Voigtlander 10.5mm F0.95 Nokton Evaluate (Micro 4 Thirds)
The Micro 4 Thirds system cuts down on measurement and bokeh. However, one strategy to make up for that smaller sensor is by pairing it with a wider lens. The Voigtlander 10.5mm f0.95 Nokton is a type of lenses. In spite of everything, it’s proper within the title — f0.95. However, that ultra-wide aperture comes at a price to the tune of $850 and no autofocus motor.
Fortunately, like many guide focus lenses, what the ten.5mm lacks in autofocus it makes up for in character. There’s streaky flare, wealthy golden tones, and creamy background bokeh, for starters. However, like every lens that’s stuffed with character, some photographers are going to adore it. Others? Not a lot. So who’s the Voigtlander 10.5mm f0.95 Nokton for?
The Massive Image
The Voigtlander 10.5mm f0.95 Nokton gives a mix of an ultra-wide view and aperture that’s troublesome to seek out for the Micro 4 Thirds system. The 21mm equal view is seldom seen with this a lot creamy bokeh, at the very least not from a Micro 4 Thirds physique. And, with streaky flare and golden colours, there’s no scarcity of character. The lens additionally does a wonderful job minimizing the barrel distortion that’s sometimes related to ultra-wides.
There’s no query that the Voigtlander 10.5mm for Micro 4 Thirds delivers gobs of character, nevertheless it additionally has an unlucky abundance of purple fringing. That’s going to dissuade photographers who need untouched JPEGs stuffed with character. The lens additionally lacks digital contacts with the digital camera, so focus peaking must be turned on and off manually on the digital camera physique. And whereas there are few lenses with that f0.95 aperture, the $850 worth displays that.
I’m giving the Voigtlander 10.5mm f0.95 Nokton 4 out of 5 stars. Decide it up at Adorama or Amazon. Additionally, make sure to strive it from LensRentals.
Professionals
- Streaky, enjoyable lens flare
- Extremely-wide f0.95 aperture
- Wealthy colours
- Tons of character
- Minimal barrel distortion
- Sturdy, metallic construct
Cons
- No digital contacts
- Thick purple banding
- Expensive
Gear Used
I paired the Voigtlander 10.5mm f0.95 Nokton with the OM System OM-5. The lens is on mortgage from LensRentals, and the OM-5 is on mortgage from OM System.
Improvements
Micro 4 Thirds’ crop issue additionally dims the utmost aperture, however doubling a f0.95 nonetheless creates a brilliant aperture. In addition to this Voigtlander’s ultra-wide aperture, it additionally brings classical metallic design and plenty of character to Micro 4 Thirds our bodies.
Ergonomics
The Voigtlander 10.5mm f0.95 is a good looking, classically-styled metallic lens. Its metallic construct and ultra-wide aperture create a heavier lens at 1.29 kilos. However, at about 3.24 inches lengthy, it doesn’t take up an obnoxious quantity of house in a digital camera bag. It’s huge sufficient to just accept 72mm round filters on the entrance.
Proper subsequent to the lens mount, the ten.5mm is etched with a depth of subject scale, simply behind a knurled guide focus ring. The big ring with a patterned texture is straightforward to seek out and turns easily.
The thin aperture ring sits in direction of the entrance of the lens after the lens widens out a bit. The width and place make the 2 rings simple to distinguish. The aperture ring additionally clicks with every setting.
Whereas 10.5mm is fairly huge, the entrance of the lens nonetheless accommodates round filters. The lens doesn’t, nevertheless, ship with a hood.
Construct High quality
With a metallic construct, the Voigtlander 10.5mm f0.95 feels nice within the fingers. Combined with the guide focus, it’s a pleasure to shoot with. The metallic ought to add some longevity to it as properly. This lens is greater than 5 years outdated and the overview pattern I examined is a rental, but there’s barely a scuff on it.
Whereas it feels sturdy, the producer doesn’t listing the lens as weather-sealed. The metallic construct ought to last more than its plastic counterparts. However, the dearth of climate sealing can imply extra sensor mud and require further gear to deal with the rain.
Focusing
The Voigtlander 10.5mm f0.95 is guide focus solely. Whereas the huge focal size helps widen the depth of subject a bit, the lens will be difficult to get in focus whereas huge open. Stepping down and utilizing zone focusing will assist when velocity is necessary.
The lens lacks digital contacts to the digital camera, which suggests the digital camera physique doesn’t robotically provoke all of the guide focus assist instruments like focus peaking and magnification. Customise a button to robotically flip focus peaking on and off. Nonetheless, at f0.95, you possibly can breathe unsuitable and find yourself out of focus. It’s a problem to focus huge open for certain, however very rewarding when hitting that candy spot, or simply embracing a little bit of softness.
Ease of Use
Handbook focus lenses have a tendency to hold the stigma of being troublesome to make use of. And certain, at f0.95, getting a wonderfully sharp shot isn’t a stroll within the park. However, guide focus lenses additionally drive the photographer to decelerate, which may introduce a number of additional seconds for inventive pondering.
Is the Voigtlander 10.5mm as simple to make use of as an autofocus lens? No. However, what it lacks in simplicity it might make up for in pleasure. Handbook focusing a metallic lens will be fairly enjoyable.
