Since i bought my first Leica M, i have always been torn between using a focal length of 35mm or 50mm for my street photography. I own both, the Leica 50mm Summicron and 35mm Summicron ASPH but have been thinking about upgrading to Summilux lenses (f 1.4) lately. Instead of spending a huge amount of money on two Summilux lenses, i decided to give the Voigtländer Nokton 40mm f 1.4 a try.
This lens only costs a fraction of what a Leica lens would cost. At least on the paper, the Nokton 40mm looks like the perfect lens for me. It was in the mail only this morning so i haven’t had a chance to try it on the streets, but as you can see, it looks nice on the M9. I will post a couple of pictures taken with this lens as soon as i have some time. What i found out so far, is that focussing is a bit stiff (compared to a Leica lens) and that the build quality seems to be ok but not even close to Leica standards.
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ugh. just got rid of a 35mm Nokton. worst. lens. ever. f1.4 is useless as it glows like Jesus’ halo and lens shows barrel distortion at close range.
I just hope the 40mm doesn’t have those flaws… keep me posted!
That ‘glow’ is also a problem with this lens, at least for everything below f2.0. I am about to sell this lens via eBay, not because of the optical quality but because of the mechanics. The focus tab is so stiff that you have to use two fingers to focus. This lens might be a good value for the money but it comes nowhere near a Leica lens.