Voigtländer Nokton 50mm f/1.2 Aspherical (M-Mount) Review

I am secretly hoping that Kyle has forgotten that I have borrowed his Voigtländer Nokton 50mm f/1.2 Asperical again. This is my third go around with this lens and you will find reviews on this site with the Nokton 50mm f/1.2 as I have tried on a Fujifilm GFX 50R and X-Pro2 also.

This time around I took it out with my Nikon Zf and as a bonus, I will have a few photos at the very end of this post captured with the Leica SL2-S.

I would usually never start my reviews with a conclusion but this is probably one of the best lenses I’ve had my hands on this past year. So let’s see what it is all about.

Specs, Handling, and Build Quality

The following paragraph is from my Nokton 50mm f/1.2 review when used on the Fujifilm GFX 50R but it applies here also.

The build quality of the Voigtländer Nokton 50mm f/1.2 is excellent with a beautifully dampened and smooth focus ring. The aperture ring is equally well executed with perfectly dampened friction and is clickable in half stops.

The 12-blade diaphragm blades may in part explain the exceptional bokeh produced by the Nokton 50mm. The lens has two aspherical elements and in total, 8 elements in 6 groups.

The minimum focusing distance is perhaps a bit disappointing at 2.3', 70 cm. The latest Leica Summilux-M 50mm f/1.4 focuses down to 1.5' / 45 cm but I believe many of the former Summilux versions are in line with the Nokton 50mm in this regard.

At 12.1 oz, 344 g, the Nokton 50mm f/1.2 feels substantial with a good heft to it and it is well-balanced on my Nikon Zf.

At the time this review was written the Nokton 50mm f/1.2 retailed for $1,049.00 but was on sale with a $100.00 discount.

I have found the Nokton 50mm f/1.2 quite easy to focus on my Nikon Zf which has an excellent EVF for this purpose. I tend to avoid using focus peaking as I find it distracting when you want to view a clear image.

Instead, I suggest that you punch in to magnify your topic when you want accurate focus. You can set up a custom button for this. I have chosen the AE/AF button as I prefer this position in a good natural spot for my thumb.

After you punch in, you can choose to capture your image right away or punch out again to view the entire image. I wish the camera would punch out again when you half-press the shutter but to my knowledge, there is not a way to do this.

I have been very happy with my keeper rate, manually focusing the Nokton 50mm f/1.2, even when you shoot it wide open.

Image Quality

The Voigtländer Nokton 50mm f/1.2 Aspherical is one of those lenses you can shoot in the entire aperture range without sacrificing image quality. Even at f/1.2 it is sharp and gives your images a wonderfully dreamy character and bokeh while still being sharp.

I find the lens more clinically correct than other Voigtländer lenses which lean in the direction of drawing images with a vintage-style rendering. My favorite range is from f/1.2 to f/2. Sometimes we buy fast lenses but they are not always at optimum performance at these lower f-stops. With the Nokton 50mm f/1.2, you can shoot with confidence in this range.

As mentioned, this is the third sensor size I have tried with the Nokton 50mm f/1.2 and I love the colours as well as black and white images produced with this lens.

The sample images in this review can be viewed up to 2500 pixels wide, depending on your monitor size. Please click to view larger images or pinch-zoom if on your mobile phone.

Wrap Up

A few months ago, just after I got my Nikon Zf, Kyle offered that I could buy his Nokton 50mm f/1.2 for a very fair price, and if I hadn’t just spent funds on the Zf, I probably would have bought it. It was very close.

As it happened I hesitated and after I posted my first two Nokton 50mm f/1.2 reviews, I offered to buy it but by now Kyle had changed his mind. I believe he realized what a gem this lens is and wanted to keep it :)

He has promised me I can borrow it anytime which is a grand gesture. Thanks again to Kyle @secondteamkyle for helping out with yet another review. Thanks also to Julian for letting me try your Leica SL2-S again.

If you want to read more about the Nokton 50mm f/1.2, here are links to reviews with the Fujifilm GFX 50R and X-Pro2:

Voigtländer Nokton 50mm f/1.2 and GFX 50R
Voigtländer Nokton 50mm f/1.2 and X-Pro2

Pros

Solid build quality
Superb bokeh
Fast f/1.2 max f-stop

Cons

Manual focus only
No EXIF info going to the camera

Please see more sample images below.

Price / Availability

Thank you for reading my review. If you are planning a purchase and would like to support us, you can do so, at no additional cost, by using the affiliate link below. A small commission goes to us and helps us keep the wheels turning at 5050 Travelog.

Check the current price at B&H Photo

Voigtländer Nokton 50mm f/1.2 - B&H Photo

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