Nokton 35/1.2 II + M9 = wow !!

[noimmunity]

Bokton! I love it! Saw that on Tom's post; a fast one on your part!

Finally a real name for this lens. The only thing left from "the Beast" is the letter B.

And yes, the Bokeh on that Bicycle Basket is Brilliant!

[Shade]

Is it just me or the bokton creates a slightly similiar swirly like noctilux bokeh?

[steini06]

Great lens, does somebody use the "new" Bokton on an m8 ?

[leicashot]

(filter was causing the internal reflection)



Shoot at Madarin Oriental, Chiang Mai - Thailand. Shot with Leica M9-P and Nokton 35mm f/1.2 wide open

[leicashot]

[tonal1]

Originally Posted by leicashot

Guys don't jump the gun yet. There is nothing definitive about the results shown here. We still need brick walls, newspapers and cat pictures to be sure of anything

Yes, bring on the cat pictures!

Thanks for the TERRIFIC and USEFUL pictures here.

Looking at these photos, I wonder if any differences people see in "Bokeh" are simply due to the slight contrast difference between these two lenses?

[tonal1]

Looking at the pics posted above, I can say I would happily shoot either version of these lenses.

But, I have been wondering about the close focus of the VII. Do you get a little bump of any kind where the lens decouples? If not, that might be a deal breaker for me. I'll bet it doesn't have one (probably because video shooters would HATE it). The same reasoning applies to why I won't shoot early M3's that don't couple closer than 1m (the ones that can NOT be modified that is). I like to turn the lens all the way in and "walk" the camera into focus to get as close as possible. If you can't be confident about where the exact close focus is, then you effectively can't use the lens at it's closest focus point and be sure you truly have focus...

[leicashot]

Originally Posted by tonal1

Looking at the pics posted above, I can say I would happily shoot either version of these lenses.

But, I have been wondering about the close focus of the VII. Do you get a little bump of any kind where the lens decouples? If not, that might be a deal breaker for me. I'll bet it doesn't have one (probably because video shooters would HATE it). The same reasoning applies to why I won't shoot early M3's that don't couple closer than 1m (the ones that can NOT be modified that is). I like to turn the lens all the way in and "walk" the camera into focus to get as close as possible. If you can't be confident about where the exact close focus is, then you effectively can't use the lens at it's closest focus point and be sure you truly have focus...

In terms of close focus the V2 isn't very sharp wide open below 0.7M. It may be useful for some and I do use it sometimes, guestimating on the M9-P or on the NEX but don't pixel-peep or you'll be dissapointed as it needs to be stopped down for sharpness.

[Doug]

Originally Posted by tonal1

Looking at the pics posted above, I can say I would happily shoot either version of these lenses.

But, I have been wondering about the close focus of the VII. Do you get a little bump of any kind where the lens decouples? If not, that might be a deal breaker for me. I'll bet it doesn't have one (probably because video shooters would HATE it). The same reasoning applies to why I won't shoot early M3's that don't couple closer than 1m (the ones that can NOT be modified that is). I like to turn the lens all the way in and "walk" the camera into focus to get as close as possible. If you can't be confident about where the exact close focus is, then you effectively can't use the lens at it's closest focus point and be sure you truly have focus...

True that you cannot be sure of focus distance closer than the decoupling point unless you go by the distance scale and either estimate or use a measuring tape.

I have a couple of ZM lenses that focus closer than the rangefinder. There is no "bump" or other tactile or audible signal for decoupling, but the RF patch does stop moving. You can then backtrack and focus the lens back out until you see it's coupled again, and stop. I'll then "walk" the camera in to where the RF patch indicates correct focus. That's as close as the camera is accurate.

[leicashot]

The Nokton is equally the most flare resistent lens I've used next to the Noct 095, but like any lens, it will flare with a filter in many situations, so i try to remember to remove it when shooting towards strong light sources. Considering my filter has many scratches, I'm glad I use a protective filter

[Turtle]

just got mine and found it is out at mechanical infinity. Bummer. Anyone know how to adjust this?

Will see how it affects focus accuracy at closer distances as first roll is in the camera now. I suspect it will be noticeable.

[DennisPT]

V1 Ektar 100 M6. Sorry, it's not digital.

