Voigtländer Nokton 50mm f/1.5 (Leica M) - Review & Sample Photos 

Thank you so much for your kind feedback. Makes me happy to read that. Glad to hear that the review was helpful.

Michael Dahlkvist Thanks sooo much for your kind words and positive feedback. It means a lot to me.

Thanks a lot. That's one of my main goals actually. Glad to hear that it works. ;)

Thanks a lot, Tom! Really appreciate your comment. :)

Thanks so much for your comment. Glad to hear that you're getting this lens. Feel free to share your impressions here as well. :)

Thanks a lot for your comment. Really appreciate it. :)

fotosbylang I completely agree. It is a fantastic lens. Glad to hear you enjoy it so much as well. :)

Thanks for your nice comment. I'll do my best to keep improving the channel and videos. Glad to hear that you liked this kind of presentation and could get something out of it. Makes me happy to hear that. :) I've read the same about the Voigtländer 58mm f/1.4 lens but since I don't have a Nikon body, I am not really interested in getting it. Unfortunately (but for good reasons), this lens does not exist for the Leica M mount. So if you're just starting out, a good Nikon film body (e.g. FM2 or F3) and this particular lens might be worth taking a look at. At least on my Minolta, I sometimes appreciate the extra 8mm focal length of the 58mm lens since it turns it more into a portrait lens without limiting you too much.

Thanks a lot for the additional information, Christian. Always appreciated. :)

Thanks for your feedback, Sami. I've included one color image but can perfectly understand that a few more color shots would have been helpful. Sorry about that.

Thanks for your comment. Glad you bought one. Let me know what you think. :)

Thanks for your kind comment. Really appreciate it. :)

Thanks for your kind comment, Philip! :) It's certainly true that some Voigtländer lenses are really good. I happen to own the 40mm f/1.4 SC lens (Leica M mount) as well. Let me know in case you're interested in a review of this one.

You're very welcome..I would indeed be interested, even though I don't own a Leica. :)

Ah, I see. :) So you're probably shooting a Nikon, right?

Actually nothing just yet (apart from my phone). Recovering from long term illness (M.E.) and learning about photography/composition etc for a while. Though I did some shots under my name a couple of years or so ago out there on the web of flowers etc on a little Samsung digital point and shoot. I also have a Canon 7d, and a Rollei 35SE yet to use. :) I gather there's an older Canon mount version of I think the 40, or least it's possible to adapt. But yes, my Voigtländer and Zeiss interests as-yet must needs be fulfilled at a future date. But, I'm interested in all sorts, yet possible or not. :)

I am sorry to hear that (with respect to M.E.). Hope the recovery is going well. Enjoy digging deeper into photography and composition. I can certainly relate to your fascination of Voigtländer and Zeiss lenses. Let me know if you need any "buyer's guide" kind of advice once you decide to start out with film photography (again). :)

Hi Derek - so may I ask what is your assessment of the Nokton 50mm F1.5?

Thanks so much for your kind comment. Really appreciate it. :) With respect to your questions: I did not use any color filters for these images. I only occasionally use an orange filter for black and white street shots with my 50mm Summicron. And interesting to hear that the focus ring appears to be a bit stiff in some cases. Guess I got lucky and have a copy without that problem. :)

Thank you for the feedback. Most later reviews on this channel feature such pieces of information. Please excuse if it was not already common practice at the time this video had been produced.

Thanks so much for your kind feedback. :)

Thanks a lot for your kind comment and please excuse my late response. All the images in this video were scannes by my lab (www.meinfilmlab.de). There's only slight post-processing involved during the scanning process but they always try to retain the look of the respective film. I hope this helps.

Thanks for your comment. Please note that my lab developed and scanned these images (as noted in the video description). So I cannot take credit for the quality, I just happen to know which developer they use. Of course, xtol makes perfect sense for such a large operation like a professional lab. But I believe their Noritsu and Frontier scanners have the bigger impact on the final results in this case. ;) Hope this helps. And sorry to disappoint you. Nevertheless, there will be a video on developing black and white film (with Acurol) at some point.

Thanks for your comment and suggestion. Really good idea. I will consider it.

