Approaching The Scene 258: Voigtländer’s Nokton Primes For Nikon Z
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 มิ.ย. 2024
- (LINKS BELOW): Thanks to @BandH for the past month I’ve had the joy of shooting with three of Voigtländer’s new Nokton Aspherical fast prime lenses for Nikon’s Z mount. The 50mm F1.0, 40mm F1.2 and 23mm F1.2DX. While I’ve enjoyed each of these finely-crafted, manual-focus primes, the 50 1.0 really steals the show. I’ll share my impressions and some sample images from these lenses
LINKED TABLE OF CONTENTS:
00:00 Intro to ATS 258
01:53 These three lenses are unique
05:00 The APS-C 23 1.2 is cool & a dream to zone focus
06:50 Sample images from these 3 lenses
22:10 I love the 50 1.0
22:40 Tips for manually focusing Nikon’s Z cameras’ EVFs
24:20 Summary of performance & Comparison to other fast primes
Voigtländer 50 F1.0 Nocton: bhpho.to/3X6lGNc
Voigtländer 40 F1.2 Nocton: bhpho.to/3X9VIZ3
Voigtländer 23 F1.3DX Nocton: bhpho.to/3N93u0H
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I have the 40 f1.2 Voigtlander classic on my z9. Love manual focus. For me, more precise than auto. Focus peaking is a great tool. The more manual my photography is, the more fun and educational it is. Reminds me of shooting film.
I have the Voightlander 50 1.0 and love it. I also have the Nikkor 50mm 1.2. And they both have their use. The Voightlander is fun to use and I can take it on trips. Love the slow down that manual focus introduces. But clearly if I need to fast sharp photos the nikkor 1.2 is more practical - but so much bigger. Both have beautiful image quality.
YES! Been waiting for this video!
The 40 f/1.2 looks great and it’s a great general purpose walk around capture the world lens .
Oh Hudson! You’ve got me in a right old spin now! I was considering selling all my camera gear and buying the new iPhone 15 with the 3 lens 48 mpx camera. Much lighter and with a 6 inch viewfinder! 3rd party software now enables manual control except for aperture and loads of auto-capture features. BUT your excellent presentation here has me seriously considering the Voightlander 50mm f1.0. In the 1970’s when I was new to photography I had a Nikkormat and a (manual) 50 f2. I camped around Europe for 3 months with my girlfriend in an old Landrover Series II and was as happy as Larry! The images from that simple camera setup on Agfa asa 50 were lovely. Now technology has ushered us into a new world of auto photography and in doing so has somehow reduced the satisfaction of working to get the shot. This Voightlander 50 1.0 will pair beautifully with my Z7 and bring me back to those halcyon days of old. What might be just another video production for you could be a game changer for me. Thanks for a superb production. Greetings from 🇬🇧.
I have been shooting Voigtlander lenses on both my Leica M, and Sony cameras for years. You are correct they are fun to shoot, and have a special character rendering that adds a lot to certain kinds of photography. They also have dual personalities. Tons of character wide open, technical excellence stopped down. They have legendary sunstars as well. It is easy to fall in love with the wide open character, but You should try a few stopped down night shots before sending them back. Glad to see you experimenting with such things. Also really happy that you have grown to love your Leica so much. Amazing images out of that too. The Q3 rocks as you will discover when it arrives. There is a reason it is so back ordered.
Wow that 50 1.0 looks amazing
Is
I must've missed this video. Thanks so much for testing these lenses for your audience! I was particularly curious to see how the Voigtländer 50mm f/1.0 Aspherical for Z mount would perform on Nikon's 45MP sensors, and you've answered that question. The rendering is impressive - a bit more classical, but yet still appears to be very sharp. Seems like this lens would make a great dual-purpose chameleon for street and travel work on the Z8. Use it for "f/8 and be there" zone focusing one moment, then open it up to f/1.4, f/1.2 or f/1.0 for ultra shallow DOF work or for great low light capability at night. And nothing beats the mechanical helicoids of a good manual focus lens for when you *actually* want to focus manually. Thanks again!
