Thread: Voigtlander 50mm f/1.1 Nokton

Thanks Kian, normally I wouldn't bother taking a photo through grimy glass from public buses but I couldn't help snapping a shot with my new lens.

Originally Posted by Luke

No problem. I've been known to stretch my budget from time to time, but never to break it.

Then you are definitely stronger than I. Did I mention that I sometimes .. don't eat?

Originally Posted by TraamisVOS

Then you are definitely stronger than I. Did I mention that I sometimes .. don't eat?

That's the kind of dieting I need, but lack the discipline.

Hmm... well maybe I am strong, but just at the wrong end of the GAS syndrome.

Originally Posted by TraamisVOS

Hmm... well maybe I am strong, but just at the wrong end of the GAS syndrome.

Christ! You guys have a hell of a motivation, I'm flugergasted ;).

That sounds like what needs to be done to my stomach after not eating for a day or two.

Very nice bokeh on this, similar to Zeiss planars. It looks like wider then 2.8. Enjoy the lens...

Originally Posted by TraamisVOS

I think this might have been at f/2.8 but I'm not sure, the shallow depth of field looks like it's wider than f/2.8:

It's not bad in that photo isn't it? But I can see why some people say the bokeh is harsh in the other photos. My Voigtlander 35mm behaves the same way too, in some photos I get beautiful soft bokeh, and in other photos it looks a bit harsh. I haven't figured out how it works yet.

So I've had this Nokton for a couple of days now although I haven't had the time to really play with it as much as I'd like to. But nevertheless I think I am really starting to like this lens, it's very well built and feels solid, the aperture ring feels great when you click through the f/stops, focus throw is not too long and feels silky smooth.

I'm not really finding an issue focusing when it's wide open, it will take some getting used to though.

The bokeh is a crap shoot! More often than not I am finding the bokeh is creamy but in other shots it looks harsh-ish. But I'm happy with it, considering the next step up for an ultra fast lens is the $5000 SLR Magic Hyperprime and the $11,000 Noctilux.

Speaking of ultra fast lens, I am finding that with this Nokton I am able to slightly increase the shutter speed. So under normal circumstances when I might take a photo at 1/4s, I can get the same exposure more or less at 1/8s. That makes a pretty big difference as 1/4s is the absolute limit I can handle without causing handshake blur in my photos. The 1/8s makes a huge difference for me.

Random collection of shots of Keesha, Jadey, and Atom from today and yesterday. All shot wide open and all post-processed.













I have to say, I really, really like the way this lens handles flares. I have really started to hate the flare in my Voigtlander 35mm f/1.4 MC where the flare manifests itself in a bright cutting curve across the photo. The flare on my 90mm elmarit f/2.8 is an improvement even though the soft but white-ish ghost-ish flare has a tendency to cover the entire photo, I still prefer this flare to the 35mm. The flare from the Nokton looks really, really, well controlled. I shot this wide open with what I thought was the sun clearly peeking in the corner there, I expected the entire photo to be washed out but as you can see, the flare looks contained. Keep in mind I was intentionally trying to make it flare to see what it looks like.

Very good shots esp with moving subjects. The bokeh on this one shines:

Originally Posted by TraamisVOS