Voigtländer Nokton 50mm F1.2 Fuji review - Jay Massie
“The children of the night; what music they make!”
Voigtlander’s latest Fuji offering is an addition to their goth-approved Nokton line. A little larger but notably faster than the Ultrons, the Noktons are delivered with the usual impeccable Voigtlander build quality only this time with an emphasis on providing the crepuscular shooters amongst us with an almost see in the dark ultra wide maximum aperture.
©Jay Massie
The new 50mm is a solid and surprisingly compact unit with a 58mm front element and a greedy photon gobbling maximum aperture of F1.2. As exciting as this is for all you bokeh perverts out there, this does of course come with a tissue paper thin plane of focus and being a completely manual unit - nailing that focus can be quite challenging.
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The aperture ring sounds a soft muted confirmation tick when dialling across its third stops, however it could perhaps have a little more resistance for me as I have nudged it from the intended setting a few times while shooting in full manual, but that's probably more my manic technique than any suggestion of a deficit in build quality.
Likewise the focus ring is ultra smooth and nicely dampened, yet also surprisingly light to the touch allowing fine tuning with just the side of a finger. The 0.35cm minimum focus distance to 1 metre is reached from midnight to 3 o'clock. The rest of the range of 1 metre to infinity is covered from 3 o'clock to about 5. It’s a fairly short focus throw, but it feels like a conscious design decision. Those that put in the time to get it under their fingers, are rewarded with a swift operating and reactive lens made for confident snap judgements for seizing genuine decisive moments.
©Jay Massie
In comparison to my Fuji 56 1.2 - this IS softer and glowy at close ranges. But I am hesitant to describe it as any retro vibe. I would say it has a slightly more filmic or "cinematic" look (whatever that means to you) than the super sharp Fuji and it’s especially flattering on skin. Thats not to call it better or worse - it’s just one more colour in your paint box. And speaking of colours, they are spectacular with great saturation and contrast and paired with the appropriate film simulation, inky black and white portraits make me think of the work of Peter Lindberg - inasmuch as tones, feel and depth are of greater value than a clinical sharpness.
©Jay Massie
©Jay Massie
Perhaps an appropriate term for this lens would be "organic". What you shoot feels alive and solid - that is to say, it’s got a vibe and feel of the moment with all its flaws and imperfections - as opposed to making a perfect digital facsimile. So I think to use this lens we should lean into that and capture the moment not the thing itself. Perhaps thats just one of those reminders as to what this whole photography thing is about in the first place?
I bought my copy myself at full price. I already own the Fuji 56mm 1.2 and a drawer full of various 50mm M42 mount pieces.
Did I need this? No. Would I buy it again? 100%. It’s beautiful and like its 27mm F2 sibling, these elevate everything that I love about the hands-on Fuji shooting experience.
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©Jay Massie
©Jay Massie
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