Voigtlander 50mm f1 Nokton REVIEW for Canon EOS R!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 พ.ย. 2023
- My Voigtlander 50mm f1 Nokton review - the fastest lens for Canon RF!
Supplied by Robert White: www.robertwhite.co.uk/voigtla...
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My Voigtlander 50mm f1 Nokton review - the fastest lens for Canon RF!
Supplied by Robert White: www.robertwhite.co.uk/voigtlander-50mm-f1-0-nokton-aspherical-lens-for-canon-rf-mount-cameras.html
Check prices on the Voigtlander 50mm f1 Nokton at B&H: bhpho.to/3FLdHgy // WEX UK: tidd.ly/3u9Mj9m
Check MPB to buy and sell used gear: bit.ly/3ULU9yL
Buy Gordon a coffee: www.paypal.me/cameralabs
Gordon's In Camera book: amzn.to/2n61PfI / Amazon uk: amzn.to/2mBqRVZ
Cameralabs merchandise: redbubble.com/people/cameralabs/shop
Gordon’s retro gear channel: th-cam.com/users/dinobytes
Equipment used for producing my videos
Panasonic Lumix S5 II: amzn.to/3Hf5IcI
Sony A6400: prf.hn/l/pRO0wp5
Sony e 24mm f1.8: amzn.to/2TqWNzk
Rode NT USB mic: amzn.to/3AdHcUp
Rode Wireless Go II mic: amzn.to/3xkCvGo
Rode Lavalier Go mic: amzn.to/3ygzzKY
Godox UL150 light: amzn.to/2VpVbXE
Godox QR-P70 softbox: amzn.to/3yQfGdF
MacBook Pro 14in (16GB / 1TB): amzn.to/3PrKbPV
Music: www.davidcuttermusic.com / @dcuttermusic
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
I've had a bunch of Voigtländer lenses over the last few years and specifically the fast noktons, the f/1.2 are fantastic. Basically everything you said here about the 50mm f/1 is also true for those lenses. I now have the 40mm f/1.2 for Nikon Z on the Zf and it is an amazing combination. Not quite as fast in aperture but a lot less weight and cost.
Even f2 would be awesome
Canon's manual AF guide is such a game changer with using manual focus lenses! I nail so many more shots in MF than I would on my Nikon, I wouldn't hesitate to use a MF only lens on an RF body because of how good the focus guide system is.
Having the arrows turn green when you are focused so you can nail composition AND focus simultaneously is fantastic. I barely use the zoom in feature to check because of it.
Edit: also your note about focusing on a specific spot and then taking a burst shot is a great idea. Thanks for sharing that tip
I've had this lens for a while for my Leica M. Its one of the most satisfying, well performing, all around fun lenses that I've used and able to challenge Leica primes of the same focal length costing up to 10 times more. A fabulous piece of glass and this, a great video that as usual does justice to it's subject from corner to corner. Thank you Gordon💘
I've had this lens for M-mount since it was launched, and I absolutely love that thing. It's stunning how well corrected it is wide open! My M-mount version seems to have less aberrations than this one though. Tempted to buy the RF version too, for the extra close focus range😄
Good comprehensive review. I love this lens. It has great feel in the hand and produces some really unique images, which is the crowded field of 50mm lenses is a worthy accomplishment.
Manually focusing on the eye with the triangles from the camera is absolutely insane.
Awesome to hear it's coming to Canon RF. I've got the Nikon version mounted on my Z7ii, and can't wait to slap this new release on my R5. Thanks for the great news!
Thanks for the review. I haven’t removed the Z version from the Zf since I got it! It’s extremely versatile.
Incredible lens. For night Photography an amazing tool to capture light. If you want sharp pictures free of aberration, just stop down to f2. Great review!
Do we spend 1600 bucks extra on a F1 lens to then use at F2 ? Or is because of the bokeh we get at F1 ?
You spend 1600 bucks because you can do both and really enjoy the photo-taking experience and super results!
