Did you use this lens for astro photos? I'm curious! Because given the strong coma and border fall-off at open aperture, I'd think it is not that good for shooting the stars maybe? The real strength of the Voigtländer 35mm f/1.4 Classic maybe is for portraits, candids, or in general when you want a certain "classic" look if shooting wide open. I still absolutely love the look of all the photos that I shot with this lens!
@@tomscameras no I don't do that kind of photography, I think I tried it once but it was way too wide for the moon 😅, I'm guessing that for that kind of photography ur better off with a bigger lens with heavier glass to prevent these fall offs especially in the edges.
Just picked this up today after mainly using adapted Nikon and Mamiya glass on the A7II. Having access to modern features while maintaining this classic feel and high build quality is really special.
Yes! That combination of classic and modern features is really great! There are many manual focus lenses available today for the Sony FE mount, but having these electric contacts like Voigtländer really makes a difference in handling and convenience! I hope you will have a lot of fun with your lens as well!
Great review. This lens has arrived at my doorstep today and once I get the LM-FX adapter I plan to enjoy this glass on mu Fuji Xt30. I look forward to exploring different Fuji color simulations with this lens.
I hope you'll have a lot of fun with this lens! Even though I rarely shoot JPG, I do like and appreciate the Fuji film simulations a lot ... they're really well-balanced and give great results!
Your videos have a nice, tasty style with a smooth pace. I also like Voigtländer lenses. I am using the 40mm f1.4 instead of the 35mm lens. As someone who left Germany 20 years ago I enjoyed to see all your great pictures from my beloved birthplace Cologne :-)
Well, thanks for your feedback! Yes the Voigtländer 40 should also be awesome. maybe some day I'll get a Leica M body to try out all these great lenses!
I’ve been playing with the voigtlander 35mm 1.4 for a few weeks now mostly at Disneyland. I added a tiffen black promist 1/4 for even more dreamy feel. Loving the video and photo output. Thanks again for this video :)
Nice video, love the colors who comes out the camera, looks vintage :-) , are the true color or you have done some post compo ? I was wondering if this lens work with a 61mb sensor like the alpha 7 r5
Hey! I always shoot RAW and edit my photos "to taste" in a RAW converter like Lightroom or darktable. But in my opinion, "out of cam" is always debatable because even in-camera, you'll adjust your white balance or use a certain picture style or something so the result looks as you want it to! By the way, I never correct for color fringing, vignetting and distortion unless explicitly stated otherwise in the video. So you can still see the true optical quality of the lens.
I'm very lucky to see your video about this lens. I'm very lucky because you can specially test and introduce the performance of the lenses I pay attention to, such as glare and purple fringing. Can you do the same test about the Leica version of Nokton Classic 35mm f/1.4 II MC? MC version. Thank you! Good luck to you.
Many thanks for your feedback! Unfortunately I don't have access to the Leica version of this lens. It should perform very similar to the Sony FE version. Voigtländer stated that the Sony FE lens has a very slightly different lens spacing so the quality at the edges of the image should be a bit better. This was made because Sony cameras have a different / thicker cover glass on their sensors in comparison to Leica cameras. I think there are some reviews out where people shoot the Leica version on their Sony. In my personal opinion, the Sony version handles on Sony cameras also because of the electric contacts. That's why I would recommend the Sony version for Sony cameras.
Thanks! Glad you like the video! (And the music ;)) ... if you have some more money to spend, and if you want the latest and best, maybe also check out the new-in-September-2020 Voigtländer 35/1.2 FE. I'm very (!!) happy with the Voigtländer FE 35/1.4 of this video ... but I also understand that the new FE 35/1.2 is even better. But also more expensive ... As I am such a fan of "classic" optics I'm still very happy with my FE 35/1.4.
I didn't shoot any of the other versions myself, so take the following with a grain of salt, I still hope it helps! For Leica M mount, there's a version I and II of this lens. The version II is a very slight upgrade that was targeting spherical aberration, so especially open-aperture performance should have slightly improved over version I. Source for this info: www.digitalcameraworld.com/news/voigtlander-nokton-classic-35mm-f14-ii-vm-a-sony-shaped-refresh-for-leicas Then there is the Sony FE mount variant which I show in my review. That one, again, is reported to be a *very* slight modification of the M mount version II, just to make it cope better with the thicker filter stack of the Sony cameras. As far as I understand, this doesn't affect any other characteristics of this lens, so version II on a Leica should be absolutely similar in vignetting, bokeh, sharpness, flares etc. to the Sony FE version on a Sony. However if you're shooting a Sony body, then for better sharpness especially towards the borders you should maybe get the Sony FE version. Last not least, there's a fourth version which is called S.C. for single coating. That one is only available for Leica M mount, both as version I and II. The less modern coatings of these variants should affect flare! But again: I didn't shoot these myself yet.
