I wish I could still shoot a Rangefinder, I had a beautiful M10-R with leica and voigtlander lenses, and I was so happy, until the light was less than optimal and my old eyes just couldn't focus like I used to. It was really an acknowledgement that I'm getting older and my eyesight is not as good as when I was 40 or 50. So, I sold it and bought a Q2 and I'm waiting on a Q3. Fantastic street camera! But I've gone to a Nikon Zf because it's perfect for my hands, it's like old film Nikons I cut my teeth on, and I've got some great Voigtlander lenses that work perfectly with the camera. Thank you for your common sense, old pro sensibility. I've been a pro for three decades making money and I've got a high MP for studio work but 24 MP is perfect for 98% of what I do.
beautiful images as always. I've been experimenting with my vintage lenses lately. Even went so far as to put together a couple of Petzval style lenses out of two leitz wetzler 85mm and 120mm f/2.8 projector lenses. Interesting results.
In my opinion it is more important to be informed about the behaviour of a certain lens than the manufacturer. Not all Leica lenses are perfect either. Some of them are known for their non-optimal performance, or, as we Leica snobs refer to, character. I had a Voigtländer 35 1.4 Nokton Classic once on an M8. This combination had (IIRC?) back-focussing issues up until about > f 2.0 and I didn't like the bokeh that much, but build-wise, no complaints. My fault, I could have read up better. With my M11, I tried a number of lenses before deciding. The SR Reissue was cool but not to my taste, the 35 Lux superb, but a bit on the heavy side for an always-on lens, the 35 APO out of reach price-wise, so I settled for the silent champ, the 2.4 Summarit, and I love it. Moral of the story: don't focus on the brand, focus on whether the lens suits your needs.
Nice results! currently have 18 Leica M lenses, 1 Leica LTM lens (and an LTM to M adapter), 3 Leica R lenses (and R to M and to L adapters), and a few non-Leica M lenses (Voigtländer and Nikon). I can see getting a few more lenses from all these manufacturers. I don’t see getting non-Leica lenses as sacrilegious. I wish Leica glass was less expensive, but the company has pushed the boundaries of what is possible, and I don’t mind paying for it. I buy used lenses whenever possible. Leica is not a high volume company. Part of the reason you could buy an M11-P is because the company is solvent and selling lenses helps their bottom line. I picked up the latest version of the Leica APO-Summicron-M 35 mm, and can’t imagine anyone making a better f/2 lens. John, do you think a Summilux-M 35 is too heavy to use all day? I like how some some Voigtländer lenses render (even the v.1 Nokton 35 mm f/1.2, which I think is soft), and Matt Osborne gives great reviews to some of its lenses, but he sold one he praised last year: APO 90 f/2.8 (IIRC, he had an issue with it focusing at infinity).
Thanks for posting. You took my thunder away from me. I was about to jump and ask about the bathroom shots, when you cut me off at the pass. Can't imagine how that conversation went... "Hey let's take some shots in the men's bathroom". lol
I like Voigtlander and Zeiss just fine, but tbh Leica tends to win the vibe check criteria for me (i.e. I look at images taken by the lenses and decide what looks good to me without thinking too much about it). My one hot take is the VM 50 APO Lanthar has better rendering than the 50 APO Summicron. Other than that though, I have two Leica 35s and I wouldn't trade either for this particular Voigtlander and cash but I don't think the Leicas are better. Just more to my preference.
They are. I do get the appeal of Leica glass if you are looking for the aesthetic value - but if you are just looking for value without compromise, Voigtlander
Can you review the Zeiss 35 please? I have the M11-P and considering that one over this. (See my video from Japan) Please don't shoot in the bathroom, she looked very uncomfortable.
I have this lens too. I bought it because I wanted to see if 35mm was a focal length that suited me (it is) before buying a Summicron, which is an identical size. After using it for a year I can’t see any reason to buy a Leica lens. I rarely take portraits and far more often take infrared photos of landscape or buildings. This not the lens for that - it has a huge hotspot in the middle of the frame unlike my 50mm Summicron which has no hotspot. No idea if the Leica 'lux or ‘cron is hotspot free.
Any tips on what to code this lens to on the Leica body? Am fairly new to Leica, and one of the many annoyances are how gatekeepery they are on non-Leica lenses. Considering they push it as a 'pro' body and the cost, and that the M mount is out of patent, would it kill them to let users assign a non-Leica lens? If anything it would show then to be a good company with happy customers (especially given the incredibly flakey firmware) and in any case those that can afford to buy and want Leica glass will buy them regardless.
I'm looking to purchase my first M-mount lens and I'm greatly considering this Nokton for it's small weight and wide aperture. Would you say this would be a good lens for majority street photography usage both during the day with zone focus and at night as well? Great video.
The Nocton 35/1.5 is a fine lens with beautiful bokeh. Unfortunately, it shows terrible purplefringing wide open. Cudos to Voigtlaender to make brass lenses, Leica do this only for very expensive limited batches
I am a hobbist. I have a Leica M240 with a Voigtlander lens. No problem. A few days ago I shot with a Leica Summilux 50mm. ASPH. The Voigtlander is great for the price. The Lux is another story. When buying the best, the cost does not come into consideration.
