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Voigtlander 50mm f/1 Nokton Review

RexGig0
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p.25 #1 · p.25 #1 · Voigtlander 50mm f/1 Nokton Review

HelenaN wrote:
First one at f/1 and most of the others at f/2.8.
I should probably have stopped down the lens a bit more for some of them, but I'm not used to macro photography.

Macro photography need not be stopped-down. It is a matter of your artistic vision.

Beautiful images!

Jan 23, 2023 at 12:10 PM

_jim_
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p.25 #2 · p.25 #2 · Voigtlander 50mm f/1 Nokton Review

I love my 50mm f/1, but I have two gripes (one of which isn't really a gripe, but an admission of personal limitation):

1. It is incredibly hard to nail focus with a rangefinder. I recently picked up a Light Lens Lab 1.4x focus magnifier/diopter and that seems to help a little. This point should be obvious. Still, when I can actually hit correct focus it makes the missed shots worth it.

2. My copy developed play in the focus guide (?) very soon after purchase. I sent it back to the seller for warranty repair. They returned the lens to me exactly as it was with no explanation or repair of the issue.

At any rate, here are some of my shots on film:

Tim Knight of Guitar Castle by Jim Fischer, on Flickr
Leica M5, Voigtlander 50mm f/1 Nokton VM, Kodak Ektar 100.

Perrydale, OR by Jim Fischer, on Flickr
Leica M5, Voigtlander 50mm f/1 Nokton VM, Kodak Ektar 100.

Perrydale, OR by Jim Fischer, on Flickr
Leica M5, Voigtlander 50mm f/1 Nokton VM, Kodak T-Max 400, Xtol.

No Clos Radio by Jim Fischer, on Flickr
Leica M5, Voigtlander 50mm f/1 Nokton VM, Ilford FP4+, Xtol 1:1

Jenny by Jim Fischer, on Flickr
Leica M5, Voigtlander 50mm f/1 Nokton VM, Ilford FP4+, Xtol 1:1

No Clos Radio by Jim Fischer, on Flickr
Leica M5, Voigtlander 50mm f/1 Nokton VM, Ilford FP4+, Xtol 1:1

Eben by Jim Fischer, on Flickr
Leica M5, Voigtlander 50mm f/1 Nokton VM, Ilford FP4+, Xtol 1:1

Mom at Xmas Dinner by Jim Fischer, on Flickr
Leica M5, Voigtlander 50mm f/1 Nokton VM, Kodak T-Max 400, Xtol 1:1

Jenny by Jim Fischer, on Flickr
Leica M5, Voigtlander 50mm f/1 Nokton VM, Kodak T-Max 400, Xtol 1:1

Hannah by Jim Fischer, on Flickr
Leica M5, Voigtlander 50mm f/1 Nokton VM, Kodak T-Max 400, Xtol 1:1

Jordan by Jim Fischer, on Flickr
Leica M5, Voigtlander 50mm f/1 Nokton VM, Kodak T-Max 400, Xtol 1:1

Edited on Feb 05, 2023 at 06:21 PM · View previous versions

Jan 23, 2023 at 02:26 PM

Alan Parker
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p.25 #3 · p.25 #3 · Voigtlander 50mm f/1 Nokton Review

_jim_ wrote:
I love my 50mm f/1, but I have two gripes (one of which isn't really a gripe, but an admission of personal limitation):
At any rate, here are some of my shots on film.

What a cool portfolio/Flickr page you have. My compliments

Your main subjects go very well together with the Voigtlander and film look.

Jan 23, 2023 at 02:33 PM

lifeandmylens
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p.25 #4 · p.25 #4 · Voigtlander 50mm f/1 Nokton Review

_jim_ wrote:
I love my 50mm f/1, but I have two gripes (one of which isn't really a gripe, but an admission of personal limitation):

1. It is incredibly hard to nail focus with a rangefinder. I recently picked up a Light Lens Lab 1.4x focus magnifier/diopter and that seems to help a little. This point should be obvious. Still, when I can actually hit correct focus it makes the missed shots worth it.

