The new Voigtländer 25mm f/0.95 for MicroFourThirds has been announced!
Click on picture to enlarge!
Today Voitgländer will announce the production of new lenses for the MicroFourThirds system!
The first lens to be unveiled is the new Nokton 25mm f/0.95 lens. This lens has been designed for MFT and you don’t need to use any adapter! The Lens is manual only (no autofocus). Expected price $1000 and availabilty by October/November.
The image quality is reported to be on a very high level. The only comparable lenses to date are the old C-mount lenses like the Schneider 25mm f/0.95 (which costs over $900 at eBay). There are also two more 25mm f/0.95 lenses like the Navitar and Angenieux (again C-mount lenses). But those are not designed for MFT and you need an MFT adapter. They are also a little bit more expensive than the Nokton (and the Nokton is new!).
We hope to learn more about the Voigtländer-MicroFourThirds future strategy as soon as possible!
Source: Photoscala
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Mike
3 years ago |What an immensely huge letdown. Time to ebay my Pan G2. mft is such a disappointing system.
Bill
3 years ago |Wonderful news! Now all they need to create are a 14mm and a 45/50mm and i would be set for life!
Frank
3 years ago |This is excellent news!! This really puts a great spin on the system. Only Leica has a native f0.95 lens built for it. If the image quality is up to voightlander specs, this will definitely go in the bag. It will be interesting what olympus will do. What is also interesting is what the licensing agreement Cosina made with pana/oly so that they could join m4/3. Pana and oly must have known this was coming for months. Now we will see how these type of lenses do in the market. Exciting times indeed.
Mike
3 years ago |Meh. If this was autofocus I’d definitely be interested. What we really need is a 60-70mm f1.4 portrait lens (equivalent of the Nikon 85mm 1.4). Why can’t manufacturers get making autofocus lenses? I can buy cheap manual legacy lenses anywhere even without huge adapters.
photodick
3 years ago |yawn
ckc
3 years ago |Not interested at all ! I do not know how editor is going to be crazy for such a thing ………
jeff
3 years ago |i dont want a manual focus if im going to spend over 1000 dollars
thats rediculous
morgan
3 years ago |Man, you complainers have no idea about the quality of CV lenses. And manual focus is fine, although I do think wide open might be tough without a viewfinder.
Gigantor
3 years ago |Wow, beautiful! Had a strong suspicion this would happen. The Nokton Classics have been popular on m4/3, this was a perfectly logical move.
I see some people here moaning about the weight and lack of AF, and can’t help but think they’re missing the point a bit. I would have been a little disappointed if Voigtlander had stuck an AF system in a lens like this… It would have robbed it of all it’s charm and style.
If only it was 1/4 of the price…
Ivan
3 years ago |damn, this is great news! a 25mm f/0.95 is amazing, and who cares about AF?? more than a century of photography have been made with manual focus AND, for GH1 users (video) AF is not that important for video making.
Voldenuit
3 years ago |<3 Voigtlaender.
But I do think they misjudged the market if they think that 20% of m43 users will pay $1000 for a manual focus lens, no matter how good.
I think they also erred on the focal length. The Leica D Summilux 25mm f/1.4 is already a superb lens with AF at the same price. The Lumix G 20/1.7 ASPH is already super sharp and more than good enough for most enthusiasts at $350.
On the bright side, 25mm is not a commonly available focal length for adapted legacy lenses, since common wisdom says that RF lenses shorter than 28mm give too much vignetting on m43.
If they were smart, they would have designed this with an APS-C or larger image circle so they can remount it for E mount (NEX) and NX. After all, the NEX only has a single 16mm prime right now, so I bet NEX users are champing at the bit for more lenses.
Voldenuit
3 years ago |PS Going by forums, 80% of m43 users seem to think that $300 is too much to spend on a lens. Cheap ba$tards.
rUY
3 years ago |Should be more appropiate if you said the forums that you usually surf have that tendency. My group general using more decent manual lens on m43. and some using less expensive lens too, the point is that we loves old manual lens and feel that m43 is still more appropiate at the moment.
and I feel interested on Voigtlander moves and looking forward to see the test photos of it.
Besides, for NEX, which indeed attractive, but not now for me. NEX has an inherent design problem that manual super wide and wide lens’ photo quality degrade a lot with this combination.
Voldenuit
3 years ago |‘Besides, for NEX, which indeed attractive, but not now for me. NEX has an inherent design problem that manual super wide and wide lens’ photo quality degrade a lot with this combination.’
