Canon has been infamously restrictive over the RF mount, disallowing most third-party lenses, which is what makes the Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.0 Aspherical a rare find. And that isn't even considering its useful focal length and extremely wide aperture. What sort of performance and image quality can you expect from this unique lens? This excellent video review takes a look.
Coming to you from Christopher Frost, this great video review takes a look at the Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.0 Aspherical lens for Canon RF cameras. Its features include:
- Electronic Contacts support EXIF information communication between lens and camera body
- Aspherical glass element with high refractive index for reduced distortions and increased sharpness
- Floating lens element
- Wide metal focus ring with a diamond pattern for improved grip
- Minimum Focusing Distance: 17.7 inches (0.45 meters) to infinity
- Mechanical aperture ring with clickless operation option for video work
- 12-bladed diaphragm for especially smooth bokeh
- Metal lens hood included
- All-metal barrel
Of course, the biggest drawback of the 50mm f/1.0 might be the fact that it does not support autofocus, but with the focus assistance features available on Canon's mirrorless cameras, as long as you are not shooting fast action, the task is far less difficult than it was in the DSLR days. Check out the video above for Frost's full thoughts on the lens.
So, a few pros and a few cons here.
I bought the Leica M mount version and adapted it on my Canon R6, and I was quite pleased with sharpness wide open (real life, not accurately testing, of course). What I didn't like - and this lens probably also shows quite significantly - are purple fringing on highly contrasting edges. As there's no profile for CaptureOne one has to remove them manually (or shoot b&w).
Would I buy one for my Canon? Nope. I'd go for the RF 50/1.2. Of course, that's way more heavy, but I'd get so much more for just about 500 bucks more.
Would I sell my M mount version for that? Well, it's a kind of Noctilux for cheap, so no. It work's pretty well and way better on the Leica M10, better corners and overall sharpness. It isn't made for Canon sensors.