been using this on the a7c with the haoge close focus adapter (really good).
a really great mod I found was to order the tilta focus gear ring (62.5 to 64.5mm), I was originally gonna use this lens for video but it's now glued to my a7c and the focus gear ring makes it even easier to focus critically quickly.
with the close adapter plus an achromat, it's an excellent semi macro as well, really great all rounder.
ftllens wrote:
been using this on the a7c with the haoge close focus adapter (really good).
a really great mod I found was to order the tilta focus gear ring (62.5 to 64.5mm), I was originally gonna use this lens for video but it's now glued to my a7c and the focus gear ring makes it even easier to focus critically quickly.
with the close adapter plus an achromat, it's an excellent semi macro as well, really great all rounder.
Would love to see some sample images of this. I used to the close focus adapter with a Canon Dream Lens and loved the results on a Sony a7RIII, and I'm wondering how the Voigtlander would compare...
have any specific shot type requests? or if you show me the dream lens shots I can try to get similar ones for you to compare
selahsean wrote:
Would love to see some sample images of this. I used to the close focus adapter with a Canon Dream Lens and loved the results on a Sony a7RIII, and I'm wondering how the Voigtlander would compare...
even wo it's pretty sharp adapted imo and with the close focus functionality, the bg gets really smooth so for a few days I've been using it in crop mode for like a 75 1.5!
selahsean wrote:
If you have any with people that would be great. I was using the Dream Lens plus the VM-E close focus for portraits mainly.
ftllens wrote:
here are some processed ones mostly WO
even wo it's pretty sharp adapted imo and with the close focus functionality, the bg gets really smooth so for a few days I've been using it in crop mode for like a 75 1.5!
Which achromatic close-up "filter" do you refer to as working excellently with this lens?
I have Canon 500D (+2 diopter) and Tokina AT-X MC (+0.4 diopter), but might get a stronger one some day.
ftllens wrote:
been using this on the a7c with the haoge close focus adapter (really good).
a really great mod I found was to order the tilta focus gear ring (62.5 to 64.5mm), I was originally gonna use this lens for video but it's now glued to my a7c and the focus gear ring makes it even easier to focus critically quickly.
with the close adapter plus an achromat, it's an excellent semi macro as well, really great all rounder.
Matt Kerby wrote:
Just bought another one of these. Sold my Noctilux .95 (I just never used it) will be nice to have the CVf/1 back.
I get it tomorrow, but...
Just received a marketing email from CameraQuest This was part of it, thought it was cool
Fred Miranda wrote:
How do you like the CV 50/1 Nokton compared to your previous Noctilux Mark?
I mostly like it. This is my second copy, I think my first was the one I bought from you. It's very sharp wide open and weighs so much less. Purple fringing is better. I like the aberrations it allows. Some character but not too much. The focus is a little stiff, might just need to be used more. Great lens for B&W walkaround where I'm focused on close range subjects. Whereas I preferred to shoot color with the .95.
I hear the experts talk about the downsides of the CV f1 lens and that the 1.2 is "better" and it might well be, I just didn't bond with it like I wanted to, both mine weren't as sharp as my f1 wide open (owned it twice)
My Noctilux .95 was just too huge. It's definitely a niche' lens. It can certainly give you a special look, that muted wide open tone (hard to explain) but I just never carried it. Also, it's $10-12K, It's like a piece of jewelry and I was always afraid I was gonna scratch it.
I also have the new Noctilux 50/1.2 which is a somewhat controversial lens. Mine seems to be sharper than most that I've seen and actually it's a pretty cool lens. But, the draw resembles my Pre-asph v2 50 Summilux rendering so much, (which I really like) it mostly spends it's days in the safe because I might as well use the lux.
The CV enables me to get that Noct "look" with a lens I'll carry because the size is "reasonable" and I'm not worried about bumping it into anything.
Matt Kerby wrote:
I mostly like it. This is my second copy, I think my first was the one I bought from you. It's very sharp wide open and weighs so much less. Purple fringing is better. I like the aberrations it allows. Some character but not too much. The focus is a little stiff, might just need to be used more. Great lens for B&W walkaround where I'm focused on close range subjects. Whereas I preferred to shoot color with the .95.