@@tomscameras oh yeah Cologne. I forgot whether I visited Cologne or Dusseldorf.. but I remember the church tower and bridge... it was long time ago, during Fotokina around 1989
Thanks for pointing out! When I did this video, I used the A7R2, but I'm not shooting Sony bodies anymore today. I will review one or two lenses for Sony in the near future on a A7 IV but didn't start doing that by now. I don't know if the newest A7 series bodies still have issues with bokeh if you use the electronic first curtain setting?
Well the Voigtländer 35/1.4 shown in my review is a full-frame lens and I used it on my full-frame Sony A7R II camera ... so it cannot really be compared to APS-C lenses! In a nutshell: If you're shooting APS-C, forget about this Voigtländer and get a dedicated APS-C lens instead! Much cheaper and also most likely smaller ... If you're shooting full frame, I still think the Voigtländer 35/1.4 is worth a close look. Yes there are also new 35mm full frame lenses from 7Artisans etc. but if you are shopping used, the Voigtländer is not thaaaat much more expensive than those. Voigtländer also offers the very convenient electronic communication with the camera that the Chinese manual lenses don't offer yet.
@@tomscameras Thanks for the reply, I know what you are saying cos I also own both Fuji and Sony A7RII. My question is the Voit. is it WORTH the money that you pay? If I use it a lot then it is worth the money besides I believe it is a superior lens because of its performance even though it may cost a lot more. BTW I like our concise reviews of many of the manual lenses.
@@yttean98 I used the Voigtländer extensively for my Sony so I would answer this question with "yes". Since this review, I sold my Sony because I moved to analog photography ... and only kept Fuji as a digital camera. That is the only reason I sold this Voigtländer lens as well.
No, this lens can be used without any adapter. Note that Voigtländer also makes lenses for Leica M but then you need an adapter. But this one is a Voigtländer for Sony FE. It also has the electric contacts and yes it writes all EXIF in the files.
tomscameras the Leica visoflex on the LeicaM focus peaks exactly the same as you demonstrated with the Sony. Is your 35 the single coated or multi coated version. I have the sc VM version living on my film M and it’s magical with B&W film. I have the new vintage line 35 f2 ultron on my digital M10-D and it’s a phenomenal tiny jewel of a lens. I think Voigtlander is coming out with new vintage lines for the 35 nokton series in 3 versions with either sc or mc
Fabrizio Mastronardi Oh I really have to try an M with the electronic Visoflex once! My Voigländer is multi coated as it is the Sony FE version. Only the Voigltländer 35/1.4 for Leica M mount is available both M.C. and S.C.
today, after lot's of fighting with myself i bought my VL 35 F 1.4 NC and i must say after whole day of shooting... i like my ttartisan 35mm 1.4 way way way way more... What a strange animal this lens is, but not exactly in a good way.. for me!
Of course! All the Voigtländer lenses are amazing! Since I reviewed this one, they also launched the new Voigtländer SE 35/1.2, 40/1.2 and 50/1.2 for Sony FE! A lot of great choices!
@@bpalme Yes! I am very curious also about that lens. It's just amazing how many different great Voigtländer 35mm options there are these days for Sony FE!
You need to get a model release for every person you show in a video like this ... it's not like in the U.S. over here. So there's not a lot of people shots in my gear review videos, sorry.
I got this lens a few years ago for my A7, having such a lightweight full frame combi is amazing for streetphotography or just having it in your bag.
Did you use this lens for astro photos? I'm curious! Because given the strong coma and border fall-off at open aperture, I'd think it is not that good for shooting the stars maybe?
The real strength of the Voigtländer 35mm f/1.4 Classic maybe is for portraits, candids, or in general when you want a certain "classic" look if shooting wide open. I still absolutely love the look of all the photos that I shot with this lens!
@@tomscameras no I don't do that kind of photography, I think I tried it once but it was way too wide for the moon 😅, I'm guessing that for that kind of photography ur better off with a bigger lens with heavier glass to prevent these fall offs especially in the edges.
I love the shutter sound of the A7RII
It is distinctive, yes!
Just picked this up today after mainly using adapted Nikon and Mamiya glass on the A7II. Having access to modern features while maintaining this classic feel and high build quality is really special.
Yes! That combination of classic and modern features is really great! There are many manual focus lenses available today for the Sony FE mount, but having these electric contacts like Voigtländer really makes a difference in handling and convenience! I hope you will have a lot of fun with your lens as well!
