Used Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.0 Aspherical VM Leica M Lens

Ultra-fast F1 has been achieved by GA (Grinding Aspherical) lens. NOKTON 50mm F1 Aspherical VM, a full-frame ultra-fast lens for rangefinder cameras, from the Voigtlander brand. NOKTON is the title given to fast lenses with an open F value of F1.5 or less among Voigtlander lenses.

In the 1950s, when the first Nokton appeared, it was positioned as a lens that enables to shoot even under low light conditions. Now, the merit of fast lenses in modern times, where the sensitivity of image sensors has increased, is that the large bokeh at open aperture can be used as a photographic expression.

The NOKTON 50mm F1 Aspherical VM is an ultra-fast standard lens that achieves the brightest F1 as a full-frame interchangeable lens for Voigtlander. In addition to suppressing the interruption of the optical viewfinder on a rangefinder camera, the total length is limited to 55.0 mm (tip to mount surface) while keeping sharp image even at the open aperture. In order to satisfy the design goals of both lens performance and styling, we have adopted an in-house produced GA (grinding aspherical) lens on the first surface of the lens.

The reason why we designed and manufactured a GA lens, which is more difficult to control the production than a general mold aspherical lens, and time required for the manufacturing process, is that it is possible to use high melting point and high refraction glass materials which cannot be used in mold manufacturing method. By manufacturing an aspherical lens from a glass material with a high refractive index, it became possible to simplify the lens configuration while ensuring high performance and a lens with a sharp styling with a short length was born.

In addition, by adopting a floating mechanism that moves a specific group of lenses to the optimum position according to the shooting distance, stable image quality can be obtained from the shortest shooting distance to distant motifs.

The standard 50mm F1 lens is a dreamlike for photography enthusiasts. With F1 you can enjoy extremely large bokeh compared to standard lenses with slower open F value. The NOKTON 50mm F1 Aspherical VM is designed for shooting on both digital and film, and is equipped with a rangefinder-linked cam.

The shortest shooting distance that the rangefinder works with this lens is 0.9m (depending on the camera). The number of apertures is 12, and the out-of-focus part of the point light source is depicted in a neat shape. It also comes with a special metal lens hood that can be mounted in reverse.