Voigtlander Nokton 58mm F/1.4 Review!

thePiRaTE!! · 07-10-2008, 09:36 AM

Originally posted by roentarre

This shot is totally out of focus. But the soft creamy bokeh is something to like.

Classic Nokton right there. Its hard to hit the focal plane wide open, but does it even matter? I mean, the result is a little dreamy. If it was posted like this without saying you missed, I would just assume it was intentionally arty.

While having an intensely sharp in focus subject against such bokeh is also (and perhaps more 'commercially') desireable, having something simply more in focus against such a back ground (but still blurry) has a similar way of drawing in the eye, but with a dreamy or painting effect instead. Better or worse? Subjective only.

I can state that in my current lens experience, I haven't used another yet where a near miss actually had the potential to improve or make a shot, so for me, the Nokton is my personal 'Bokeh Master' heh.

roentarre · 07-10-2008, 02:54 PM

Originally posted by thePiRaTE!!

Classic Nokton right there. Its hard to hit the focal plane wide open, but does it even matter? I mean, the result is a little dreamy. If it was posted like this without saying you missed, I would just assume it was intentionally arty.

Not as dreamy as the ones you have posted. There are plenty of shots like that on the daily basis and these images were result of end-inspiration while the camera moves with my diaphragm

I remembered posting a few of these shots in Dpreview and a few nice fellows recommended me to read up on basic photography books. The claims were that Voigtlander 58mm shall be sharper than the ones posted and I needed to get Katz eye to properly manual focus. It was fun to see that.

Originally posted by thePiRaTE!!

While having an intensely sharp in focus subject against such bokeh is also (and perhaps more 'commercially') desireable, having something simply more in focus against such a back ground (but still blurry) has a similar way of drawing in the eye, but with a dreamy or painting effect instead. Better or worse? Subjective only.

Most of the us went through the phase of getting everything intensely sharp with busy clattering contents to start with. It follows by subject isolation by only rendering some bokeh in the background. Finally we all head towards our own directions of photography to do what we like.

I could say that only nokton produces that dreamy look at f1.4 to 1.8 range. Voigtlander 125mm macro produces more clarity in subject matters and smoother bokeh. Colour is of high power purity.

Originally posted by thePiRaTE!!

I can state that in my current lens experience, I haven't used another yet where a near miss actually had the potential to improve or make a shot, so for me, the Nokton is my personal 'Bokeh Master' heh.

Your lens experience is not limited at all. The key is to know one's lens so well that its pro and cons are well addressed with photography experience. Even cons can be of benefit and producing good work.

To be honest, my experience with Zeiss 35mm on the weekend was not so great (I do not see the point of getting it while I had quite a few 30mms). Only a few lenses have the interesting characteristics

thePiRaTE!! · 07-10-2008, 04:43 PM

Its funny about the 'advice' you received, hehe. I have found a much more accepting audience for such pictures in bokeh fan groups on flickr. I went from having a few views to a pile of positive feedback. It really helped me feel I wasn't disappearing up my own arse with all this 'bokeh only' shooting, hehe.

I've had similar experience with the VL125 as well. Similar to the Nokton in a fluid bokeh sense, but a lot more literal - if that is the right word.

(At the risk of going off topic)

VL125 @ 2.5

'Can Do' in the bokeh dept., very sharp in-focus plane even wide open and pretty easy to find it. But not in a storybook painting kind of way like the Nokton.

Did you try any closer focus type shooting with the 35? I had the chance to try the 28/2 at my local camera shop and was surprised by its close focus potential. Its nearly as close at the 25 (a few inches vs just over an inch) which is fine for most flowers and such

Zeiss 28/2 @ f2 close focused - worthy to see large for the detail clarity

Now, back to NOKTON programming!

roentarre · 07-11-2008, 04:57 AM

Originally posted by thePiRaTE!!

Its funny about the 'advice' you received, hehe. I have found a much more accepting audience for such pictures in bokeh fan groups on flickr. I went from having a few views to a pile of positive feedback. It really helped me feel I wasn't disappearing up my own arse with all this 'bokeh only' shooting, hehe.

I've had similar experience with the VL125 as well. Similar to the Nokton in a fluid bokeh sense, but a lot more literal - if that is the right word.

(At the risk of going off topic)

VL125 @ 2.5

Now, back to NOKTON programming!

Now Voigtlander 125 macro magic is all shown here again. Beautiful!

I am more of a fan for Nokton 58mm or Voigtlander 125mm macro

roentarre · 07-11-2008, 04:58 AM

This is a dull style of shot made a little more vivid with Nokton

roentarre · 07-11-2008, 04:59 AM

Without expanse of space behind the subject, subtle distance between the subject and the surrounding still could be well enhanced by the lens itself

thePiRaTE!! · 07-11-2008, 06:02 AM

Your Nokton shots contrasted beside the VL125 really demonstrate the point I was trying to make in the 'Bokeh Masters' thread - they are both pleasing but in different ways. Certainly, the Nokton has a special diffusion all its own. The Lanthars in general are very distinctly in and out of focus, Nokton drifts away into gentle confusion. Alzheimers bokeh, hehe.