Great review. This lens has arrived at my doorstep today and once I get the LM-FX adapter I plan to enjoy this glass on mu Fuji Xt30. I look forward to exploring different Fuji color simulations with this lens.
I hope you'll have a lot of fun with this lens! Even though I rarely shoot JPG, I do like and appreciate the Fuji film simulations a lot ... they're really well-balanced and give great results!
Your videos have a nice, tasty style with a smooth pace. I also like Voigtländer lenses. I am using the 40mm f1.4 instead of the 35mm lens. As someone who left Germany 20 years ago I enjoyed to see all your great pictures from my beloved birthplace Cologne :-)
Well, thanks for your feedback! Yes the Voigtländer 40 should also be awesome. maybe some day I'll get a Leica M body to try out all these great lenses!
Thank you for the video! This video helped me make my decision on my first E-mount lens.
Many thanks for your feedback! I wish you a lot of fun and great shots with the lens!
I’ve been playing with the voigtlander 35mm 1.4 for a few weeks now mostly at Disneyland. I added a tiffen black promist 1/4 for even more dreamy feel. Loving the video and photo output. Thanks again for this video :)
Great look at a classic lens Thomas :)
Hey ... many thanks, I'm glad you like it!
Hope you can test the Voigtlander 40mm f1.2 lens.
Yes it's an intriguing lens, I hope I get the opportunity to shoot it as well!
Great video and a great choice in music as well
Thanks! Actually this is my first-ever video! :)
Nice video, love the colors who comes out the camera, looks vintage :-) , are the true color or you have done some post compo ? I was wondering if this lens work with a 61mb sensor like the alpha 7 r5
Hey! I always shoot RAW and edit my photos "to taste" in a RAW converter like Lightroom or darktable. But in my opinion, "out of cam" is always debatable because even in-camera, you'll adjust your white balance or use a certain picture style or something so the result looks as you want it to!
By the way, I never correct for color fringing, vignetting and distortion unless explicitly stated otherwise in the video. So you can still see the true optical quality of the lens.
@@tomscameras thx , I’ll try to find one now !
I'm very lucky to see your video about this lens. I'm very lucky because you can specially test and introduce the performance of the lenses I pay attention to, such as glare and purple fringing. Can you do the same test about the Leica version of Nokton Classic 35mm f/1.4 II MC? MC version.
Thank you! Good luck to you.
Many thanks for your feedback! Unfortunately I don't have access to the Leica version of this lens. It should perform very similar to the Sony FE version.
Voigtländer stated that the Sony FE lens has a very slightly different lens spacing so the quality at the edges of the image should be a bit better. This was made because Sony cameras have a different / thicker cover glass on their sensors in comparison to Leica cameras.
I think there are some reviews out where people shoot the Leica version on their Sony. In my personal opinion, the Sony version handles on Sony cameras also because of the electric contacts. That's why I would recommend the Sony version for Sony cameras.
@@tomscameras Thank you very much
Nice lens, I am thinking about getting it but great music, thanks for posting.
Thanks! Glad you like the video! (And the music ;)) ... if you have some more money to spend, and if you want the latest and best, maybe also check out the new-in-September-2020 Voigtländer 35/1.2 FE. I'm very (!!) happy with the Voigtländer FE 35/1.4 of this video ... but I also understand that the new FE 35/1.2 is even better. But also more expensive ... As I am such a fan of "classic" optics I'm still very happy with my FE 35/1.4.
Very useful, thank you ☕️
Many thanks for your feedback! 😀
the best lens for sony
I'm curious about the flare of this lens, does it has the unique flare like the leica m version?
I didn't shoot any of the other versions myself, so take the following with a grain of salt, I still hope it helps!
For Leica M mount, there's a version I and II of this lens. The version II is a very slight upgrade that was targeting spherical aberration, so especially open-aperture performance should have slightly improved over version I.
Source for this info:
www.digitalcameraworld.com/news/voigtlander-nokton-classic-35mm-f14-ii-vm-a-sony-shaped-refresh-for-leicas
Then there is the Sony FE mount variant which I show in my review. That one, again, is reported to be a *very* slight modification of the M mount version II, just to make it cope better with the thicker filter stack of the Sony cameras. As far as I understand, this doesn't affect any other characteristics of this lens, so version II on a Leica should be absolutely similar in vignetting, bokeh, sharpness, flares etc. to the Sony FE version on a Sony.
However if you're shooting a Sony body, then for better sharpness especially towards the borders you should maybe get the Sony FE version.
