Reissue of Voigtlander NOKTON 50mm F1.5 L39
A review and Photo example of the Voigtlander NOKTON 50mm F1.5 with the LEICA M8 and SONY α NEX-3.
Table of contents
Gallery
The sample photo were taken with the LEICA M8 and SONY α NEX-3
Review
1．Overview
The NOKTON 50mm F1.5 Aspherical L39 is a Voigtlander brand L39 screw-mount standard lens released by Cosina in 1999.
The main specifications are as follows, and details are listed in the table.
- Aperture value: 1.5
- Lens construction: 6 elements in 5 groups
- 1 aspherical lens
- Aperture blades: 10
- Minimum focusing distance: 0.7m
- Leica M rangefinder camera rangefinder coupling: 0.7m
- Hood: Dedicated screw-in hood
- Lens color variations: Silver and black
2．Usability
The NOKTON 50mm F1.5 L39 Aspherical’s depiction allows you to enjoy the bokeh that is typical of large-diameter lenses, but in some scenes, the bokeh can be dirty, which is a weakness of lenses that use early Voigtlander aspherical lenses. In addition, the color correction is also weak in some places, and false colors can appear on the edges of the subject.
This lens is a standard lens with an early Voigtlander L39 screw mount, and is a large lens for a standard lens with an aperture value of F1.5. It is designed with a focus ring at the base of the lens and an aperture ring at the front of the lens. The lens diameter is large and thick, but there is no finger grip on the focus ring, so it feels difficult to focus.
The standard lens hood is not deep and has only a little light blocking ability.
The lens configuration is a modified double Gauss, with the front group being large in diameter to ensure light volume, and the rear group using an aspherical lens (Aspherical) at the rear end to correct aberrations.
3．Summary
In conclusion, to sum up the NOKTON 50mm F1.5 Aspherical L39 is a large-aperture standard lens with an old design.
Of the many 50mm lenses available, there is not much motivation to choose this lens.
In the digital age where high ISO sensitivity can be easily used, you will be happier if you choose a more compact lens with a maximum aperture of around F2 that provides good image quality. If you are looking for a unique large-aperture lens, the SUMMILUX 50mm is a good choice.
Specification , Study and more
Cosina Voigtlander lenses from the early 2000s, including this NOKTON 50mm, are often cloudy due to balsam separation at the lens joint. The impact of the cloudiness depends on the level of cloudiness, but it is necessary to check before purchasing whether it is acceptable.
The ULTRON 35mm f1.7, released around the same time, also has an aspherical lens.
The original Voigtlander NOKTON 50mm F1.5 is a lens for the Voigtlander PROMINENT. Lenses for PROMINENT are relatively inexpensive, and can be used with the LEICA L39/M mount by attaching a Chinese or Ms-Optics helicoid unit. There are also lenses for the LEICA L39 mount, but they are few in number and very expensive.
The second-generation NOKTON 50mm F1.5 Vintage Line has the same lens configuration as the original NOKTON 50mm, but the lens barrel design imitates the expensive LEICA L39 mount original NOKTON 50mm mentioned above.
The lens configuration has been changed to 8 elements in 7 groups from the third-generation NOKTON 50mm F1.5 Vintage Line II, with two additional lenses added to the front and rear of the lens.
The filter diameter of the first-generation NOKTON is 52mm, while that of the third-generation is 43mm, which is smaller, and the overall length of the lens is also 37mm, which is about 13mm shorter. The number of lens elements has increased while the overall size and weight have been reduced, which is evidence of the progress of lens design.
Cosina’s Voigtlander series has released many 50mm focal length lenses. This makes it difficult to decide which one to choose. No matter what lens you use with a focal length of 50mm, you will almost never be dissatisfied with the image quality, so one option is to purchase a lens whose appearance and design you like.
The lens sizes and positions in the diagram below are estimates and may differ from the actual sizes. The diagram is taken from a PDF distributed by COSINA.
| 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)
- NOKTON 50mm F1.5 Aspherical・WebArchive Archive page
- COSINA PDF(NOKTON 50mm F1.5 Aspherical Line Vintage)
- NOKTON 50mm F1.5 Aspherical Line Vintage・WebArchive Archive page
- NOKTON 50mm F1.5 Vintage Line II
- Voigtlander NOKTON 50mm F/1.5 LSM・LENS.DB
- Leica lenses around the world Part 3 ・Ads by Amazon
- 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
- 2025.7.11
- 2024.9.10
- 2024.05.03
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