Re: FM Review of the Voigtlander 40mm f/1.2 Nokton
Well, I find your insight very useful, so stick around!
I actually ordered the E mount version and the TAP at the same time after reading this thread. My thoughts before the TAP arrived mirrored @GMPhotography, I suspected that the TAP would be good, but not as good as a dedicated AF lens such as the FE 35 or FE 55. Since trying the TAP, I can say I am amazed how good it is, but for me my prediction holds true, I'll use the TAP, but if I was chasing fast moving kiddo's, I'd probably move to the 35 or 55 for that.
EDIT: For me I see the 40mm as a general purpose walk around lens when I only wanna take one camera and one lens. I've for a longtime been looking for a package similar to the RX1 in size that matched the exceptional 35mm in the RX1, but have never bought an RX1 as I think I'd feel limited by the fix focal length (I did buy a x100f and sold it for that reason). I think this 40mm is the closest I've seen to the awesomeness of that 35mm RX1 lens... in a reasonably sized package. I'm not saying its as good, but its close - IMHO.
GMPhotography wrote: davewolfs wrote:
I think the difference is that 90% of the people here shoot kids. Not gigs 😂
Kids don’t hold still 🤷♂️
I think a lens line that had MF focus + built in support for a AF lens adapter would be pretty cool. Almost like a two piece lens system but actually optimized for Sony.
GMPhotography wrote: Fred Miranda wrote:
They are lovely images John. Color, contrast, composition, all great.
However, they also illustrate the issue with induced field curvature I mentioned in my previous post. In some of your wide open images, both your subject and corners are sharp and I find that a bit distracting. If you were shooting with the E-mount version which is optimized for your camera sensor stack, this would not be an issue or would be greatly minimized.
I've read some members refer to pronounced field curvature as a non-issue since they are not shooting landscapes but as you can see, this induced ill-effect affects all apertures, even wide open. For those using the 40/1.2 VM version with Leica and Sony bodies, the use of a plano-convex front-lens could greatly correct this when pairing with the Sony.
One major problem here and this made me sell a few lenses because they are awesome on center but the mid field is not good is if your shooting 2 or 3 people in a shot those outside folks in the frame are really going to be hard to keep in focus. If lets say its great on center with 12 percent of the frame than what if those folks are outside that 12 percent. Well you just lost the ability to shoot more wide open but may have to stop down to F8. Case in point i almost blew a gig with the Nokton 50mm 1.5 lens. Which granted is a really nice lens with great character but my outside people in the frame where completely soft even at 5.6. Luckily I shot another lens that was more flat field. So thats something to consider. Now the E version is awesome to the corners at F4 so you take that risk out of blowing a shot like this. This is with 3 people in a frame so really need to be careful.
The real issue here is you may not be able to fix it like the 35mm ZM or CV 35mm as we put PCX front filters on them and it took the field curvature and corrected them but they are 46mm filter threads i believe from memory and the PCX filters are 50mm so we could make a front filter mount for them without vignetting. This VM 40 i think is 52mm filter thread so you may have a real problem trying to fix the field curvature with a bad hard vignetting with the filter thread that size of 52. So even if you wanted to use it both ways. Like off for a single person to get that tool off, but when you add more people in you can't throw a PCX on it. So you have a libation here. Do what you want but Im just pointing out a real potential issue that you may run into. Im just not a fan personally of buying a lens that won't do what i need and like i said i bought a few like this and sold them. Of course that was my need . Fred and I have been through the PCX stuff extensively and had good luck and bad luck.
Have used a tap yet. It’s not as fast as you think. Gigs or a family of 3 people is pretty much the same . Okay how about your wife and 2 kids. It was a example to illustrate my point. Apparently the advice given by a number of members is being taken in the wrong vein. We are trying to help you make a decision based on facts. If I’m going to be constantly being pounded by this attitude than I simply won’t freaking help anymore.