@@AnalogInsights Thank you! I'm really on the edge of getting the Leica MA as well, just have to consolidate what I have, you interested in a digital camera? Lol

8II0000II8 Haha. Sounds great. But no, not interested in a digital camera. :)

Zach B Thanks for your comment, Zach. No, my lens copy does not have any wobble. You should definitely approach Voigtländer about it. There lenses certainly live up to certain standards and I haven't noticed a wobble in any of them yet.

fred weber Thanks a lot for your kind comment. I'm afraid you're giving me too much credit but I'm glad you enjoyed this video so much. I really appreciate your feedback. All the images shown in the video have been developed and scanned by my trusted lab (www.meinfilmlab.de, also linked in the video description). Thanks to the help and experience of my friend Jules (shown in other videos), I am slowly getting into developing and scanning myself. But I started out with medium format film, so my experience is limited. Unfortunately, I cannot say much about your particular scanner. Are you just starting out with analog photography?

Haha, thanks. :) As usual, a huge part of the praise should go to my lab and their Noritsu and Frontier scanners. :)

Kenneth Wee Thanks for your kind words.

Thanks, Matthew! Really appreciate it. :)

Sorry about my late response, James. No, unfortunately not. I only own the 40mm f/1.4 Nokton Classic.

Thanks for your comment. I have a Summicron v4 and can therefore comment to some extent on your question. The Nokton is a bit larger (due to the wider aperture). The quality of the bokeh is significantly better than that of the 35mm f/1.4 sc (I own the 40mm f/1.4 sc and therefore think I know what you are referring to). In comparison to the Summicron, the Nokton has a much more modern rendering in my opinion. I personally love my Summicron and would always buy it again. But I also appreciate the Nokton and the kind of creamy and special look it creates. Have you considered the Carl Zeiss Sonnar? Hamish Gill over at www.35mmc.com is very fond of this lens design and has all sorts of review on his site that you might want to take a look at.

If you can swing it the summicron is smaller I think, has the focusing tab and has less CA than the voightlander. Other than that, CA is the only difference between the two in terms of image quality...

Gemagrafi The films used are usually mentioned when I talk about the respective images. Generally a lot of Ilford FP4 and Delta 100. Hope this helps.

Thanks for your comment. For black and white, I really enjoy Ilford FP4 and Delta 100. For color, I typically go for classic Kodak Portra 400 or Portra 160. Nothing special here. :)

Rydell Tomas Thanks for your comment. The lens would look exactly the same. :)

Everything renders nicer on film. I feel film gives an accurate portrayal of the scene, due to a more natural tonal gradation and fall off.

Thanks a lot for your comment. The minimum focusing distance is 0.7 meters. Hope this helps.

awesome. thank you. much appreciated

I don't really know. From what I understand, Voigtländer created the modern version due to the wild success of the older version. And yet, I also heard somewhere that the new version has a more modern character and rendering. But since I've never tested the old version, I cannot really attest to that. Sorry. :)

Thanks a lot for your comment. As mentioned in the description, these images were scanned by my trusted lab (www.meinfilmlab.de) on either a Noritsu or Frontier scanner. Hope this helps.

M JP Bin kein Profi, nutze aber selbst eine spiegellose Leica T mit diversen Vintage-Optiken (Leica, Voigtländer, Minolta) mit Adapter. Das ist meine einzige Digitalkamera. Die digitale Leica M hingegen is natürlich ein Messsucher und damit nur bedingt vergleichbar. Ganz anderes Gefühl, das ich persönlich für Streetshots und teilweise sogar Porträts sehr schätze. Eine M erzeugt eine besondere Stimmung beim Fotografieren und verlangt bewusste Entscheidungen. Ich persönlich habe durch meine M6 erst so richtig das Fotografieren gelernt. Die Sony Alpha 7 Kameras sind natürlich technisch herausragend, erzeugen aber nicht annähernd eine solche Stimmung. Es sind kleine Computer mit zahlreichen (belegbaren) Knöpfen, Features und sogar Apps zur Erweiterung des Funktionsumfangs. Wer eigentlich nur fotografieren möchte und sich weniger für modernste Features begeistern kann, ist mit einer schlichteren Kamera besser bedient. Aber das ist letztlich Geschmackssache. Hilft das etwas?

