Nokton 50mm F1.5 VM ASPH Review

Today we will have a short , real-world review of the new Nokton 50mm F1.5 VM ASPH pictured below. The lens is vintage, classic looking packed with the latest technology from Voigtlander/Cosina. We are going to see if it can perform in the night, where the bigger aperture should come in useful.

Ergonomics and Feel (9/10):
The feel of the Nokton is extremely solid. The focusing ring turns very smoothly throughout the entire focusing range, although a bit too tight. There are no areas where the focus becomes tighter or more loose. It can feel a little too hard on the fingers. Half-apertures are avaialble throughout the entire aperture ring, clicks very nicely, not audible, but enough to feel. Again, very solid. However, without any tab, users like me who have started off with a Leica 35mm may find it very hard to adapt to pre-focusing this lens. While it is widely accepted that F1.4s users do not pre-focus most of the time due to the small and narrow depth of field, I would have liked to have the flexibility. Some notch on one of the focusing etches would have saved my day multiple times. The size of the lens is extremely compact, just a little longer than the Leica 50mm f1.4 with the hood on(and very similar dimensions without the hood). In this aspect, the Nokton gets a straight 9 out of 10.

Sharpness (7.5/10):

Nokton: 1/250s at f2.4, ISO 320

Coming from a Leica 35mm F2 ASPH where sharpness is one of the outstanding points of the lens, I did not expect the Nokton to be any sharper. And that is exactly what I got. The lens is reasonably sharp at f1.5, and stepped to F2 or F2.8, it does get a little bit sharper. People who wish to get this lens will do well to note that you will not get fantastically sharp images compared to the Leica counterpart (50mm f1.4), but you will get reasonable amounts. At 1/4 the price, it does perform to expectations, and gives a nice feel to the overall picture. It is not necessarily a bad point - it is simply the limitation of optics packed into such a small lens.

Bokeh (8/10):

Nokton: 1/45s at f2.0, ISO 400

Bokeh is really a matter of personal preference. The above shot was taken at low light condition and somehow Leica records the aperture at f2. I thought I had it at f1.5. We can still see pretty bokeh here.  General you get a swirl-shaped bokeh around the centre. It does add to it some kind of charm, but it reminds me of my older nikon lens which gave similar bokeh. Not my favorite, but good enough.

Conclusion:
The wider aperture does come in useful at night. I was able to take certain shots that I was not able to as easily with less blur. However, since I am came from a 35mm family, where the focusing distance is not as picky and narrow, I actually found it very difficult to get used to the 50mm. (This will apply to all 50mms, not just the Nokton. ) Walking on the streets at night, often exciting and interesting shots will come out of the blue where you least expect it. Having some sense of pre-focus would have enhanced the experience and enable you to get somewhat good shots, but do not expect yourself to have well-focused, non-blurry shots all the time. Nonetheless, this is more of a experienced and skill-related evaluation, which is inherently not related to the lens.
Now, for the most part, the utility of the lens remains the same. At 1/4 of the price of a Leica 50mm, it does perform to standards that are extremely close. The built of the lens IS perfect, and I can find nothing wrong with it. For that, I would give it a big...

9 / 10