Sacrilege indeed, I have the nokton 1.5 (black) and the summilux 35 both great glass, The nokton now sits on the Nikon ZF or gets put on the MP when the elmarit 28 doesn't cut. Voigts are great value. The lockups on the M11P seem to have reduced for me after the firmware upgrade.
May I ask, are all of these photos taken in your studio? If so it is a magnificent location with amazing character. My own studio is similar to the room with studio lights, V-Flats and back grounds however I am drooling over the areas which look like they are shot on location somewhere.
Well said about liking the rangefinder body hence you buy Leica. That's a reason for buying the Leica. Otherwise why spend so much money on a Leica camera body? We can put a Voightlander lens on any body we like and they're thousands cheaper than a Leica body. So it makes no sense to buy a Leica body ether right? But if you like using a rangefinder now we have a reason to buy a Leica. Well done. I was raised on a Contax 1 rangefinder camera and loved that body.
Not only were you shooting in a bathroom but you were talking about background rendering next to a urinal. lol... Great lens though, despite the bathroom.
I do NOT mean to sound like I'm attacking you.... I am not.... Just a bit of constructive criticism... You put much effort into making this video for us to enjoy.... But.... Minute after minute into it, you are just saying the same thing over and over about describing your feelings.... Just get on with the meat of the topic...the Voigtlander Nokton 35mm F/1.5....
That lens is quite special - the colors and clarity are on a different level of excellence. And I do like the backgrounds used for your images.
That lens is incredible. Especially in that color on that body. Just reviewed it here a few weeks ago.
It really is a great combo
Awesome shots!
Totally agree with you about the 35 apo. Love that lens, sold all my other lenses and just kept the 50 lux and the Leica 35 apo.
I wish I could still shoot a Rangefinder, I had a beautiful M10-R with leica and voigtlander lenses, and I was so happy, until the light was less than optimal and my old eyes just couldn't focus like I used to. It was really an acknowledgement that I'm getting older and my eyesight is not as good as when I was 40 or 50. So, I sold it and bought a Q2 and I'm waiting on a Q3. Fantastic street camera! But I've gone to a Nikon Zf because it's perfect for my hands, it's like old film Nikons I cut my teeth on, and I've got some great Voigtlander lenses that work perfectly with the camera. Thank you for your common sense, old pro sensibility. I've been a pro for three decades making money and I've got a high MP for studio work but 24 MP is perfect for 98% of what I do.
I understand the hype about Leica glass, but I am more than happy with my Voigtlanders. Great photos and neat little LED :)
I love most of their lenses.
beautiful images as always. I've been experimenting with my vintage lenses lately. Even went so far as to put together a couple of Petzval style lenses out of two leitz wetzler 85mm and 120mm f/2.8 projector lenses. Interesting results.
That sounds like a lot of fun
In my opinion it is more important to be informed about the behaviour of a certain lens than the manufacturer. Not all Leica lenses are perfect either. Some of them are known for their non-optimal performance, or, as we Leica snobs refer to, character. I had a Voigtländer 35 1.4 Nokton Classic once on an M8. This combination had (IIRC?) back-focussing issues up until about > f 2.0 and I didn't like the bokeh that much, but build-wise, no complaints. My fault, I could have read up better.
With my M11, I tried a number of lenses before deciding. The SR Reissue was cool but not to my taste, the 35 Lux superb, but a bit on the heavy side for an always-on lens, the 35 APO out of reach price-wise, so I settled for the silent champ, the 2.4 Summarit, and I love it.
Moral of the story: don't focus on the brand, focus on whether the lens suits your needs.
Nice results!
currently have 18 Leica M lenses, 1 Leica LTM lens (and an LTM to M adapter), 3 Leica R lenses (and R to M and to L adapters), and a few non-Leica M lenses (Voigtländer and Nikon). I can see getting a few more lenses from all these manufacturers. I don’t see getting non-Leica lenses as sacrilegious.
I wish Leica glass was less expensive, but the company has pushed the boundaries of what is possible, and I don’t mind paying for it. I buy used lenses whenever possible. Leica is not a high volume company. Part of the reason you could buy an M11-P is because the company is solvent and selling lenses helps their bottom line.
I picked up the latest version of the Leica APO-Summicron-M 35 mm, and can’t imagine anyone making a better f/2 lens.
John, do you think a Summilux-M 35 is too heavy to use all day?
I like how some some Voigtländer lenses render (even the v.1 Nokton 35 mm f/1.2, which I think is soft), and Matt Osborne gives great reviews to some of its lenses, but he sold one he praised last year: APO 90 f/2.8 (IIRC, he had an issue with it focusing at infinity).
