Voigtländer Nokton 25mm f/0.95 Hands-on Review (Digitalrev)
Kai Wong from Digitalrev tested my favorite Micro Four Thirds lens, the Voigtländer Nokton 25mm f/0.95! In my opinion the Nokton is one of these lenses that has that magical “WoW-factor” and can convince people to join the MFT system. Of course it’s difficoult to focus when you are in hurry. But sport or action photography is not what the lens was build for. It’s also a very cheap lens if you consider the high build and image quality. You want something better? Be prepared to pay over 9.000 Euro for the Leica Noctilux 50mm f/0.95!
Where can you get the lens? Here are some links for US and EU readers. Notice that the cheapest price I found in Europe is in France!!! Don’t know why, but they are 150 Euro cheaper than the rest of Europe!
US:
BHphoto (Not in Stock yet), Cameraquest (not in Stock), Caxa (ebay seller from Riga but ships worldwide), infoto2 (ships worldwide), fotomundus (worldwide).
Europe:
Amazon France (749 Euro), Lapetiteboutiquephoto (749 Euro), infoto2(ebay), Fotomundus (ebay).
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Recent comments
Comment from Ian: By my calculation a 5d/50mm f1.8 is 245 ...
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Mr. Reeee
12 months ago |Can’t see it on my iPad!
Bummer.
Ulli
12 months ago |Mr. Reeee…you should try the Iswifter app….it works here..
Ulli
12 months ago |always like Kai’s “unconventional” reviewing style. Have to say that using such fast lens without the VF-2 probably results in many shots which are not focused optimal when operating wide open. It was inspiring to see how he was turning that focus ring like his life was depending on it…thats the real spirit!
girl
12 months ago |hmmm it makes me wanted to buy voigtlander nokton 25mm f/0.95… oh tempting.
Michael
12 months ago |wow.. why are you 4/3 guys so obsessed with those lenses!!
you always forget that 4/3 has a narrower depth of field than full frame (canon 5d, nikon d3)
and fullframe has better high iso.. so a canon 5d can should 1-2 stops higher than a gh2 and still look beautiful.
a 25mm f0.95 lens on 4/3 is pretty much the same as a 50mm f1.8 on a full frame camera! (because you lose 2 f stops in dof and around 1-2 f stops in high iso because of smaller sensor! ) which there are a lot of old manual focus lenses with awesome manual focus and beautiful bokeh.. and that for 100$ and a f1.4 for max. 300, 400$
(full f stops are f1-f1.4-f2-f2.8 etc.)
but yet i still prefer the gh2 too but simply because it has a better firmware for video!
but you guys really need to learn how the crop on a 4/3 camera works.. it is really embarassing and i have to shake my head every time : P
Tobias W.
12 months ago |You should do your reading on physics again or /you/ end up being the one embarrassing himself.
First of all, what’s the point in coming to a Four Thirds page and ranting about how great full frame cameras are? It’s pointless. A decent full frame camera is bulky and heavy. Most start at around 2000€ for the body only. Ever figured that that’s why people buy smaller and less expensive cameras?
Also, you should extend your understanding of the f-stop of a lens. While the field of depth of the MFT Voigtländer 25mm may correspond to a 25mm f/1.8 on a full frame camera, the light that arrives on the sensor is still twice as much as with a f/1.8 lens on full frame. So when a scene is correctly exposed for the full frame at ISO 1600, the same is true for MFT at ISO 800.
Oh, and by the way, the field of depth on Four Thirds camera is NOT narrower than compared to a full frame, it’s WIDER.
Your post is full of irony you’re not aware of it seems. You also try to tell people they should learn to understand how the crop factor affects their photography, yet you fail to understand what benefits the Voigtländer offers over adapted legacy lenses. For example, while I love using my old Minolta MC/MD glass on my PEN, all of these lenses start at around 50mm focal length. Apply the crop factor and none of those lenses have a field of view such as the Voigtländer offers. Try to find a full frame legacy lens with 25mm and anything close to f/0.95. The closest I have in my lens collection is a Minolta MD 28mm f/2 and that’s heavier, slower to focus and less sharp than the Voigtländer.
