Seriously bright Voigtländer lenses on the way for Micro Four Thirds, Leica M-mount
posted Thursday, February 7, 2013 at 10:26 PM EDT
Fans of completely manual control have two recently-unveiled lenses to look forward to, one apiece for the Micro Four Thirds and Leica M mounts. The new optics are products of Germany's RINGFOTO GmbH & Co. KG, and will be sold under the legendary Voigtländer brandname.
For Micro Four Thirds users, there's a 42.5mm prime lens with a bright f/0.95 maximum aperture. After taking account of the focal length crop, the Voigtländer MFT Nokton F0.95/42.5mm is equivalent to an 85mm lens on a 35mm camera, which should make for a nice portrait lens. The optical formula includes 11 elements in eight groups, there's a ten-bladed aperture for smooth bokeh, and 58mm threaded filters are accepted. Focusing is possible to as close as nine inches (0.23m), controlled manually with a chunky focusing ring around the center of the lens barrel.
Aperture is also controlled with a physical dial towards the front of the lens, and spans a range from f/0.95 to f/16. Dimensions are 2.9 inches (74.6mm) in length, and 2.5 inches (64.3mm) in diameter. Lens weight hasn't yet been disclosed, and nor has pricing. The Voigtländer MFT Nokton F0.95/42.5mm is expected to ship this summer.
Also available from summer is the Voigtländer VM Nokton F1.5/50mm aspherical for Leica M-series cameras, or others that can accept Leica M-mount lenses with an adapter. Said to be an improved version of the preceding Nokton F1.1/50mm aspherical, it's not quite as bright but more compact, and focuses noticeably closer. The optical formula includes six elements in five groups, and again, smooth bokeh is provided for with a ten-bladed aperture. This model accepts smaller 49mm threaded filters, though. Focusing is possible to as close as 27.5 inches (0.7m), controlled manually.
Just as in the the other lens, the 50mm's aperture is also controlled with a physical dial. It spans a range from a bright f/1.5 to f/16. Dimensions are 1.8 inches (45.7mm) in length, and 2.1 inches (53.8mm) in diameter. Lens weight, again, hasn't yet been disclosed, and nor has pricing. The Voigtländer VM Nokton F1.5/50mm Aspherical is also expected to ship this summer.