Voigtlander NOKTON VM 50mm F1.1
Voigtlander large aperture standard lens
A review and photo examples of the Nokton 50mm F1.1.
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．Usage
I used this lens with various cameras, including the film camera HEXAR-RF, EPSON R-D1, LEICA M8.2, and LEICA M9, and I was satisfied with all of them. The lens barrel is large and solidly built, and the smooth helicoid that is typical of a manual lens makes focusing comfortable. Because the lens barrel is thick and large, the lens barrel that appears at the bottom right of the viewfinder window can sometimes feel a bit 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 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 photos 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 aperture lenses unclear.
3．Add info.
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.
Specification
| 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(アマゾンアフィリエイトリンク)
Update history
- 2024.02.19
- 2023.10.22
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