Maybe a Thank you would be nice instead for giving you some heads upon a potential issue. Bottom line I can give you the warning or lead the horse to the water. Just say thanks I’ll take it from here instead of this ridiculous attitude towards people that have a load of experience in this . Seriously this shit keeps up I’m gone. I don’t need the help.
Re: FM Review of the Voigtlander 40mm f/1.2 Nokton
Well, I find your insight very useful, so stick around!
I actually ordered the E mount version and the TAP at the same time after reading this thread. My thoughts before the TAP arrived mirrored @GMPhotography, I suspected that the TAP would be good, but not as good as a dedicated AF lens such as the FE 35 or FE 55. Since trying the TAP, I can say I am amazed how good it is, but for me my prediction holds true, I'll use the TAP, but if I was chasing fast moving kiddo's, I'd probably move to the 35 or 55 for that.
GMPhotography wrote: davewolfs wrote:
I think the difference is that 90% of the people here shoot kids. Not gigs 😂
Kids don’t hold still 🤷♂️
I think a lens line that had MF focus + built in support for a AF lens adapter would be pretty cool. Almost like a two piece lens system but actually optimized for Sony.
GMPhotography wrote: Fred Miranda wrote:
They are lovely images John. Color, contrast, composition, all great.
However, they also illustrate the issue with induced field curvature I mentioned in my previous post. In some of your wide open images, both your subject and corners are sharp and I find that a bit distracting. If you were shooting with the E-mount version which is optimized for your camera sensor stack, this would not be an issue or would be greatly minimized.
I've read some members refer to pronounced field curvature as a non-issue since they are not shooting landscapes but as you can see, this induced ill-effect affects all apertures, even wide open. For those using the 40/1.2 VM version with Leica and Sony bodies, the use of a plano-convex front-lens could greatly correct this when pairing with the Sony.
One major problem here and this made me sell a few lenses because they are awesome on center but the mid field is not good is if your shooting 2 or 3 people in a shot those outside folks in the frame are really going to be hard to keep in focus. If lets say its great on center with 12 percent of the frame than what if those folks are outside that 12 percent. Well you just lost the ability to shoot more wide open but may have to stop down to F8. Case in point i almost blew a gig with the Nokton 50mm 1.5 lens. Which granted is a really nice lens with great character but my outside people in the frame where completely soft even at 5.6. Luckily I shot another lens that was more flat field. So thats something to consider. Now the E version is awesome to the corners at F4 so you take that risk out of blowing a shot like this. This is with 3 people in a frame so really need to be careful.
The real issue here is you may not be able to fix it like the 35mm ZM or CV 35mm as we put PCX front filters on them and it took the field curvature and corrected them but they are 46mm filter threads i believe from memory and the PCX filters are 50mm so we could make a front filter mount for them without vignetting. This VM 40 i think is 52mm filter thread so you may have a real problem trying to fix the field curvature with a bad hard vignetting with the filter thread that size of 52. So even if you wanted to use it both ways. Like off for a single person to get that tool off, but when you add more people in you can't throw a PCX on it. So you have a libation here. Do what you want but Im just pointing out a real potential issue that you may run into. Im just not a fan personally of buying a lens that won't do what i need and like i said i bought a few like this and sold them. Of course that was my need . Fred and I have been through the PCX stuff extensively and had good luck and bad luck.
Have used a tap yet. It’s not as fast as you think. Gigs or a family of 3 people is pretty much the same . Okay how about your wife and 2 kids. It was a example to illustrate my point. Apparently the advice given by a number of members is being taken in the wrong vein. We are trying to help you make a decision based on facts. If I’m going to be constantly being pounded by this attitude than I simply won’t freaking help anymore.
Maybe a Thank you would be nice instead for giving you some heads upon a potential issue. Bottom line I can give you the warning or lead the horse to the water. Just say thanks I’ll take it from here instead of this ridiculous attitude towards people that have a load of experience in this . Seriously this shit keeps up I’m gone. I don’t need the help.
