Voigtländer Nokton 35mm f/1.2 II vs I on digital...

[hookonclassic]

CJ, nice review write up....:thumbsup:

 

[hydroburn249]

What makes leica abit different is that motivations for the buyer are sometimes irrational.

best quote ever.

 

[zag]

the waiting time to get hold of Leica lux lenses is killing it itself... no need Voigtlander at all.
leica doesn't really care it seems...don't you love to hate it?

 

[larrytok]

haha so fat compared to the summicron asph.. i will take a smaller lens anytime.. unless its a noctilux. lol.

 

[newghost]

True to the words of a cosina salesperson! :bsmilie:

btw, great stuff CJ! :thumbsup:

 

[thomaschan]

thumbs up for 35 1.2 II. another very happy owner here.

unless u buy red dot for red dot, no reason not to consider this. performance is reallllyyyy astounding!!!

 

[benny]

we noticed a marked increase in contrast and sharpness with the Voigtländer Nokton 35mm f/1.2 II over the I.

Ed,

I have tested the Version 1 quite extensive at one point in time and having own 5 copies before settling on the current 2 copies, I will say that some batches of the V1 has lower contrast and resultant sharpness due to haze in the inner rear element. I have pointed out this to a few of the users before and I remember showing Ben Tay about this. If you clean up the lens, you'll think you have a different lens.

If you have a good copy of the V1, it's an absolute gem.

Cheers,

 

[NazgulKing]

Ed,

I have tested the Version 1 quite extensive at one point in time and having own 5 copies before settling on the current 2 copies, I will say that some batches of the V1 has lower contrast and resultant sharpness due to haze in the inner rear element. I have pointed out this to a few of the users before and I remember showing Ben Tay about this. If you clean up the lens, you'll think you have a different lens.

If you have a good copy of the V1, it's an absolute gem.

Cheers,

Haze?! How does it get there?

 

[lmmo1977]

How much does this lens blocks the viewfinder?

 

[Leonidas]

I am interested to get the f/1.2 II lens but can current users advice me whether SC or MC is better for this lens?

 

[magicianhisoka]

I think SC and MC only applies to the 35mm 1.4 and 40mm 1.4

 

[Kimura_papaya]

very venomous poison thread ...!!! nevertheless is a good review.

 

[nordleadx]

Ed,

I have tested the Version 1 quite extensive at one point in time and having own 5 copies before settling on the current 2 copies, I will say that some batches of the V1 has lower contrast and resultant sharpness due to haze in the inner rear element. I have pointed out this to a few of the users before and I remember showing Ben Tay about this. If you clean up the lens, you'll think you have a different lens.

If you have a good copy of the V1, it's an absolute gem.

Cheers,

Do watch out for haze when buying this lens .

Its a great lens !!! when u wear it out like mine, u get the brass look and it looked cool !!!!

 

[kucink132]

this lenses absolutely lux killer IF ONLY it has smaller size. tough its optical feature and performance are superior, the size may bother some(and yes, blocked viewfinder)

 

[alantcs2010]

I too was one of those guys that used to poo poo the Nokton 35/1.2 for being too big. In fact, I had no intention at all of buying the 35/1.2 V2 I now own, but stumbled on a too good to refuse deal, so bought it thinking I could try it out and flip it without loosing any money on the deal. Well, I tell you what, now I'm sold! It's an absolutely outstanding performer, even wide open. I still wish it was a little smaller and lighter, but for the results it gives I can happily suck up the size and weight factor. And for the price the Summilux 35 ASPH sells for, its a no brainer. It makes no sense at all to spend so much more money on a lens that won't give you anything extra over and above what the 35/1.2 V2 delivers. Unless of course you have cash burning a hole in your pocket and absolutely must have Leica. But once you get to that point, its no longer about the photos anyway, is it

I agree totally. I don't like big lenses but now I am stuck with this 35mm F1.2 V2. It can easily match my 35mm Summicron ASPH in every direction except the size. Many times it outperform my cron.

 

[artspraken]

Jon, my situation exactly same as yours.

 

[virtualme78]

Totally agree and that I sorta regretted selling my Nokton 35mm f1.4. Hoping to get a ZM 35mm f2 soon.

Hehe, its interesting to re-read what I wrote just a few short months ago

I have the same two lenses, and find myself shooting with the Summicron 35mm ASPH much more than the Nokton 35mm f/1.2 V2 these days.

Not because there is anything wrong with the Nokton though. There isn't. It's a damn fine lens.

I just find that I now prefer the DOF at f/2 rather than f/1.2 or f/1.4, so instead of taking the bigger lens and stopping down to f/2, I take the smaller lens and shoot it wide open. Both lenses perform above my expectations at f/2, so its a no brainer to choose the smaller lens!

 

[virtualme78]

Barrel distortion is really quite bad on the Nokton 35mm f1.4 which is also part of the reason to sell it.

I haven't really try or see a ZM Biogon 35/2 so I'm not quite sure how big the lens is. Based on the information from KenRockwell, the lens is highly recommended for its image quality and minimal finder blockage...

 

[artspraken]

The Summicron 35mm ASPH is my compromise between speed and size.

if you willing to give up ASPH, the cron pre-asph even smaller

 

[artspraken]

The ZM Biogon 35/2 is about the same size as the ZM Planar 50/2. Not so fat, but quite long.

Damn good lens, and worth trying!

Biogon 35/2 is optically superior to the Leica equivalent of 35 cron ASPH in several tests but this superiority remains debated due to psychological irrationalities in favour of Leica we all are familiar with.

The Biogon 35/2 is longer lens, and also lighter. If you put a hood it would be cumbersome, but a hood is not needed because the lens is almost flareproof. Both ken rockwell n sean reid say the same thing.

There is an ongoing thread in rangefinderforums where there is a poll of Biogon 35/2 v Leica 35/2 asph and its quite interesting to see how every week they run neck and neck (currently biogon leading)

If you don't need F2 (if you are daylight shooter) get the Biogon 35/2.8. That is the lens that outperformed all other lenses in Sean Reid's review of fast 35 lenses in that category. this is the best lens actually imho.

In brief, if you don't need F1.4, and you don't need Leica, the Biogon is a natural option.