The consensus is that this is (probably) due to the short flange back distance. There is nothing stopping voigtlaender from designing a lens with a longer than standard FBD for NEX. I do think that the biggest application for this 25/0.95 is probably going to be in HD video, where it will be great for low light and shallow DOF applications.
I’m certainly a proponent of the theory that glass is worth paying more for than bodies, but with the advent of the NEX and the A55/A33, it does seem as if the tide is about to turn away from m43. Panasonic needs to have something wow-worthy at Photokina, or it’ll end up as an also-ran.
Tom
3 years ago |For those of us still lost in the past with memories of our 50mm f1.8 on our manual film cameras, this is good news indeed. But this gives more light for the same DOF. I hope it drops below $1000 pretty soon.
rUY
3 years ago |No, nothing to do with short Flange distance; if that is M mount, has to match M-mount flange with an adapter. if that is C/Y mount, then, you also need the adapter to match the flange distance of the lens.
The problem is NEX forgot to control the ray angle, then, lead to an CA problem. and I don’t think it could be solved by software. So, better wait for a more advance model.
Fred Bonatto
3 years ago |Need to see test shots.
RW
3 years ago |We seem to be forgetting that this is NOT really a 50mm lens – just a cropped 25mm and it won’t have the shallow DOF of a traditional 50mm lens. I doubt the F0.95 aperture will match the same shallow DOF of a real 50mm at F1.4
Biro
3 years ago |This is certainly an interesting development and I’m happy for anyone who would like and can afford this lens. But the truth is, the time when I would pay $1000 for a single lens has passed. I’m not cheap… it’s just that life has forced other priorities. It also seems a bit large and heavy for the spirit of micro four-thirds. But in all fairness, one needs a lot of glass to get f/.095. That said, if this means Voigtlander will be coming out with a micro four-thirds digital rangefinder, then I’m all for it.
hd72
3 years ago |You’re right, it’s more like f/2 on a full frame. Which would be terrific. But then I’d need to carry around a large, heavy $3,000 D700 or 5D — which I do not want. If I want full frame sensor with a rangefinder-sized body, then I’d need to drop $8,000 on an M9. Again, not what I want.
This lens on my little GF1… *that* is what i want.
hd72
3 years ago |Sorry, I clicked on the reply below RW’s comment. Didn’t notice till it was too late that “reply” is actually *above* the comment you’re replying to.
marcram
3 years ago |Great job on the FT5. I’m glad that this site will still be up and running and the haters will not return to the site!
I’m excited to see the future and more affordable lenses that present themselves. Too bad we didn’t get a third party body, but we can hope that this m43 expansion will help progress the format.
Elmasahe
3 years ago |I was hopping that they would announce a new four thirds SLR. sigh. I do hope Olympus would come up with new SLRs this year.
artunee
3 years ago |If this lens comes with CPU inside it, that will be great.
Pete
3 years ago |If my pen could do focus detect with this lens that would be awesome.
achiinto
3 years ago |Totally disappointed…
Joseph
3 years ago |Sorry, I’m not interested
Jonathan
3 years ago |interesting release, but too close to the panaleica 25/1.4 for comfort. i use the 50/1.1 on my e-pl1 for portrait work and it’s brilliant though, so will be keen to see the test results.
ps all of you MF whingers need to shut up and learn how to use a camera. keyboard warrior photographic skill
Jonathan
3 years ago |keyboard warrior (not equal to) photographic skill
Eori
3 years ago |I think there is a VERY limited market for such expensive manual-focus lenses for the 43 format segment. If I am that concerned about image quality, I will drag out my 5D and L series primes to get the shot before spending any more money on camera gear at the risk of incurring the eternal wrath of my wife.
Nathan
3 years ago |I only gripe about AF because micro 4/3 has no OVF. This would be fine for carefully composed shots, but it may be important to bracket focus for action shots. At 25mm it won’t be TOO bad, but i’d kill for an edge detect overlay on the LCD.
George 2
3 years ago |@Jonathan
“all of you MF whingers need to shut up and learn how to use a camera.” – you’ve said what’s on my mind.
I love my Leica, Leica lens, MFT w/ M-mount lens, 16mm c-mount lens – all MF lens. There are times for super AI faster than light AF – like when you are sport or war zone photographer. But one of the joy about photography is actually the focusing part. AF lens, at times kills that joy.
Dummy00001
3 years ago |> AF lens, at times kills that joy.
MF on most dSLRs is a pain in the butt. Simply because view finders are too small and live view focus assist is either absent or poorly implemented.
Also on most dSLRs it is impossible to view/preview the RAW – they show low quality preview JPEG. IOW, until loaded on the PC, it is impossible to tell whether the shot subject is sharp enough.