Thanks for posting. You took my thunder away from me. I was about to jump and ask about the bathroom shots, when you cut me off at the pass. Can't imagine how that conversation went... "Hey let's take some shots in the men's bathroom". lol
If you don’t try you just don’t know 😂😂
I like Voigtlander and Zeiss just fine, but tbh Leica tends to win the vibe check criteria for me (i.e. I look at images taken by the lenses and decide what looks good to me without thinking too much about it). My one hot take is the VM 50 APO Lanthar has better rendering than the 50 APO Summicron. Other than that though, I have two Leica 35s and I wouldn't trade either for this particular Voigtlander and cash but I don't think the Leicas are better. Just more to my preference.
Leica body with Voigtlander glass is just a killer combo… Yes, also using Leica glass… and they are just as good imo
They are. I do get the appeal of Leica glass if you are looking for the aesthetic value - but if you are just looking for value without compromise, Voigtlander
pls share the pocket LED details
Viltrox RB V12?
Can you review the Zeiss 35 please? I have the M11-P and considering that one over this. (See my video from Japan) Please don't shoot in the bathroom, she looked very uncomfortable.
Turning into the Voigtlander Spokesman! 😃
I can’t help it! Loving their lenses.
I have this lens too. I bought it because I wanted to see if 35mm was a focal length that suited me (it is) before buying a Summicron, which is an identical size. After using it for a year I can’t see any reason to buy a Leica lens. I rarely take portraits and far more often take infrared photos of landscape or buildings. This not the lens for that - it has a huge hotspot in the middle of the frame unlike my 50mm Summicron which has no hotspot. No idea if the Leica 'lux or ‘cron is hotspot free.
Thanks for sharing.
Any tips on what to code this lens to on the Leica body? Am fairly new to Leica, and one of the many annoyances are how gatekeepery they are on non-Leica lenses. Considering they push it as a 'pro' body and the cost, and that the M mount is out of patent, would it kill them to let users assign a non-Leica lens? If anything it would show then to be a good company with happy customers (especially given the incredibly flakey firmware) and in any case those that can afford to buy and want Leica glass will buy them regardless.
I set it to the Summilux
I was just about to ask you why you are shooting in the bathroom! 😆
I'm looking to purchase my first M-mount lens and I'm greatly considering this Nokton for it's small weight and wide aperture. Would you say this would be a good lens for majority street photography usage both during the day with zone focus and at night as well? Great video.
I would. It’s an amazing lens wide open and plenty of sharpness
@@kaskoPhoto Thank you!
The Nocton 35/1.5 is a fine lens with beautiful bokeh. Unfortunately, it shows terrible purplefringing wide open. Cudos to Voigtlaender to make brass lenses, Leica do this only for very expensive limited batches
I don’t shoot a lot of high contrast, but so far I’ve seen the purple only on a moderate level.
Yes I see this a lot on mine too - brand new type I black. Was surprised how bad it is to be honest.
I am a hobbist. I have a Leica M240 with a Voigtlander lens. No problem. A few days ago I shot with a Leica Summilux 50mm. ASPH. The Voigtlander is great for the price. The Lux is another story. When buying the best, the cost does not come into consideration.
Which, they make many lenses.
What is it about the APO Voigtlander that you think you need for commercial work that the Nokton can’t give you? Just edge to edge sharpness?
The lens is just corrected very well and handles the 60 megapixel resolution better than any other lens I’ve used.
@@kaskoPhoto I’ve only used the 50mm and just found it so boring for some reason
Sacrilege indeed, I have the nokton 1.5 (black) and the summilux 35 both great glass, The nokton now sits on the Nikon ZF or gets put on the MP when the elmarit 28 doesn't cut. Voigts are great value. The lockups on the M11P seem to have reduced for me after the firmware upgrade.
So far so good for me.
May I ask, are all of these photos taken in your studio? If so it is a magnificent location with amazing character. My own studio is similar to the room with studio lights, V-Flats and back grounds however I am drooling over the areas which look like they are shot on location somewhere.
All in the same building. It’s an amazing place.
Is that the Hand grip that Hugh Brownstone is developing with a partner?
No, I believe his is only for the Q3
When you shoot Leica do you shoot DNG raw? I wish more camera companies would support DNG raw.
Yes. I also use DNG when exporting from Lightroom for archiving
Well said about liking the rangefinder body hence you buy Leica. That's a reason for buying the Leica. Otherwise why spend so much money on a Leica camera body? We can put a Voightlander lens on any body we like and they're thousands cheaper than a Leica body. So it makes no sense to buy a Leica body ether right? But if you like using a rangefinder now we have a reason to buy a Leica. Well done. I was raised on a Contax 1 rangefinder camera and loved that body.
100%, it's how I feel too, i use Zeiss and voigtlander glass on my M
Just get the Zeiss distagon and a 1.4 nokton for character. Done.
Not only were you shooting in a bathroom but you were talking about background rendering next to a urinal. lol... Great lens though, despite the bathroom.
😂😂 so you hated the John
@@kaskoPhoto It beats an MFT chart.
I do NOT mean to sound like I'm attacking you.... I am not.... Just a bit of constructive criticism... You put much effort into making this video for us to enjoy.... But.... Minute after minute into it, you are just saying the same thing over and over about describing your feelings.... Just get on with the meat of the topic...the Voigtlander Nokton 35mm F/1.5....
Thanks I’ll work on that for you.