After seeing the video shortly after Christmas, my curiosity was piqued... And today I was actually able to test this lens. What a technical and haptic masterpiece - not to mention the optics. If I throw my good intentions of not buying new photographic equipment lightly overboard, you're responsible Hudson 😉
Nice video - really enjoyed it. Thanks :)
-PD
I have been getting M mounts to adapt to the Z mounts . I got the 40mm f/1.2 for its slightly softer old school rendering. It pairs well with the Nikkor 55mm f/1.2 . I just ordered the Voigtlander 75mm f/1.5 Nokton in M . I almost picked up the 65mm macro Voigt in Z mount and probably will at a later date . I just love closeup photography and live the 65mm fov. The 75 f/1.5 Nokton has the most beautiful bokeh rendering and is in line with the 40f/1.2 and the Leica Summicron 90mm pre asph f/2. 0 another bokehlishous lens . Three lenses that render beautiful images and work well together.
I bought the Voigtlander M mount Nokton 35mm 1.2, 50mm 1.2 and 75mm 1.5. They are really dual purpose lenses. They render so beautifully and classically at lower apertures, but stopped down they are tack sharp, the vignetting disappears and they can be used for landscape, architecture, .etc. I bought the M mount versions so I can use the Techart M to Z autofocus adapter and the Voigtlander M to Z close focus adapter. Plus, if I ever buy a used Leica I will already have lenses for it.
Been using them on my Sony's for 8 years. The whole experience is a blast
Excellent.
These beautiful primes are aesthetically the perfect combination on the Nikon Zfc Black Edition with it's retro style. Maybe there will be a full frame version of the Zfc some day in the future.
I’m really torn whether to get this Voigtländer or the Nikon z 50 1.2 s. Was set on the Nikon which in many ways seems more sensible, super great IQ and autofocus. At the same time, there is something about the V 50 1.0, the look and how it renders spatiality that I can’t let go. I have the 50 1.8 s which I think is really wonderful so I’m glad that you brought that one into the comparison. Excellent video as always! Thank you!
I am saving up. I use modern voightlander glass on my F mount SLRs/DSLRs…..love em
Even though I'm doing my best to restrain my buy-another-lens compulsion, this was a compelling episode. We got to see more of your family than usual, and ... well, they present visually as a family that the childless among us can only dream of. And it doesn't hurt that the love between them and "the photographer" is readily apparent. It makes me want to thank the universe that such relationships exist, that we can share in some small way the beauty of it, and that your photography can convey it to other people and times. Thanks!
What a sweet note! Thank you so much for that.
To be fair, Voigtländer have not "made Lenses forever", today the Voigtländer brand are owned by Cosina, Japan which also makes Lenses for Zeiss ! Today Voigtläder Lenses re some of the very best you can get. I have the Voigtländer APO-Lanthar 35mm 2.0 Aspherical, the Voigtländer Macro APO-Lanthar 65mm 2.0 Aspherical and the Voigtländer Macro APO-Lanthar 110mm 2.5 for Sony E-mount, all 3 Lenses are excellent with outstanding image quality, I can very highly recommend them.
I also have the 35mm and it's one of my absolute favourite lens, I love using it as a walk around lens. Because its chipped it focus point changes to green when its in focus, so I don't even use focus peaking with it. Zone focusing is also very easy for street shooting.
@@davidbiddlecombe8602 I sometimes use the 35mm Lens as one Lens only, a great little Lens. I use most the magnifying to focus.
It looks great on a black Zfc too!
I have each of the three you mention and the argument I have with them is in deciding which one to use. They are all wonderful, and I believe the IQ from the 65mm is the best I've ever experienced.
@@altrujillo3566 Well, I just got the 110mm and I must say it is just as good as the 65mm, for some macro shots and for some kind of Landscapes, the 110mm shines over the 65mm !
Great video, I am looking at the 50mm f1 or the Voigtlaenedr/sony adapted 50mm f1.2, just wished you would have provided some close up shots of the lens on different bodies to get a feel on the sizes a bit more.
Two thoughts as I watched this video. (Once again, great video by the way!)
