Voigtlander 17.5mm f0.95 Nokton Micro Four Thirds Lens

Voigtlander 17.5mm f0.95 Nokton ASPH lens

This ultra fast wide angle lens is perfect for both stills and video users. Sublime optics give super sharp results with wonderful bokeh. A really artisitc lens to use.

To click or not to click...that is the question!

One of the best features of this lens is its clickless aperture system. By a quick turn of a bezel the lens can be converted from the conventional clicked aperture selector to one that is clickless. This enables the videographer to aperture pull perfectly.

7th August 2012 - Photographer Jeremy Walker review

Voigtlander 17.5mm f 0.95

The first thing you will notice about the Voigtlander 17.5mm lens is the build quality, and I mean quality.  It is made from metal and feels heavy compared with other modern lenses, however I love the ‘feel’ of the lens. Somehow it has an old fashioned quality to it, my first thought being this is how they used to make lenses years ago, solid, dependable and beautifully engineered . The focusing ring (this is a manual focus lens) is a joy to use, smooth and flowing with out being too loose or too tight and the grip of the metal textured focussing ring is great.

Although billed as a 17.5 mm lens this is a Micro Four Thirds lens and as such becomes a 35mm f 0.95, a good medium wide angle focal length.  In use the 17.5mm is very impressive in all. Distortion is non existent even with circular objects placed in the corners of the composition, there is no pulling or bending of the image and as for colour aberration , well.

This has to be the first wide angle lens where I have seen virtually no colour aberration at all, even when shooting into the light. In fact I had to go looking for colour fringing and couldn’t really find any, very impressive. And so to sharpness.

Oh boy is this lens sharp. Once you have stopped down a few stops this lens is pin sharp (a super ultra sharp mega pin) from corner to corner, edge to edge. I was expecting ‘OK’ sharpness but what I actually got was ‘wow’ sharpness.

I was also very impressed with the Voigtlander’s ability to close focus. Being able to focus as close as about ten centimetres certainly opens up a new way of seeing the world and distortion, even that close is minimal whilst the lens is still impressively sharp.

If you stop down a few stops this lens is truly stunning, great for landscapers and general use. If you use it wide open with its limited depth of field and soft corners it can be a great lens for street and reportage photography.

Pros.

Build quality
Edge to edge sharpness
Distortion free
Minimal colour aberration
Ability to close focus

Cons.

Soft in the corners when used wide open

Jeremy Walker - Photographer (www.jeremywalker.co.uk)

Specifications

Focal length:  17.5mm
Aperture: F0.95 - F16
Lens Construction: 9 groups 13 elements
Picture Angle: 64.6 degrees
Aperture Blades: 10
Closest Focus: 0.15m
Diameter: 63.4mm
Length: 80mm
Weight: 540g (without hood)
Filter Size: 58mm
Mount: MFT Micro Four Thirds