Voigtlander Brings the NOKTON Classic 35mm F 1.4 to the RF-Mount

[Canon Rumors]

The NOKTON Classic 35mm F1.4 RF mount is a large-aperture, compact wide-angle lens that revives the classic lens aesthetic with the latest optical technology. By intentionally retaining spherical aberration, it produces a smooth and natural bokeh at wide apertures, creating a sense of depth and allowing you to enjoy soft and delicate rendering. We enjoy […]

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[Celts88]

Very nice

 

[el peso]

This sounds interesting but demo photos are dull and monotonous.

 

[Tom R5R7]

The optical design reminds me a lot of the EF 50/1.2L. Gaussian. Has character and should give nice bokeh, considering its relatively short focal length.

 

[sanj]

Love it. Will buy it if the R8 2 is retro enough to warrent it.

 

[sanj]

This sounds interesting but demo photos are dull and monotonous.

True

 

[Sporgon]

Having been on CR for some fifteen years I can say with all confidence that the majority of members will hate this lens !

Still, I’m going to give it a whirl. One good thing about using these manual aperture lenses stopped down is that if you are using the live histogram to judge optimum exposure (and your lens has some degree of shading wide open) you don’t have to keep pressing the dof preview button to see the true (albeit jpeg rendered) histogram.

 

[Del Paso]

Having been on CR for some fifteen years I can say with all confidence that the majority of members will hate this lens !

Still, I’m going to give it a whirl. One good thing about using these manual aperture lenses stopped down is that if you are using the live histogram to judge optimum exposure (and your lens has some degree of shading wide open) you don’t have to keep pressing the dof preview button to see the true (albeit jpeg rendered) histogram.

Are you sure this lens has a manual diaphragm? I believe it rather behaves like Zeiss' Classic series, manual focus but electronically controlled aperture.

 

[Del Paso]

This sounds interesting but demo photos are dull and monotonous.

As if they didn't want to sell it!

 

[Sporgon]

Are you sure this lens has a manual diaphragm? I believe it rather behaves like Zeiss' Classic series, manual focus but electronically controlled aperture.

I’ve not used any of the Voigtlander RF lenses yet, but my understanding is that despite the contacts and communication with the camera body the aperture is fully manual, as the design is from a rangefinder lens ( where apertures are always manual) as opposed to slr lenses. Personally this doesn’t worry me at all, in fact I like it, because it does away with any focus shift issues, gives correct dof, as well as giving the correct live histogram all the time. Ultimately my migration to mirrorless will be because of the smaller size, ability to have much smaller lenses ( m mount adapted if necessary) but importantly the live histogram makes optimising exposure in challenging conditions whilst on the hoof a real benefit.

 

[Sporgon]

I just checked, and the lens aperture has ten blades, so I’m sure it is manual. Auto aperture lenses have a smaller number of blades due to them having to snap open and closed in an instant, and the more blades there are the greater the friction and wear.

 

[AlanF]

As presumably many know, it's designed and made in Japan by Cosina who have just licensed the Voigtlander name and they simply use it and associated names like Nokton for branding. It no longer has any German connection.

 

[Del Paso]

I just checked, and the lens aperture has ten blades, so I’m sure it is manual. Auto aperture lenses have a smaller number of blades due to them having to snap open and closed in an instant, and the more blades there are the greater the friction and wear.

The Voigtländer website clearly says that focus AND aperture are indeed manual.
So, I was wrong!

 

[Sporgon]

As presumably many know, it's designed and made in Japan by Cosina who have just licensed the Voigtlander name and they simply use it and associated names like Nokton for branding. It no longer has any German connection.

Indeed, that’s why it’s retailing at £499 instead of £4999 !

 

[AlanF]

Indeed, that’s why it’s retailing at £499 instead of £4999 !

I had a secondhand Voigtlander Bessa folding 120 camera when I was a schoolboy. The German cameras cost a fortune then. The bellows on the folding cameras were dodgy, but 6x9 contact prints were fun, and I could afford to develop and fix using home made chemicals.

 

[Del Paso]

I had a secondhand Voigtlander Bessa folding 120 camera when I was a schoolboy. The German cameras cost a fortune then. The bellows on the folding cameras were dodgy, but 6x9 contact prints were fun, and I could afford to develop and fix using home made chemicals.

I still own a Voigtländer Avus (named after a German racetrack).
Never used it (film plates!), but I truly like the way it was built.
Decades later came Topcon, Yashica, Nikon, Minolta, Pentax, Canon etc...
After so many years of market domination, the German companies simply forgot to innovate and paid a hefty price.
Leica are left, but cater to a very limited number of users and collectors.

 

[Sporgon]

I still own a Voigtländer Avus (named after a German racetrack).
Never used it (film plates!), but I truly like the way it was built.
Decades later came Topcon, Yashica, Nikon, Minolta, Pentax, Canon etc...
After so many years of market domination, the German companies simply forgot to innovate and paid a hefty price.
Leica are left, but cater to a very limited number of users and collectors.

Yes, just like Sony the Germans couldn’t keep up with slr developments In this modern age the Leica SL mount is competitive, but the M rangefinder cameras are serious money for what they are. I know that the rangefinder mechanism is complicated and hand assembled, but even the new film Leicas are about £5300 in the UK. Now when you consider that a state of the art hand assembled Nikon F2 Photomic was about £390 (433*)in 1978, so that’s equivalent to £2434 now (using current VAT rates for both dates*), it puts into perspective just how much the Leicas are.

 

[mpphoto]

This lens is tempting. I have the Voigtlander Nokton 75mm f/1.5 and love it. The build quality makes it a pleasure to use, image quality is good, and I like how the photos look that I take with it. I have the Canon RF 35mm f/1.8, so I have a hard time justifying a just-for-fun manual 35mm lens at $700. Maybe if I find a copy of this Voigtlander 35mm used or on sale someday.

 

[Del Paso]

Yes, just like Sony the Germans couldn’t keep up with slr developments In this modern age the Leica SL mount is competitive, but the M rangefinder cameras are serious money for what they are. I know that the rangefinder mechanism is complicated and hand assembled, but even the new film Leicas are about £5300 in the UK. Now when you consider that a state of the art hand assembled Nikon F2 Photomic was about £390 (433*)in 1978, so that’s equivalent to £2434 now (using current VAT rates for both dates*), it puts into perspective just how much the Leicas are.

And, I would add that the Nikon F2 was a much better camera than the Leicaflex SL & SL2. I owned all 3. The important Leicaflex advantage was the selective exposure measuring. And much better built R lenses.
Speaking of the M: The latest versions have not much -quality wise- in common with the M3. The are very fragile, not only when dropped. Many "weight-optimised" parts inside, thin aluminium or plastics instead of brass and so on. And the repair service is not only excessively expensive, but also slow and disappointing.
The worst yet, is the lack of a sensor cleaning function. After a longer vacation, zero EOS R dust spots, but hours spent on removing them from the M pictures.
Should I also mention that I had to send in for (expensive) repair or repair myself half a dozen newer M lenses with mechanical damages or factory misaligned mounts? Lose mounts have seemingly become recurrent (Apo M 2/28, Apo M 2,8/28, M 4/90 +++).