Real Life Review: Voigtländer 40 mm/1:1.2 Nokton E-Mount
This is a Real Life Review of the Voigtländer 40mm f1.2 E-mount lens with the Sony A7r body. This is a really versatile lens capable of shooting a range of subjects and compositions ranging from close ups of flowers, art/sculpture, portraits/street shooting, to landscapes and architecture.
Usage Impressions
The lens is well built with a metal barrel surrounding the glass elements. It’s a bit on the large side and heavier than Sony FE primes, but feels reasonably well balanced on Sony full frame bodies. The lens also comes with a metal lens hood that is fairly unobtrusive and can be left attached for daily use. I do wonder how effective it is though since it doesn’t really provide a lot of shielding to the glass surface, but it’s probably effective as a barrier preventing the lens glass surface from being accidentally scratched.
I found it quite easy to focus, and the focusing ring is easy to turn but at the same time is not prone to accidental drift.
For the review, I used the Sony α7R as a body as I find it is a good combination between resolution and size and it works very well with manual focusing lenses such as the Nokton 40mm. However, it will also work well with any other Sony full frame body.
The camera and lens combo package is light enough to take on a walk, or a day out, or visiting a location.
Review Situations
In this review, I tested the lens in a variety of situations, ranging from walks to shooting art or sculpture, attending events and exhibitions and general nature, landscape, street and architecture photography. Each situation is a separate article that can be clicked below.
Chatswood walk with the Voigtländer Nokton 40mm 1:1.2 and Sony α7R
These pictures were taken around the suburb of Chatswood in Sydney. Chatswood is a retail, transportation and commercial hub.
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Roseville walk with the Voigtländer Nokton 40mm 1:1.2 and Sony α7R
These pictures were taken around where I live, in the quiet leafy residential suburb of Roseville, close to Chatswood.
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Sydney Architecture and Street Art with the Voigtländer Nokton 40mm 1:1.2 and Sony α7R
These pictures were taken around various places around the Sydney central business district focusing on Darling Square.
THEN exhibition at the White Rabbit Gallery with the Voigtländer Nokton 40mm 1:1.2 and Sony α7R
These pictures were taken at the THEN exhibition at the White Rabbit Gallery.
Royal Botanic Gardens with the Voigtländer Nokton 40mm 1:1.2 and Sony α7R
These pictures were taken at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney.
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Hello Koalas with the Voigtländer Nokton 40mm 1:1.2 and Sony α7R
These pictures were taken at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney during the “Hello Koalas” porcelain sculpture exhibition.
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Artisan in the Gardens with the Voigtländer Nokton 40mm 1:1.2 and Sony α7R
These pictures were taken at a showcase of Australian artists and makers at the historic Lion Gate Lodge at the Royal Botanic Gardens called “Artisans in the Garden.”
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Wollombi Sculpture in the Vineyards with the Voigtländer Nokton 40mm 1:1.2 and Sony α7R
These pictures were taken at the Wollombi Valley Scupture Festival called “Sculpture in the Vineyards”.
Sydney EV Expo 2019 with the Voigtländer Nokton 40mm 1:1.2 and Sony α7R
These pictures were taken at the Sydney Electric Vehicle Expo at Sydney Olympic Park.
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Sculpture by the Sea with the Voigtländer Nokton 40mm 1:1.2 and Sony α7R
Sculpture by the Sea was established in 1997 as a free to the public arts event consisting of large scale outdoor sculptures installed along the famous Bondi to Tamarama coastal walk in Sydney.
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Matsuri Japan Festival 2019 Sydney
Matsuri Festival Sydney is a Japanese festival held every year to celebrate Japanese culture and cross cultural friendship between the Japanese community and Local community.
Initial Impression: Voigtländer 40 mm/1:1.2 Nokton E-mount lens
The Voigtländer 40 mm/1:1.2 Nokton is a fast, manual lens, intended as an all-rounder walkabout prime lens that can shoot a variety of subjects comfortably. It straddles the gap between two common focal lengths for standard/normal lenses: 35mm and 50mm.
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Conclusion
I really like this lens a lot and feel it is a versatile lens that delivers high quality images, a pleasing bokeh, is relatively easy to use, and not too big or heavy. It is useful for a variety of situations and can work as an everyday lens to suit rangefinder style photography.