I love your reviews Gordon. I have this lens on my wish list for my Z7. I agree that the photo-taking satisfaction seems to have been replaced by highly automatic cameras and lenses effectively taking high tech snaps. I even bought your book which guided me to great results of fireworks, even my Nikon photo club thought they were excellent. Thanks for what you do and the way you do it. Keep up the good work.
Thanks!
It would be nice to see if there is a noticeable comparison with the design compensations between the three companies. Maybe future video? Great job as always.
Thanks very thorough review and I agree with your thought on it having also owned the Canon RF 50 1.2 and selling it because it was just too clinically sharp.
I'm very much looking forward to a review of the Voigtlander RF 40mm 1.2!
I've been tempted by the Voigtländer lenses, but I always return to the practicality that for most of my paid work manual focus is just too slow and at F/1, it is super hard to nail focus, so you stop down then it sort of removes the point, and for my personal photography, I can not justify the cost for a lens that will inevitable not get used very much
A lovely lens! Thanks
The image you took at 8:17 of Brighton Palace Pier made me go "WOW!!!" That image alone I think is the best example of the 3D pop you mentioned earlier in the video. I just have to have this lens to pair with my EOS R.
I've added many of the samples to my review page at cameralabs.com if you'd like a closer look!
Lol dude, that photo demonstrates the terrible image quality. Soft (especially in corners), tons of CA, excessive vignetting. "3D pop" is achieved through light, not through f1.4 aperture shooting vast landscape. A cheap kit lens would have done much better.
Well-done presentation, Gordon! I have the M-mount version, and really like it. Cosina Voigtlander have been doing amazing work, prompting me to acquire the Nokton 21mm f/1.4 VM, last year, at the same time as the Nokton 50mm f/1.0 VM, and, then this year, the 50mm APO Lanthar VM. Thus far, Leica M remains my only mirror-less interchangeable-lens camera system. I also have Voigtlander lenses for the Nikon F-mount, which I have used on Nikon DSLRs, and adapted to Canon EF DSLRs. I appreciate nicely-built manual-focus lenses. It is good to see such excellent results with Voigtlander lenses built for the RF and Z systems.
You may (or, may not) remember me, from the Cameralabs forum days, as primarily a Canon shooter, with Nikon as a second system. I peaked at the 5Ds R, acquired in 2016, and the 5D Mark IV, added in early 2018, but after retiring from police service, took a five-year break from much shooting with the sytem I had used for the often-grim task of forensic/evidentiary/crime scene photography. This past summer, I finally resumed somewhat-regular use of my Canon equipment, which, thankfully, I had kept in proper storage conditions.
While my Canon equipment sat unused, I shifted to Nikon for birds and wildlife, which was logical because my wife is an avid Nikon shooter, very interested in nature/bird/widllife photography. (We have our individual Nikon cameras, but share lenses, Speedlights, and Nikon-specific accessories.) I added the Leica M system, for quieter, contemplative, therapeutic, creative photography.
Nice to hear from you! Ah yes, the old cameralabs forum, it was a nice small crowd of us on there!
Those night shots! 🔥
Thanks!
Incredible
I like the updated look of this lens, the Nikon version could use an update to look closer to Z lens. Seems like all of these f1.0 versions are $1800, a bit pricey for most and close to the Z 50 1.2, which is larger and has AF. Still a nice lens though. Just got the Nikon Z 40 1.2 and am testing it out. Would have liked it to be the same size from base to tip but, it is what it is, work well on the Z8
Thanks for the excellent review Gordon. I'm weighing up whether to get back into the Canon system, while keeping my Leica's. The CV 50 1.2 M also shows a fair bit of CA but I use it mainly on my M11M so it's not an issue for me. Both lenses seem to produce similarly pleasing bokeh and subject separation. Not sure why people are so scared of manual focusing lenses. I am 67 and can still manually focus with the M and the SL2 - as you say, some misses but enough hits as well. Still, I'm not a professional so the misses don't impact me as they would a paid photographer. Thanks again. I'll buy you that coffee. 😀
Cheers! Yes, manual focusing isn't the deal breakers some think it is, especially now with assistance. Depends what you're photographing of course
nice!
low light friend that has a good amount or sharpness and will require you to think about the focusing which in many cases is nice because you slow down and as you do in your video pre-focus and get great shots!