2. My copy developed play in the focus guide (?) very soon after purchase. I sent it back to the seller for warranty repair. They returned the lens to me...Show more →

Wonderful images!

Jan 23, 2023 at 02:59 PM

rscheffler
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p.25 #5 · p.25 #5 · Voigtlander 50mm f/1 Nokton Review

HelenaN wrote:
First one at f/1 and most of the others at f/2.8.
I should probably have stopped down the lens a bit more for some of them, but I'm not used to macro photography.

Thanks! I was just curious because the lens looks really good for such close distances at wide apertures. Other fast 50s tend to dissolve into a sea of spherical aberrations (can also be nice if used to good effect).

Jan 23, 2023 at 11:58 PM

HelenaN
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p.25 #6 · p.25 #6 · Voigtlander 50mm f/1 Nokton Review

rscheffler wrote:
Thanks! I was just curious because the lens looks really good for such close distances at wide apertures. Other fast 50s tend to dissolve into a sea of spherical aberrations (can also be nice if used to good effect).

Yes, it's impressively sharp and clear wide open even at close distance. Stopping down is just about DoF. Most of my other lenses have "glow" wide open at close focus. Like you said it can be a nice effect, but it's nice to also have a lens which doesn't.

I find the 50/1 incredibly versatile. It can easily handle everything I like to shoot. Besides everything else: On my Sony it is sharp all the way to the corners at f/5.6, so it's great for landscapes too. Also, it has the shortest DoF of all my lenses even when used at the same apertures.
Very happy with this lens.

Jan 24, 2023 at 03:33 AM

highdesertmesa
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p.25 #7 · p.25 #7 · Voigtlander 50mm f/1 Nokton Review

HelenaN wrote:
Yes, it's impressively sharp and clear wide open even at close distance. Stopping down is just about DoF. Most of my other lenses have "glow" wide open at close focus. Like you said it can be a nice effect, but it's nice to also have a lens which doesn't.

I find the 50/1 incredibly versatile. It can easily handle everything I like to shoot. Besides everything else: On my Sony it is sharp all the way to the corners at f/5.6, so it's great for landscapes too. Also, it has the shortest DoF of all my lenses even when used...Show more →

This is what's so great about this lens – it's exceptionally sharp at f/1 at the point of focus no matter where the point of focus is in the frame.

[Edited to remove my previous comment about landscape caveats. My first copy had field curvature at infinity that required some adaptation, but my second copy is much better at infinity and has much flatter field.]

Edited on Jan 28, 2023 at 09:52 PM · View previous versions

Jan 24, 2023 at 12:45 PM

LarsHP
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p.25 #8 · p.25 #8 · Voigtlander 50mm f/1 Nokton Review

highdesertmesa wrote:
Sorry I missed this response. When you put your reply above the quoted text, the forum doesn't notify the person you're quoting that they were quoted

The point I was trying to make was if Voigtlander lenses were designed and made in Germany and Leicas in Japan, the prices would probably reverse. Since this will never happen, there will always be a big disparity in the price. And I think expecting Leica to reduce the price of the current 0.95 Noct simply because Voigtlander hit a home run with the 50 f/1 is unrealistic. You could make the same argument...Show more →

Didn't know that. I will type below when quoting from now on. I think it was on mobile, and there was free space above the quote, so there it ended...

My point (in the second paragraph) regarding Leica pricing was that Leica increase their prices even though the lens was designed up to twenty-five years ago (like the 90mm Apo-M). A more sensible pricing policy would for instance be to just keep the original price and let inflation do its work. Instead, Leica keeps increasing the price, and for this reason, the price to performance ratio goes progressively down.

