Lenses from the Nokton series always shine with a high speed of F1.5 or below. But the new Nokton 50 mm F1.0 aspherical VM lens sets a new standard for the Nokton family, surpassing the Nokton 50 mm F1.2 Aspherical VM, a lens designed for both digital and analogue photography and is functionally fully compatible for use with rangefinder cameras.
When developing the Nokton 50 mm F1.2 aspherical VM, Voigtländer (or Cosina, as the company acquired the Voigtländer brand in 1999) put a lot of emphasis on compactness, so the weight is only 344 grams, which makes it extremely user-friendly and easy to use. The close focus limit is 70 cm (may vary by camera type), when using the separately sold VM-E adapter (for Sony cameras) the minimum distance is reduced to 41.7 cm.
The Nokton 50 mm F1.2 aspherical VM is aimed at the photographers who appreciate an excellent standard lens with fine image quality in a classic look. And thanks to the high light intensity of F1.2, it is virtually predestined for available-light photography. The same goal is valid for the Nokton 50 mm F1.0 aspherical lens, which is a completely newly developed standard lens for full-frame cameras with Leica M-mount and has some special features.
Lightweight lenses are often very powerful in design. Therefore, according to Cosina, one development goal was to realize a compact barrel in addition to the very large aperture and excellent imaging performance. This was achieved by using a specially ground front lens made of a glass material with a high refractive index (Grinding Aspherical Lens).
Thus, the lens configuration could be simplified without sacrificing image quality and the length of the lens could be limited to 55 mm. In addition, floating elements are used, meaning that a specific group of lenses is moved to the optimal position depending on the shooting distance to ensure consistently clear image sharpness that is uncompromised at all times.
This high technical effort is reflected in the top image quality and gives the user a wide range of options for image composition. The sharpness performance is convincing up to the peripheral areas, the great bokeh – supported by a 12-blade diaphragm construction like the Nokton 50 mm F1.2 – at open aperture inspires and the rich handling simply makes photographic work fun. A real tool for the photography enthusiast!
The shortest shooting distance is 90cm (depending on the camera used) – against 70 cm on the Nokton 50 mm F1.2 -, and the weight is 484g. A lens hood, which can be attached to the lens upside down when not in use, is included in the package. As noted above, the Voigtländer 50 mm F1.0 Nokton aspherical VM is available exclusively in black. The lens is designed for Leica M-mount cameras. With the appropriate adapters, it can also be used with Sony E-mount, Fujifilm X-mount and Nikon Z-mount digital cameras.
The Voigtländer – or Cosina – Nokton 50 mm F1.0 aspheric lens will be available in January 2022, with a suggested price a little under $2000.