Now go into a corner and wear the heat of shame.
Jules
12 months ago |Last time I checked, 0.95/25 is 0.95/25, no matter what you can do on a APS-C, a Foveon, a APS-H, a FF, a MM, a LV, a pinhole, an iphone5 or a colon endoscope.
Glad to learn that you need different settings on a FF to obtain similar photos. I didn’t knew that. really. I swear.
I am also very happy for you that professional FF can do pretty much everything that m43 kits does in still photography. At least that way you are not wetting your pants on a Hassleblad or a Phase One…
rUY
12 months ago |The demonstration is good, and more importantly, I think he indicates it is not easy to focus on moving object, but I think the lens looks better than I percieve. Nice clips
Amin
12 months ago |Michael, no one is forgetting about the differences between 4/3 and 35mm format. We know that if shallow DOF is the end all be all, 4/3 is not the best system to use. However, if I have decided to shoot with Micro 4/3 and am not interested in buying into a second system, then this lens gives me low light and shallow DOF (for a given angle of view) possibilities which weren’t there before, and that is something to get excited about.
The money comparison is silly. It is harder to make an f/0.95 lens than an f/2 lens, and it’s simply going to cost more. Do you look at small sensor cameras like the Canon S95 and say that the lens is rubbish and should cost nothing because it is an f/10 “equivalent” in DOF? That is a very 35mm format-centric way to look at the world.
It makes no sense to impose your 35mm reference point on readers of a site which is specifically about the 4/3 format. I use a GH2 and it matters nothing to me what would be “equivalent” on a 5D.
Amin
12 months ago |@Michael, by your way of thinking, the f/0.7 lenses used by Stanley Kubrick and John Alcott for “Barry Lyndon” would also be nothing special, just f/1.4 after accounting for the “crop factor”. In reality, these were very special lenses made by Zeiss for NASA.
KL32
12 months ago |Amin, are you saying that the size of the micro four thirds corresponds to 35mm motion picture film? Strictly in terms of depth of field the .7 lens used by Kubrick on Barry Lyndon wouldn’t equate to 1.4 on full frame would it? Not picking a fight, just trying to learn. Thanks.
Amin
12 months ago |Actually, the 0.7 lens used by Kubrick was on 18 x 24mm format (see: http://pindelski.org/Photography/2009/02/12/barry-lyndon/), so in terms of DOF, that lens would be similar to an f/1.0 lens with the same angle of view on 24 x 36mm format.
Although I had the details wrong, my point remains the same: That lens is famous for being an f/0.7 lens, not for being “equivalent to f/1.0″ according to someone’s idea of a reference standard.
Ahem
12 months ago |The column for the entries is still too narrow on smaller screens, it cuts off the right side of the video along with sizing controls so I can’t even maximize it.
Bug
12 months ago |Actually, as of June 3rd, Cameraquest reports that all existing Voigtlander 25/0.95 orders will be fulfilled and additional lenses are available for an expected June production run.
Mr. Reeee
12 months ago |Yay! That means I’ll get mine! AND at the old price of $899!!!
Mr. Reeee
12 months ago |I emailed Stephen at CameraQuest today and he said that indeed all previous orders will be filled this month and he would send out an email with details to everyone on Monday!
If anyone is interested, I’ll forward mine to Admin for him to post.
Skrytebane
12 months ago |FotoVideo in Norway (Oslo) had it in for about 2 days before it was sold out. According to their web page, they might get a new shipment in august. They’re selling them at 6995 NOK, which is about 900 EUR or 1300 USD. (I was lucky enough to get the last lens from their previous shipment.)
GMan
12 months ago |Imho, it wasnt my favourite review maded by Kai. He should had tested it outside or in some nice MF enviroment.
Action pictures arent for MF lenses.. maybe some portrait shots or creative landscapes.