1st: I am surprised that you chose not to keep the 50mm f/1.0 lens. I remember how much you enjoyed using the Nikor 58mm f/0.95 Noct while we were doing the night shooting in Owens Valley. This seems like a very good (Although slightly wider and very slightly slower) alternative to the Nikor Noct at a much lower cost. Along that train of thought, it would be interesting to see a direct "head to head" comparison between the Voightlander 50mm f/1.0 and the Nikor 58mm f/0.95 lenses.
2nd: As I start looking at getting my "herd" of lenses for my Z8 (latest ETA not till August 2023), for Wide Angle, I know I will be getting the 20mm f/1.8 (also for astro), but I am considering getting the Voightlander 15mm f/4.5 rather than the Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4 S. I am not ruling out the 14-30 at a later date, but I had the 12mm Voightlander for my Sony & loved it especially the sunstars.
One thing I really really like about the Voigtländer lenses is that the aperture ring is totally manual, so the image I see in the viewfinder is with the selected aperture. With f/1.0 dialed in, I see exactly where that narrow zone of focus is, but I also see exactly how that zone changes as different apertures are selected. This is cool!
As much as I loved my Zeiss manual focus lenses (ZF.2) the aperture ring on those must be locked and therefore we only see the image wide open - so we have to use DOF preview to see the actual zone of focus when stopped down.
Exactly
I’m impressed by the DX 23mm lens . Very nice .
Keep the 50 f/1.0
Thanks!
I was struggling if I should adapt or buy Z Mount Voigtländer Lenses. I ended up ordering a Leica M to Nikon Z Adapter + Voigtländer 28mm f/2. It’s such a beautiful small Lens and I‘m going to pair it with my upcoming Zf. Until then I‘ll test this combination on my Z7. If it’s actually as good as I hope, some more Voigtländer M Lenses will follow.
I am switching back to Nikon from Fujifilm (was a film Nikon user but wanted the analog dials, so Fuji was the only way to go for a while). I just got the Nikon Zf and want a lens with an aperture ring to shoot with that and was thinking of either the Voigtlander 40mm f1.2 or the 50mm f1. This review made up my mind (and I will soon be poorer for it.... thanks!). I got the 24-70mm f/4 kit lens with the camera so I think that covers my fast shooting needs and the 50mm will be more for low light and just the pleasure of old fashion shooting.
The 23mm 1.2 DX lens would be a great lens to use for traveling overseas for street photography in Europe. The DX system is much lighter and more compact for travel photography than Nikon's FX system is.I am definitely considering this lens, especially when Nikon releases its first Z mount DX camera with IBIS, which is taking forever. Thank you for your review!
The DX Macro Apo Ultron D35 F2.0 also has spectacular image quality, I use it together with the 23/1.2 and some FF Voigtländers on my Z fc
@@jesperericson3909 Thanks for the tip!
Love Nikon's performance, I bought a whole set filters from Kase for it. It's good for landscape photography.
turns out I was able to find a used one, and while not exactly cheap it seems like a very intriguing possibility to pair with a zf. Also trying the 40 1.2 for a more kick around option.
Thanks for the excellent observations, appreciated.
Hey so how is the 50 f1 treating you? Is it too big/heavy for an everyday lens with the ZF?
I’m trying to justify the 50 to myself but the size/weight element is holding me back from committing. I’m a lost cause on wise spending - the 40 1.2 is $750 which is basically 1k and the 50 1.0 is 1500 which is basically just a bit more than 1k 😭
@doctorsoftie ... and the two together are not that much more than 1k ... at least in some math somewhere ;)
tl;dr great lens, terrific match with the zf (the subject detection with mf is really helpful, just makes the whole mf experience very nice).
I was concerned about the size as well, at least a little. As a hedge on size and for a bit of focal length variety also bought the 40 1.2 and the 50 f2 apo, but as it's worked out the image quality of the 40 is fine but a bit pedestrian. OTOH the 50 f2 apo is superb, so much so that I'm replacing the 40 1.2 with the 35 f2 apo.
But back to the 50 f1, it's really at another level. Feels very much like a small plena in terms of the images. Zf / 50 f1 is nice to use and produces great images, very nice complement to the z9 / plena. Both combinations produce great images, but with clear differences in handling etc.
