The first Voigtlander NOKTON 50mm f/1 Aspherical VM lens reviews are out

By LR admin | Published: February 14, 2022

Fred Miranda publish a long and detailed review of the new Voigtlander NOKTON 50mm f/1 Aspherical VM lens for Leica M-mount – here are the final thoughts:

“After shooting with the Voigtlander 50mm f/1 Nokton for about a week, I came to the conclusion that it’s one of the sharpest 50mm F/1 lenses ever produced. I put this lens through some demanding technical tests, and it’s clear to me that Cosina prioritized resolution, contrast and size for this optical design.

Let’s start with resolution: Many have been asking for an affordable and fast 50mm lens with a floating mechanism, capable of achieving high close up performance and the Voigtlander 50/1 Nokton delivered. As demonstrated in the side by side comparisons, it clearly outperforms the mighty Leica 50/0.95 Noctilux at close and long distance by a good margin, especially when positioning the subject away from the center area.

In regards to compactness: It’s small and light for a 50mm F/1 lens measuring only 55mm in length and weighing 482 grams. Most importantly, it’s not front heavy and balances well on the Leica M body, although it still blocks about 20% of the rangefinder’s frameline.

But, every optical design has compromises and the Voigtlander 50/1 Nokton is no exception. It has pronounced outwards field curvature and high optical vignetting which is a combination that could cause unevenness in the background rendering depending on subject distance . Although all F/1 lenses tested here have similar character, it’s something to keep in mind when composing your scenes with this lens.

The Voigtlander 50/1 Nokton is well corrected for distortion showing only minor pincushion. It also demonstrated great flare resistance when compared to other f/1 lenses, although, there is still noticeable ring flare whenever not blocking side lighting with the hood or your hand.

Ironically, although not a f/1 lens, the Voigtlander 50mm f/1.2 Nokton compared favorably against the Voigtlander 50mm f/1, sharing many of the same qualities while being smaller/lighter and producing a more pleasant and even rendering. This is due to less pronounced field curvature and lower optical vignetting. However, it is ~1/2 stop slower and not equipped with a floating mechanism which means lower performance at minimal focus distance. I consider it a great alternative for those who prioritize rendering and don’t mind spherical aberration when shooting wide open at close distance.”

Pros:

High resolution and contrast from wide open. It performed better than I expected for a F/1 lens.

Clean specular highlights inner structure thanks to the grinding aspherical process.

Better than average close up performance: The floating design delivers great resolution from MFD to infinity.

Compact (short) and light for a 50mm f/1 lens (482g, measured).

Great build quality with tight tolerance construction.

Well corrected for distortion (negligible pincushion).

Aperture mechanism with 12 straight blades provide defined 12-pointed sunstars.

Great lateral CA correction.

Cons:

High optical vignetting renders ‘cats eye’ bokeh balls towards the corners.

Pronounced outwards field curvature may cause unevenness in the rendering when shooting wide open.

Noticeable purple fringing and axial CA in areas of high contrast when shooting wide open.

One of the most expensive Cosina lenses at $1,800 (Although way less than the 13K Leica).