Lens ReviewMorten ByskovFebruary 28, 2024Voigtländer Nokton 28mm f/1.5 first look, Voigtländer Nokton 28mm f/1.5 sample images, Voigtländer Nokton Vintage Line 28mm f/1.5 Aspherical sample photos, Voigtländer Nokton Vintage Line 28mm f/1.5 Aspherical sample images, Voigtländer Nokton Vintage Line 28mm f/1.5 Aspherical Review, Voigtlander Nokton 28mm f1.5 review, Nokton 28mm 1.5 review, Voigtlander 28mm 1.5 review, Nokton f/1.5 review, Voigtländer Nokton Vintage Line 28mm f/1.5 Aspherical Image quality, Voigtländer Nokton Vintage Line 28mm f/1.5 Aspherical Specs3 Comments

Voigtländer Nokton Vintage Line 28mm f/1.5 Aspherical Review

Voigtländer Nokton 28mm f/1.5 on the Nikon Zf — Voigtländer Nokton Vintage Line 28mm f/1.5 Aspherical on the Nikon Zf

A Review of the Voigtländer Nokton Vintage Line 28mm f/1.5 Aspherical on the Nikon Zf and Leica SL2-S

I used Canon EF 16-35mm zoom lenses in various iterations to cover the 28mm focal length for years. Recently I have mostly used a combination of 40mm, 35mm, and 21mm full-frame equivalent primes to cover wide-angle photography.

I had the Viltrox AF 28mm f/1.8 Z for a short stint but have become a fan of using manual focus lenses with my Nikon Zf. With that said, I almost bought the Nikkor 28mm f/2.8 SE before a Mexico trip in December, but it was sold out then.

This review of the Voigtländer Nokton Vintage Line 28mm f/1.5 Aspherical served a few purposes. I wanted to check the quality of this latest Voigtlander lens but it had also been a while since I used a 28mm prime and I am always curious about this focal length.

Last but not least, I tried it on two cameras, the Nikon Zf and Leica SL2-S, and wanted to see if there were any earth-shaking differences.

Introduction

The Voigtländer Nokton Vintage Line 28mm f/1.5 Aspherical was released in February of 2023 and rounds up a line of three 28mm lenses from Voigtländer, the other two being the Ulton 28mm f/2 II, $899.00, and Colar-Scopar 28mm f/2.8 (currently on sale, $100.00 off at $599.00). This essentially gives you three max f-stop variations at varied weights and sizes at the same focal length.

At the time this review was last updated, the Nokton 28mm f/1.5 retailed for $999.00 for a type 1 lens and $1,049.00 for a type 2. It is the most expensive in this trio of 28mm lenses. It is also the largest and heaviest although these are all very compact lenses in my book.

Delivery guys waiting for incoming jobs along Granville Street in Vancouver. Sample image from a Voigtlander Nokton Vintage Line 28mm f/1.5 Aspherical and Nikon Zf. — Granville Street, Vancouver, Nikon Zf, Voigtländer Nokton 28mm f/1.5 @ f/8

Handling and Build Quality

The Nokton 28mm f/1.5 feels great on the Nikon Zf or Leica SL2-S. The focus ring is smooth and the aperture ring has a good feel to it. I went for the type 1, matte black version which weighs a mere 8.8 oz, 250 g. Even when counting in my K&F Concept adapter this makes for a compact wide-angle choice.

The LH-6 lens hood (sold separately for $69.00) had me challenged for a second. I attached it without any issue but couldn’t get it off again. You have to gently push it in and then turn counterclockwise to detach it.

I briefly tried the Ultron 28mm f/2 II on my Nikon Zf but found it to be too small when mounted on this camera. The Nokton 28mm f/1.5 has the benefit of having a focus lever as well as room for a “normal” focus ring, meaning you focus the lens as you would with a range finder camera, or if you are used to conventional lenses, there is room on the lens barrel to focus the lens as you would without the focus lever.

I have yet to try the Colar-Scopar 28mm f/2.8. This is a very nimble lens at a mere 3.7 oz / 106 g which would make for an extremely compact setup which many Leica M photographers appreciate.

Choosing between the three Voigtländer 28mm lenses will depend on your need for speed, your preference for size/weight/bulk, and the camera you use will most likely also play a role in this decision.

Four Variations, Type 1 and Type 2

Type 1 lenses have an aluminum exterior, are lightweight, and are available in matte black paint and silver. Type 2 lenses are made of brass and have a solid feel and are available in black paint and silver finish.

Please see the photos below.

Voigtlander Nokton Vintage Line 28mm f/1.5 Aspherical, Type 1 and Type 2 in Silver and Black Colors — Voigtländer Vintage Line Nokton 28mm f/1.5 Aspherical, Type 1 and Type 2 variants

Specs

Focal length: 28mm full-frame
Leica M-Mount - can be adapted to almost any mirrorless camera with the proper adapter
All-metal lens barrel
Manual focus only
Aperture range: f/1.5-16
10 elements in 8 groups
2 aspherical elements
12 aperture blades
Minimum focus distance: 19.7" / 50 cm
Filter size: 39mm
Dimensions: 2.1 x 1.8" / 54 x 45.5 mm
Weight, Type 1: 8.1 oz / 230 g
Weight, Type 2: 11.6 oz / 330 g
Price: Type 1: $999.00 - Type 2: $1,049.00

In the Field

I love the lightweight nature of this lens along with the size and camera-to-lens balance ratio. The focusing ring is easily accessible whether you choose to focus rangefinder style with the focusing lever or use the more traditional way.

