Voigtlander 21/1.4 Nokton performs very similar if not better than the Zeiss Loxia 21/2.8 which is something no other E-mount lens was able to achieve until now. It's taller and 166g heavier than the Loxia but in exchange, it's capable of gathering 4 times more light and field curvature is super low.
Compared to the Sony FE 24/1.4 GM, the CV 21/1.4 is sharper at the center at wider apertures and is capable of higher contrast but can't compete with the FE 24/1.4 GM's smooth rendering, especially at mid-distance. Wide open, It's also not as sharp away from center compared to the GM.
Pros
- Solid all-metal construction with tight manufacturing tolerance
- Superb resolution and contrast at all distances, including MFD, thanks to its floating element system
- Voigtlander signature color and contrast
- Very good flare performance
- Distance encoder provides 5-axis IBIS
- Very low field curvature
- Round bokeh balls with clean inner structure. (No onion ring pattern)
- Great coma performance starting at f/2.2
- Low distortion (Barrel, easy to correct)
- Precise manual focus and well damped focusing rotation
- 12-blade straight aperture allows 12-point well-defined sunstars starting at f/1.8
- Well controlled LoCA at f/2 (best at f/2.8) and above average lateral CA suppression
- Reasonably priced compared to the competition
Cons
- Pronounced vignetting wide open that never truly goes away (over 3 stops at f/1.4)
- Rendering can be a big harsh/structured at mid-distance, especially off-axis
- Noticeable coma (sagittal flare) at f/1.4
In my opinion, Voigtlander offers the best native 21mm glass on the market today. With proven performance, you'd be hard-pressed to dethrone the Loxia 21/2.8 from the top slot, but the Voigtlander 21/1.4 slightly outperforms the Loxia 21/2.8 in many aspects.
The bottom line, Voigtlander is on a winning streak - offering high IQ lenses for the E-mount without breaking the bank. (or our backs!
) Highly recommended!
Hopefully they make a fast native 28
You're welcome! The 24 GM is definitely stronger for astro with lower vignetting and more than a stop better coma correction but it's not as wide as the CV 21/1.4. You said the GM is smaller but it's actually bigger. (link)
Still, I agree it's hard to justify owning both lenses since they share the same speed and are close in FL, but I also think they produce images with distinctive looks.
Jul 15, 2019 at 02:14 PM
p.9 #10Voigtlander 21mm f/1.4 Nokton Review
Fred Miranda wrote:
Is the Voigtlander 21/1.4 Nokton E-mount the new king of the hill at 21mm?
In terms of resolution and contrast, the Voigtlander 21/1.4 Nokton performs very similar if not better than the Zeiss Loxia 21/2.8 which is something no other E-mount lens was able to achieve until now. It's taller and 166g heavier than the Loxia but in exchange, it's capable of gathering 4 times more light and field curvature is super low.
Compared to the Sony FE 24/1.4 GM, the CV 21/1.4 is sharper at the center at wider apertures and is capable of higher contrast but can't compete with the FE 24/1.4 GM's smooth rendering, especially at mid-distance. Wide open, It's also not as sharp away from center compared to the GM.
Pros
Cons
In my opinion, Voigtlander offers the best native 21mm glass on the market today. With proven performance, you'd be hard-pressed to dethrone the Loxia 21/2.8 from the top slot, but the Voigtlander 21/1.4 slightly outperforms the Loxia 21/2.8 in many aspects.
The bottom line, Voigtlander is on a winning streak - offering high IQ lenses for the E-mount without breaking the bank. (or our backs!)
Highly recommended!As always, thanks for the informative, thorough and exhaustive review Fred. I’ll keep my GM 24 as its smaller, better corrected for astro and autofocus, but CV has put out a great lens. I like this coupled with the 21/3.4 as a light weight trade-off.
Hopefully they make a fast native 28You're welcome! The 24 GM is definitely stronger for astro with lower vignetting and more than a stop better coma correction but it's not as wide as the CV 21/1.4. You said the GM is smaller but it's actually bigger. (link)
Still, I agree it's hard to justify owning both lenses since they share the same speed and are close in FL, but I also think they produce images with distinctive looks.