I’d love toying with MF, but Canons/Nikons/Olys I have held in my hands were barely capable of it. I keep an eye on rangefinders, but affordable ones apparently released only once in a decade. Last was the Pannay DMC-LC1 which is now even on eBay is a rare find.
siminona
3 years ago |Does anyone know the filter size for this lens? Thanks!
siminona
3 years ago |Nevermind. I see it now. It’s 52mm. Sweet!
Mumbly
3 years ago |Yawn! So much hype yesterday for such a boring piece of news!! I neither want it, nor will I buy it…
JNMPhoto
3 years ago |I knew it would not be worth waiting up for….so I didn’t. So what is the big news? Yet another m4/3 lens. I am not in the 20$ that will buy this lens, nor in the 90% that wanted it.
Like many others I am waiting for some 4/3 developments.
John
Seika
3 years ago |At the very least, will this MF lens report the focal length and aperture opening to the camera for EXIF data ?
Maybe just a lens with m43 mount equipped
J
3 years ago |@Seika: That’s the problem. There really isn’t anything to indicate this is a m43 lens other than it mounts to m43. Similar to the Noktor. They can say its a new design, but if so they’d be expected to at least communicate data back to the camera even if MF. If it doesn’t then this is a meaningless announcement and has nothing to do with the ‘future’ of m43 lenses as this is nothing other than a generic lens with a built in m43 mount conversion.
Really its a piss poor answer for all that build up. You can get a 25mm f0.95 that has minimal vignetting for $300 new already and I’ve posted the link for it before.
siminona
3 years ago |@J Where can we get a 25mm f0.95 lens with minimal vignetting for $300? Sorry I missed the link.
J
3 years ago |Here you go.
It does vignette, but it isn’t bad and at < 1/3 the cost a little cropping is acceptable.
http://www.surveillent.com/senko-advanced-components-vfa2595h-1-manual-25mm-f0-95.aspx
HENNIGArts
3 years ago |You are right. If this was a AF-lens, than I might buy it. But an MF lens with manual aperture can also use a mount adapter.
Anyway it shows that MFT is becoming more and more a market for third-party products and this is a good thing.
Matchou
3 years ago |OMG, why theses commercials don’t know anything in photo !!??
Nobody need a 50mm with a micro 4/3 ! The micro 4/3 are usefull for reportage, so in travel we need 24mm to 35mm but 50 mm is already too high.
Greg
3 years ago |Well yeah that’s true… already the Pana 20 mm 1.7 (40mm equivalent) does not cover a wide enough angle for street photography. I’m tempted to get the Olympus 17 mm for this actually.
However, however… super fast lenses ARE needed… and they won’t be wide angle for sure so… I still think it has a place. Anyway it’s too early to settle for a new lens. Waiting for the Photokina to see what’s coming out…
Handicap comparison to FF135 & APS-C
3 years ago |IMPROVED LOW-LIGHT PHOTO/VIDEO & RAZOR-THIN DOF
Remembering a handicap ~2/3 EV to APS-C and 2 EV related to FF135, the equivalent lenses would require:
• 50mm f/1.9 on FF135
• 33mm f/1.65 on APS-C
Certainly this new lens is a welcome addition to µ43,
and more lenses from Cosina/Voigtländer is on many users wishlists.
Even without AF, these lenses certainly have their applications. Adding AF in future might be possible, but with large and heavy lens groups they will not be a speedy lens.
Do
3 years ago |But a 2/3 EV handcap to APS-C would mean the equivalent would require f/1,2 for APS-C. See here:
http://www.photographyuncapped.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/Ken-Storch-The-Lists–ISO-Shutter-Speeds-Fstops.gif
Anyway that’s not always the case, because mft has no handicap against the NX-System but a full EV against the Nex system.
bookervrk
3 years ago |I’ve already talked with the CV authorized seller in Taiwan, but he was surprising and asked me the information source. But then, he say that I can prescribe the lens now.
Should Somebody get it for the first report?
I am also curious about the $300 alternatives?
C-mount lens?The Senko ADL ones?
memphisbelle
3 years ago |http://www.cosina.co.jp/seihin/voigt/v-lens/micro-ft/index.html
Long Live Classical Four Thirds too!
3 years ago |33mm f/1.2 on APS-C (CORRECTION)
Danonino
3 years ago |This would fit perfect on a m43 rangefinder camera.. OMG, when is the first m43-rangefinder coming???!!
Agent00soul
3 years ago |If it would activate the focus assist (magnification) as soon as you touch the focusing ring, I would not have problems with it being manual only.
