Lens ReviewMorten ByskovOctober 01, 2023Fujifilm GFX 50R, Voigtländer Nokton 50mm f/1.2 Review, Voigtländer Nokton 50mm f/1.2 Review adapted to Fujifilm GFX, Nokton 50mm 1.2 review gfx, Voigtlander Nokton 50mm 1.2 GFX, Adapting the Nokton 50mm f/1.2 to GFX, Voigtländer Nokton 50mm f/1.2 Sample Images, Voigtländer Nokton 50mm f/1.2 sample photos, Voigtländer Nokton 50mm f/1.2 image quality2 Comments

Voigtländer Nokton 50mm f/1.2 Review - Adapted to Fujifilm GFX

Voigtländer Nokton 50mm f/1.2 M-Mount, adapted to a Fujifilm GFX 50R with a Novoflex Adapter — The Voigtländer Nokton 50mm f/1.2 (M-Mount) adapted to the Fujifilm GFX 50R with a Novoflex Adapter

Voigtländer Nokton 50mm Aspherical f/1.2 Review

Adapting the Voigtländer Nokton 50mm f/1.2 (M-Mount) to a Fujifilm GFX 50R With the Novoflex Leica M Lens to Fujifilm G-Mount Adapter

As you may have noticed I am excited about Voigtländer lenses these days. The combination of wonderfully smooth manual focusing, great build quality, and excellent vintage-style optical performance has me curious to try and review as many of these lenses as I can.

I wish I could say that I am affiliated with Voigtländer but this is not the case. Perhaps one day, Voigtländer? Notch Notch.

Buying these classic-looking lenses, one by one, is not a viable option but luckily, I have friends who come to the rescue. Kyle @secondteamkyle asked if I wanted to take his Voigtländer Nokton 50mm f/1.2 (Leica M-Mount) for a spin. When you read this, you know it was an offer I could not refuse :)

I already have the excellent Fujifilm GF 50mm f/3.5 R LM WR and I had not seriously considered or paid much attention to the Voigtländer Nokton 50mm f/1.2. I was aware of the vast difference in max. f-stop between the two lenses but I couldn’t justify having two lenses for my GFX camera at the same focal length.

As you will see below this type of logic doesn’t work and as this review hopefully will prove, having both options is easily justifiable.

The Sylvia Hotel in Vancouver. Sample image from a Voigtländer Nokton 50mm f/1.2, M-Mount, adapted to a Fujifilm GFX 50R. — West End, Vancouver, Fujifilm GFX 50R, Voigtländer Nokton 50mm f/1.2 (M-Mount), Novoflex M to GFX adapter

Specs, Handling, and Build Quality

The build quality of the Voigtländer Nokton 50mm f/1.2 Aspherical is excellent with a beautifully dampened and smooth focus ring. The aperture ring is equally well executed with perfectly dampened friction and is clickable in half stops.

The 12-blade diaphragm blades may in part explain the exceptional bokeh produced by the Nokton 50mm f/1.2. The lens has two aspherical elements and in total, 8 elements in 6 groups.

The minimum focusing distance is perhaps a bit disappointing at 2.3', 70 cm. The latest Leica Summilux-M 50mm f/1.4 focuses down to 1.5', 45 cm, but I believe many of the former Summilux versions are in line with the Nokton 50mm in this regard.

At 12.1 oz, 344 g, the Nokton 50mm f/1.2 feels substantial with a good heft to it but does not feel heavy on the GFX and makes for a nice compact solution in the GFX paradigm.

At the time this review was written, there was a $100.00 rebate on the Nokton 50mm f/1.2 and it retailed for $949.00.

Vignetting on GFX

Vignetting is quite noticeable at f/1.2 but has a pleasing soft graded edge, meaning for certain topics you can get away without cropping your GFX file.

For just about all the images in this review, however, I have cropped between 5-20% and in many cases cropped to a 4 x 5 aspect ratio compared to the native 4 x 3 to minimize vignetting.

Vignetting clears up a tad by f/2.8 and is quite good by f/4 but it never really disappears.

To work around this even more you can switch to the 35mm mode, and while vignetting may still be seen it should be a minor issue.