[Turtle]

I tested mine and despite being out at mechanical infinity it seems to to be smack on at all distances, showing no front or rear focus. I guess there is some sort of mechanical stop for inifinity which is not adjusted right.

The good news is that this lens is simply astonishing. At f1.2 is it beyond what I thought possible and by f2 or so it gets little better on center, with only the edges improving slightly to f4 or 5.6 perhaps. Even at 1.2 the edges are really very good.

This lens has turned out to be the perfect companion to the 24 lux I have and the two will be able to do great things together in low light. To have saved for the Leica would have been pointless. This lens is plenty good enough and at some point in the future I will sort out the mechanical stop for infinity. This lens is so darned good, I don;t want to risk an exchange!

[jsrockit]

Ok, so does this lens exhibit focus shift at all?

[Alnitak]

Originally Posted by jsrockit

Ok, so does this lens exhibit focus shift at all?

No, not all.

Jeff

[BobYIL]

leicashot!

May all thunderbolts of Zeus be upon you! (Some of them on jonmanjiro too!)

(I have just ordered this lens from Scott..)

Bob

[mls64]

I rented the 35/1.2 vII from lensrentals, to use at my daughter's wedding. Really nice lens! This one was at 1.4, ISO 640 on the M9.
I have the Summicron 35 ASPH, and am trying to decide whether to pick up the 35/1.2 v1 or v2 to use for low light.

[mls64]

Another M9 photo, 640 ISO, CV 35/1.2 vII @ 1.2 or 1.4

[G1DRP]

Great photos! Thanks for sharing them.

[mls64]

Originally Posted by G1DRP

Great photos! Thanks for sharing them.

Thanks Ian.

[Jesse2004]

Hi All,

I notice from some photos posted above, and as pointed out by Alnitak, purple fringing seems to be quite severe in high contrast areas. Some even noticeable without enlarging. Another example:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/joezander/7592423934/

Since I don't have much experience with such large aperture lenses, could someone explain this issue a bit more? Is it normal for a lens in this class or it is a drawback of this lens? Will it get better when stopping down?

[menos]

Originally Posted by Jesse2004

Hi All,

I notice from some photos posted above, and as pointed out by Alnitak, purple fringing seems to be quite severe in high contrast areas. Some even noticeable without enlarging. Another example:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/joezander/7592423934/

Since I don't have much experience with such large aperture lenses, could someone explain this issue a bit more? Is it normal for a lens in this class or it is a drawback of this lens? Will it get better when stopping down?

Welcome Jesse!

This has nothing to do with a specific lens.
It has only to do with having been shot with a digital sensor, being nuked by a much larger contrast, than it can swallow, creating this effect.

Only remedy, to ease this effect, is exposing differently (underexposing and bringing the shadows back in post processing) or exposure bracketing and combining exposures in PP.

The use of color negative film would also be a solution, opposed to using a M9.

[Jesse2004]

Thanks for the quick reply, menos, very informative!

Now there is one question remaining: how this lens stacks up against the Zeiss 35mm f2 in terms of IQ, especially at f2 or f2.8? Size comparison is not needed, it's just too obvious.

Jesse

[leicashot]

Originally Posted by Jesse2004

Thanks for the quick reply, menos, very informative!

Now there is one question remaining: how this lens stacks up against the Zeiss 35mm f2 in terms of IQ, especially at f2 or f2.8? Size comparison is not needed, it's just too obvious.

Jesse

The Zeiss 35/2 is an average performer wide open, similar to the pre-ASPH Summicron. But it's distortion control is great and it has very little field curvature. While the Nokton has more field curvature (good for isolation), it is also sharper wide open and at f/2.8. It's also a little better against flare....but of course there's a considerable size difference.

My tests also indicated a better sharpness at f/2.8 against the 35mm C-Biogon as well, which says a lot about just how good the Nokton is. I also recently compared the Nokton against the latest Summilux ASPH 35 FLE, and they're both equal at f/1.4. The Nokton is also much better against flare, but the Summilux has a flatter field and a little less distortion.

[huntjump]

Leica M-E + 35mm 1.2

B&W Dress (back) by Adam Regele, on Flickr