I have the Nokton 40/1.4 and the Lumix 20/1.7. The latter is much better for manual focusing as it activates focus assist as soon as I touch the focusing ring. If Voigtländer/Cosina could inplement this feature, I think they would have a winner. Pressing buttons to activate focus assist is just too slow in many situations.
gekopaca
3 years ago |@ agent00soul :
Your comment is the cleverest I could read on this page.
The problen isn’t the DOF calcul, MF versus AF, etc…
The real question is : When Pannasonic, Olympus or other camera makers will create a camera adapted for street photographers, with a good intergrated evf or rangefinder, and quick and efficient focus assist?
What i can see with that new lens is only good news to come :
- other brands comming in MFT system,
- other quality MF lenses to come,
- C-mount fast primes price will drop (I hope so!)
- firms understand MFT can be an alternative to “excellent but too expensive” Leica rangefinders.
Waiting now for well-done best Panny, Oly or Cosina camera…
JK
3 years ago |I want this lens for Sony NEX!
iMikl
3 years ago |@agent00soul & gekopaca
I’m fine with the way the focus magnification works on my GF1. Quick and easy… what else do you need?
RomeoBSM
3 years ago |Does it feature electronic communication with camera body? Will it provide automatic magnification when manually focoused? Will it provide EXIF data?
I hope this lens to be not just a piece of metal and glass: if Cosina chooses to enter into the standard I hope they will be compatible with the current technology!!!
Anyway a good news!
Michael
3 years ago |If this Nokton 25mm F0.95 is optimized for 4/3 format then it will be better solution than Leica M lenses on mFT body which perform outstanding on 135 format but not very nicely on 4/3 sized sensor. Good thing – it is a 25mm not 50mm lens so more wides are surely coming either. The mFT products becoming more mature with those lenses. Nice news admin, cheers
.
Agent00soul
3 years ago |iMikl: I don’t know about the GF-1, but on the E-P1 you must press the awkwardly placed OK button to activate and deactivate the focus assist. Furthermore, you must be in “green square mode”, which means the live histogram isn’t available. So it’s further button presses to switch mode, as I use the live histogram for exposure compensation all the time.
iMikl
3 years ago |With the GF1 you just have to press the rear (click)dial and then use it to zoom in and out. Very intuitive.
Andy
3 years ago |I’m not into m43 yet, but things are getting more and more interesting. Could anybody tell a newbie how manual focus assistance might work with a m43-body and this kind of lens? Thanks
AL
3 years ago |Magnification on GF1 is quite fast – I use it with no problems with my 40mm 1.4 Nokton Classic. But I also wonder about EXIF data and if it would automagically prompt focus assist then even better.
So is it 25mm or 50mm in 135 terms???
Miklos Rabi
3 years ago |Manual focus, manual aperture? Sucks. I won’t buy it, but I hope that something very similar will be announced by Oly or Panna.
qfe
3 years ago |This lens has been fully developed for mFT only:
– it doesn’t exist in any other mount (i.e., not like Sigma)
– the optic formula is unique, completely knew and modern (11 elements in 8 groups, 10-blades diaphragm) (i.e., not like Noktor)
With Cosina/Voigtländer being officially part of the mFT Consortium, we can expect full communication between the lens and the body. “Officially” is the key word, and confirmed by the use of the official mFT logo in the press release, i.e., completely different from Noktor (for instance). Note that Voigtländer already knows how to integrate a CPU to their lenses (see their SLR lenses), so full communication shouldn’t be a problem.
NativeFloridian
3 years ago |I hope your optimism is warranted… I think it will be quite difficult to manage such a narrow depth of field given the ergonomics of a heavy lens mounted to a GF or EP. The addition of a lens that at least triggers focus assist and communicates focal distance (for image stabilization purposes) would be quite helpful.
Seika
3 years ago |Olympus’ press release (which mention Cosina is joining but not saying much about the lens released) does have list mentioning about the lens standard on M4/3, the flange distance, mount diameter and the contact pins.
Hope they don’t make their release looks ridiculous and the lens actually has a smart mount (hence the contacts) as specified by the standard.
gekopaca
3 years ago |@ Al, iMikl & Agent00soul :
I know is quite easy to focusing with the GF1, but I’ve got a GH1 and I must press 2 buttons for (and very often the subject go by…).
But the main thing I need is a very compact camera (like GF1 or Pen, or more compact) with a built-in EVF or rangefinder… we will see at Photokina.
gekopaca
3 years ago |@ Andy :
Focus assist with GF1 : only press the roll
With G1 or GH1, 2 buttons
With Pen, never used but seems 2 buttons too.