Regarding assembling tolerance, I expect this to be the same for all high quality manufacturers of similar spec'ed lenses. Why don't I have the otherwise wonderful 28mm Summicron-M Asph II? Because it performed poorer than, or at best on the same level as, the Ultron II in almost every way. I sent the 'cron to Wetzlar twice for optical adjustment. Did it get better from these two services? No. It behaved differently, and partly worse. So, the idea that Leica has a higher standard regarding lens assembly is not supported. From reports, I have read, this unfortunately also applies to current Leica cameras. Recently, a Leica reseller told a customer that he should expect to send in the (new) M camera within a year or two. Regarding production quality, Leica isn't what it once was, I'm afraid.

EDIT: "high quality" added in front of "manufacturers"

Edited on Jan 26, 2023 at 09:40 AM · View previous versions

Jan 26, 2023 at 07:53 AM

Steve Spencer
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p.25 #9 · p.25 #9 · Voigtlander 50mm f/1 Nokton Review

LarsHP wrote:
Didn't know that. I will type below when quoting from now on. I think it was on mobile, and there was free space above the quote, so there it ended...

My point (in the second paragraph) regarding Leica pricing was that Leica increase their prices even though the lens was designed up to twenty-five years ago (like the 90mm Apo-M). A more sensible pricing policy would for instance be to just keep the original price and let inflation do its work. Instead, Leica keeps increasing the price, and for this reason, the price to performance ratio goes progressively down.

Regarding...Show more →

Hi Lars,

A couple points to consider:

First regarding pricing for Leica products, there is a big difference between new and used prices. I have had quite a bit of Leica gear over the years, but I have never bought anything new. One usually nice thing about used prices is they are almost by definition set by the market. Prices are what people are willing to pay, and therefore what the market (all the people considering buying the product) think it is worth. It certainly isn't a perfect system for pricing as sometimes people can value things in crazy ways and supply and demand can set some weird values, but it also generally works and if you can avoid fads and things in really low supply and you shop reasonably well you typical can buy things at a pretty good value and resale can be made with only modest depreciation. On the dozen or so Leica products I have bought used, I don't think I have had a bad deal on any of them and I have sold all but four of those Leica products all with very little depreciation.

Buying Leica new, however, is often a recipe for losing a fairly large amount in depreciation. Leica new prices for many products are not at all trying to be competitive in the market and are sold as luxury goods into a market that has little to no competition for many of these products. When the used market set the value of these products quite often the drop in price from new to used is steep. I think that too is to be expected given the nature of Leica as a company.

Now, with regard to assembling tolerances I don't think you can draw the inferences that you do even if we take the very small number of instances you report as representative of what happens on a larger scale. Leica might have higher manufacturing tolerances, but also have designs that require tighter tolerances. How precise the assembly that is required is an important part of lens design (see the Lens Rental Blog where these issues have been discussed a fair bit). A lens like the new Leica M 35 f/2 APO, which is much smaller than the Voigtlander 35 f/2 APO might require much tighter (i.e., precise) lens assembly than the Voigtlander lens. If they have the same rate of lenses that are not within spec, then Leica does indeed have tighter assembly which allows them to make lenses with different characteristics (in this case a much smaller size) but it doesn't mean their lenses are any less likely to have problems. I suspect that such a situation often exists for Leica. The build lenses that are hard to build because they have tighter assembly, but because these lenses are hard to build they have just as many bad copies and perhaps even more than lenses that are easier to build. The big questions for use is, "how many lenses are out of spec for each type of lens we are considering?" Unfortunately we really don't ever know the answer to that question, and just because Leica has tighter manufacturing tolerances (which I suspect is true although it might not be), does not mean they will have fewer lenses that are out of spec as manufacturing tolerances is only one side of the equation, design of the lens and how easy it is to build is at least as important.

Finally, Leica M cameras are a mechanical devises and as such they have to be adjusted from time to time. You should know that if you buy a Leica M camera. If you want to use a rangefinder it will probably always be that way. If you don't want to use a rangefinder a Leica M probably isn't for you, and if you want a camera that doesn't need to be adjusted from time to time, then a Leica M probably isn't for you.