Sorry, I misspoke—I meant the GM is lighter, not smaller. I prefer 21 to 24 and to me the difference is very noticeable, it’s just the GM has a softer rendering in terms of structure and color/contrast with AF. My major uses are environment portraits and astro, so the GM is a no-brainer.
I have a Contax G 21 PCX’ed for my uber-light landscape lens that’s a little wider than 24mm, otherwise I’d have purchase CV 21/3.4.
At 15mm or wider, what do you recommend for landscape? (Small size, flare resistance, MF, across the frame sharpness stopped down)?
nehemiahphoto wrote
Fred Miranda wrote
Final thoughts:Is the Voigtlander 21/1.4 Nokton E-mount the new king of the hill at 21mm?
In terms of resolution and contrast, the Voigtlander 21/1.4 Nokton performs very similar if not better than the Zeiss Loxia 21/2.8 which is something no other E-mount lens was able to achieve until now. It's taller and 166g heavier than the Loxia but in exchange, it's capable of gathering 4 times more light and field curvature is super low.
Compared to the Sony FE 24/1.4 GM, the CV 21/1.4 is sharper at the center at wider apertures and is capable of higher contrast but can't compete with the FE 24/1.4 GM's smooth rendering, especially at mid-distance. Wide open, It's also not as sharp away from center compared to the GM.
Pros
- Solid all-metal construction with tight manufacturing tolerance
- Superb resolution and contrast at all distances, including MFD, thanks to its floating element system
- Voigtlander signature color and contrast
- Very good flare performance
- Distance encoder provides 5-axis IBIS
- Very low field curvature
- Round bokeh balls with clean inner structure. (No onion ring pattern)
- Great coma performance starting at f/2.2
- Low distortion (Barrel, easy to correct)
- Precise manual focus and well damped focusing rotation
- 12-blade straight aperture allows 12-point well-defined sunstars starting at f/1.8
- Well controlled LoCA at f/2 (best at f/2.8) and above average lateral CA suppression
- Reasonably priced compared to the competition
Cons
- Pronounced vignetting wide open that never truly goes away (over 3 stops at f/1.4)
- Rendering can be a big harsh/structured at mid-distance, especially off-axis
- Noticeable coma (sagittal flare) at f/1.4
In my opinion, Voigtlander offers the best native 21mm glass on the market today. With proven performance, you'd be hard-pressed to dethrone the Loxia 21/2.8 from the top slot, but the Voigtlander 21/1.4 slightly outperforms the Loxia 21/2.8 in many aspects.
The bottom line, Voigtlander is on a winning streak - offering high IQ lenses for the E-mount without breaking the bank. (or our backs!
) Highly recommended!
Hopefully they make a fast native 28
Still, I agree it's hard to justify owning both lenses since they share the same speed and are close in FL, but I also think they produce images with distinctive looks.
Sorry, I misspoke—I meant the GM is lighter, not smaller. I prefer 21 to 24 and to me the difference is very noticeable, it’s just the GM has a softer rendering in terms of structure and color/contrast with AF. My major uses are environment portraits and astro, so the GM is a no-brainer.
I have a Contax G 21 PCX’ed for my uber-light landscape lens that’s a little wider than 24mm, otherwise I’d have purchase CV 21/3.4.
At 15mm or wider, what do you recommend for landscape? (Small size, flare resistance, MF, across the frame sharpness stopped down)?
Jul 15, 2019 at 02:22 PM
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p.9 #11Voigtlander 21mm f/1.4 Nokton Review
nehemiahphoto wrote:
Is the Voigtlander 21/1.4 Nokton E-mount the new king of the hill at 21mm?
In terms of resolution and contrast, the Voigtlander 21/1.4 Nokton performs very similar if not better than the Zeiss Loxia 21/2.8 which is something no other E-mount lens was able to achieve until now. It's taller and 166g heavier than the Loxia but in exchange, it's capable of gathering 4 times more light and field curvature is super low.
Compared to the Sony FE 24/1.4 GM, the CV 21/1.4 is sharper at the center at wider apertures and is capable of higher contrast but can't compete with the FE 24/1.4 GM's smooth rendering, especially at mid-distance. Wide open, It's also not as sharp away from center compared to the GM.
