p.7 #1 · Cosina Voigtländer Septon 40/2 for Sony E and Nikon Z announced for March 2026
Nifty Fifty wrote:
Thanks for sharing your first impressions. However, I must confess that the statement that the lens has no character but personality left me rather perplexed, but thankfully also a little amused.😄
I didn't quite say that, though I agree my wording was a bit ambiguous. What I meant is that it's not a "character lens" in the sense of being low in resolution or contrast or producing glow from SA like the 35/1.4 Nokton for example...but it does have character in its rendering due to its modern double-gauss type design.
I guess the review with rendering tests and comparisons will make it all clearer.
p.7 #7 · Cosina Voigtländer Septon 40/2 for Sony E and Nikon Z announced for March 2026
phinix wrote:
Not enough, 35/1.4 is a must.
21mm is the most wanted one now on Z. Too many APOs.
Nokton classic 35/1.4 was pre-announced for Z and RF just now and will be available for trials at CP+ 2026 (in addition to Septon 40/2 for E and Z which are not listed in CP+ prototype announcement since they were already officially announced a bit earlier).
p.7 #8 · Cosina Voigtländer Septon 40/2 for Sony E and Nikon Z announced for March 2026
Fred Miranda wrote:
Got it in hand this morning and took it for a quick walkaround to get my first impressions before starting the full review.
It's very compact and light, a perfect match for the A7CR. Focusing is easy, with a focus throw of ~ 145 degrees from infinity to 0.3m. The aperture ring is thin but solid, with clear, satisfying clicks. It's not a character lens, being sharp in the focused area while rendering smoothly, and the modern double-gauss design gives it some personality. CA also seems well controlled, making the overall rendering pleasant.
Looking forward to your review, Fred! I'll also try to get some hands-on with the E-mount version at CP+ this Friday. Did you also receive the hood that will be included with the lens? Would be curious to see more about how it looks like in real life and whether the top part is a separate detachable ring.
p.7 #9 · Cosina Voigtländer Septon 40/2 for Sony E and Nikon Z announced for March 2026
The 35 Classic, the most Nok of all Noks to ever Nok.
Unlike contemporary performance-driven lens designs, it intentionally retains aberrations to embody the lens's character and the beauty of its expression.
It would be interesting to compare it to something like the Artralab Nonikkor 35/1.4
p.7 #10 · Cosina Voigtländer Septon 40/2 for Sony E and Nikon Z announced for March 2026
I can totally get disliking the rendering of the 35/1.4 classic. Bokeh is very rough and can be outright jarring in a lot of situations. Same with lens like the 40/1.4 M mount.
Lumping the 40/1.2 into the same conversation, though, is outright ludicrous. Not saying you have to like it, as everyone is entitled to their opinions, but they render absolutely nothing alike.
But it’s OK Scott, you’re also allowed to be wrong about a lens from time to time.
p.7 #11 · Cosina Voigtländer Septon 40/2 for Sony E and Nikon Z announced for March 2026
Jman13 wrote:
I can totally get disliking the rendering of the 35/1.4 classic. Bokeh is very rough and can be outright jarring in a lot of situations. Same with lens like the 40/1.4 M mount.
Lumping the 40/1.2 into the same conversation, though, is outright ludicrous. Not saying you have to like it, as everyone is entitled to their opinions, but they render absolutely nothing alike.
But it’s OK Scott, you’re also allowed to be wrong about a lens from time to time.
There are plenty of similarities about how bokeh is structured across the Nokton lineup. The Classic is by far the most egregious that I've ever seen, but the 1.2 shares plenty of DNA with it at wider apertures...you know, the ones you buy the lens to use, and the ones that supposedly make it special.
I've become convinced that most people simply lack the capacity to notice these things, and thusly, life is MUCH easier for them. How blessed they are!
A user here has generously offered to let me borrow his 1.2 for my shootout, so no worries, samples will tell the tale as always soon enough.
p.7 #12 · Cosina Voigtländer Septon 40/2 for Sony E and Nikon Z announced for March 2026
I shot with it for 3 years and it's among my favorite lenses of all time, so I don't need your samples to tell me what I already know. It is, of course not a perfect lens. Definitely softer at f/1.2 than stopped down, plenty of purple fringing wide open in certain scenarios, and yes, there are instances where LoCA can show up and even make the bokeh not look great. But those situations where it ruins things honestly don't show up in day to day shooting for the most part. In most situations it renders and absolutely beautiful scene...it's not that people can't see that flaws exist...it's that there are many people who can appreciate the way a lens draws when it's aesthetically pleasing, even if not clinically perfect.
