Voigtlander NOKTON L 50mm F1.5
Reproduction of Voigtlander’s early large aperture standard lens
A review and Photo example of the Voigtlander NOKTON 50mm F1.5.
Table of contents
Gallery
- The sample photo were taken with the LEICA M8
Review
1．Usage
The Nokton L 50mm F1.5 is a Voigtlander brand L39 screw-mount standard lens released by Cosina in 1999.
The image is typical of a large-aperture 50mm lens, with a sharp focus and beautiful front and rear bokeh.
I got rid of it because I got the similar Nokton 50mm F1.1, but it is still a lens that I am very satisfied with. However, Cosina Voigtlander lenses from the early 2000s have balsam cracks on the lens joints, and many of them are cloudy, so you need to check when purchasing. Depending on the degree of cloudiness, it is often not a problem in direct light, so depending on the price, it is a good candidate for purchase.
2．Lens overview
This lens is a 50mm standard lens with an early Voigtlander L39 screw mount, and is large for a standard lens with an aperture of F1.5. The focus ring is at the base of the lens, and the aperture ring is at the front of the lens. Some photographers may find it difficult to turn the focal ring when focusing, as the lens diameter is large and there is no finger grip on the focal ring. The lens hood that comes standard is not deep and only provides a little extra light blocking.
The lens configuration is a modified double Gauss, with the front group enlarged to ensure sufficient light, and the rear group designed primarily for aberration correction. It is equipped with an aspherical lens, just like the Ultron 35mm released at the same time.
The lens configuration was changed to 7 groups and 8 elements from the NOKTON 50mm F1.5 Vintage Line II, the third generation lens with the same specifications, and two lenses were added to the front and rear of this lens. In order to make the lens barrel smaller while maintaining the same lens specifications, it appears that the number of lenses has been increased in order to maintain the amount of light and correct aberrations. By increasing the number of lenses, the weight has been reduced, and so the lens has been successfully made smaller.
3．Comparison with competitors
Cosina’s Voigtlander series has released many types of 50mm lenses, so it can be difficult to choose one. Since it is almost impossible to be dissatisfied with any lens with a focal length of 50mm, it is a good idea to purchase a lens with an appearance and design that you like and use it frequently. If you are not comfortable taking the lens out with you, then it is probably not the lens for you.
Specification and Competitor
| Items | NOKTON(First) | NOKTON Vintage Line | NOKTON Vintage Line II |
| Focal length(mm) | 50 | ← | ← |
| Max aperture | 1.5 | ← | ← |
| Min aperture | 16 | ← | ← |
| Leaf blade | 10 | ← | 12 |
| Lens Construction | 6 elements in 5 groups | ← | 8 elements in 7 groups |
| Min distance(m) | 0.7 | ← | ← |
| Lens length(mm) | 54.5 | 62 | 50.5 |
| Max diameter(mm) | 60 | 45.7 | 60.8 |
| Filter Size(mm) | 52 | 49 | 43 |
| Hood | Special food | ← | LH-6 |
| Weight(g) | 243 | 293(Silver) 220(Black) | 198(Silver,Black) 255(Nikkel,Black paint) |
| Lens mount | L39 | VM | ← |
| Release date | 1999.10 | 2013.06 | 2020.10.22 |
| Price(Yen/No-tax) | 65,000(Silver) 68,000(Black) | 125,000(Silver) 100,000(Black) | 100,000(Silver,Black) 115,000(Nikkel,Black paint) |
Reference links
- COSINA PDF(NOKTON 50mm F1.5 Aspherical)
- COSINA PDF(NOKTON 50mm F1.5 Aspherical Line Vintage)
- Leica lenses around the world Part 3/amazon affiliate link
- Photo Yodobashi Voigtlander NOKTON 50mm F1.5 Aspherical II VM SC
- Photo Yodobashi Voigtlander NOKTON 50mm F1.5 Aspherical II VM MC
- Photo Yodobashi Voigtländer Nokton 50mm F1.5 Aspherical VM
Update
- 2024.9.10
- 2024.05.03
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