Pros
Cons
In my opinion, Voigtlander offers the best native 21mm glass on the market today. With proven performance, you'd be hard-pressed to dethrone the Loxia 21/2.8 from the top slot, but the Voigtlander 21/1.4 slightly outperforms the Loxia 21/2.8 in many aspects.
The bottom line, Voigtlander is on a winning streak - offering high IQ lenses for the E-mount without breaking the bank. (or our backs!)
Highly recommended!As always, thanks for the informative, thorough and exhaustive review Fred. I’ll keep my GM 24 as its smaller, better corrected for astro and autofocus, but CV has put out a great lens. I like this coupled with the 21/3.4 as a light weight trade-off.
Hopefully they make a fast native 28You're welcome! The 24 GM is definitely stronger for astro with lower vignetting and more than a stop better coma correction but it's not as wide as the CV 21/1.4. You said the GM is smaller but it's actually bigger. (link)
Still, I agree it's hard to justify owning both lenses since they share the same speed and are close in FL, but I also think they produce images with distinctive looks.Sorry, I misspoke—I meant the GM is lighter, not smaller. I prefer 21 to 24 and to me the difference is very noticeable, it’s just the GM has a softer rendering in terms of structure and color/contrast with AF. My major uses are environment portraits and astro, so the GM is a no-brainer.
I have a Contax G 21 PCX’ed for my uber-light landscape lens that’s a little wider, otherwise I’d have purchase CV 21/3.4.
At 15mm or wider, what do you recommend for landscape? (Small size, flare resistance, MF, across the frame sharpness stopped down)?
I really like the CV 15/4.5 III E-mount. It takes filters, has great flare resistance and produces great colors. It's equipped with a 10-blade aperture which renders very defined 10-point sunstars. I usually stop it down to f/7.1 to reduce vignetting but it's already very sharp from center to the very edges from wide open. (if you get a copy without the corner smearing issue)
The 16-35/2.8 GM is also great at 16mm but it's not so small.
Fred Miranda wrote
nehemiahphoto wrote
Fred Miranda wrote
Final thoughts:Is the Voigtlander 21/1.4 Nokton E-mount the new king of the hill at 21mm?
In terms of resolution and contrast, the Voigtlander 21/1.4 Nokton performs very similar if not better than the Zeiss Loxia 21/2.8 which is something no other E-mount lens was able to achieve until now. It's taller and 166g heavier than the Loxia but in exchange, it's capable of gathering 4 times more light and field curvature is super low.
Compared to the Sony FE 24/1.4 GM, the CV 21/1.4 is sharper at the center at wider apertures and is capable of higher contrast but can't compete with the FE 24/1.4 GM's smooth rendering, especially at mid-distance. Wide open, It's also not as sharp away from center compared to the GM.
Pros
- Solid all-metal construction with tight manufacturing tolerance
- Superb resolution and contrast at all distances, including MFD, thanks to its floating element system
- Voigtlander signature color and contrast
- Very good flare performance
- Distance encoder provides 5-axis IBIS
- Very low field curvature
- Round bokeh balls with clean inner structure. (No onion ring pattern)
- Great coma performance starting at f/2.2
- Low distortion (Barrel, easy to correct)
- Precise manual focus and well damped focusing rotation
- 12-blade straight aperture allows 12-point well-defined sunstars starting at f/1.8
- Well controlled LoCA at f/2 (best at f/2.8) and above average lateral CA suppression
- Reasonably priced compared to the competition
Cons
- Pronounced vignetting wide open that never truly goes away (over 3 stops at f/1.4)
- Rendering can be a big harsh/structured at mid-distance, especially off-axis
- Noticeable coma (sagittal flare) at f/1.4
In my opinion, Voigtlander offers the best native 21mm glass on the market today. With proven performance, you'd be hard-pressed to dethrone the Loxia 21/2.8 from the top slot, but the Voigtlander 21/1.4 slightly outperforms the Loxia 21/2.8 in many aspects.
The bottom line, Voigtlander is on a winning streak - offering high IQ lenses for the E-mount without breaking the bank. (or our backs!
) Highly recommended!
