I’m really curious to see how it will compare next to my 21mm Nokton. The Nokton is already pretty good, but the Simera sounds very promising. And it comes in silver as well ✨
Edit: 899 euros
Jun 23, 2025 at 07:53 AM
Steve Spencer Offline • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: On
I’m really curious to see how it will compare next to my 21mm Nokton. The Nokton is already pretty good, but the Simera sounds very promising. And it comes in silver as well ✨
Edit: 899 euros
Looks like a very nice lens and is even a little lighter than the VM Nokton. The Sony version of the Nokton focusses to .25M, and performs very well at that distance, so it isn't surprising that a fast 21mm lens with and FLE can do that.
gammarART wrote:
For an M mount lens, it’s still quite a surprise. I’m not aware of any lens that comes close to that level of performance natively.
As you know Leica has been improving the MFD of many of their lenses with new releases and the new lenses they have introduced have shorter MFDs too. For example the new M mount 35 f/2 APO has an MFD of .3M which is about the same magnification (actually slightly better) as this Thypoch 21 f/1.4. Voigtlander has moved the MFD to .5M on most of their lenses as well, but not the really short distances of the new Thypoch Simera lenses. A short MFD and floating elements designs to enhance performance at the short distances is something they all share.
Fred Miranda wrote:
Why are youtube reviews so much more prone to bias?
Probably because a nuanced review won't get as many clicks as one with a title telling you something is "AMAZING" or "COMPLETE GARBAGE". Polarizing content means engagement which is the name of the game.
There are times when I think YouTube is very useful, but I don't think I've ever watched a lens review.
I think it’s largely video medium— there’s really no way to verify with crops or systematic testing like a solid written review. Or at least it’s way harder and it caters to a different/less sophisticated crowd.
It’s the same with a lot of political stuff— if you say it enough, and it is harder to verify than to speak it, it becomes true for a lot of people. Plus, all these people receive lenses from Thypoch and they’re just desperate for views and content.
A lot of these “content creators” aren’t that technical in my opinion. And their hands are tied by Thypoch—say bad things about the lenses, or even lukewarm, I doubt you’ll be getting more lenses before release.
And to be honest, I don’t think a lot of of them are very good photographers. Having a successful YouTube channel does not mean being intelligent terms of optical knowledge or an accomplished photographer. That’s just my two cents.
Fred Miranda wrote:
Why are youtube reviews so much more prone to bias?
@nehemiahphoto makes a lot of great points, that are even more amplified for other activities that are less visually-oriented in nature. When I was a complete beginner at kayaking, I thought I'd landed on another planet after I took my first lesson and joined a social paddling group.
I went in on the 21 on day one without seeing photos or reviews.
Sadly the lens hood is bugging me. It is a couple degrees too far clockwise when fully locked in at the stop. If I twist it just out of the detent/stop it looks horizontal. Shop knows and already fed back to Thypoch. Going back to the shop this weekend to see if I can swap the hood or the whole set.
i had the 21 Nokton for use on Leica M bodies, can’t complain at all about image quality. It was fantastic. My biggest issue was the width of the lens, not even the length. The Thypoch 21 definitely fixed that. Here is a review also comparing the Thypoch 21 and the Voigtlander 21, showing several side by side photos. Biggest takeaway, the Thypoch is great that it can focus to .23 and the weight/size savings looks fantastic, but the Voigtlander wins in image quality across the board in my opinion. The sample images in here align with other samples I’ve been seeing - not as sharp as the Voigtlander….or from what I was expecting from MTF charts to be honest
I wonder which of the two 21mm 1.4 lenses focuses better: the Thypoch with its focus ring directly above the mount or the Voigtländer, which has its focus ring positioned more centrally.
And yes, the Voigtländer does appear larger in diameter. However, at least the filter thread size seems to be identical (62mm).
Jun 24, 2025 at 06:04 AM
Steve Spencer Offline • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: On
rsolti13 wrote:
i had the 21 Nokton for use on Leica M bodies, can’t complain at all about image quality. It was fantastic. My biggest issue was the width of the lens, not even the length. The Thypoch 21 definitely fixed that. Here is a review also comparing the Thypoch 21 and the Voigtlander 21, showing several side by side photos. Biggest takeaway, the Thypoch is great that it can focus to .23 and the weight/size savings looks fantastic, but the Voigtlander wins in image quality across the board in my opinion. The sample images in here align with other samples I’ve been seeing - not as sharp as the Voigtlander….or from what I was expecting from MTF charts to be honest
One should also keep in mind that there is a Sony E mount version of the Voigtlander lens that has a very similar MFD (.25mm) to the Thypoch lens. As I don't find Leica M cameras to be very easy to use for short focus distance (i.e., below .7M) if that is something I really care about, then I am not going to be using a Leica M camera. I would instead be using a Sony camera or a Nikon camera with the Sony E mount version of this lens adapted.
The Sony E mount Voigtlander 21 f/1.4 is one of my favorite lenses. It is a bit bigger in diameter than even the Leica M version, but it has a little lower vignetting. It also has a longer focus throw which I appreciate. I sometimes wish the Sony E mount version were a little smaller, but I sure appreciate the wonderful performance and ergonomics it provides. I am very happy with the tradeoff of a bit bigger size for better performance and functioning.