Wow vielen Dank. Das war mehr als erwartet. Das sind meist Dinge, die man zwar selber weiß, jedoch von einem Pro ( ja, als Leihe bist Du für mich Profi XD ) hören möchte. Das bestätigt dann auch meine Annahme. Ich möchte weg von dem ganzen technischen Druck. Höher, schneller, weiter etc... Ein Freund, der ein renomierter Fotograf für AP ist, hat mir dazu heute geantwortet: "It seems to be the public pressure of adapting to the rest. Working hard and with your own style these days "seems" to be on a second place but why follow the herd? Go out, find your own way you want to work. You are not the one who has to look for the customer of your content. If you like to shoot in MF with an old ass camera it is your work and your dedication to the art so go out, take the picture you love and the RIGHT customer is going to find YOU!" Mein Druck kam vom "social" media. Mehr videos, mehr online content etc. Ich habe einen Canon Pro1000 Drucker, den ich seit monaten nicht angerührt habe. Es wird Zeit zurück zu meinen Print Wurzeln zurück zu kehren.

Catherine Manne Thanks for your comment, Catherine. Unfortunately, I can't really respond to that. In my opinion, this Nokton is a surprisingly good and solid lens that plays a special role in the Voigtländer lineup. If you want "Leica Pop", you should probably compare the Nokton side by side with a Summilux. Or you go for the much cheaper Summicron or even Summarit. But then you probably have considered that. :)

Thanks, Yes I have considered buying Leica despite the cost. My recent RX1 died and I needed it for a project so I am struggling to find a set up that will get me close to a milky out of focus rendering and nice pop. Hoping this Voigt may be a solution, obviously NOT exactly as a Leica but if it can come close it could be a viable option.

It certainly comes close. If other mounts are also an option, you might want to take a look at my review of the Minolta MC 58mm f/1.2 which has a beautiful creamy bokeh when stopped down a bit. There are adapters available for almost every mount for Minolta MC/MD lenses.

Thanks for your comment. Yes, there are adapters to Leica M mount lenses for micro-four thirds cameras. For instance, Novoflex offers such an adapter for around 150 Euros (code MFT/LEM) but there should also be cheaper options.

Just remember: crop factor 2x! So you'll have the equivalent of a 100mm lens, which has limited usefulness IMO. Consider the Voigtländer 35mm 1.5, which would give you a 70mm equivalent on your Lumix.

Thanks for your comment. I completely agree. :)

Tj Holowaychuk Could you please explain in detail the differences between 40f2 + 58f1.4 and this 50 f1.5? I have the 40+58 and looking to upgrade. Thank you

Thanks a lot. I also own a 40mm f/1.4 Nokton Classic (Single Coating) that I often use for black and white street shots on my Leica T. Pretty decent lens as well.

MAX+ONE Portrait Photography The wide angles seem to be well regarded. I wish that the Nokton 1.1 was better

One Lens Oh wow. Thanks. Glad you like the videos. :)

As mentioned in the video, most black and white images shown in the video were shot on Kodak T-Max (100) and developed in X-Tol by my trusted lab. Hope this helps. :)

hahaha,thanks.Your image is amazing.So that ,I can't believe it shot on film

Eric Chamberlain Hi Eric! Exactly the lens I just mentioned to you via email. The Minolta MC Rokkor 35mm f/1.8 PG.

Excellent. Thanks.

dizkoteck Haha, that's a good one. :)

My fiancée comes up behind me and says "who's that sexy man" as the video starts.

I generally enjoy shooting black and white film if that's what you mean. As I said, I've included one color image to give a rough idea of how the lens renders colors.

Thanks a lot. :)

M JP Well, there's quite some truth to what you are saying. Since I am making a comparison to a Leica lens that costs several thousand Euros, I wanted to stress the significant price difference. But you are right that "poor man's" is a bit strong. ;)

Lol I don't think that's really a compliment 😂

0x5347_0 So not true. Sorry.

Max, can you note much difference between this lens and the 50mm f1.5 Nokton Asperical version? As always love the in depth but down to earth reviews.