Jan 26, 2023 at 08:41 AM

LarsHP
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p.25 #10 · p.25 #10 · Voigtlander 50mm f/1 Nokton Review

Steve Spencer wrote:
Hi Lars,

A couple points to consider:

First regarding pricing for Leica products, there is a big difference between new and used prices. I have had quite a bit of Leica gear over the years, but I have never bought anything new. One usually nice thing about used prices is they are almost by definition set by the market. Prices are what people are willing to pay, and therefore what the market (all the people considering buying the product) think it is worth. It certainly isn't a perfect system for pricing as sometimes people can value things in crazy ways and supply and demand can set some weird values, but it also generally works and if you can avoid fads and things in really low supply and you shop reasonably well you typical can buy things at a pretty good value and resale can be made with only modest depreciation. On the dozen or so Leica products I have bought used, I don't think I have had a bad deal on any of them and I have sold all but four of those Leica products all with very little depreciation.

Buying Leica new, however, is often a recipe for losing a fairly large amount in depreciation. Leica new prices for many products are not at all trying to be competitive in the market and are sold as luxury goods into a market that has little to no competition for many of these products. When the used market set the value of these products quite often the drop in price from new to used is steep. I think that too is to be expected given the nature of Leica as a company.

Now, with regard to assembling tolerances I don't think you can draw the inferences that you do even if we take the very small number of instances you report as representative of what happens on a larger scale. Leica might have higher manufacturing tolerances, but also have designs that require tighter tolerances. How precise the assembly that is required is an important part of lens design (see the Lens Rental Blog where these issues have been discussed a fair bit). A lens like the new Leica M 35 f/2 APO, which is much smaller than the Voigtlander 35 f/2 APO might require much tighter (i.e., precise) lens assembly than the Voigtlander lens. If they have the same rate of lenses that are not within spec, then Leica does indeed have tighter assembly which allows them to make lenses with different characteristics (in this case a much smaller size) but it doesn't mean their lenses are any less likely to have problems. I suspect that such a situation often exists for Leica. The build lenses that are hard to build because they have tighter assembly, but because these lenses are hard to build they have just as many bad copies and perhaps even more than lenses that are easier to build. The big questions for use is, "how many lenses are out of spec for each type of lens we are considering?" Unfortunately we really don't ever know the answer to that question, and just because Leica has tighter manufacturing tolerances (which I suspect is true although it might not be), does not mean they will have fewer lenses that are out of spec as manufacturing tolerances is only one side of the equation, design of the lens and how easy it is to build is at least as important.

Finally, Leica M cameras are a mechanical devises and as such they have to be adjusted from time to time. You should know that if you buy a Leica M camera. If you want to use a rangefinder it will probably always be that way. If you don't want to use a rangefinder a Leica M probably isn't for you, and if you want a camera that doesn't need to be adjusted from time to time, then a Leica M probably isn't for you....Show more →

We agree completely regarding buying used Leica lenses. However, selling used lenses with no or small loss applies to other quality brands too.

Regarding the assumed higher production quality of Leica gear, I have read way too many reports, including from reviewers, saying that Leica is unimpressive (my word) in this regard. Not bad, but not nearly as great as Leica wants us to believe. Note that I refer to the last twenty years or so.

This also applies to things like greasing of focus system. A repair man said to me that Leica uses graphite instead of grease (at least in some lenses) and that this may be the reason why my 90mm Apo-Summicron-M needs a CLA. No other modern lens I have owned has had such an issue.

My impression is that things were better with Leica in the analog days. That includes value for money, production tolerances, optical performance etc. When I had my Leica M4-2 with 21mm Super-Angulon, 35 and 50mm Summicron and 90mm Tele-Elmarit, you could see the difference in the images compared to images made with Nikon and Canon for instance. And by the way, I never had to send in anything for service in the decade I had the set.

Jan 26, 2023 at 10:09 AM

highdesertmesa
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p.25 #11 · p.25 #11 · Voigtlander 50mm f/1 Nokton Review

LarsHP wrote:
We agree completely regarding buying used Leica lenses. However, selling used lenses with no or small loss applies to other quality brands too.

