It has always been very hard to guess what Voigtländer lens Cosina will come up with next. By the time many people started giving up the hope for a fast 28mm M-mount lens we got exactly that: the Voigtländer VM 28mm 1.5 Nokton. Is this the fast 28mm lens I know many of you have been desperately waiting for? Let’s find out!
For obvious reasons I prefer reviewing lenses I am also personally interested in. But every now and then I also review lenses where this is not the case. Sometimes, because I think that lens might still be interesting for you, sometimes, because I just want to see if the manufacturer made any progress since their last lens I reviewed. This AstrHori 50mm 2.0 is one such case, so let’s have a closer look.
Originally designed as Leica Summicron-C 40mm 2.0 to ship with the Leica/Minolta CL, this Minolta 40mm 2.0 M-Rokkor version with same optical design (but allegedly improved coatings) was one of the three M-mount lenses destined to be used with the improved Minolta CLE. This is still one of the most compact M-mount lenses and one of few options if you are looking for a 40mm, so let’s have a closer look.
This lens will be reviewed on the 42mp Sony A7rII and the 24mp Leica M10.
When visiting Japan in early 2023 I exposed 8 rolls of film, this is a collection of pictures from that trip.
I love to have a closer look at exotic lenses from the past, especially those that had a huge influence on lens design in general, that pushed the boundaries and ultimately redefined the idea of optical performance. This Nikon AF Nikkor 28mm 1.4 D is definitely one of those lenses. Not only does it feature a ground aspherical element, but also an extremely complex internal focus mechanism with one fixed and two moving groups. In 1994 no one else made a lens comparable to this one.
Let’s see what this lens is capable of on modern high resolution digital cameras.
Continue reading Review: Nikon AF 28mm 1.4 D – The wide angle Noct Nikkor