I love this lens and, f0.95 is so <3
Sorry my crappy english :$
Michael
12 months ago |f0.95 on 4/3 is nothing to be proud of..
you dont seem to understand how the crop on a 4/3 camera works.
check the voigtlander review out
http://www.photozone.de/olympus–four-thirds-lens-tests/601-voigtlander25f095mft
they also stated that
“equiv. focal length (full format) 50mm”
“equiv. aperture (depth-of-field) f/1.9″
and how much much is a 50mm f1.8 for a fullframe camera? yes.. 100 bucks : P
admin
12 months ago |HI MIchael. Please keep in mind that the aperture remains f/0.95!!!!! It’s ideal for dark situations! That’s the key thing of the lens! So yes, WE CAN BE PROUD OF THAT LENS!
Michael
12 months ago |no.. f0.95 doesnt matter.. it looks the same as a 50mm f1.8 on fullframe..
yes you are than shooting 2 stops higher iso than the gh2 but i think nobody will argue that the 5d or nikon d3 has 2 stops better iso.. the nikon probably 2-3
yes it is nice to have such a fast lens on 4/3 and it is the fastest 50mm eq. on 4/3 but my point is just that it is very expensive. and it is even bigger than a 50mm lens on fullframe.. only the body is smaller..
this is simply where you can see the limitations of a smaller sensor.. i am not trying to talk bad about 4/3.. the same problem is true for apc-s sensor.
like i said.. i like the gh2 but simply because it has a very good video firmware and because i dont like razor thin dof anyways (just look at the movies in the cinema. nobody shoots their lenses white open and most professional photographers dont do so too ; )
you know what i mean?
Michael
12 months ago |it would be awesome if panasonic build a camera like the gh2 with a fullframe sensor.
but i guess that will never happen.
but somebody else will do it.
it is sure possible. i have a couple of old film cameras and even the one with 35mm film are smaller than a gh2. and the lenses are also smaller. the electronics and battery just need to get smaller.
this one for example. with a 50mm f2.8 ‘(thats 25mm f1.4 on 4/3 camera)
http://images.instagram.com/media/2011/05/18/dfa440cad65c4be6ad72b597a7de6481_7.jpg
body 125mm wide *45mm depth *85mm high
lens 35mm depth *45mm wide
Mr. Reeee
12 months ago |I absolutely agree. A full-frame GH2 would be fantastic!
I have a Nikon FM2 and an Asahi Pentax Spotmatic SPII and my GH2 is almost exactly the same size. THAT’S the size a full-frame should be, not like a giant Nikon or Canon EOS 1D. What a joke.
Mr. Reeee
12 months ago |Shooting in dark situations, handheld with no flash. That’s something I do. Often. But I’m an arty type, not a pro photographer, so all the techo-mumbo-jumbo matters very little. The images I can create using it do matter.
While interesting, a pile of specs and numbers really don’t make much difference. Just because a lens works one way on a full frame makes no difference whatsoever on a different system. Whatever tool one decides to use, one adapts and learns to use it within it’s inherent limitations.
I’m just glad that such a lens exists on M4/3 and I’m able to get one.
Michael Devitt
12 months ago |We get it, it’s not worth repeating it
. Yes DOF is like 50mm f1.8 on the 135 format camera. But shallow depth of field is not main reason why people are buying the Nokton. It’s the bokeh (lot of cheap 50mm f1.8 lenses have unpleasant bokeh wide open), mechanical feel of the lens, and magic look how the lens renders light and colours on the photographs… Yes, these feelings are all subjective, but it’s an artist choice, and for that price it’s worth it.
Tobias W.
12 months ago |All I keep hearing from Michael is the Voigtländer being to expensive. Should I rather buy a full frame camera that puts me back by at least 2000€ for the body only? And then, what do I do with it? It’s too heavy to carry around most the times, plus whenever someone takes out a huge DSLR in public most people feel intimidated.
Michael, are you just here to troll?
Ian
12 months ago |I totally agree with Michael. I think m4/3 is awesome but only to a certain point….
I have a gf1 w/20mm f1.7 that I use when portability is a concern and it has allowed me to bring a camera in situations I couldn’t have with a bigger DSLR. Slapping the 25mm 0.95 on a m4/3 body instantly makes the camera no longer pocketable and therefore not of much use over a DSLR.