Regarding the assumed higher production quality of Leica gear, I have read way too many reports, including from reviewers, saying that Leica is unimpressive (my word) in this regard. Not bad, but not nearly as great as Leica wants us to believe. Note that I refer to the last twenty years or so.

This also applies to things like greasing of focus system. A repair man said to me that Leica uses graphite instead of grease (at...Show more →

Re: tolerances. I'm quoting this reply, but also referring to your reply to me. I was speaking to the tolerance required by the designs of the lenses, not how often they hit that goal of getting it right. As Steve referenced, the 35 M APO tolerances are so difficult, I heard there was one person assembling them, and they needed small enough hands to actually do the work. Not all their lenses are like this, though, so your point on many of them is valid. For example, all M lenses that are out of spec can be repaired perfectly by DAG, but Leica doesn't always hit the mark even on the warranty claim for adjustment.

Jan 26, 2023 at 03:33 PM

highdesertmesa
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p.25 #12 · p.25 #12 · Voigtlander 50mm f/1 Nokton Review

goodbokeh wrote:
HDM, do you plan to repurchase the Voigtlander 50/1.0 for your new SL2-S Reporter? Or maybe the new re-issued Leica 50/1.2 Noct as a salute to your R3 Safari?

Evidently I lied in my previous reply. I didn't intend on buying the CV 50 f/1 again, but I just did

I also bought the LLL Elcan 50 as my small and light 50, so I can use them interchangeably.

Jan 27, 2023 at 12:34 PM

jbcameradesigns
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p.25 #13 · p.25 #13 · Voigtlander 50mm f/1 Nokton Review

highdesertmesa wrote:
Evidently I lied in my previous reply. I didn't intend on buying the CV 50 f/1 again, but I just did

I also bought the LLL Elcan 50 as my small and light 50, so I can use them interchangeably.

We are very similar! I have two 50’s for my M262… the VM 50 1.0 and LLL 50 Elcan. I think those two are the perfect 50 combo… for size, rendering and character. Love both of them!

Jan 27, 2023 at 02:18 PM

highdesertmesa
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p.25 #14 · p.25 #14 · Voigtlander 50mm f/1 Nokton Review

jbcameradesigns wrote:
We are very similar! I have two 50’s for my M262… the VM 50 1.0 and LLL 50 Elcan. I think those two are the perfect 50 combo… for size, rendering and character. Love both of them!

Good to hear! I've never tried the Elcan, but the sample images I've seen posted look nice. I originally planned to have just the CV 50 APO as my one 50mm lens, but I ended up going the opposite direction. I decided that for landscape, the CV 50 f/1 at f/8 comes close enough to the APO at f/4 that it would work for my purposes. Also, infinity landscape at f/1 has a unique, ethereal quality – two looks in one for landscape. And although the f/1 is nice for portraits, I thought the Elcan might be more flattering. My wife loves when I use the LLL 8-Element for portraits of her, so I'll see how she feels about being photographed with the Elcan.

Jan 27, 2023 at 03:38 PM

josh-himes
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p.25 #15 · p.25 #15 · Voigtlander 50mm f/1 Nokton Review

highdesertmesa wrote:
This is what's so great about this lens – it's exceptionally sharp at f/1 at the point of focus no matter where the point of focus is in the frame.

For landscape:

– At f/1 through f/2.8: infinity focus is at the hard stop on a correctly-calibrated M rangefinder. The image is centrally very sharp at infinity and naturally fades softer to the edge.
– From f/4 to f/8: infinity focus in the center of the frame is before the hard stop (otherwise you will have sharp edges and a softer center). If you use a rangefinder M and are not using the...Show more →

HDM - I'm curious. It sounds like you now have a 2nd copy of the 50 F1. Does it behave just like the first copy wrt focusing at infinity? Also, was that first copy perfectly calibrated with the M body you were using at the time? Mine is front focusing by a very small (but noticeable) amount wide open on my M11. It also focuses past infinity in the center by a noticeable amount at the hard stop, through at least F4. By about F5.6, the hard stop finally matches up with the increased depth of field and everything looks good across the frame. If I focus selectively nearer the edge at infinity, everything looks pretty good across the frame by about F2.8. That mid-zone dip is definitely noticeable though.