With my K&F Concept adapter, however, infinity focusing is off by a considerable amount when used on the Nikon Zf. With this adapter, infinity focus appears at the 5-meter mark on the lens.

I cannot know for sure if this affects image quality but I believe it does not make a difference. Having a hard stop for infinity focus is, however, nice to have and I have considered the Voigtlander VM-Z Close Focus Adapter, $309.00, for this purpose as it allows for an adjustment via a built-in helicoid unit with an infinity lock.

JJ Bean Coffee shop on Hamilton Street in Vancouver. Sample image from a Voigtlander Nokton Vintage Line 28mm f/1.5 Aspherical and Nikon Zf. — Granville Street, Vancouver, Nikon Zf, Voigtländer Nokton 28mm f/1.5

On the Leica SL2-S, I used a 7Artisans close-focus adapter, $85.00, which has this functionality. You simply put the lens to infinity and then adjust the adapter to align perfectly with the infinity focus.

I found manual focusing a bit harder than what I have experienced with longer focal length lenses, ie. Nokton 40mm f/1.2 or Apo-Lanthar 50mm f/2, both in native Z Mount.

The Z-Mount lenses offer a “green light” focus confirmation which is invaluable but I believe it has something to do with more information being condensed in a wider image when using the Nikon Zf EVF. This issue was slightly alleviated on the Leica SL2-S with its higher resolution 5.76-megapixel EVF vs. 3.69 on the Zf.

Voigtlander Nokton 28mm f/1.5 Aspherical on the Leica SL2-S. — Voigtländer Nokton Vintage Line 28mm f/1.5 Aspherical on the Leica SL2-S

Image Quality

I am happy with the overall image quality from the Nokton 28mm f/1.5. While it may not completely reach the quality of other Voigtländers lenses I have tested recently, such as the Apo-Lanthar 50mm f/2, it trails not far behind and is perhaps more in line with the Voigtländer Ultron 75mm f/1.9 MC that I also have.

I have used the Nokton 28mm f/1.4 for personal work (family photos) and have enjoyed it for this purpose. It works great in low-light scenarios with its max. f/1.5 f-stop and renders images with a nice vibe with plenty of sharpness in the center and mid-field, even when shot fully open. Stop it down to f/4 or f/5.6 and it is sharp across the entire frame.

It does have vignetting when shot wide-open but it is hardly a nuisance. Vignetting improves noticeably by f/2, is almost gone by f/2.8, and is gone by f/4.

The Voigtländer Nokton Vintage Line 28mm f/1.5 mounted on a Nikon Zf with a K&F Concept Adapter — Voigtländer Nokton Vintage Line 28mm f/1.5 Aspherical on the Nikon Zf

Chromatic aberration is visible at the widest f-stop but it is to be expected for a wide angle with such a fast f-stop. This can be cleaned up in post-processing. To my knowledge, there isn’t a lens-specific profile in Lightroom at this point.

I have been using the profile from another Voigtlander wide-angle lens instead for some of the photos in this review but most often leave images untouched in this regard as I do not mind the vignetting.

Below you will see two photos, one at f/1.5 and one at f/5.6.

Please see more sample images below. The images can be viewed up to 2500px wide depending on your monitor size or pinch-zoom if on your mobile phone.

Vancouver House in Vancouver. Sample image from a Voigtlander Nokton Vintage Line 28mm f/1.5 Aspherical and Nikon Zf. — Voigtländer Nokton 28mm f/1.5 @ f/1.5
Please note the road is curving and so is the building on the right. This is not barrel distortion.

Vancouver House. Sample image from a Voigtlander Nokton Vintage Line 28mm f/1.5 Aspherical and Nikon Zf. — Voigtländer Nokton 28mm f/1.5 @ f/5.6
Please note the road is curving and so is the building on the right. This is not barrel distortion.

Conclusion

The Voigtländer Vintage Line 28mm f/1.5 Aspherical is a fast aperture wide-angle lens in a very portable package compared to other lenses with these specs. It has excellent build quality and to boot it is a great-looking lens, especially when paired with a Leica M camera. And you have four styles to choose from. A problem could be, which one to pick.

Adapted, you can use it on many different cameras. In my test, I think the images captured with the Leica SL2-S have a slight edge over images captured with the Nikon Zf despite the fact they both have a 24-megapixel sensor.

This may come down to personal preference and could also have something to do with the close-focus adapter I had for the Leica camera. If I get a chance to test the Nokton 28mm on a Leica M camera, I will update this review.

Fred Miranda states in his review that the rendering is remarkably similar to that of the Leica 28mm f/1.4 Summilux, a lens that comes in at almost eight times the cost.

If you want to read a very detailed review with emphasis on lens performance and samples used on a Leica M camera also, I suggest heading over to fredmiranda.com.

Thanks to Julian Fok for letting me test the Nokton 28mm f/1.4 with his Leica SL2-S.

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 28mm f/1.5 - B&H Photo

Or in Canada at Camtec Photo in Montreal

Voigtländer Nokton 28mm f/1.5 - Camtec Photo

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