Queen Victoria Building with the Voigtländer Nokton 17.5mm/1:0.95 and Panasonic GX9

This is the tenth of a series of articles showcasing pictures taken on the Voigtländer Nokton 17.5mm/1:0.95. These pictures were taken inside the beautiful restored Queen Victoria Building located at the heart of Sydney.

According to Wikipedia, the Queen Victoria Building (QVB) is a heritage-listed late-nineteenth-century building designed by the architect George McRae. Completed in 1898, the Romanesque Revival building was used for a variety of purposes, initially as a marketplace. It went into a long period of decay in the 20th century but was lovingly restored in the mid 1980s by a. consortium led by a Malaysian company Ipoh Bhd. I remember prior to its restoration it was a shabby eyesore with the street level populated by discount stores (much like Central Station today which is also overdue for a restoration).

This is a lovely building with a glass rooftop. I love capturing the dark staircases, the beautiful stained glass and the dome at the centre of the building

This was a good opportunity to see how well the lens capture colour and detail in the low light environment of the building.

The lens performed quite well, and I was really pleased with the colour rendering of the stained glass windows and tiles. The staircase shots were a bit disappointing, but the open air shots across the building came out okay.

For more information on the Heliar 17.5mm lens, check out my initial impressions article and other articles in the series:

Related Articles in this Series

Initial Impression: Voigtländer 17.5 mm/1:0.95 Nokton MFT

Initial Impression: Voigtländer 17.5 mm/1:0.95 Nokton MFT

Chris ThamJan 24, 20201 min read
The Nokton 17.5mm lens is part of a series of Voigtländer lenses for the Micro Four-Thirds system, and all lenses in the series has an amazingly large aperture (f0.95).
The Rocks with the Voigtländer Nokton 17.5mm/1:0.95 and Panasonic GX9

The Rocks with the Voigtländer Nokton 17.5mm/1:0.95 and Panasonic GX9

Chris ThamJan 24, 20201 min read
These pictures were taken around The Rocks Area and showcases the lens as a general purpose standard lens that you may take on a photowalk, or when you are a tourist discovering a city for the first time.
Woolloomooloo to Sydney walk with the Voigtländer Nokton 17.5mm/1:0.95 and Panasonic GX9

Woolloomooloo to Sydney walk with the Voigtländer Nokton 17.5mm/1:0.95 and Panasonic GX9

Chris ThamJan 27, 20201 min read
These pictures were taken on a walk from Cowpers Bay Wharf at Woolloomoolloo to Sydney’s Central Business District. It showcases the lens as a general purpose standard lens that you may take on a photowalk, or when you are a tourist discovering a city for the first time.
Mitchell Library with the Voigtländer Nokton 17.5mm/1:0.95 and Panasonic GX9

Mitchell Library with the Voigtländer Nokton 17.5mm/1:0.95 and Panasonic GX9

Chris ThamJan 28, 20201 min read
These pictures were taken at the heritage Michell Library (also known as State Library of New South Wales), the oldest library in Australia and showcases the lens’ low light capture abilities as well as the absence of perspective distortions when capturing large architectural spaces.
Sydney Trades Hall with the Voigtländer Nokton 17.5mm/1:0.95 and Panasonic GX9

Sydney Trades Hall with the Voigtländer Nokton 17.5mm/1:0.95 and Panasonic GX9

Chris ThamJan 29, 20201 min read
These pictures were taken at the heritage-listed Sydney Trades Hall, and showcases the lens ability to capture murals and indoor details, often at relatively low light.

Posted by Chris Tham

Chris Tham is a co-founder of Visual Voyager Pty Ltd, the Principal Voigtländer Ambassador for Mainline Photographics and a Workshop Instructor for Mainline Photo Academy. She brings over 35 years of experience as a photographer to her role, starting with a Yashica rangefinder belonging to her dad, joining the Photography Club in school, and developing her own photos. More recently, Chris has been taking photos during her travels, and as a result has experienced some of the most interesting places in the world. Chris focuses on nature, street, and urban architecture subjects in her photography.