Lovely shots again btw!!

roentarre · 07-12-2008, 06:01 AM

Thanks Kelly.

More Nokton shots.

roentarre · 07-12-2008, 06:01 AM

More dreamy ones here.

roentarre · 07-12-2008, 06:02 AM

roentarre · 07-12-2008, 06:16 AM

roentarre · 07-28-2008, 06:49 AM

From a while back, just discovered this shot by Nokton

OrenMc · 07-29-2008, 08:56 PM

Anyone want to buy my K 50 f/1.2 ?

roentarre,
Absolutely beautiful work! You just made this lens a must have. Not a bad price for the preformance.
I'm another fan of the artistry of bokeh

khardur · 07-29-2008, 08:56 PM

wow - I just stumbled across this thread - I could drool over that bokeh such that I'd short the keyboard out.

Very nice - I have some considering to do, I have a certain need for a great bokeh rendering portrait lens, and the Nokton isn't actually that bad of a price. But then again, the 50 f/1.4 is a much better price... If anyone owns both of these lenses - could you take a couple pics of the same subject with the same aperture and post comparisons? I'd buy both and do it myself, but that would be an expensive test! LOL.

Thanks in advance...

roentarre · 07-29-2008, 09:16 PM

Originally posted by khardur

wow - I just stumbled across this thread - I could drool over that bokeh such that I'd short the keyboard out.

Very nice - I have some considering to do, I have a certain need for a great bokeh rendering portrait lens, and the Nokton isn't actually that bad of a price. But then again, the 50 f/1.4 is a much better price... If anyone owns both of these lenses - could you take a couple pics of the same subject with the same aperture and post comparisons? I'd buy both and do it myself, but that would be an expensive test! LOL.

Thanks in advance...

Dan, it seems that you are going to be sucked into the world of bokeh as well.

I will do a test on the bokeh myself or I could ask Voe to a test on the 50mms with my collection. Voe enjoys testing lenses out so I might as well let him do it.

He does a test on the 50-58mm in the past, check this thread out

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-slr-lens-discussion/25514-quick-di...lens-test.html

07-29-2008, 08:56 PM	#103
OrenMc Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,901	Anyone want to buy my K 50 f/1.2 ? roentarre, Absolutely beautiful work! You just made this lens a must have. Not a bad price for the preformance. I'm another fan of the artistry of bokeh Last edited by OrenMc; 07-30-2008 at 05:30 AM.

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07-10-2008, 09:36 AM	#91
thePiRaTE!! Inactive Account Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Calgary, AB Photos: Gallery Posts: 942	Originally posted by roentarre This shot is totally out of focus. But the soft creamy bokeh is something to like. Classic Nokton right there. Its hard to hit the focal plane wide open, but does it even matter? I mean, the result is a little dreamy. If it was posted like this without saying you missed, I would just assume it was intentionally arty. While having an intensely sharp in focus subject against such bokeh is also (and perhaps more 'commercially') desireable, having something simply more in focus against such a back ground (but still blurry) has a similar way of drawing in the eye, but with a dreamy or painting effect instead. Better or worse? Subjective only. I can state that in my current lens experience, I haven't used another yet where a near miss actually had the potential to improve or make a shot, so for me, the Nokton is my personal 'Bokeh Master' heh.

07-10-2008, 02:54 PM	#92
roentarre Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 11,783	Originally posted by thePiRaTE!! Classic Nokton right there. Its hard to hit the focal plane wide open, but does it even matter? I mean, the result is a little dreamy. If it was posted like this without saying you missed, I would just assume it was intentionally arty. Not as dreamy as the ones you have posted. There are plenty of shots like that on the daily basis and these images were result of end-inspiration while the camera moves with my diaphragm I remembered posting a few of these shots in Dpreview and a few nice fellows recommended me to read up on basic photography books. The claims were that Voigtlander 58mm shall be sharper than the ones posted and I needed to get Katz eye to properly manual focus. It was fun to see that. Originally posted by thePiRaTE!! While having an intensely sharp in focus subject against such bokeh is also (and perhaps more 'commercially') desireable, having something simply more in focus against such a back ground (but still blurry) has a similar way of drawing in the eye, but with a dreamy or painting effect instead. Better or worse? Subjective only. Most of the us went through the phase of getting everything intensely sharp with busy clattering contents to start with. It follows by subject isolation by only rendering some bokeh in the background. Finally we all head towards our own directions of photography to do what we like. I could say that only nokton produces that dreamy look at f1.4 to 1.8 range. Voigtlander 125mm macro produces more clarity in subject matters and smoother bokeh. Colour is of high power purity. Originally posted by thePiRaTE!! I can state that in my current lens experience, I haven't used another yet where a near miss actually had the potential to improve or make a shot, so for me, the Nokton is my personal 'Bokeh Master' heh. Your lens experience is not limited at all. The key is to know one's lens so well that its pro and cons are well addressed with photography experience. Even cons can be of benefit and producing good work. To be honest, my experience with Zeiss 35mm on the weekend was not so great (I do not see the point of getting it while I had quite a few 30mms). Only a few lenses have the interesting characteristics

