About the Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.5 II Aspherical lens
The new Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.5 II replaces the previous version with an improved optical formula and two aspheric surfaces. It has 8 elements in 7 groups and is equipped with a 12-blade aperture. The optical design seems reminiscent of the Voigtlander Nokton 75mm f/1.5 Aspherical, except that it has an extra element and no anomalous partial dispersion glass.
Here is how they compare: Voigtlander 75/1.5 (top), Voigtlander 50/1.5 II (bottom)
The lens is very compact with total length of only 36.9mm and a 43mm filter thread (55.3mm diameter). It focus down to 0.7m and is available in black, silver and nickel (brass) styles in both single coating and multi-coating.
Main specifications:
Focal length: 50mm
Lens configurations: 7 groups 8 elements
Angle of view: 46.3 °
Number of aperture blades: 12 sheets
Minimal focus distance (MFD): 0.7m
Maximum diameter x total length: φ55.3 × 36.9mm
Filter size: φ43mm
Weight: Silver / Black 198g, Nickel Black Paint 255g
Color: Silver / black , nickel black paint (brass exterior , black paint on black)
Coating: MC (multi-coating) , SC (single coating)
Lens hood: LH-6 (sold separately)
Initial Thoughts:
My initial impression after testing the lens at infinity and close-up distances is that even though the Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.5 II Aspherical is extremely compact and light, it's also capable of high image quality. When the subject is at mid-distance (>2m), the lens is sharp wide open. Resolution and contrast diminishes at close-up distances though due to residual spherical aberration since the lens is not equipped with a floating system.
Reminiscent of the Voigtlander Nokton 75/1.5's character, some may find the slight glow effect at close distance pleasant for subjects like close-up portraits and flowers. Spherical aberration is noticeably reduced at f/2 and nearly dissapears starting at f/2.4 for both lenses. Stopping down the aperture to f/2.4 also convincingly reduces axial color aberration.
On the Leica M10, the Voigtlander 50mm f/1.5 II is sharp from wide open even at the extreme corners. It's a superb performance for such small and fast lens. However, when adapting it to a Sony body, be warned there's induced field curvature and it requires f/4 to achieve a similar performance towards the corners. This happens because the lens was designed for the thinner Leica sensor. Having said that, it does not look bad even wide open on the Sony A7R IV.
Physically, it's a unique lens. Voigtlander offers six style flavors going from all black, all silver and a charming brass nickel 'Panda' style. The three style variations are offered in single coating or multi-coating which affects contrast and flare resistance. Initially I'm reviewing the black MC version but will eventually test the single coated one later on.
I find the double grip ring attractive with the perfect amount of resistance for its 90 degree focus throw. The aperture clicks feel solid, precise and move in half-stops. The lens has a great build with a high tolerance construction.
Similar to the Voigtlander 75mm f/1.5 Nokton vintage "black" style, it's curious that the focusing distance markings on the CV 50/1.5 II are only available in meters (not feet) and everything is engraved in white (no red). Both lenses have the "Made in Japan" and serial number engraved in discreet black color and are only noticeable upon close inspection.
The front lens ID ring typeface appears similar to the Voigtlander 75/1.5's as well, although the font is slightly different. The coating version is printed in green accentuating its vintage style.
The Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.5 II aspherical black and silver styles weigh 198 grams while the nickel black paint (brass exterior) weighs 255 grams. It's refreshing to have so many style and coating options. I like the 'Panda' styling, even though it costs an extra $100. However, I prefer my lenses to be as light as possible, so my personal preference is for the black version to match both my Leica M10 and Sony A7R IV cameras.
p.1 #2 · Voigtlander 50mm f/1.5 II Aspherical Review
Infinity Resolution and Contrast performance on Sony and Leica cameras
My review copy is well centered, free of any focus plane tilt or swing. (Tested for centering on Sony A7R IV and Leica M10)
The Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.5 II performs well at infinity distance. There is a small focus shift noticeable from wide open to about f/2.8 and therefore there was a need to refocus when testing both cameras. The lens was designed for the Leica thinner sensor and therefore performs better on the M10, especially at wider apertures. There is a resolution hit when adapting it on the Sony A7R IV due to induced field curvature (Sony has a thicker sensor). However, as demonstrated below this performance penalty is not as severe as with other M lenses.
Just like with the Voigtlander 75/1.5 Nokton, there is a mid-field dip in resolution when shooting the CV 50/1.5 II at wider apertures (For both Sony and Leica). -- This should not be confused with field curvature. I believe it's an optical design compromise in order to keep this lenses as compact as possible.
The Voigtlander Nokton 50/1.5 II is a versatile lens and would work well for many applications including landscapes. It's already optimal across the field at f/4 for the Leica and at f/8 for the Sony.
Here is the full image thumbnail showing the areas demonstrated at 1:1 magnification.