Last not least, there's a fourth version which is called S.C. for single coating. That one is only available for Leica M mount, both as version I and II. The less modern coatings of these variants should affect flare! But again: I didn't shoot these myself yet.
Nice review, i love the last song. Tell me the name pls?
looking at the curch towers, are u in Dusseldorf ? just guessing
Hi, this video was shot in Cologne. So not that far from Düsseldorf, actually :)
@@tomscameras oh yeah Cologne. I forgot whether I visited Cologne or Dusseldorf.. but I remember the church tower and bridge... it was long time ago, during Fotokina around 1989
If you shooting in ME Mode & over 1000 shutter speed, you should turn off the E Front curtain shutting, you only destroy your bokey with it.
Thanks for pointing out! When I did this video, I used the A7R2, but I'm not shooting Sony bodies anymore today. I will review one or two lenses for Sony in the near future on a A7 IV but didn't start doing that by now.
I don't know if the newest A7 series bodies still have issues with bokeh if you use the electronic first curtain setting?
best review
Oh, many thanks! 🙏
Comparing this lens to the Chinese APSC 35mm lens the price difference is large, so the question is is this lens worth what you paid for?
Well the Voigtländer 35/1.4 shown in my review is a full-frame lens and I used it on my full-frame Sony A7R II camera ... so it cannot really be compared to APS-C lenses!
In a nutshell: If you're shooting APS-C, forget about this Voigtländer and get a dedicated APS-C lens instead! Much cheaper and also most likely smaller ...
If you're shooting full frame, I still think the Voigtländer 35/1.4 is worth a close look. Yes there are also new 35mm full frame lenses from 7Artisans etc. but if you are shopping used, the Voigtländer is not thaaaat much more expensive than those.
Voigtländer also offers the very convenient electronic communication with the camera that the Chinese manual lenses don't offer yet.
@@tomscameras Thanks for the reply, I know what you are saying cos I also own both Fuji and Sony A7RII.
My question is the Voit. is it WORTH the money that you pay? If I use it a lot then it is worth the money besides I believe it is a superior lens because of its performance even though it may cost a lot more.
BTW I like our concise reviews of many of the manual lenses.
@@yttean98 I used the Voigtländer extensively for my Sony so I would answer this question with "yes".
Since this review, I sold my Sony because I moved to analog photography ... and only kept Fuji as a digital camera. That is the only reason I sold this Voigtländer lens as well.
I hope the lens does not require any adapter to use for Sony full frame . Also does it write the exif data to the files
No, this lens can be used without any adapter. Note that Voigtländer also makes lenses for Leica M but then you need an adapter. But this one is a Voigtländer for Sony FE. It also has the electric contacts and yes it writes all EXIF in the files.
tomscameras the Leica visoflex on the LeicaM focus peaks exactly the same as you demonstrated with the Sony. Is your 35 the single coated or multi coated version. I have the sc VM version living on my film M and it’s magical with B&W film. I have the new vintage line 35 f2 ultron on my digital M10-D and it’s a phenomenal tiny jewel of a lens. I think Voigtlander is coming out with new vintage lines for the 35 nokton series in 3 versions with either sc or mc
Fabrizio Mastronardi Oh I really have to try an M with the electronic Visoflex once! My Voigländer is multi coated as it is the Sony FE version. Only the Voigltländer 35/1.4 for Leica M mount is available both M.C. and S.C.
today, after lot's of fighting with myself i bought my VL 35 F 1.4 NC and i must say after whole day of shooting... i like my ttartisan 35mm 1.4 way way way way more... What a strange animal this lens is, but not exactly in a good way.. for me!
Yes, the Voigtländer Classic is not for everyone, that's for sure! Many thanks for your feedback!
cool !
Nice, but stil love the character on 40mm 1.4
Of course! All the Voigtländer lenses are amazing! Since I reviewed this one, they also launched the new Voigtländer SE 35/1.2, 40/1.2 and 50/1.2 for Sony FE! A lot of great choices!
@@tomscameras And the 35 APO coming next month.
@@bpalme Yes! I am very curious also about that lens. It's just amazing how many different great Voigtländer 35mm options there are these days for Sony FE!
Nice review, but I am really not a fan of your post processing. The images are so green and magenta...
Thanks for your feedback! This is the first video I ever uploaded! How do you like the photos in my more recent videos?
Why do you not photograph people? Would have been so much more interesting...instead you shot some super boring stuff. Pity...
You need to get a model release for every person you show in a video like this ... it's not like in the U.S. over here. So there's not a lot of people shots in my gear review videos, sorry.
@@tomscameras ok, i understand. you made it clearer. i wasn't aware of that.