07-10-2008, 04:43 PM	#93
thePiRaTE!! Inactive Account Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Calgary, AB Photos: Gallery Posts: 942	Its funny about the 'advice' you received, hehe. I have found a much more accepting audience for such pictures in bokeh fan groups on flickr. I went from having a few views to a pile of positive feedback. It really helped me feel I wasn't disappearing up my own arse with all this 'bokeh only' shooting, hehe. I've had similar experience with the VL125 as well. Similar to the Nokton in a fluid bokeh sense, but a lot more literal - if that is the right word. (At the risk of going off topic) VL125 @ 2.5 'Can Do' in the bokeh dept., very sharp in-focus plane even wide open and pretty easy to find it. But not in a storybook painting kind of way like the Nokton. Did you try any closer focus type shooting with the 35? I had the chance to try the 28/2 at my local camera shop and was surprised by its close focus potential. Its nearly as close at the 25 (a few inches vs just over an inch) which is fine for most flowers and such Zeiss 28/2 @ f2 close focused - worthy to see large for the detail clarity Now, back to NOKTON programming!

07-11-2008, 04:57 AM	#94
roentarre Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 11,783	Originally posted by thePiRaTE!! Its funny about the 'advice' you received, hehe. I have found a much more accepting audience for such pictures in bokeh fan groups on flickr. I went from having a few views to a pile of positive feedback. It really helped me feel I wasn't disappearing up my own arse with all this 'bokeh only' shooting, hehe. I've had similar experience with the VL125 as well. Similar to the Nokton in a fluid bokeh sense, but a lot more literal - if that is the right word. (At the risk of going off topic) VL125 @ 2.5 Now, back to NOKTON programming! Now Voigtlander 125 macro magic is all shown here again. Beautiful! I am more of a fan for Nokton 58mm or Voigtlander 125mm macro

07-11-2008, 04:58 AM	#95
roentarre Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 11,783	This is a dull style of shot made a little more vivid with Nokton

07-11-2008, 04:59 AM	#96
roentarre Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 11,783	Without expanse of space behind the subject, subtle distance between the subject and the surrounding still could be well enhanced by the lens itself

07-11-2008, 06:02 AM	#97
thePiRaTE!! Inactive Account Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Calgary, AB Photos: Gallery Posts: 942	Your Nokton shots contrasted beside the VL125 really demonstrate the point I was trying to make in the 'Bokeh Masters' thread - they are both pleasing but in different ways. Certainly, the Nokton has a special diffusion all its own. The Lanthars in general are very distinctly in and out of focus, Nokton drifts away into gentle confusion. Alzheimers bokeh, hehe. Lovely shots again btw!!

07-12-2008, 06:01 AM	#98
roentarre Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 11,783	Thanks Kelly. More Nokton shots.

07-12-2008, 06:01 AM	#99
roentarre Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 11,783	More dreamy ones here.

07-12-2008, 06:02 AM	#100
roentarre Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 11,783

07-12-2008, 06:16 AM	#101
roentarre Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 11,783

07-28-2008, 06:49 AM	#102
roentarre Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 11,783	From a while back, just discovered this shot by Nokton

07-29-2008, 08:56 PM	#104
khardur Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: NW Massachusetts Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,560	wow - I just stumbled across this thread - I could drool over that bokeh such that I'd short the keyboard out. Very nice - I have some considering to do, I have a certain need for a great bokeh rendering portrait lens, and the Nokton isn't actually that bad of a price. But then again, the 50 f/1.4 is a much better price... If anyone owns both of these lenses - could you take a couple pics of the same subject with the same aperture and post comparisons? I'd buy both and do it myself, but that would be an expensive test! LOL. Thanks in advance...

07-29-2008, 09:16 PM	#105
roentarre Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 11,783	Originally posted by khardur wow - I just stumbled across this thread - I could drool over that bokeh such that I'd short the keyboard out. Very nice - I have some considering to do, I have a certain need for a great bokeh rendering portrait lens, and the Nokton isn't actually that bad of a price. But then again, the 50 f/1.4 is a much better price... If anyone owns both of these lenses - could you take a couple pics of the same subject with the same aperture and post comparisons? I'd buy both and do it myself, but that would be an expensive test! LOL. Thanks in advance... Dan, it seems that you are going to be sucked into the world of bokeh as well. I will do a test on the bokeh myself or I could ask Voe to a test on the 50mms with my collection. Voe enjoys testing lenses out so I might as well let him do it. He does a test on the 50-58mm in the past, check this thread out https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-slr-lens-discussion/25514-quick-di...lens-test.html