Distance: Infinity
Focus: Center - Best of three @ 12.4x magnification
Software: Lightroom with my default landscape sharpening. All other settings set to default
PS: Vignetting and distortion were NOT corrected. All in-camera corrections turned 'off'.
f/1.5 Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.5 II Aspherical at Center, Mid-field and Extreme corner
Center: Sony A7R4 (LEFT), Leica M10 (RIGHT) - The Voigtlander 50mm f/1.5 II is capable of great resolution from wide open at mid and infinity distance. Sony shows a bit more detail since it was downsampled from 61MP
Mid-Field: Sony A7R4 (LEFT), Leica M10 (RIGHT) - There is a mid-field dip in resolution (not field curvature) for both Leica and Sony. It's more severe on the Sony due to induced field curvature
Extreme corners: Sony A7R4 (LEFT), Leica M10 (RIGHT) - The Leica performs great wide open at the extreme corners while it's just ok on the Sony
p.1 #5 · Voigtlander 50mm f/1.5 II Aspherical Review
f/4 Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.5 II Aspherical at Center, Mid-field and Extreme corner
Center: Sony A7R4 (LEFT), Leica M10 (RIGHT): Not much changes from f/2.8 to f/4. It looks like f/2.8 was optimal for both cameras
Mid-field: Sony A7R4 (LEFT), Leica M10 (RIGHT): Both lenses improve in terms of resolution and contrast from f/2.8 to f/4. Sony improves a tad more but still behind
Extreme corner: Sony A7R4 (LEFT), Leica M10 (RIGHT) - Both improve. It looks like we are approaching the optimal aperture. Sony is still slightly behind
p.1 #6 · Voigtlander 50mm f/1.5 II Aspherical Review
f/5.6 Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.5 II Aspherical at Center, Mid-field and Extreme corner
Center: Sony A7R4 (LEFT), Leica M10 (RIGHT) - Not much changes in terms of resolution from f/4 to f/5.6
Mid-field: Sony A7R4 (LEFT), Leica M10 (RIGHT) - Sony improves further and gets closer to the Leica's performance
Extreme corner: Sony A7R4 (LEFT), Leica M10 (RIGHT) - The Sony almost matches the Leica now as depth of field finally masks the induced field curvature.
p.1 #8 · Voigtlander 50mm f/1.5 II Aspherical Review
Another great expose, thank you! Some serious contrast from the a7rIV. Why these comparisons are useful is that if Cosina fail to make us a Sony E version, the lens will be more than acceptable for several given purposes, like f5.6-f11 landscapes/cityscapes.
There is no sterner test than the 61mp. The a7rIV f2.8 centre image shows what the little guy has to offer here, wow. The M10 shows more CA in centre at wider apertures. All in all, very impressive, so far.
p.1 #9 · Voigtlander 50mm f/1.5 II Aspherical Review
Image Sample 1
Here are a few samples from a walk-around under cloudy/flat lighting. I find rendering smooth for most of the frame but slightly busier towards the corners even on the Leica. Shooting on the thicker Sony sensor, makes things worse but overall still pleasant rendering all things considered.
There are a couple things I dislike but were expected for such small fast lens: Exposure vignetting (darkening of the edges), and optical vignetting (causing slight sharper corner and cat-eye bokeh). Depending on distance and background, I sometimes see noticeable swirling. All this makes the lens have a unique character since it's not super corrected and so far, I like the look.
p.1 #16 · Voigtlander 50mm f/1.5 II Aspherical Review
Fred, Have you noticed any obvious focus shift so far? I know Cosina was able to substantially reduce it with the 35/1.4 II. Of course, they didn't lop off a half inch like they have with this new lens.
p.1 #17 · Voigtlander 50mm f/1.5 II Aspherical Review
Are the portraits of your daughter all wide open? The shutter speed changed 1.5 stops between the first and the third photo. And the bokeh balls are quite round at the mid zone area in the second and third photos, suggesting the lens may have been stopped down slightly.
When you get to the starburst section, I'd like to know how round the aperture opening remains at f/2 and f/2.8 and how stopping down 1-2 stops affects bokeh balls, as it may help minimize the wide open cats eye effect that is quite noticeable already slightly off-axis.
p.1 #18 · Voigtlander 50mm f/1.5 II Aspherical Review
rscheffler wrote:
Are the portraits of your daughter all wide open? The shutter speed changed 1.5 stops between the first and the third photo. And the bokeh balls are quite round at the mid zone area in the second and third photos, suggesting the lens may have been stopped down slightly.
When you get to the starburst section, I'd like to know how round the aperture opening remains at f/2 and f/2.8 and how stopping down 1-2 stops affects bokeh balls, as it may help minimize the wide open cats eye effect that is quite noticeable already slightly off-axis.
The first wide open (f/1.5), second (f/2) and third (f/2.4). Do not pay attention to the f/numbers reported by Leica as they are just estimations and usually inaccurate.
p.1 #19 · Voigtlander 50mm f/1.5 II Aspherical Review
Close-up Performance
Here is a sequence showing the close-up performance at MFD in half-stops. I used a test chart on my computer monitor.
There is a small focus shift but nothing very noticeable even when shooting on the Leica.
Wide open, there is visible spherical aberration which is minimized when the lens is stopped down to f/2 and especially f/2.4.
Just like with the Voigtlander 75/1.5, the CV 50/1.5 performs great at MFD starting at f/2.4.
p.1 #20 · Voigtlander 50mm f/1.5 II Aspherical Review
slickturner wrote:
I'd like to see similar shots taken with your Sony a7riv.
Sure, I will post samples with the Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.5 II adapted to the Sony. I will also post side by side Sony vs Leica so we can visualize the difference in rendering due to induced field curvature.
