Voigtlander NOKTON VM 50mm F1.1

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

Gallery

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

Review

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

Until the release of the F1.0 aperture in 2022, it was the fastest lens in the Cosina VM mount.
A special hood, LH-7, is available as an option (please note that the Amazon affiliate link has a premium price, the list price is around 5000 yen).

I used this lens on a variety of film cameras, including the HEXAR-RF, EPSON R-D1, LEICA M8.2, and LEICA M9, and the lens produced satisfactory results on all of them. The lens barrel is large and well-built, and the smooth helicoid that is typical of a manual lens made focusing operations very comfortable. Due to the large lens barrel, the lens barrel that appeared at the bottom right of the viewing window was a little annoying.

Below are images taken with the Leica M9 both wide open and slightly stopped down (right-click to open image in new tab to enlarge).
When the left aperture is open to F1.1, the focus is on a really thin range, so it is difficult to focus exactly where you want using the Leica M9’s double-image matching viewfinder, so focus bracketing is required. If you don’t take a photo, you’ll be disappointed because it’s just out of focus. Stopping down the lens by about 2 stops will make it much easier to use, but it’s something to think about because it undermines the significance of large aperture lenses.

When you look at the prices of this lens on the used market, you may find that they are lined up at surprisingly low prices. In the first place, the list price is about 1/10 of Nocchilux, which is an unprecedented price, but if you buy a cheap used one, it’s even cheaper, at about half the list price. The reasons for this unpopularity may be as follows.

The lens was released in 2009 and is somewhat old.
Bright and large lenses are not suitable for everyday use.
There are countless 50mm lenses that are more compact and offer satisfactory results.
50mm can be covered with a zoom lens. Focal length

Still, as a lens groomer, it’s one that I’m glad I used at least once. The F1 lens that exists on this camera costs nearly 200,000 yen, which gives the impression that it is quite expensive, and although I would like to try it out, I would be hesitant to purchase one for myself. If someone is willing to lend it to me, I won’t hesitate 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-