A Peterbilt transport truck. Sample image from a Voigtländer Nokton 50mm f/1.2, M-Mount, adapted to a Fujifilm GFX 50R. — East Vancouver, Fujifilm GFX 50R, Voigtländer Nokton 50mm f/1.2 (Leica M-Mount), Novoflex M to GFX adapter

Image Quality

The Voigtländer Nokton 50mm f/1.2 is all about character and being enthralled by the fabulous bokeh it creates.

As much as possible I shot it wide open but unfortunately did not have a proper size ND filter and from time to time I would need to stop it down to the f/2.8-f/5.6 range as I had plenty of light on my outing and needed to keep my shutter speed on the GFX 50R at 1/4000s or below.

Where my Fujifilm GF 50mm f/3.5 R LM WR creates wonderful clinically correct and sharp images, the Nokton 50mm f/1.2 is more dreamy as you can shoot in the f-stop range of f/1.2-3.5 with a shallow depth of field and nicer bokeh than the Fujifilm GF 50mm f/3.5 R LM WR produces.

Note there is some noticeable field curvature near the edges of the frame in the area between the 35mm mode and the full 44 x 33m sensor which can be tricky to correct. In landscape scenes or for portraits you may not notice but for anything with significant lines, i.e. architecture, you will see it.

Check the sample images in this article which can be viewed up to 2500 pixels wide depending on the size of your monitor or pinch zoom if on your mobile phone.

Conclusion

The ideal scenario would be to have the Fujifilm GF 50mm f/3.5 R LM WR and the Nokton 50mm f/1.2 as they offer vastly different user experiences and results at the same focal length.

The Fujifilm GF 50mm f/3.5 R LM WR is weather-resistant and has auto-focus. As much as I like manual focus lenses there is a time and a place for everything. For paid gigs or even family events where people or things move at a rapid pace, autofocus is my preferred option.

But when I have time to wander the streets of Vancouver or set up a nice landscape or travel photography shot, a manual focus lens is fun to use and gives you a nice tactile experience.

Pedestrians at West Cordova Street in Vancouver. Sample image from a Voigtländer Nokton 50mm f/1.2, M-Mount, adapted to a Fujifilm GFX 50R. — West Cordova Street, Vancouver, Fujifilm GFX 50R, Voigtländer Nokton 50mm f/1.2 (Leica M-Mount), Novoflex M to GFX adapter

I will not be swapping my Fujifilm GF 50mm f/3.5 R LM WR for a Nokton 50mm f/1.2, and yet it would be an interesting lens to have.

I also tried it on my X-Pro2 where it yields great results without having to worry about the edges of the frame. I will have a post coming up with sample images soon.

The Voigtländer Nokton 50mm f/1.2 is not designed for use on the 44 x 33mm larger-than-full-frame sensor but is made for a standard Leica M full-frame sensor. You can adapt it to any full-frame camera with the proper adapter.

I will be dipping my toes into full-frame territory very soon and may have to have a chat with Kyle, as I would love to try it again. I predict that it will do very well on a full-frame sensor.

Update: November

I now have a summary ready after using the Nokton 50mm f/1.2 on my X-Pro2:

Nokton 50mm f/1.2 - Adapted to Fujifilm X

East Vancouver, Fujifilm GFX 50R, Voigtländer Nokton 50mm f/1.2 (Leica M-Mount), Novoflex M to GFX adapter

Pros

Solid build quality
Superb bokeh
Vintage character rendering

Cons

Manual focus only
Does not cover the full GFX sensor without vignetting
More time is needed for post-processing

Please see more sample images below.

Price / Availability

Thank you for reading my review. I hope you found it helpful. If you are planning a purchase and would like to support our site you can do so, at no additional cost, by using the affiliate link below.

Check availability and current price at B&H Photo

Voigtländer Nokton 50mm f/1.2 - B&H Photo
Novoflex Leica M to G-Mount Adapter - B&H Photo

Thank you for your support.

Voigtländer Nokton 50mm f/1.2 - Sample Images on a Fujifilm GFX 50R

Please see the sample images below. Editing was done in Capture One and I used Fujifilm film simulations for some of the photos. Most of the images are cropped slightly.

Please click to view larger images.