Hopefully they make a fast native 28
Still, I agree it's hard to justify owning both lenses since they share the same speed and are close in FL, but I also think they produce images with distinctive looks.
I have a Contax G 21 PCX’ed for my uber-light landscape lens that’s a little wider, otherwise I’d have purchase CV 21/3.4.
At 15mm or wider, what do you recommend for landscape? (Small size, flare resistance, MF, across the frame sharpness stopped down)?
I really like the CV 15/4.5 III E-mount. It takes filters, has great flare resistance and produces great colors. It's equipped with a 10-blade aperture which renders very defined 10-point sunstars. I usually stop it down to f/7.1 to reduce vignetting but it's already very sharp from center to the very edges from wide open. (if you get a copy without the corner smearing issue)
The 16-35/2.8 GM is also great at 16mm but it's not so small.
Jul 15, 2019 at 02:32 PM
p.9 #12Voigtlander 21mm f/1.4 Nokton Review
Fred Miranda wrote:
Is the Voigtlander 21/1.4 Nokton E-mount the new king of the hill at 21mm?
In terms of resolution and contrast, the Voigtlander 21/1.4 Nokton performs very similar if not better than the Zeiss Loxia 21/2.8 which is something no other E-mount lens was able to achieve until now. It's taller and 166g heavier than the Loxia but in exchange, it's capable of gathering 4 times more light and field curvature is super low.
Compared to the Sony FE 24/1.4 GM, the CV 21/1.4 is sharper at the center at wider apertures and is capable of higher contrast but can't compete with the FE 24/1.4 GM's smooth rendering, especially at mid-distance. Wide open, It's also not as sharp away from center compared to the GM.
Pros
Cons
In my opinion, Voigtlander offers the best native 21mm glass on the market today. With proven performance, you'd be hard-pressed to dethrone the Loxia 21/2.8 from the top slot, but the Voigtlander 21/1.4 slightly outperforms the Loxia 21/2.8 in many aspects.
The bottom line, Voigtlander is on a winning streak - offering high IQ lenses for the E-mount without breaking the bank. (or our backs!)
Highly recommended!As always, thanks for the informative, thorough and exhaustive review Fred. I’ll keep my GM 24 as its smaller, better corrected for astro and autofocus, but CV has put out a great lens. I like this coupled with the 21/3.4 as a light weight trade-off.
Hopefully they make a fast native 28You're welcome! The 24 GM is definitely stronger for astro with lower vignetting and more than a stop better coma correction but it's not as wide as the CV 21/1.4. You said the GM is smaller but it's actually bigger. (link)
Still, I agree it's hard to justify owning both lenses since they share the same speed and are close in FL, but I also think they produce images with distinctive looks.
Your 24GM is good for astro. Mine produces elongated stars in the periphery, has a lot of CA, and is not good for astro. I read a review where the reviewers copy was similar to mine.
nehemiahphoto wrote
Fred Miranda wrote
Final thoughts:Is the Voigtlander 21/1.4 Nokton E-mount the new king of the hill at 21mm?
In terms of resolution and contrast, the Voigtlander 21/1.4 Nokton performs very similar if not better than the Zeiss Loxia 21/2.8 which is something no other E-mount lens was able to achieve until now. It's taller and 166g heavier than the Loxia but in exchange, it's capable of gathering 4 times more light and field curvature is super low.
Compared to the Sony FE 24/1.4 GM, the CV 21/1.4 is sharper at the center at wider apertures and is capable of higher contrast but can't compete with the FE 24/1.4 GM's smooth rendering, especially at mid-distance. Wide open, It's also not as sharp away from center compared to the GM.