I hear the experts talk about the downsides of the CV f1 lens and that the 1.2 is "better" and it might well be, I just didn't bond with it like I wanted to, both mine weren't as sharp as my f1 wide open (owned it twice)
My Noctilux .95 was just too huge. It's definitely a niche' lens. It can certainly give you a special look, that muted wide open tone (hard to explain) but I just never carried it. Also, it's $10-12K, It's like a piece of jewelry and I was always afraid I was gonna scratch it.
I also have the new Noctilux 50/1.2 which is a somewhat controversial lens. Mine seems to be sharper than most that I've seen and actually it's a pretty cool lens. But, the draw resembles my Pre-asph v2 50 Summilux rendering so much, (which I really like) it mostly spends it's days in the safe because I might as well use the lux.
The CV enables me to get that Noct "look" with a lens I'll carry because the size is "reasonable" and I'm not worried about bumping it into anything.
I had forgotten you bought my lens!
If you want to recreate the look of the 50/1 Noctilux, consider getting a used CV 50/1.1 Nokton instead. I've compared them directly, and the character is quite alike. The primary distinction is the greater contrast and sharpness in the Voigtlander lens.
I haven't tried the 50/1.2 Noctilux, but I do appreciate its image characteristics in certain situations. However, I lean more towards the 50/1 for my preference.
I think I’ll pick up a copy of this lens. A CV 28/2 ASPH as a generalist and this as a specialist is a fun combo. Loved the CV 28/2 + ZM 50/1.5 or Noct combo.
nehemiahphoto wrote:
I think I’ll pick up a copy of this lens. A CV 28/2 ASPH as a generalist and this as a specialist is a fun combo. Loved the CV 28/2 + ZM 50/1.5 or Noct combo.
I think the VM 21mm 1.4 is a better match. Ergonomics are very similar down to the same filter thread
and they have similar image quality also thanks to both featuring a floating elements design.
This is my first experience with a 50mm F1.0-1.2 lens though I am very familiar with several F1.4 offerings.
First, I want to say thanks to Fred for the wonderful write up on this and the contributions from many others here. Also, to BastianK at phillipreeve.net for his wonderful write up comparing fast 50s recently...much respect given.
Your review helped make the decision to plunk down the cash for this lens. For those of us without deep pockets it really makes a difference. I find the aspects of this lens that many complain about to be the main reasons I love it (optical vignetting, edge oof details, swirl, reverse field curvature etc). To me this lens combines modern contrast, color, and field of focus capabilities necessary for decent digital sensor capture with many of the beautiful flaws of vintage fast glass. It is by far my favorite offering by Voigtlander atm.
Im currently on the fence about making an exchange of my new acquisition based on a few observations made from my copy. For such an expensive manual prime lens I have high expectations. I would love some feedback about my particular lens from the likes of Highdesertmesa, Lifeandmylens, Fred, and any others that have had a few specimens through their hands to compare. What are some realistic expectations of performance vs sample variation on a lens such as this? With my lens I feel that contrast and field of focus are very nice. It is well centered so no issue here. However, my lens isnt that sharp wide open where sharpness seems to exist in a hair width between the glow of green and magenta aberrations on either side of best focus (in center frame where I care about it most). Also, like josh-himes my lens focuses well passed infinity at the hard stop wide open or stopped down by quite a bit. It is however pretty spot on at close to mid distances for RF focus wide open on both my M10-R and my M10-M.
Below I will post some testing image data I have collected from it in hopes of some opinions to help me make the best decision possible for what is a substantial investment on my part. Bear with me...I dont post much and so hopefully I get the uploads right enough to gather a decent opinion from.
All images made at ISO 100 on the M10-R white balance 5000k. No sharpening at all and no post processing. Just straight exports of the RAWs with the original camera color profile attached.
First, is a comparison handheld at close to MFD of a recent 50mm Lux ASPH at F1.4 and the Nokton at F1. Just to get a reference for look and detail rendered on a real life 3D subject in high contrast light (My main concern here with this lens is performance on center).
Second, is a test I conducted on a star chart from about 7ft away with both lenses at F1.4 and cropped by 200% in order to see real detail differences on the central part of the frame. I made several takes racking the focus ever so slightly between green to magenta transition of sharpest focus and picked the very best ones for comparison here.
Third, is the field of focus of my lens (exaggerated with detail sliders in Lightroom) to show the ever so slight left downward tilt it has throughout the range from about 4ft to 10ft.
All of my tests followed consistently when conducted on the M10-M and so I feel no reason to add them in here.
Thank you for any opinions offered on my behalf.
