Bright standard lens NOKTON VM 50mm F1.1

A review and photo examples of the Nokton 50mm F1.1.

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Table of contents

Gallery

• Example of film shooting taken with HEXAR-RF and KODAK E100G

Review

1．Overview

The Nokton 50mm F1.1 is a large-aperture standard lens from Cosina Voigtlander.

Until the release of the Nokton from the same brand in 2022, which has a brighter maximum aperture of F1.0, it was the brightest lens in the Cosina VM mount.

The lens diameter is nearly 70mm, it is quite long at 57mm, and it weighs 428g.

An optional dedicated hood, the LH-7 (Amazon affiliate link, note that the link destination is at a premium price, the list price is around 5,000 yen) is also available for sale.

2．Usability

I used the Voigtlander NOKTON 50mm F1.1 with a variety of cameras, including the film camera HEXAR-RF, EPSON R-D1, LEICA M8.2, and LEICA M9, and all of them were satisfactory. The lens barrel was large and solidly built, and the smooth helicoid that is typical of a manual lens made focusing a pleasant experience. Because the lens barrel was thick and large, the lens barrel that appeared at the bottom right of the viewfinder window could be a little noisy.

Below are images taken with the Leica M9 at full aperture and slightly narrower aperture (right-click to open the image in a new tab and enlarge it).
At the left full aperture of F1.1, the area in focus is really narrow, so it is difficult to focus on the desired area with the Leica M9’s double image viewfinder, and you may be disappointed with the out-of-focus image unless you take several shots using focus bracketing. It becomes very easy to use if you narrow it down by about two stops, but this is something to think about as it makes the purpose of large-diameter lenses unclear.

Still, as a lens gourmet, I think this is a lens that’s worth using at least once.

3．Summary

In conclusion, to sum up the Voigtlander NOKTON 50mm F1.1 is a bright but large and heavy standard lens. It is a reasonable lens for photographers who need this brightness. There are many options for 50mm lenses, so it is best to try them out and use the lens that you like best.

Specification and Competitor

When you look at the price of this lens on the used market, you can see it priced at a surprising amount. The original price is about 1/10 of the Noctilux, which is an incredible price, but cheaper used ones are even cheaper at about half the price. The following reasons could be considered for its unpopularity.

• The lens was released in 2009, so it is quite old.
• A bright and large lens is not suitable for everyday use.
• There are countless 50mm lenses that are more compact and have satisfactory image quality.
• 50mm can be achieved with a zoom lens. Focal length

Still, as a lens groomer, it is a lens that I am glad to have used at least once. The F1 lens above this lens costs nearly 200,000 yen, so it seems quite expensive, and although I would like to try it, I am hesitant to get it personally. If someone is willing to lend me one, I would be happy to review it.

Items	NOKTON 50mm F1.5	NOKTON 50mm F1.1	NOKTON 50mm F1
Focal length(mm)	50	1.1	1.0
Max aperture	1.5	1.1	1.0
Min aperture	22	16	16
Leaf blade	10	←	12
Lens Construction	5群6枚	6群7枚	7群9枚
Min distance(m)	0.9	1.0	0.9
Lens length(mm)	54.5	57.2	55
Max diameter(mm)	60	69.6	73.6
Filter Size(mm)	52	58	62
Lens mount	L39	VM	VM
Weight(g)	243	428	484
Release date	1999.10	2009.6.29	2022.1.26
Price(Yen/No-tax)	65,000-	131,250-	225,000-

Reference links

• Nocton 50mm F1.1 introduction article by Mapcamera
• Leica lenses from around the world Part 3 (P88)/NOKTON 50mm F1.5・Ads by Amazon

Update history

• 2025.6.24
• 2024.02.19
• 2023.10.22

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