A very tempting addition to my lens suite, but no AF is an issue as I age, despite the clever R5 focus aids.
What Cosina is doing with the native conversions of their lenses is VERY clever. I will get the Nikon Z version of this lens for my Z f at some point.
The 90 cm at 3:35 is a sacrifice to the rangefinder technology. That’s why the limit of mast Leica M lenses is about 70 cm. There are some new editions having a closer minimum focus distance, but you can only utilise it focusing by back screen or EVF
Good point, thanks!
Looks good but the price is prohibitive for me.. not too far away from the 50L
That's why they have licensed it. Not many people will buy this over Canon 50 1.2 L.
@@BearInDespairor maybe it's a sign that we will get more 3rd party lenses in the years to come. First manual lenses and then autofocus. Isn't that what Fujifilm did?
I have the EF 50mm f/1.2L for my R5, I can try the manual focus for extra fun.
Very good review. Before committing to such an expensive (and niche) lens it is important to know what to expect, and you nailed it. Cosina seems to do a good job overall, and especially adapts to the Canon ways here. I was under the impression that built-in profiles may be available but it is what it is. I also wonder if the lens can be updated for firmware. Does the lens firmware version appears in the camera menu? Cosina was also saying manual focus goes away when not maintained either by using the shutter or increasing some options in duration. Did you noticed anything specific?
Might as well buy some vintage 50mm 1.2 and adapt, no? Those are just like this for the most part soft wide open and have chromatic abberations. For the money you could even score a Canon 55mm f1.2 aspherical as they have been coming down in price lately.
I have a Minolta MD 50mm F1.2 that i have been playing around with and it's a really fun lens to use.
That is one useful looking lens. Unfortunately 50mm is not one of my most used focal lengths, so I can't justify spending the current price of £1,699 (Wex).
Gordon, I don’t mean to be creepy, but I’m 99% sure I just walked past you near B&H in Manhattan! I didn’t want to stop you and take up your time 😂
Ha ha! Yes, I was in B&H today, buying a @geraldundone hdmi cable! Always feel free to say hi!
@@cameralabs 😂 I’m glad I wasn’t seeing things, hope you have a nice time in NYC!
Looks amazing. I just got the Nokton 40mm1.2for the Nikon ZF, which is also pure fun, and what i recognized is that it makes an amazing sun star even wide open. How about the 50mm 1.0?
I did want to shoot a sunstar image, but it was too hazy during testing, and I didn't have any appropriate city lights either! I do hear the Voigtlander diaphragm system is good for sunstars though - I think it's about having straighter rather than curved blades.
Thanks for this review. I really want to learn manual focus, especially zone focus for night street photography, but it seems tricky to use a manual lens in this case, or am I mistaken?
Why not get a cheap lens and practice manually focusing to see if you like it or not?
Kia Ora Gordon :-) Another great review and hope you had some great holidays recently too😁. Thanks for the photos and footage of Lewes Bonfire night - I miss those events alot down here - nothing comes close haha. Anyways, I love Voigtlander lenses and always have one in my kit (currently 40 f1.2). The design of the Canon version certainly suits that application, though I do like the Leica mount versions for their design aesthetics👍 Take care and hopefully catchup next year 💥
Thanks, glad you liked my Lewes photos!
