Voigtlander Nokton 35mm F1.2 Aspherical Ver.1

6:03 PM nothingmuchdave 0 Comments

The Voigtlander Nokton 35mm F1.2 Aspherical Ver.1 is one of the best 35mm lenses that I've ever owned.. But it is also one of the heaviest.. I've started shooting with 35mm lens (50mm in my application) when I'm using Fujifilm mirrorless cameras.. It is one of the focal length that I'm most comfortable with.. Since Fujifilm are using 1.5x crop factor (ignore the GFX series), 35mm will technically become around 50ish mm.. Not ideal but I can deal with that as I've been shooting crop factor ever since I've started my photography journey.. Mounting the 35mm lens on my Leica M8 (1.33x crop factor) will make the focal length to close to 50mm.. So a bit wider comparing to what I've used to previously.. I can adjust to the difference so no issue on this as well.. Though I must admit I do feel fatigue after some time of holding it but that's the price you pay for a well built all metal lens..

What I love about this lens is the fact that it is one of the fastest 35mm lens around.. If not the fastest!! F1.2!! Bokehlicious!! Who said 35mm lens can't produce nice bokeh?? Mounting it to the Leica M8, it produces one of the creamiest bokeh that I've seen.. Don't mind the bigger and heavier size of the lens.. Don't mind the lens hood blocking the lower right of the viewfinder.. I just love the way it renders the pictures.. Bought this lens to Japan last year and it was glued to my M8 throughout the whole trip..

My style of photography changes over time.. When I first started shooting, bokeh is one of the most important criteria for me. Everything need to be bokehlicious.. Doesn't matter whether the subject is interesting or not.. So long the bokeh is nice, then 90% of the time I will be satisfied with the picture.. Fast forward a few years later, bokeh is becoming less and less important for me.. Not sure whether does it correlate with my age??

Love everything about this lens as it complement the shortcoming of my Leica M8.. Although I seldom shoot at night with my Leica M8 (because it is rubbish comparing to my phone!!), I know I can have a decent shot mounting the Nokton 35mm F1.2 without going over ISO 640 (which is the max that I will go).. So everything is about give and take.. Nothing is perfect in this world.. Just like the Voigtlander Nokton 35mm F1.2..