With Panny cameras and same brand lenses (for instance 20mm f1.7) : when you touch the focus ring, instantanly got assist mode.
Andy
3 years ago |cool, thanks, I’ll have a more deep look into this
Frank
3 years ago |Just noticed this on the Olympus announcement:
“With COSINA CO., Ltd. coming on board, consumers will now be able to take advantage of the company’s unique traditions and advanced optical technology as it will now be possible to use Voigtländer and other renowned lenses with any camera compliant with Micro Four Thirds System standard.”
That statement: Voigtlander and other renown lenses …. Does that mean Cosina can also build Zeiss designed lenses for m4/3? Imagine that? If this is the case, m4/3 will potentially have some of the best lens makers in the world in it’s backyard!! Leica thru Pana, Olympus, Voigtlander and Zeiss!! Now if they would only keep the price reasonable!!! Maybe this is the reason for bringing the modular 4/3/FT concept to life? Mix and match 4/3 and m4/3 lenses… you can have both DSLR and rangefinder type cameras in the same system. I wonder if this ever crossed their minds?
efix
3 years ago |Holy ****! I had totally forgotten about the countdown and just had a look – my jaw almost instantly dropped when I read the announcement! Man, that’s exciting news …
girl
3 years ago |I’ll buy Nokton 25mm 0.95!!!!
Voigtländer Nokton 25mm f/0.95 | ACDF2i CEGID Perpignan internet ingenierie informatique Audit, conseil, formation, logiciels
3 years ago |[...] via 43rumors [...]
Michael S
3 years ago |If the focus ring triggers focus-assist on a GF1 I’m in.
Stepper
3 years ago |Will these make full use of meter modes?
Camerageek
3 years ago |What would interest me is if they setup the rear mount to be able to actuate RF Cam system. I could see Cosina releasing say a Bessa RM43A, where it’s lenses actuate a coincident rangefinder. Imagine LV and a Optical Coincident RF with RF lenses specific to M43rds, costing far less than an M9 and if they use the 1:1 finder of the R3, would provide sufficient base to accurately focus the 25/0.95 they announced.
That I would buy in a heartbeat.
Seika
3 years ago |I’m imagining, the camera could calculate the parallax and distance electronically then send the information to the lens to focus right ? Another way to help the focusing other than contrast detect.
Or that’s just too time consuming and costly ?
roger porter
3 years ago |Now all we need is a Voigtlander half frame 35mm camera that uses the m43 mount so we only need one lens system… how sweet would that be????
AL
3 years ago |So, dreaming the cheap digital Leica dream, how all this would affect the Panny-Leica relationship?
MPB
3 years ago |I would want to see the lesn reviewed on photozone and/or dpreview and see that it had high quality, at least at f2.0, before buying it. It could make interesting competition to the rumoured forthcoming fast standard lens from Panasonic.
Reading the earlier postings I’m intrigued that some people seem to fancy a couple rangefinder MFT camera. Myabe they are thinking of a digital version of a Leica CL. I would imagine such a camera would be very expensive. A coupled rangefinder wouldn’t be able to focus any of the internal focusing AF lenses and CRF would have to be in addition to live view. I can’t believe anybody would market such a thing.
godzilla
3 years ago |the thing is, you can already use the m-mount cosina lenses on m43 and your R3 or whatever. the thing that excites me sooo much about this lens is the idea of using an awesome voigtlander lens on m43 cameras with a MUCH closer focus distance (which the rf lenses don’t allow). i think this ones closest distance is 17cm as opposed to the 70cm-1m that the rf lenses have.
i do agree that it would be nice to see cosina m43 camera with a real shutter speed dial, real camera build and maybe a zoomable optical viewfinder…?
Stephan
3 years ago |Here’s another sample shot taken with this lens…:
http://www.ipernity.com/doc/herr_k/9125546
I’m not usually much of an equipment fanatic, but I think maybe I’d kill to get this beauty
Anyone have experience with micro 4/3rds format cameras?
3 years ago |[...] instances where I have used a faster shutter than 1/2000s… For those in the need for speed, the Voigtländer Nokton 25mm f0,95 will be available in abourt two weeks… Originally Posted by Labcoatguy Here's my first [...]
Gnis
3 years ago |Some samples, http://suwenchee.blogspot.com/2011/01/voigtlander-25mm-f095-for-m43.html?spref=fb.
Jack
3 years ago |Is there one that mount onto Sony NEX5? Came across this, http://suwenchee.blogspot.com/2011/03/voigtlander-25mm-f095-for-sony-nex-e.html. Was wondering where I can get one factory specs for Sony.