Nokton 25mm F0.95 arrived! Shots at night wide open on GH1

[mike kobal]

Hi guys,
this is my first post here.
I am really excited about this lens.The built quality is superb, the focusing ring is superb, and it focuses from infinity down to 1:3.9! yeah, not a big deal but for video it is a big deal. Got it last nite at 7pm ran out and shot a few clips, direct link here, let me know what you think, will try to answer all questions
3.45am blues:Voigtlander Nokton 25mm F0.95 wide open on Panasonic Lumix GH1 « Mike Kobal
street sample photographs here
http://www.mikekobal.com/blog/?p=830
and daylight clips shot at 1.4 here
http://www.mikekobal.com/blog/?p=857
cheers,
Mike

 

[Amin]

Thanks, Mike! I am very interested in this lens, and your video is excellent .

 

[mike kobal]

thanks, Amin! I almost didn't order but, what a lens, gotta shoot some more :smile:

 

[Amin]

Forgot to say, welcome to Mu-43! I looked at your Vimeo account, and you have a lot of impressive work there.

 

[sophilobro]

That is a pretty sweet video, the lens seems to do a great job at night! Congratulations on that investment.

 

[tonys05]

help me out here: does the aperture value double with mu4/3? So that the 25 0.95 would effectively be a 50/1.9?

tony

 

[mike kobal]

thanks, sophilobro, going to test it soon in daylight
@tonys05, exactly and the blur characteristics on the 25mm .95 behave like on a 50mm 1.9 set on a full frame

 

[tonys05]

25 .95

Mike, thanks very much. Is that also true for my Voigtlander's adapted to my EP2?

tony

 

[994]

If you guys don't know Mike's work, I've seen his postings on other forums. Very talented, and a great resource. Thanks Mike for joining m43 and posting here! Love to see your work as always.

 

[Amin]

Mike, thanks very much. Is that also true for my Voigtlander's adapted to my EP2?

tony

Yes, it's true for all lenses you put on your E-P2, whether they are regular Micro 4/3 lenses, adapted lenses from 35mm format, or adapted lenses from large format.

This is a contentious issue on contentious forums, but it doesn't have to be. The actual aperture doesn't double, but with regards to angle of view and depth of field, an Xmm f/Y lens on Micro 4/3 will behave like a 2Xmm f/2Y lens on 35mm format. Here is an example: Bokeh Test: Olympus ZD 25mm f/2.8 vs Canon EF 50mm f/1.4

The physical focal length and aperture are independent of format, so an f/X lens is f/X for the sake of calculating exposure, irrespective of whether you use it on an E-P2 or an H4D-60. Eg, for equal subject distance, if a 50mm lens at f/2.8, 1/500s, and ISO 100 on 35mm format produces a properly exposed image, so will a 25mm lens at f/2.8, 1/500s, and ISO 100 on Micro 4/3 (with greater DOF on the Micro 4/3 image).

Having said the above, you cannot expect a 25mm f/0.95 for Micro 4/3 to cost the same or be as free of optical aberrations as a 50mm f/1.9 lens for 35mm format. It is far tougher to make an f/0.95 lens than an f/1.9 lens.

 

[Kosta]

Great work mike. Love the ambience the music adds to it too.
Thanks for sharing this on mu-43 and welcome to the site!
Inspires me to get into video again!
Nice to see the lens put to good use.

 

[mike kobal]

thank you very much, Kosta. this lens really adds a new dimension to the m43 chip. no need for full frame envy anymore.

 

[Amin]

Mike, how do you find manual focusing the Nokton on GH1 compared to manually focusing something like the Zeiss 50/2 on 35mm format? I don't mean the focus feel, but rather the experience of the viewfinder?

I previously had a Canon 5D with Ee-S screen which I used with some fast manual focus lenses including the OM 50/1.2. Also used a D700, which I found easier to manually focus than the Canon and used with several Zeiss ZF lenses. Also tried custom screens from Katz Eye and Brightscreen. For me, the GH1 EVF makes it easier to nail focus than any of those.

 

[mike kobal]

Amin, I agree, it is much easier to focus with the EVF on the GH1 than LCD/Zacuto or Hoodman combo or optical viewfinder, the Ee-S screen makes a difference but not much. The D700 viewfinder is much better then the one on the 5D2. pity I had to switch to Canon b/c of video, love Nikon, ergonomically,suit me much better. Using 7inch external monitor occasionally w the 5D now, makes focusing much easier but it is not always practical (bulk and and in almost usless in bright sunlight)

 

[mike kobal]

just updated my site with sample street photos taken today, aperture 1.4 in bright daylight
I am really impressed, direct link below, let me know what you think.
Voigtlander Nokton 25mm F0.95 Sample Street Photograph Photos « Mike Kobal
cheers,
mike

 

[Amin]

Mike, great set of images! I am getting really excited for this lens. Like you, I'm not concerned about the corner sharpness. Performance and rendering look great to me.

 

[Stephen Geis]

Mike - killer still images! Very nice ...

 

[mike kobal]

thank you very much, Amin and Stephen. Just uploaded a daylight clip shot in central park,
Update: just uploaded a daylight clip here
Voigtlander Nokton 25mm F0.95, on Panasonic Lumix GH1, Central Park daylight test clips footage « Mike Kobal
I will also update my first post with the new links .....

 

[Amin]

Loving the results you're getting with this lens, Mike. Also really enjoy your blog commentary!

 

[mike kobal]

thank you very much, Amin