For anyone else who is using the 50 F1 with an M body, what are your experiences with rangefinder calibration wide open at or near mfd?

I just received the lens a few days ago and am trying to decide whether to send it back. I'm more concerned with the poorly calibrated rangefinder focusing than the infinity focus.

Jan 27, 2023 at 09:32 PM

highdesertmesa
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p.25 #16 · p.25 #16 · Voigtlander 50mm f/1 Nokton Review

josh-himes wrote:
HDM - I'm curious. It sounds like you now have a 2nd copy of the 50 F1. Does it behave just like the first copy wrt focusing at infinity? Also, was that first copy perfectly calibrated with the M body you were using at the time? Mine is front focusing by a very small (but noticeable) amount wide open on my M11. It also focuses past infinity in the center by a noticeable amount at the hard stop, through at least F4. By about F5.6, the hard stop finally matches up with the increased depth of field and everything looks...Show more →

The lens arrives tomorrow (Sat 1/28), so I'll test it out then.

On the M11 with my previous copy of the CV 50 f/1:

f/1-2.8: Infinity via the rangefinder patch lined up perfectly at the hard stop. At f/1-2.8, the hard stop provided perfect infinity focus in the center of the frame. The area of perfect focus at infinity at f/1-2.8 is very small in the center, and it quickly fades off to soft and softer as you move toward the edges and corners.

From f/4 and smaller, field curvature takes over, and the center is now soft while the edges of the frame are sharp. From f/4 and smaller, you have to use the EVF or LCD to attain focus in the center of the frame at the taking aperture. Using that method with f/8, you should have a fairly sharp image across the frame except for the midfield, which may be a tiny bit less sharp than the rest when viewing at high magnification later on in C1/LR. f/11 can improve the entire frame a small bit. f/16 will soften the entire frame due to diffraction, so I would avoid it.

I'll test my second copy tomorrow and report back.

Jan 27, 2023 at 10:10 PM

josh-himes
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p.25 #17 · p.25 #17 · Voigtlander 50mm f/1 Nokton Review

highdesertmesa wrote:
The lens arrives tomorrow (Sat 1/28), so I'll test it out then.

On the M11 with my previous copy of the CV 50 f/1:

f/1-2.8: Infinity via the rangefinder patch lined up perfectly at the hard stop. At f/1-2.8, the hard stop provided perfect infinity focus in the center of the frame. The area of perfect focus at infinity at f/1-2.8 is very small in the center, and it quickly fades off to soft and softer as you move toward the edges and corners.

From f/4 and smaller, field curvature takes over, and the center is now soft while the edges of the...Show more →

Thanks in advance. You have an excellent feel for the behavior of your first lens, so I'll be very curious to know if you see any differences with the new one. Thanks for the detailed explanation of your experience focusing at infinity. I wasn't fully appreciating the impact of field curvature at infinity and it was likely throwing off my results. I will test again tomorrow to see if I can replicate your findings.

My concern with the rangefinder focusing is wide open at MFD, not infinity. Mine is front focusing by a small amount, but there is no margin for error wide open. I can make it work by compensating a little as I focus, but it's a hassle. Every other lens I've used with the M11 is spot on at all distances with the rangefinder. Even my 135 APO. What was your experience with the first lens and rangefinder calibration? Weren't you using with an M11 for a while?