@@boblozanothat is super valuable feedback. Thank you, friend! Sounds like 50 f1 must be experienced 😅
You should be easily be able to do the Zone focusing with your autofocus Nikon Z lenses. Just set the aperture where you want it , shutter speed and iso and blaze away. Same as the manual focus glass .
Sadly with the mirrorless lenses all focusing is fly by wire. You can spin the focus ring round and round and round. there is no setting for hyperfocal or distance adjustment with any sort of accuracy.
Hi Hudson, I’ve always wondered this about the Nikon system with the z lenses… Is there a way to zone focus? I currently use Fujifilm and when you’re in the manual focus mode it gives you a distance scale. I know some of the higher priced z lenses have a digital distance scale on the lenses, but wasn’t sure if there an indicator in the camera. Thanks!!!
You really can't with the fly by wire lenses. Yes, some have the distance scale in the lcd, but it's tough to use for me and more suited to tripod use than street.
The new firmware in the Nikon Z 9 allows manual focus distance scale in the display (EVF or back display) if you are in manual focus mode (MF). I hope other Nikon cameras get this as well with a firmware update.
@@jorgepinogarciadelasbayonas Whoa that’s awesome! Thanks for letting me know!
I would love to see these mounted on the ZF
Reading my mind... I already reordered the 50 1.0 for it. I couldn't help myself. :)
I have been thinking about adapting them to my Canon R
I use Leica. Have Leica and Voigtlander lenses but yes, the Fi s something special
I tried the M-mount 40/1.2 on my Zf and had to return it. The purple fringing was just egregious until f/2.8. Perhaps the Z-mount is better corrected?
I did not have that issue, but it didn't quite compare to the 50 1.0. That one I reordered as soon as the Zf was announced. Love it.
agree. I almost never use contrast
Do you know how the Z mount Voigtlander versions compare IQ wise to the their SL F-mount line that one can use on SLR/DSLR and Z with FTZ adapter? Any chance you can get B&H to lend you the SL line which would make a great comparison?
I really doubt it. The IQ on the Z versions is insane. They are newer designs and the optical engineers at all the companies are destroying the old designs these days with what they are producing. More advanced computer modeling design software and the shorter flange distance of mirrorless makes a big difference. For Nikon that wider Z-mount compounds the adavantge. Aside from my beloved 105 1.4 on the FTZ, I'm done with the F-mount myself. If they make a Z version of that lens, I'll be completely done with it. ;-)
How can you focus with a Nikon Z7 with the manual lens? It doesn’t have any split image like the old Nikon FM. It is hard to judge when it is in focus or a little off.
Two ways the Z7 makes that far easier than a rangefinder split view in the old days. 1) using single point AFS you set the point on your target and manually focus till the square goes green, 2) you have your OK button programmed to zoom your live view (in the viewfinder) to 100% (as I detail in my Z7 setup video). Then press OK with the focus point on the subject (say an eye) and it zooms in to 100% view to perfect focus close up. Trip the shutter. The new ZF takes it a step further with eye detect tracking in manual focus. It sees and tracks eyes, and when you push okay it zooms automatically into the selected eye. Cool stuff.
Hello. Did you get rid of the chromatic abberation with lightroom.
Not beyond the built in corrections that are automatically applied to modern lenses. :) the 50, 40 and 23 are that good. I just tested the 15 4.5 with the ZF and it's not so good with CA. I'll show that in a video this week actually.
I'm a newbie but trying to understand the difference between manual lenses (Voigtländer) and the Nikon (automatic?). Does it mean the Nikon are automatic in a sense there is a motor inside the lenses to focus automatically, whereas we need to rotate the thingy on the Voigtländer to get the focus (helped with the focus peaking)? You also speak about automatic eye detection => only Nikon 'S' lenses? If I buy a 40mm f/2.0 Nikon, it is not a "S", what is the difference? it still does autofocus so there is a motor? Sorry, trying to understand once and for all...
All of the voigtlander lenses are manual focus. You manually turn the ring and focus old school style. Auto focus is automatic when you hit a button. S lenses are Nikon's highest build and performance quality. All except the 58 f.95 noct are autofocus. The voigtlander lenses are built to nikon specification to transmit focus and exposure details, so the camera knows the aperture and you can use focusing aids like peaking and green box confirmation while manually focusing.
