Voigtlander 35mm f/1.5 Nokton Review

nehemiahphoto
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p.25 #1 · p.25 #1 · Voigtlander 35mm f/1.5 Nokton Review

pmeheut wrote:
This is what I do and I'm very happy with it. I like the bokeh a lot and sharpness is much better than the Summarit 2.4 it replaced.

As for the rest, the Internet is full of people complaining mainly about thing they do not own or do not use.
When it comes to digital pictures today, most of what we "test" does not appear on a big print nor on a screen unless you pixel-peep at 100%.
And most of the "flaws" can easily be corrected in post-processing.

So you choose the lens you want based on price, size, aperture, rendering, i.e. bokeh,...Show more →

This is true.

As an informative exercise for myself, I went through my portfolio (my own unbiased keepers over a long period) and I tallied up every photo shot with a 35mm lens. And then, I denoted which 35mm was used.

The point is— did the high micro contrast, or the slightly busier bokeh or a midzone dip, or axial CA really make a difference in real world photos? Or is it just more of a testing and nerdy gripe I have?

My data revealed several helpful aspects for me, and changed my paradigm for how I think about (and purchase) lenses.

Jan 31, 2023 at 11:58 AM

rramesh
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p.25 #2 · p.25 #2 · Voigtlander 35mm f/1.5 Nokton Review

The thing about buying lenses, like all other equipment, is to buy what you need and within your means.

There is no point reading into reviews without first getting these parameters defined.

In my case, I set these are my criteria:

a) A fast 35 lens
b) Compact
c) Suitable for street, i.e. must have a tab focus and a nice focus throw
d) Modern design
e) Reasonable bokeh for those night shots
f) Priced below USD 1K

With that in mind, I read forums and reviews. Buying this lens was a no brainer.

Jan 31, 2023 at 10:40 PM

phinix
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p.25 #3 · p.25 #3 · Voigtlander 35mm f/1.5 Nokton Review

rramesh wrote:
The thing about buying lenses, like all other equipment, is to buy what you need and within your means.

There is no point reading into reviews without first getting these parameters defined.

In my case, I set these are my criteria:

a) A fast 35 lens
b) Compact
c) Suitable for street, i.e. must have a tab focus and a nice focus throw
d) Modern design
e) Reasonable bokeh for those night shots
f) Priced below USD 1K

With that in mind, I read forums and reviews. Buying this lens was a no brainer.

I'm curious - why do you need tab focus for street?

Feb 01, 2023 at 02:42 AM

rramesh
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p.25 #4 · p.25 #4 · Voigtlander 35mm f/1.5 Nokton Review

I'm curious - why do you need tab focus for street?

For street, it's easy to move the ring without looking, useful for zone focusing.

Feb 01, 2023 at 05:57 AM

phinix
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p.25 #5 · p.25 #5 · Voigtlander 35mm f/1.5 Nokton Review

For street, it's easy to move the ring without looking, useful for zone focusing.

I see, thanks. Yeah, I need to learn zone focusing, must be a lot easier for street with MF lens. Many times I lost the moment because of slow focus.

Feb 01, 2023 at 09:04 AM

marcelography
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p.25 #6 · p.25 #6 · Voigtlander 35mm f/1.5 Nokton Review

initial impressions: got the 35/1.5 couple weeks ago while travelling but was using it on the A7iii with the VM-E adapter. It felt pretty amazing really: tiny and light, felt somewhat like the 35/1.4 Noktons only slightly longer but also slightly lighter. Even with the whole RF lens into Sony body curved focal plane issue (which affects all lenses really) due to the sensor filter, it was pretty lovely to shoot with, ergonomics wise, and image wise it felt pleasant overall - yes, midframe isn't as sharp as the center, also if nailed focus and then recomposed to have the focus goal by midframe there was a perceivable drop in sharpness but if I set the actual magnifier to that spot, it is decent enough. that perceived drop in sharpness could be potentialised by the actual distance to what has been focused being slightly longer due to the reframing. Added the Shapeways 35/2.5 3D printed hood and it worked like a charm on covering the chrome ring, while also giving it some protection.

On the M10, I've taken a few shots at home but haven't done any controlled testing, but so far: it balances so nicely on the M10 body, the set feels pretty light which is most welcome. The shots I've taken with it look pretty sharp where I focused, what is a bit annoying is that there is no Lightroom profile for it yet so doing the few corrections that are needed manually.

I'll compare it to the 40/1.2 on the M10 when I have some time, a bit pressed with projects lately! But quite curious on the outcome, as it doesn't quite make sense for me to keep two lenses that have a rather similar appeal, each with their own pros and cons. One should likely stay, and the other find a new home.

Feb 03, 2023 at 12:00 PM

phinix
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p.25 #7 · p.25 #7 · Voigtlander 35mm f/1.5 Nokton Review

marcelography wrote:
initial impressions: got the 35/1.5 couple weeks ago while travelling but was using it on the A7iii with the VM-E adapter. It felt pretty amazing really: tiny and light, felt somewhat like the 35/1.4 Noktons only slightly longer but also slightly lighter. Even with the whole RF lens into Sony body curved focal plane issue (which affects all lenses really) due to the sensor filter, it was pretty lovely to shoot with, ergonomics wise, and image wise it felt pleasant overall - yes, midframe isn't as sharp as the center, also if nailed focus and then recomposed to have the...Show more →

Awesome to hear. Please let us know what you think about it compared to 40/1.2. I'm in the same position so really would like to see what you going to decide.

Feb 03, 2023 at 01:05 PM

phinix
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p.25 #8 · p.25 #8 · Voigtlander 35mm f/1.5 Nokton Review

I cannot find any examples of photos made with this lens in low light conditions - how does it perform in very low light? Is it good, like close to Voigtlanders f1.2 lens? or is the gap in aperture big enough to affect hugely low light performance?

Feb 07, 2023 at 05:00 PM

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