Jan 27, 2023 at 10:23 PM

highdesertmesa
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p.25 #18 · p.25 #18 · Voigtlander 50mm f/1 Nokton Review

josh-himes wrote:
Thanks in advance. You have an excellent feel for the behavior of your first lens, so I'll be very curious to know if you see any differences with the new one. Thanks for the detailed explanation of your experience focusing at infinity. I wasn't fully appreciating the impact of field curvature at infinity and it was likely throwing off my results. I will test again tomorrow to see if I can replicate your findings.

My concern with the rangefinder focusing is wide open at MFD, not infinity. Mine is front focusing by a small amount, but there is no margin...Show more →

Yes, I used it with the M11 for a while. Focus at f/1 with the rangefinder was perfect at ~1.5m and beyond, but the big "if" is I couldn't focus and recompose very far away from center without loosing some sharpness because of field curvature at MFD. I didn't use the rangefinder much with it at MFD because it's way too easy for my body to drift forward a bit and be too close for the lens to be in focus at all. I recommend always focusing no closer than 1.5m without using the EVF – it's just too tricky that close up at f/1.

What you might try is at around 1.5m, focus using the rangefinder with a subject in the center of the frame. Then take shots at f/1 through f/2 using half stops, and see which aperture is sharpest. Of course, increasing the DOF may cover up a mis-calibrated lens, but it could be your lens is calibrated for an aperture other than f/1 (which it probably shouldn't be). I had a CV 35 1.4 Nokton Classic II that was perfect with the rangefinder at f/2 but was 6-10" off at f/1.4 and about 5m distance to subject. Returned it.

I only have the SL2-S right now, so I won't be able to test my second copy for rangefinder calibration, only performance in general. I can still test the infinity hard stop since my Hawk's Factory macro adapter has an adjustable and lockable infinity position. I had previously set it using a lens I knew on the M11 hit infinity exactly at the hard stop.

Jan 27, 2023 at 11:00 PM

josh-himes
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p.25 #19 · p.25 #19 · Voigtlander 50mm f/1 Nokton Review

highdesertmesa wrote:
Yes, I used it with the M11 for a while. Focus at f/1 with the rangefinder was perfect at ~1.5m and beyond, but the big "if" is I couldn't focus and recompose very far away from center without loosing some sharpness because of field curvature at MFD. I didn't use the rangefinder much with it at MFD because it's way too easy for my body to drift forward a bit and be too close for the lens to be in focus at all. I recommend always focusing no closer than 1.5m without using the EVF – it's just too tricky...Show more →

Thanks for the additional info. Definitely a good data point to know that your first one was spot on with the M11 RF. I will try to work through a few different apertures at 1.5-2 meters and see if I notice anything that stands out.

I have only been noticing the rangefinder focusing issues wide open from 1-2 meters. It appears to settle in past 2 meters, or the increased distance is masking the error. I evaluated carefully on a tripod after I failed to nail perfect focus in my first tests and that's how I discovered it was front-focusing. I will concede that it is tough to focus & recompose wide open, so I may just be chasing my tail worrying about the rangefinder inaccuracy. As you mentioned, the EVF is definitely a huge help in nailing focus wide open at MFD, but I would still prefer that the lens were calibrated correctly.

If your new copy hits infinity at the hard stop, then that will be another strike against the lens I'm testing and it may end up going back, with the hope of getting one that is calibrated correctly to the rangefinder and doesn't focus past infinity.

Jan 27, 2023 at 11:29 PM

highdesertmesa
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p.25 #20 · p.25 #20 · Voigtlander 50mm f/1 Nokton Review

josh-himes wrote:
Thanks for the additional info. Definitely a good data point to know that your first one was spot on with the M11 RF. I will try to work through a few different apertures at 1.5-2 meters and see if I notice anything that stands out.

I have only been noticing the rangefinder focusing issues wide open from 1-2 meters. It appears to settle in past 2 meters, or the increased distance is masking the error. I evaluated carefully on a tripod after I failed to nail perfect focus in my first tests and that's how I discovered it was front-focusing....Show more →

If the focus patch doesn't align at the hard stop, it would be an instant return for me, especially at this price point.

Jan 27, 2023 at 11:55 PM

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