Hi Hudson! I really like your videos although I would like to see even more of them 😢😅 Here is my observation, please tell me what you think... Besides my pro gear like D850 and Z8 I love to use the Z50 for street a lot! So, after seeing your video I acquired the Voigtländer 23mm f1.2 But, I have to tell you that the zone focusing doesn't work like here described. Putting the infinity mark above the yellow line for f11 or so gives a totally blurry image... I have to put the infinity mark, and I mean its middle over the focus mark in the middle of the aperture ring. The same is, for example with my Zeiss Distagon 35mm f2 except that the Zeiss doesn't have the angled line under the infinity mark. The fact that the Voigtländer focuses also behind the infinity mark still doesn't work in this context if you put the end of that angled line over the focus line. I am shooting extensively with that combo, what do you think about my observation? Keep up the good work👍🤩
I have not had that experience. True that lens has a little line indicating the focusing index mark should not be on the infinity symbol. It's also true that the Voights focus in the opposite direction as Nikon manual focus lenses and some others. Are you setting it in the wrong direction? I did a lot of work with that lens using hyperfocal distance and it was fabulously accurate for me. Dial in F11, set the mark just to the right of the left F11 and bam everything from infinity to as close as possible at F11 is sharp looking. It worked just as well as a Leica lens at that. I wish the Nikon's were as accurate.
@@HudsonHenryPhoto Thank you for the answer! As a photographer, I grew up hyperfocaly🤣but this is strange... I can't set it in the wrong direction, if I turn the focusing ring to the left which is the only direction possible going from the infinity and set the infinity mark over the yellow 11mm line, everything is mushy! I have to place the infinity mark with its end of a bent line over the central focusing line and dial f8 or 11. At the same time, I have to assure that the focusing square turns green although it actually wouldn't have to matter in this context! I am only confused about your remark of dialing into wrong direction... Unfortunately, I can't send you a photo showing my settings on the lens because this platform doesn't support sending photographs... Again, my Zeiss Distagon 35mm f2 works also the same way, infinity mark over the focusing line and f8 or 11, bam perfect and not only acceptable sharp! Do you think, I understood your words correctly? Take care and bye for now 👋👍
I wonder if they'll come out with a 28mm. I have the cheap Nikon 28mm f/2.8 that I use for street photography. I use zone focus all the time at f/5.6 to f/8. It works really well. Most of the time I don't even raise my camera up to my eye.
Yeah I hear you. It's hard to compete with that lens on the Leica Q cameras I love, but Voigtlander shout try. :-) The 35mm APO is insanely sharp, but it's not 28.
@HudsonHenryPhoto I recently picked up a Canon AE-1. It had the 50mm f/1.8 lens on it. Both are in great shape as far as I can tell. The lens is mostly manual. It does have a switch on the lens to put it in aperture priority mode. But the focus is manual focus. I may consider a Voigtlander lens at some point but I'd really like to get it in 28mm for my Nikon. I have not tried my z8 for street photography yet. It's a little but bigger body with a little more weight to it. I'm fine with the z6 II for now.
I owned the 50 F/1.2 and I got rid of it because it's just too damned big, ridiculously big, maybe great in studio or on a tripod but ridiculous for street, which is what I do. I have the voigtlander 50 f/1 and it's perfect for the street and the studio and I shoot in on my Zf and with modern focus peaking and knowing how to zone focus it's a monster on the street. Wide open or stopped down a bit, I don't mind the MF, in fact with the modern camera it's a blast. It rarely comes off my Zf.
If you see my more recent videos on the ZF, you'll see that camera spurred me to buy my own 50 1.0 and we're in complere agreement. The real advantage that only the ZF brings is the manual focus subject detection tracking. If you map the OK button to zoom to 100%, it will zoom directly onto the detected eye and track it as you perfect focus at 100%. it's like cheating. I stay wide open 95% of the time (often with a bit of ND in daylight), never use peaking anymore and rarely take that lens off my Zf. :)
The 40mm f/1.2 and 50mm f/1.0 look like they are made for the Nikon Z ƒ. Lenses and a camera for when you aren't walking about with the Z8 and Z9 with 600mm and 800mm prime lenses.