I think this lens will look amazing on the Nikon Zf 😍 The only issue for me is that it's not Voigtlanders best 50mm Nokton lens because I think that's the f1.2 version. It's about half the price and has a more beautiful bokeh - espeially towards the edges of the frame. Unfortunately the Nokton 50mm f1.2 is not available for Z mount. And adapted lenses without electrical contacts (like the 50mm f1.2 Nokton Leica M version) don't have all the focusing aids of the Nikon Zf 😭
Try it with the fotodiox Propronto autofocus adapter.its an M to Z mount. I’m certain you will get all the in camera goodness from ibis to 3D matrix and everything else that the Z system offers plus a much much closer minimum focus. I get a MFD of 20 cm with a 1951 Canon Serenar LTM lens on my Z8 with this AF adapter.
With the integration of support for Canon's focus guide I am so willing to trade off my old EF 50 1.2L for this one. Quick additional question: does the lens hood have a bigger filter thread size than the lens alone? I think on Kamlan lenses the hoods provided the option for larger filters than the lens could take without the hood.
Good Q, it looked similar, maybe Fractionally larger
I would love to have one, but I can only see myself using it like once every 5 years or so. Still stuck, and happy, in the EF world and having the majority of my shots done at 200mm and way above that I see no immediate need for it in my camera bag.
That's a nice way to do manual focus
Wait a minute, this focus guide graphic feature is a game changer. I have the Voigltander 40mm f1.2 for Sony E. Does sony have this feature, or only peaking, and magnification?
I don't think Sony has that particular graphic guide BUT some more recent models have a focus map which is another way to visualise it. Mostly for video though I think.
Good Sir
Very easy to dismiss a manual focus lens but your demonstration is showing us it’s nearly all with the helpers / guides except for the the physical ring adjustment itself
Tbh... it just looks fantastic! Having used a lot of manual lenses back in the days, this certainly created an itch...
1800€ is a steep asking price though :\
It's a brilliant looking lens, but spending about 15% more and carrying 300g extra, one can get a weather sealed, autofocusing 50 1.2 that is perfectly sharp even wide open... a tempting alternative for me.
Man, that focus assist seems so much fun! Does Sony have anything like this?
They have peaking and magnification but not sure about the guide. They have a warm and cold map though
@@cameralabs Yes, on my ZVE10 i have peaking and magnification, but the heat map is not available for my camera, sadly. 😕
Shooting weddings or events need speed so a auto focus wins hands down because everything is moving all the time for still life or landscape when speed is not a factor then yes enjoy. One needs a lens that does the job .
2:55 - Doesn't magnification in a viewfinder work with focus-by-wire lenses only?
No, this isn't focus by wire and it worked fine
Really cool to see manual lenses getting a RF mount, but i rather buy a RF 50 1.2 for the money difference..
I would love to know how it works for astrophotography. How pronounced is the coma in the corners, for example?
I would love to point it at some stars BUT I'm betting the coma or field curvature will be bad, at least until closed a few stops.
Love the focus aid on the R5 and this lens would be great for boudoir as well as low light as you beautifully illustrated with the march subjects.
Kind of surpised by the positive review, I mean the "Recommended by Cameralabs"-badge. Because, at least in Norway the RF 50 1.2 is around 31 000 NOK, the CV Nokton isnt available yet, as far as I know, but judging from stores overseas, it might come in at around 22 000 NOK or more. And don't get me wrong, I'm a huge Voigtländer-fan! :) I use them for Leica and also Pentax DSLR, but here I think the price is too high. Yes it's faster than the RF 50, but not by much and yes I don't need razor sharp lenses, and softness can be good. But I'd expect even a smaller size, lower price or a bitter better performance wide open. I'm not getting a f1. Nokton to stop down to f2 :( It's not a bad deal, but not great either for a non-af lens in 2024.
Price-wise I mostly judge products on their GBP and USD pricing, and I realise that can vary a lot in different regions, so in some places a product may represent worse value. But as I hopefully got across in my review, this was more of an emotional product, not a technical yes or no. I really enjoyed how it worked, how it made me feel and the results it delivered for me. That's what the recommendation was based on. If you're after better value, easier use and sharper results, there are better choices. But again this one isn't competing on those metrics.