To get essentially the most out of this lens, photographers ought to have a normal understanding of guide focusing strategies like zone focusing, or at the very least perceive learn how to use focus peaking on a lens that doesn’t have digital contacts. Realizing learn how to learn a depth-of-field scale helps too.
Picture High quality
I’ve reviewed a number of dozen lenses: greater than 55 for The Phoblographer. And if I had been to make one assumption a couple of lens based mostly solely on the truth that it’s guide focus, it’s this: the lens isn’t going to be sterile. The Voigtlander 10.5mm f0.95 Nokton has stunning flare, edges as gentle as a teddy bear, and heat colours. However, there are additionally a number of much less welcome quirks too, like robust chromatic aberration.
Bokeh
Sure, this lens is fairly huge and sure, it’s a Micro 4 Thirds. However, there’s nonetheless some bokeh available right here. Up shut, the backgrounds are gentle sufficient that even a photographer in all probability wouldn’t guess it’s Micro 4 Thirds. Even with topics farther away, the background nonetheless melts away a bit.
Huge open, factors of sunshine create spherical bokeh, taking up extra of a cat-eye form on the edges. With the aperture stepped down a bit, the bokeh is now not spherical. The lens has ten aperture blades, however these blades have straight edges. With the aperture stopped down a bit, you possibly can depend the blades because the bokeh takes on a decagon form.
Colour Rendition
I shot with this lens throughout what’s, for me, the least inspiring time of the 12 months: the center of winter when a heat spell melted all of the snow and every little thing is a shade of brown. But, at occasions, the browns felt extra gold. Underexposed, the lens produces wealthy colours. Overexposed, colours could have extra pop.
Lens Character
I’m all the time in search of good flare when making an attempt out new lenses, and the Voigtlander 10.5mm f0.95 doesn’t disappoint. Direct this lens in direction of the solar however block a part of it with an object within the scene and, in return, you’ll get some pretty streaky flare. It’s usually paired with ghosting spots, sometimes inexperienced or purple. With the aperture huge open, the solar is a gentle bloom of sunshine. Slender the aperture a bit and factors of sunshine will shortly tackle a starburst form.
Whereas there’s numerous good character, there are some unwelcome bits too. Edges round brilliant gentle sources such because the solar create thick, purple bands. The chromatic aberration coming from this lens is the worst I’ve seen shortly. The purple is so thick that it’s apparent even when the picture isn’t considered at one hundred pc. Maybe, due to this although, the software program appears to seek out and take away the purple simply. In RAW recordsdata, the fringing took just some seconds to take away. However, straight-from-the-camera JPEGs nonetheless have apparent purple fringing.
Surprisingly, nevertheless, barrel distortion could be very minimal for such a large lens. There’s some slight bending on the edges, nevertheless it’s minor and, in most real-world photographs, troublesome to note.
Sharpness
At f0.95, something that needs to be sharp must be on the middle of the body. Sharpness falls off shortly when capturing huge open. That helps so as to add a little bit of character, sure, nevertheless it’s not the lens for you if you would like sharpness by way of to the corners. Stopping down helps some, however even at f2 and f4, the perimeters are a bit gentle.
Further Picture Samples
From day one, The Phoblographer has been big on transparency with our viewers. Nothing from this overview is sponsored. Additional, numerous of us will submit evaluations and present numerous modifying within the pictures. The issue then turns into that anybody and everybody can do the identical factor. They’re not exhibiting what the lens can do. So we’ve got a piece in our Further Picture Samples space to point out edited and unedited pictures. From this, you may make a call for your self.
Unedited
Edited
Who Ought to Purchase It?
Purchase the Voigtlander 10.5mm f0.95 Nokton if you would like a large angle that delivers creamy bokeh, streaky flare, and minimal barrel distortion. The lens has a variety of character wrapped up in a metallic construct that’s a pleasure to make use of.
In the event you’re bothered by chromatic aberration or shoot in JPEG solely, the thick purple banding is probably going purpose sufficient to keep away from this lens. Others received’t need to take the time to manually focus, or at the very least use the $850 value to dislike the dearth of an autofocus motor.
Decide it up at Adorama or Amazon. Additionally, make sure to strive it from LensRentals.
Tech Specs
Lensrentals lists the next specs for the Voigtlander 10.5mm f0.95 Nokton:
- Angle of View: 93º
- Aperture: f/0.95-16
- Autofocus: Handbook Focus Solely
- Model: Voigtlander
- Diameter: 3.03”
- Dimensions Size: 3.24″
- Filter Dimension: 72.0mm (nonrotating entrance factor)
- Filter Model: nonrotating entrance factor
- Focal Size: 10.5-10.5
- Focusing System: Inner focusing, nonrotating, guide
- Teams/Components: 10/13
- Hood Included: No
- Picture Stabilization: No
- Merchandise Sort: Lens
- Lens Sort: Huge Angle
- Low Dispersion Components: 0
- Max Aperture: 0.95
- Most Magnification: .025x
- Minimal Aperture: 22.0
- Minimal Focusing Distance: 0.56feet
- Mount: Micro 4/3rds
- Climate Resistant: No
- Weight: 1.29 lbs.
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