p.7 #13 · Cosina Voigtländer Septon 40/2 for Sony E and Nikon Z announced for March 2026
Jman13 wrote:
I shot with it for 3 years and it's among my favorite lenses of all time, so I don't need your samples to tell me what I already know. It is, of course not a perfect lens. Definitely softer at f/1.2 than stopped down, plenty of purple fringing wide open in certain scenarios, and yes, there are instances where LoCA can show up and even make the bokeh not look great. But those situations where it ruins things honestly don't show up in day to day shooting for the most part. In most situations it renders and absolutely beautiful scene...it's not that people can't see that flaws exist...it's that there are many people who can appreciate the way a lens draws when it's aesthetically pleasing, even if not clinically perfect. ...Show more →
Duh, isn't it obvious that only the perfect lens can produce the perfect bokeh - CV APO that is... .
p.7 #15 · Cosina Voigtländer Septon 40/2 for Sony E and Nikon Z announced for March 2026
The 40mm f1.2 is genuinely one of the most special lenses I've used in my 15 years of shooting. I think it's optical "flaws" really get over blown and truthfully I haven't had a picture ruined from CA in over a decade. I think chasing optical perfection is like chasing utopia. You'll never reach it and in the case of lenses you'll make something without "flaws" but ultimately flat and unappealing. A good lens like the 40mm captures the feeling of the moment better and I have seen people (as well as myself) gravitate to the pictures it renders.
p.7 #16 · Cosina Voigtländer Septon 40/2 for Sony E and Nikon Z announced for March 2026
Juha Kannisto wrote:
Looking forward to your review, Fred! I'll also try to get some hands-on with the E-mount version at CP+ this Friday. Did you also receive the hood that will be included with the lens? Would be curious to see more about how it looks like in real life and whether the top part is a separate detachable ring.
Yes, I have the hood. It adds about 8mm to the overall length, so it stays compact, but the lens is no longer super short once the hood is on. The hood has a dome shaped inner structure that does a good job blocking stray light. This lens can show some veiling when shooting into the sun, so the hood definitely helps if you want to avoid that look. I particularly like some veiling.
What's nice is that the same 52mm front cap fits directly on the lens or on the lens with the hood attached, so there is no need for a different cap.
p.7 #17 · Cosina Voigtländer Septon 40/2 for Sony E and Nikon Z announced for March 2026
Jman13 wrote:
I can totally get disliking the rendering of the 35/1.4 classic. Bokeh is very rough and can be outright jarring in a lot of situations. Same with lens like the 40/1.4 M mount.
Lumping the 40/1.2 into the same conversation, though, is outright ludicrous. Not saying you have to like it, as everyone is entitled to their opinions, but they render absolutely nothing alike.
But it’s OK Scott, you’re also allowed to be wrong about a lens from time to time.
If you do not like the rendering of the CV 35mm f/1.4 Nokton, you probably will not like the Leica 35mm f1.4 Summilux either, since both the CV 35mm f1.4 and 40mm f1.4 Nokton were clearly inspired by that lens design and its rendering style, although Cosina corrected SA a bit more.
p.7 #18 · Cosina Voigtländer Septon 40/2 for Sony E and Nikon Z announced for March 2026
I'm not sure which lens to test against the new 40/2 Septon. I thought about the 40/2.8 Heliar, TTA 40/2 AF and perhaps the 40/1.2 Nokton @f/2. They are the only 40mm lenses I currently own.
Feb 24, 2026 at 11:50 AM
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p.7 #19 · Cosina Voigtländer Septon 40/2 for Sony E and Nikon Z announced for March 2026
Fred Miranda wrote:
I'm not sure which lens to test against the new 40/2 Septon. I thought about the 40/2.8 Heliar, TTA 40/2 AF and perhaps the 40/1.2 Nokton @f/2.
Those are all good choices, but I am sure Sony shooters would like to see it compared to the 40 f/2.5 G. You don't usually test using a Nikon camera, but Nikon shooters would probably like to see it compared to the Z 40 f/2.
p.7 #20 · Cosina Voigtländer Septon 40/2 for Sony E and Nikon Z announced for March 2026
Fred Miranda wrote:
I'm not sure which lens to test against the new 40/2 Septon. I thought about the 40/2.8 Heliar, TTA 40/2 AF and perhaps the 40/1.2 Nokton @f/2. They are the only 40mm lenses I currently own.
Maybe someone living in the US could lend you a copy of the Sony G 2,5/40mm, that would be very interesting!
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