Voigtlander Nokton 50mm F1.1

Thanks to Photo Village , Voigtlander's U.S. distributor, for loaning us this lens for review.

Incredible light gathering capability; Captures images with shallow depth of field; Full-frame coverage; Excellent build quality

Focus limited to 1 meter; Big and heavy; Not that sharp at wider apertures

Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.1 (M) Lens Review

When Cosina, the owner of the Voigtlander brand name, first announced the availability of Nokton 50mm f/1.1, the rangefinder world as well knew came crushing down. Prior to Cosina surprising everyone with this lens, the only game in town for Leica bayonet cameras was Leica itself with the Noctilux...

Voigtländer 50mm f/1.1 Nokton Review

Voigtländer 50mm f/1.1 (58mm filters, 15.3 oz./434g, about $1,000). enlarge . This free website's biggest source of support is when you use these links , especially these directly to it at Adorama , or at Amazon , when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live.

The Voightlander Nokton is a superb bit of kit.

I enjoy the feel of solid metal , the function is top notch. Yes it is manual and as I work with the lens I love it all the more. Can focus down to the finest point and wide open I have no softness or discoloration. Once you know the range you are working in you can rapidly shoot with the Nokton.

A Special, Unique 50mm Lens

If there's one lens that, in my opinion, generates more conflicted reviews, it has to be this one. If you're asking yourself what's the draw of this $1,000, 50mm lens (in an ocean of many 50's)...the obvious temptation is the F1.1 aperture.

Voigtlander Nokton 50mm F1.1 Review

The Voigtlander Nokton 50mm F1.1 ($1,000) is a poor man's version of Leica's $11,000 Noctilux-M 50mm f/0.95 ASPH. lens, but that's not a bad thing. It doesn't capture quite as much light as the Noctilux, and sharpness suffers at its widest apertures, but shooting at such a wide aperture on a full-frame camera produces a look that's distinctive enough to make you forgive these shortcomings. If you're looking for a lens that's more clinically sharp, consider the Zeiss Planar T* 2/50 ZM ($680.00 at Amazon) , which earned Editors' Choice accolades, or the pricey Leica Summiux-M 50mm f/1.4 ASPH. ($4,395.00 at Amazon) . The Nokton ($899.00 at Amazon)  isn't that big by SLR standards, but it's large compared with other rangefinder lenses. It measures 2.7 by 2.3 inches (HD), weighs 15.1 ounces, and supports 58mm front filters. If you want to shoot at the widest aperture on bright days, you'll want to buy a neutral density filter to block out some light. A metal lens hood is included. The ...

The Voigtlander Nokton 50mm F1.1 captures an incredible amount of light, as well as images with a very shallow depth of field.

Incredible light gathering capability; Captures images with shallow depth of field; Full-frame coverage; Excellent build quality

Focus limited to 1 meter; Big and heavy; Not that sharp at wider apertures