Pros
- Solid all-metal construction with tight manufacturing tolerance
- Superb resolution and contrast at all distances, including MFD, thanks to its floating element system
- Voigtlander signature color and contrast
- Very good flare performance
- Distance encoder provides 5-axis IBIS
- Very low field curvature
- Round bokeh balls with clean inner structure. (No onion ring pattern)
- Great coma performance starting at f/2.2
- Low distortion (Barrel, easy to correct)
- Precise manual focus and well damped focusing rotation
- 12-blade straight aperture allows 12-point well-defined sunstars starting at f/1.8
- Well controlled LoCA at f/2 (best at f/2.8) and above average lateral CA suppression
- Reasonably priced compared to the competition
Cons
- Pronounced vignetting wide open that never truly goes away (over 3 stops at f/1.4)
- Rendering can be a big harsh/structured at mid-distance, especially off-axis
- Noticeable coma (sagittal flare) at f/1.4
In my opinion, Voigtlander offers the best native 21mm glass on the market today. With proven performance, you'd be hard-pressed to dethrone the Loxia 21/2.8 from the top slot, but the Voigtlander 21/1.4 slightly outperforms the Loxia 21/2.8 in many aspects.
The bottom line, Voigtlander is on a winning streak - offering high IQ lenses for the E-mount without breaking the bank. (or our backs!
) Highly recommended!
Hopefully they make a fast native 28
Still, I agree it's hard to justify owning both lenses since they share the same speed and are close in FL, but I also think they produce images with distinctive looks.
Your 24GM is good for astro. Mine produces elongated stars in the periphery, has a lot of CA, and is not good for astro. I read a review where the reviewers copy was similar to mine.
Jul 15, 2019 at 03:58 PM
p.9 #13Voigtlander 21mm f/1.4 Nokton Review
scrappydog wrote:
Fred Miranda wrote
nehemiahphoto wrote
Fred Miranda wrote
Final thoughts:Is the Voigtlander 21/1.4 Nokton E-mount the new king of the hill at 21mm?
In terms of resolution and contrast, the Voigtlander 21/1.4 Nokton performs very similar if not better than the Zeiss Loxia 21/2.8 which is something no other E-mount lens was able to achieve until now. It's taller and 166g heavier than the Loxia but in exchange, it's capable of gathering 4 times more light and field curvature is super low.
Compared to the Sony FE 24/1.4 GM, the CV 21/1.4 is sharper at the center at wider apertures and is capable of higher contrast but can't compete with the FE 24/1.4 GM's smooth rendering, especially at mid-distance. Wide open, It's also not as sharp away from center compared to the GM.
Pros
- Solid all-metal construction with tight manufacturing tolerance
- Superb resolution and contrast at all distances, including MFD, thanks to its floating element system
- Voigtlander signature color and contrast
- Very good flare performance
- Distance encoder provides 5-axis IBIS
- Very low field curvature
- Round bokeh balls with clean inner structure. (No onion ring pattern)
- Great coma performance starting at f/2.2
- Low distortion (Barrel, easy to correct)
- Precise manual focus and well damped focusing rotation
- 12-blade straight aperture allows 12-point well-defined sunstars starting at f/1.8
- Well controlled LoCA at f/2 (best at f/2.8) and above average lateral CA suppression
- Reasonably priced compared to the competition
Cons
- Pronounced vignetting wide open that never truly goes away (over 3 stops at f/1.4)
- Rendering can be a big harsh/structured at mid-distance, especially off-axis
- Noticeable coma (sagittal flare) at f/1.4
In my opinion, Voigtlander offers the best native 21mm glass on the market today. With proven performance, you'd be hard-pressed to dethrone the Loxia 21/2.8 from the top slot, but the Voigtlander 21/1.4 slightly outperforms the Loxia 21/2.8 in many aspects.
The bottom line, Voigtlander is on a winning streak - offering high IQ lenses for the E-mount without breaking the bank. (or our backs!
) Highly recommended!
Hopefully they make a fast native 28
Still, I agree it's hard to justify owning both lenses since they share the same speed and are close in FL, but I also think they produce images with distinctive looks.
I have a similar experience on the copy I rented. Lots of coma wide open, usable only from around f/2.2 and my term of reference is the 16-35 GM. Still a light sucker and brilliant for all the rest.
Jul 15, 2019 at 04:09 PM
p.9 #14Voigtlander 21mm f/1.4 Nokton Review
Does anybody intend to own both the CV 21s?
I keep jumping back and forth and I am coming to the conclusion that the only solution will be to own both
I keep jumping back and forth and I am coming to the conclusion that the only solution will be to own both
Jul 15, 2019 at 04:36 PM
p.9 #15Voigtlander 21mm f/1.4 Nokton Review
Uncle Chip wrote:
Does anybody intend to own both the CV 21s?