I almost never take the 50 1.0 off the ZF. :)
@@HudsonHenryPhoto how's it with just the bare body and no extra grip? My Z9 is great with the big primes and I often use the Z8 and 24-70 for a walk about, but am really wanting to move to the Z ƒ for that kinda stuff.
Has anyone tried using the 50 1.0 on the z50 or Zfc? Should be amazing for portraits
It's harder to focus in thier viewfinders. It's much easier on my Z9 than the Z6ii. Hopefully there will be an aps-c update before long... I'm excited to use mine (yes, I got one of my own) on the new ZF.
True. I take ZFc when I want to travel light. “Complete” system weighs nothing. But I do find the need to bracket exposure much more than with the bigger cameras; VF just not good enough
I have some creative uses that I need the bokeh even tho I'm not a bokeh person but want everything in focus to have creativity and stories in the frame, I thought to get the 15mm f4.5 and 50 f1.0 and hopefully Nikon make a 150-500 so I can have a tele with the good play with number setups and hopefully has my favorite yellow color on the lens too like their expensive lenses, but I like to know what's the point to shoot so large aperture when you go to places and blur everything out without any creative reason and do it just because you can which make you looks like in front of a green screen or a tv and you won't even know?
We all have different tastes, which makes the world a far more interesting place. I love the look of this lens wide open and the specail way it renders the out of focus portion of the world and it looks very different to you than to me. I also love to use it in virtually no light. I tried the 15 4.5 eagerly and sent it back quite disappointed. I just couldn't get the APS-C frame to corners to sharpen up satisfactorily at any of it's apertures. Lots of vignetting too which bothers me far less than the lack of ability to get nice and sharp framewide. That is a lens I would use mostly for landscape and interiors, where like you I want things sharp and in focus.
You really sold this 50mm 1.0 too well i finally ordered it. I hope I am as impressed as you are with it!
You won't regret it! I repurchased it for the ZF and it's been hard to take it off here in Scotland in order to test the new Plena. I adore the 50 1.0
z 58mm f.95 is really true science
I actually prefer Voigtlander's 50 1.0
I am a Sony shooter and own the Voigtlander APO Lanthar 50, 65 and 110 Macro and they are all incredible. Each has their own use, but if I could only get one it would be the 50. I purchased all 3 at B&H, along with everything else photographic or audio. I have a review on the 50 on B&H and could not say enough nice things about these APO lenses. My next purchase will be the 35 APO Lanthar. and with that I will have a nice small kit that is much more manageable than the equivalent AF lenses for Sony. To be clear, these lenses are great for static or near static subjects. Once things start moving, then it is time to pull out a modern Sony AF lens, especially when shooting at f1.4 or wider. All the best.
In the very recent past I'd agree about static subjects only, but the new nikon ZF's 'eye detect manual focus' has been nuts with the voigtlander 50 1.0 spherical. Yes I broke down and bought one again for this camera when I read the specs. You get eye tracking that locks green when manually focused and zooming in to 100 percent with a function button keeps the locked eye centered as you prefect focus. You can focus moderately moving candid subjects perfectly with a bit of practice. Hopefully more cameras adopt it. I think the ZF is one of a kind so far.
1:22 you should see the other guy! 😂
thank you for supporting the need to update the DX system with a pro level DX Z camera. I'm so tired of the non stop macho FULL FRAME is for real photographers and DX is worthless, to advocate a Z F version of a full frame as a must have or a 7III over a pro level DX which would send all od the current Nikon users to Canon or Fuji makes no sense
Are you voigtlander ambasador?
No affiliation at all. Just a big fan of the 50 1.0.
Has a Leica look
I’d like to suggest zone focusing as a topic for a future video. I’ve looked at a few other videos on zone focusing here on YT, and found them…lacking, let’s just say. I’m sure you could do a better job, and it would be even better if you use Nikon or Nikon-compatible lenses in your examples and demos.
Thanks for that! Noted. :)