Requited Lust: f0.95 .... at last!

[iGonzoid]

Man walks into his favourite 2nd-hand photographic store, intending to try to find a 72mm screw-in lens hood for recently purchased Rokinon f1.4 85mm [4/3 mount]. Finds no such but walks out with 2nd-hand Voigtlander Nokton 25mm f0.95 in m4/3 mount, just $700 [Oz]. I had recently been contemplating spending almost twice that to get a new Nokton 17.5mm f0.95, and am now so glad I waited. This beauty seems mint! Guy who sold it found it "too heavy". Not for me, brother. My need for speed welcomes weight-lifting exercises. Anybody else got a tale of your lust for "faster than f1.4" finally getting satisfied?
Wide open it is astounding:

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[Gillymaru]

I love my Nokton 25 mm it is my absolute favorite lens. Get yourself a good ND filter and shoot at 0.95 all day. Looking forward to the first body that has focus peaking which will help with manual focus.

 

[iGonzoid]

Talk about lust requited... can't stop playing with this beauty, into the shadows...

Thanks Gillymaru, For helping to justify my moment of madness [still recovering!]. Didn't imagine I would ever find a f0.95 in such A1 condition at any focal length. I was considering the Vg Nokton f0.95s in 17.5, 25 or 50mm incarnations, and although the 25 Nokton duplicates my Pana/Leica 25mm f1.4, the 1+ stop difference is lucious and whets my appetite for roaming rainy streets around sunset. I am so used to manual focusing via my macro work and with 35mm rangefinders and SLRs, it really is not a great hassle to be all manual again. Wide open with the Rokinon 85 1.4 and the new Nokton 25mm f0.95 I mostly fine-focus by moving my head back and forth in tiny increments — learnt from macro work. The focal lenth is the same as my analogue [ie 35mm] favourite, the 50mm "normal" lens, but before today today I was strongly leaning towards the 17.5mm for the tiny extra bit of DoF. Any other f0.95 or Nokton/Noctilux nuts out there?

 

[iGonzoid]

What strength ND?

I love my Nokton 25 mm it is my absolute favorite lens. Get yourself a good ND filter and shoot at 0.95 all day. Looking forward to the first body that has focus peaking which will help with manual focus.

What strength ND would you recomend? Say to make sunlight at the lowest ISO [100 or 160] useable at 0.95 and 4000th s. I have never used NDs. Thanks in anticipation.

 

[nickthetasmaniac]

Average lenses, those Noktons. Dunno why people get so excited...













(B+W 4-stop ND and CPL filter should work a treat )

 

[iGonzoid]

ND tip

Thanks, I was wondering if circ polariser was the go... probably get both for full versatility. Thanks.

 

[nickthetasmaniac]

I've been using a CPL for the last 9 months or so on my 25mm and I've barely taken it off - they are a wonderful pair. Check my posts in the sample gallery for some examples :smile:

 

[zapatista]

I flipped a 25mm awhile back, it's the only m43 I truly miss.

 

[RobWatson]

FYI, most of the Spork photos are taken with Nokton 25mm ...

Very much improvement over using my Navitar 25mm F0.95 (which is very compact).

Sure wide open is nice but F4 is pretty danged nice, too.

 

[jloden]

A wonderful lens... enjoy it and make lots of images!

 

[Jodie_harsh]

Just picked this lens myself. Wow. Renders images beautifully. Even happier as I picked it up below £500 boxed + receipt, 10 months old, immaculate condition.

 

[tornado]

I've been using a CPL for the last 9 months or so on my 25mm and I've barely taken it off - they are a wonderful pair. Check my posts in the sample gallery for some examples :smile:

Why go with a CPL? Thought circulars were only a requirement for autofocusing systems...the old style linear polarizers are a lot cheaper (if you can find) and should work just as well if not better.
I've always thought my old 35mm film bodies using LPL seemed to have more pronounced polarization effcts...like seeing through window water surface reflections. Never seems as extensive with CPL.

 

[tornado]

My affair is soon to begin
...I've shopped the world for my perfect (but not too expensive) mate
and just settled on MU43 offering. She'll be arriving in a week or two, just in time for a Honeymoon I've arranged in Paris starting in December.

Going to be the start of a good thing!

 

[RevBob]

Why go with a CPL? Thought circulars were only a requirement for autofocusing systems...the old style linear polarizers are a lot cheaper (if you can find) and should work just as well if not better.
I've always thought my old 35mm film bodies using LPL seemed to have more pronounced polarization effcts...like seeing through window water surface reflections. Never seems as extensive with CPL.

Linear PL's can be really hard to find - I ended up with a CPL because I couldn't find a good, affordable LPL.

 

[tornado]

My affair is soon to begin
...I've shopped the world for my perfect (but not too expensive) mate
and just settled on MU43 offering. She'll be arriving in a week or two, just in time for a Honeymoon I've arranged in Paris starting in December.

Going to be the start of a good thing!

The first sight was love! Spent the evening getting acquainted...she's a keeper for sure.