I keep jumping back and forth and I am coming to the conclusion that the only solution will be to own both
No I have the CV 21 1.4 and the Sony 24 1.4 that's close enough but keeping both
Does anybody intend to own both the CV 21s?
I keep jumping back and forth and I am coming to the conclusion that the only solution will be to own both
No I have the CV 21 1.4 and the Sony 24 1.4 that's close enough but keeping both
Jul 15, 2019 at 04:45 PM
p.9 #16Voigtlander 21mm f/1.4 Nokton Review
kdrk888 wrote:
Nice car you got, Fred!
I wish!
---------------------------------------------
GMPhotography wrote:
Just bought one. Have it Thursday here in NY . I’ll go shoot as much as I can
What took you so long?
Nice car you got, Fred!
I wish!
---------------------------------------------
GMPhotography wrote:
Just bought one. Have it Thursday here in NY . I’ll go shoot as much as I can
What took you so long?
Jul 15, 2019 at 04:45 PM
p.9 #17Voigtlander 21mm f/1.4 Nokton Review
I want to get the CV21 F1.4 for my upcoming trip to Europe. Still no stock in Toronto. 3 more weeks, hopefully there have it before then.
Jul 15, 2019 at 04:57 PM
p.9 #18Voigtlander 21mm f/1.4 Nokton Review
Fred Miranda wrote:
I wish!
---------------------------------------------
What took you so long?
Honestly what pushed me over the edge besides it being quite good was having a MF wide lens that was really fast. I have the 12 and the 3.5 both slow so now having a fast 21 and 50 makes more sense
.
So I feel that maybe better having two out of three that are 1.4 or faster
kdrk888 wrote
Nice car you got, Fred!---------------------------------------------
GMPhotography wrote
Just bought one. Have it Thursday here in NY . I’ll go shoot as much as I canHonestly what pushed me over the edge besides it being quite good was having a MF wide lens that was really fast. I have the 12 and the 3.5 both slow so now having a fast 21 and 50 makes more sense
.
So I feel that maybe better having two out of three that are 1.4 or faster
Jul 15, 2019 at 05:36 PM
p.9 #19Voigtlander 21mm f/1.4 Nokton Review
I have both and I intend to keep them 
Uncle Chip wrote:
Does anybody intend to own both the CV 21s?
I keep jumping back and forth and I am coming to the conclusion that the only solution will be to own both
Uncle Chip wrote:
Does anybody intend to own both the CV 21s?
I keep jumping back and forth and I am coming to the conclusion that the only solution will be to own both
Jul 15, 2019 at 05:40 PM
p.9 #20Voigtlander 21mm f/1.4 Nokton Review
Fred Miranda wrote:
Is the Voigtlander 21/1.4 Nokton E-mount the new king of the hill at 21mm?
In terms of resolution and contrast, the Voigtlander 21/1.4 Nokton performs very similar if not better than the Zeiss Loxia 21/2.8 which is something no other E-mount lens was able to achieve until now. It's taller and 166g heavier than the Loxia but in exchange, it's capable of gathering 4 times more light and field curvature is super low.
Compared to the Sony FE 24/1.4 GM, the CV 21/1.4 is sharper at the center at wider apertures and is capable of higher contrast but can't compete with the FE 24/1.4 GM's smooth rendering, especially at mid-distance. Wide open, It's also not as sharp away from center compared to the GM.
Pros
Cons
In my opinion, Voigtlander offers the best native 21mm glass on the market today. With proven performance, you'd be hard-pressed to dethrone the Loxia 21/2.8 from the top slot, but the Voigtlander 21/1.4 slightly outperforms the Loxia 21/2.8 in many aspects.
The bottom line, Voigtlander is on a winning streak - offering high IQ lenses for the E-mount without breaking the bank. (or our backs!)
Highly recommended!As always, thanks for the informative, thorough and exhaustive review Fred. I’ll keep my GM 24 as its smaller, better corrected for astro and autofocus, but CV has put out a great lens. I like this coupled with the 21/3.4 as a light weight trade-off.