For the same money people are paying for the voigtlander 25mm 0.95 they could have bought a used 5d classic with a 50mm f1.8 that would give them far superior image quality AND better low light capabilities AND auto-focus AND a big beautiful viewfinder….. etc, etc, etc)
Doesn’t make much sense to me….
But when fullframe tech gets put into a body the size of my gf1, I will change my mind..
Simon
12 months ago |@Michael: So if you “do not like razor thin dof anyways” why the hell do you want a fullframe GH2?
Well, it’s really not worth to spend precious lifetime commenting on your posts.
Pete Smith
12 months ago |F.95 does matter. The GH2 is about as sensitive in low light as a 5D MKII for video. So a 50mm 1.8 on full frame will let far less light than a 25mm on M4/3. Consequently, whilst the field of view and DOF will be similar, the GH2 will be able to work in much lower light.
You forget that M4/3 allows us to shoot with faster lenses and still maintain larger depths of field. On full frame cameras, as soon as you find your self in low light, you find yourself having to work with razor shallow DOF.
Ultimately DOF is a creative choice; if you want a shallow DOF for a shot, use it. You can get away with shooting wide open or near wide open with HD; its simply not the same as 4k cinema/photography. I don’t rememeber the last time I watched something I’d filmed with my GH2 and thought ‘This is too soft, I wish I’d stopped down’.
Ben
12 months ago |I’m tempted to buy this lens for my GF1 or wait for a possible pro body if they come out in August. I currently shoot mostly with the 20mm f1.7. What do you guys think? Which one?
Mr. Reeee
12 months ago |Get a Voightländer 25mm. It’ll still work on the fabled pro body.
There are still lenses available from the June batch of lenses from CameraQuest.
If you hurry…
girl
12 months ago |How much does CameraQuest sell Nokton 25mm f/0.95 lens?
Al Jimenez
12 months ago |Wait to check out the upcoming AF lens from Pana/Leica. This is what I plan to do. I want an AF lens. I have plenty of legacy manual lenses and can’t imagine paying this much for a manual lens… Al
Mr. Reeee
12 months ago |Leica sells MUCH more expensive manual lenses than the Voightländer Nokton 25mm!
Panasonic is supposedly announcing their 25mm f1.4 lens on June 8th.
Who knows when they’ll actually ship the thing.
In quantity.
Halloween? Xmas?
Ahem
12 months ago |Halloween of which year?
Ian
12 months ago |I totally agree with Michael. I think m4/3 is awesome but only to a certain point….
I have a gf1 w/20mm f1.7 that I use when portability is a concern and it has allowed me to bring a camera in situations I couldn’t have with a bigger DSLR. Slapping the 25mm 0.95 on a m4/3 body instantly makes the camera no longer pocketable and therefore not of much use over a DSLR.
For the money people are paying for the voigtlander 25mm 0.95 they could have bought a used 5d classic with a 50mm f1.8 that would give them far superior image quality AND better low light capabilities AND auto-focus AND a big beautiful viewfinder….. etc, etc, etc)
Doesn’t make much sense to me….
But when fullframe tech gets put into a body the size of my gf1, I will change my mind..
Ahem
12 months ago |Have you compared the weight and bulk of a 5D kit to an MFT kit? Compared to my APS-C kit my MFT kit with more lenses is diminutive. FF is even bigger.
I know, don’t feed the trolls.
Ian
12 months ago |By my calculation a 5d/50mm f1.8 is 245 grams heavier than a GF1/nokton 25mm f0.95…
I don’t think 245 grams is really that big of a deal but I guess that differs from person to person.
N.A.
12 months ago |Michael is allowed to have his own opinion. For all I know, the Nokton 25/0.95 is an amazing Lens well worth the money and mine is already on order. Can’t wait to use that amazing bokeh and take videos in almost darkness!