Excellent review; I really liked the way you descrived the attraction of an artsy manual lens.
Gordon
You missed great sun stars.
Don't close this lens to f/16 or so, get great results at f-stops from 1.4 to 5.6 (!)
Yes, I regret not being able to test for that, as the Sun was hazy during my test time. I really need to find a repeatable point source of artificial light to test this
@@cameralabs I just use a simple LED flashlight for this, in my case a Maglite, the smallest version.
Screw off the reflector and you have a little bright LED battery driven to put it wherever it is convenient (im my case the dark cellar set up as a workshop)
I run two set tests with this configuration:
a) sunstars at different f-stops (focus the lens to the LED)
b) min focus to get a bokeh ball (can be done with different f-stops as well, and you can put the LED in any position in the frame
For doing this with different vocal lengths I vary the distance something like 2.5m for standard lenses, 5m for tele lenses, you get the point. The LED should be significant small to get sharp stars (if the lens is able to produce those) and the whole framing of the around the LED should be roughly unchanged across the focal lengths. There is no other light source in the room and I run a standardized manual exposure.
A very simple setup to generate standardized tests across all types of equipment, across the years, ...
Yes, shooting the sun through trees, ... is of interest for the video, but you can't reproduce anything.
BTW: I highly appreciate your professional testing with a lot of relevance for every day photography!
@@peterebel7899 thanks for your suggestions, I'll look into it...
Is there a Sony version of this lens and if so have you used it? About the same?
There isn't, but you may be able to adapt the Leica M version
I am sure they will. I am excited when they do as I just got a Voightlander Nokton 35mm f1.4 today and absolutely love it. Would totally buy this f1 lens on emount. @@cameralabs
Great review as always
Thanks!
Thanks for this great review!
Will this be my 4th manual 50mm after
- the FD 50 1.4 (the vintage remnant from a long times gone era)
- a Zeiss (no, not 1.4 but 2.0 Macro, mechanical perfection and close up champion)
- the Voigtlander Heliar Classic 50mm F/1.5 M-Mount (what a tiny piece of joy)
Good review Gordon
Thanks!
Has anyone used it on a Canon RP ?
Read that "magenta overlay may occur at the periphery of the image depending on the shooting conditions with EOS R, RP, and R6." How the experience been ?
I have only used it on an R5, but I noticed chromatic aberrations as discussed in the review, so I suspect it's those they're talking about. I don't think it would be worse on the R, RP and R6, but I can't say for sure.
Best
Honestly, I'm waiting for a Canon 50mm 1.4
Aren't we all!
Its nice but id rather import a canon RF 50mm 1.2 from Hong Kong for around the same amount!
I would only buy this lens if the light transmission is really f1.0. That is: T 1.0.
Give me the modern stuff. :)
For about 2000€ the chromatic aberrations are not that fladdering. Positively spoken it has got "character", eh yeah.
If you know you know. Way to go Gordan
great review
CF put a 50/0.9 with Fuji mount to work on a test chart, and it was awful. Maybe the hat is a little too big for Voigtlander
I definitely wouldn’t call that result awful… nor did CF. Chromatic Aberrations of course, this isn’t a Noctilux, but for a 0.9, the real world images were excellent, and performance on the chart was otherwise in line with what you’d expect, high central accuity with lower corner accuity wide open, lower contrast all around wide open, etc. Certainly excellent for the price.
@@HH60gPaveHawk hmmm, ok let's call it disappointing? 😊 Somehow I was expecting more. But no problem, everyone has his point of view. We could also say that f1 is not f0.9, could be some difference in optics there, I don't know.
@@timoteiafanasie4894disappointing is absolutely understandable. People see the modern ultra corrected lenses and assume Voigtlander is the same. They can be, I’ve had their APO lenses and those are incredible. These though, their Nokton line, tend to behave like vintage lenses (though sharp ones) wide open, and switch to a more modern rendering stopped down. If you like it there isn’t anything like it (I’d happily pay a grand for a Nikon 50mm 1.4 AF lens that was the size and rendering of their classic 50/1.4), but if you want modern look, CV APO or other modern designs are the way to go.