Hopefully they make a fast native 28You're welcome! The 24 GM is definitely stronger for astro with lower vignetting and more than a stop better coma correction but it's not as wide as the CV 21/1.4. You said the GM is smaller but it's actually bigger. (link)
Still, I agree it's hard to justify owning both lenses since they share the same speed and are close in FL, but I also think they produce images with distinctive looks.Sorry, I misspoke—I meant the GM is lighter, not smaller. I prefer 21 to 24 and to me the difference is very noticeable, it’s just the GM has a softer rendering in terms of structure and color/contrast with AF. My major uses are environment portraits and astro, so the GM is a no-brainer.
I have a Contax G 21 PCX’ed for my uber-light landscape lens that’s a little wider, otherwise I’d have purchase CV 21/3.4.
At 15mm or wider, what do you recommend for landscape? (Small size, flare resistance, MF, across the frame sharpness stopped down)?I really like the CV 15/4.5 III E-mount. It takes filters, has great flare resistance and produces great colors. It's equipped with a 10-blade aperture which renders very defined 10-point sunstars. I usually stop it down to f/7.1 to reduce vignetting but it's already very sharp from center to the very edges from wide open. (if you get a copy without the corner smearing issue)
The 16-35/2.8 GM is also great at 16mm but it's not so small.
The GM looked impressive on the wide end, but not quite my style Have you shot the cv 12 versus cv 15?
nehemiahphoto wrote
Fred Miranda wrote
nehemiahphoto wrote
Fred Miranda wrote
Final thoughts:Is the Voigtlander 21/1.4 Nokton E-mount the new king of the hill at 21mm?
In terms of resolution and contrast, the Voigtlander 21/1.4 Nokton performs very similar if not better than the Zeiss Loxia 21/2.8 which is something no other E-mount lens was able to achieve until now. It's taller and 166g heavier than the Loxia but in exchange, it's capable of gathering 4 times more light and field curvature is super low.
Compared to the Sony FE 24/1.4 GM, the CV 21/1.4 is sharper at the center at wider apertures and is capable of higher contrast but can't compete with the FE 24/1.4 GM's smooth rendering, especially at mid-distance. Wide open, It's also not as sharp away from center compared to the GM.
Pros
- Solid all-metal construction with tight manufacturing tolerance
- Superb resolution and contrast at all distances, including MFD, thanks to its floating element system
- Voigtlander signature color and contrast
- Very good flare performance
- Distance encoder provides 5-axis IBIS
- Very low field curvature
- Round bokeh balls with clean inner structure. (No onion ring pattern)
- Great coma performance starting at f/2.2
- Low distortion (Barrel, easy to correct)
- Precise manual focus and well damped focusing rotation
- 12-blade straight aperture allows 12-point well-defined sunstars starting at f/1.8
- Well controlled LoCA at f/2 (best at f/2.8) and above average lateral CA suppression
- Reasonably priced compared to the competition
Cons
- Pronounced vignetting wide open that never truly goes away (over 3 stops at f/1.4)
- Rendering can be a big harsh/structured at mid-distance, especially off-axis
- Noticeable coma (sagittal flare) at f/1.4
In my opinion, Voigtlander offers the best native 21mm glass on the market today. With proven performance, you'd be hard-pressed to dethrone the Loxia 21/2.8 from the top slot, but the Voigtlander 21/1.4 slightly outperforms the Loxia 21/2.8 in many aspects.
The bottom line, Voigtlander is on a winning streak - offering high IQ lenses for the E-mount without breaking the bank. (or our backs!
) Highly recommended!
Hopefully they make a fast native 28
Still, I agree it's hard to justify owning both lenses since they share the same speed and are close in FL, but I also think they produce images with distinctive looks.
I have a Contax G 21 PCX’ed for my uber-light landscape lens that’s a little wider, otherwise I’d have purchase CV 21/3.4.
At 15mm or wider, what do you recommend for landscape? (Small size, flare resistance, MF, across the frame sharpness stopped down)?
The 16-35/2.8 GM is also great at 16mm but it's not so small.
The GM looked impressive on the wide end, but not quite my style
Have you shot the cv 12 versus cv 15?Jul 15, 2019 at 06:00 PM