Guess if people don’t like it, they can stick with their super heavy FF cameras for all I care.
p.s. If you buy a FF like 5D Mark II, you know get a free gym subscription, to be able to carry it around
rUY
12 months ago |On the contrary, I think most of us know 43 is 2X cropped factor and technically understand what is that. But if I need to trade off the size and quality, I will take M43. remembered last year, I went for a skiing, one of my friend taking the full frame heavy gears and I got the GF1 on my pocket. end up I enjoy fun for both shooting and photograph and my friend jealous.
you may also choose M9, but that is another story.
Carsten
12 months ago |The nokton is really great. but the usuage is still limited. for myself i ordered myself a 50/1.4 lens to try out the comparison with the 20/1.7 in addtion to manual control.
Mr. Reeee
12 months ago |Voightländer makes Leica M mount Noktons in 35mm f1.4 and 40mm f1.4. Both are smaller than the Panasonic 20mm and are less than half the price of the 25mm M4/3 Nokton. I’ve gotten feedback about them from some Leica users and the 35mm is supposedly quite a nice little lens.
I’ve been using my manual lenses quite a bit more than my native M4/3 lenses (20mm, 14-140mm and 7-14mm), especially a Pentax 50mm f1.4 SMC Takumar. I prefer the added level of control and the feel of the lenses themselves. Using primes is also forcing me to be more conscious when composing images. The Nokton 25mm will be a solid addition and a great general purpose lens with the added benefit of being able to use it in dark conditions.
frosti7
12 months ago |Kai is an expert for entertaining but useless reviews, this one is not an exception
Reza
12 months ago |Haha, BOKAAH!
Nick Clark
12 months ago |Hmmm anyone wanna swap my 20/f1.7 for their 25/f0.95??? The Pana focuses slow anyway
Fishfishfish
12 months ago |What happens to this forum? There is no the best system for everyone, there is only the best system(s) that fulfill your needs. What’s the point to argue FF is better 4/3 or vice versa? We all enjoy taking pictures after all. This is a place for (m)4/3 owners (or gearheads) to share our passion of the system and/or photography. Cheers.
Ulli
12 months ago |We have to thank Michael for that….he probably got kicked from the DP forum and found this new undiscovered country to unleash the same yes-no-yes-no debat again.
Brian
12 months ago |I agree with Fishfishfish.
The Nokton brings a unique and compelling new tool for those of us who find M4/3 well suited to our needs. Most of us are well aware of the pros and cons of M4/3 vs FF, including cost, size, weight, depth of field among other aspects. We have consciously chosen to work with M4/3 at least some of the time, if not all. At the same time, many photographers choose to work with FF cameras, and that’s fine too.
Yes, in terms of depth of field, this lens is equivalent to a F1.9 normal lens on FF. The point is, an F1.9 depth of field, together with the other attributes of this lens that others here have mentioned, makes a very compelling tool to many of us. And working on a M4/3 system means we can just slap on something like the Pana 20mm pancake when we want a high quality camera that can fit in a jacket pocket.
But as Fishfishfish points out, at the end of the day, it’s what you do with the camera, not which camera you use.
Xaro
12 months ago |Video is very badly embedded: it is defined as a 640 Pixel wide embed in a 500 Pixel wide column. 43 rumors should fix this, it looks broken for everybody.
Ahem
12 months ago |It’s been like this for months, I raised this issue a while ago. Hopefully admin will take notice
admin
12 months ago |Hi Ahem! What kind of resolution does your screen have?
Brod1er
12 months ago |Pete Smith makes a good point. I spent most of my time recently in Peru trying to get more DOF in my photos, not less. It is a benefit that I can shoot f8 when the 5D requires f16. Sure the 5D can crank the ISO but the size/weight means I wouldn’t carry it over 5000m altitude passes in the Andes. Another benefit is that I could easily switch to a 600mm equivalent lens or a 14mm equivalent by just dipping into my belt pack. Camera plus four lenses= 1.8kg.
Ultimately I agree with Brian – photographer skills (& luck and good light) are way more important than all the equipment dilemmas we worry about. And for once, the shortage of these can’t be blamed on Panasonics distribution team