Tell me why would this be a better purchase than the Canon RF 50mm f1.2?
I did in the video
@@cameralabs haha. I was hoping to incur the wrath of loyal Voightlander users.
@@sosomelodies659 you may still!
6:06
Thanks for reminding me photography can be fun
I needed reminding!
Poe, thats lot of money
The whole question for this small lens is - image quality.
I showed that, right?
@@cameralabs well, sort of. But not critically. I ,ove what you do, but I use it as an overall assessment of a product. I’m old fashioned, but I need full size RAW images to do an evaluation, not what I see on my computer, or iPad screen.
@@melgross that's completely fair. I'll be posting my full size JPEGs on my website as I always do, but I don't have the bandwidth to host RAWs.
How does anyone not completely write off a manual only lens? The lack of auto focus would make it next to useless for almost everyone.
Did you watch my video where I show how easy it is to manually focus on modern cameras?
Manual glass is a joy to use - the shooting process feels different
this lens a bit pricey imo
How did you focus on your own eyes? You must have REALLY long arms!! HaHa!!
Did you use "Fine Detail" picture profile?
Those photos at night, with the fire are amazing!! I love how the lens renders! Great review, great photos!
Thanks! Someone else took the photos of me of course!
Anyone can make awesome photos today.... if they know how 😃💯😎
Otus has wayyyyyy more glass
1800 bucks for a lens with that bad of a wide open performance?!?!? i mean sure, its not easy to dial in a 1.0 lens, but damn it... i got a 75mm 1.2 for my fuji and its razor sharp wide open with virtaully no chromatic aberrations (without in camera corrections!), WITH autofocus for less than a third of the price. Seriously, how do you justify such a price for a manual lens with these optical flaws?
I hear what you're saying. I was sceptical too, and there's definitely some aspects of the performance I'm not impressed by, but like all products, it's about the complete result and experience. Personally there was something I really enjoyed about using this lens and the results from it, even though on a technical standpoint, it's outperformed by many other options. Ultimately there's loads of lenses available, so it's nice to have the choice of some things that might be a bit different.
nah...
to me it seems like a waste of money. manual, bad chromait abberation. and 1.0 its so shallow, which makes images look not so good
Move a little further and there will be no problems with focusing, but there will be an effect of depth in the scene. With manual lens the shooting process feels different, you can't get the same experience with AF lens. Rendering and the resulting image is another topic. The complete absence of CA sometimes also seems strange to me, it may look clinically perfect, but yeah from this lens I wish to see a bit less CA.
*This looks extremely suspicious like the Meike 50mm F0.95 thats currently cost $160 vs Voigtlander $1800. Also it performs extremely similar, hmmmm🤔🤔🤔.*
The barrel design does look very similar but the Meike lens is for APS-C cameras and this is for 35mm/FF bodies and is meant to complete with the $13,000 USD Leica 50mm f/0.95 Noctilux. These lenses are not comparable to cheaply made Chinese lenses from the likes of Meike, 7Artisans, and TTartisan.
That’s not to say that Chinese lenses are not very cool, but the build quality, oof rendering, aberration control, coatings, and general quality of glass used is nowhere near as good as Cosina and Leica lenses. I own a handful of 7Artisans and SLR Magic lenses and as much as I enjoy using them as character lenses, they’re relatively poorly constructed, sometimes having oil from the aperture blades leak into the elements, and they’re not as sharp off centre as my Voigtlander glass.
wtf 1700$ while i can buy rf 50 f 1.2 at the same price with autofocus
The rf 50 1.2 costs more than that last time I checked but it's about a different experience. Same with manual cars vs auto
Well, another lens full of "character"? I shall pass.
Ha ha, fair enough!
Bland, no bite. Typical Voigtlander.