{"id":45399,"date":"2023-10-22T21:57:07","date_gmt":"2023-10-22T20:57:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/?p=45399"},"modified":"2026-03-23T15:03:36","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T14:03:36","slug":"comparison-super-fast-50mm-m-mount-lenses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/comparison-super-fast-50mm-m-mount-lenses\/","title":{"rendered":"Comparison: Super Fast 50mm M-mount Lenses"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction<\/h2>\n
\"comparison
Leica 50mm 0.95 Noctilux | Zhong Yi 50mm 0.95 M | Voigtl\u00e4nder VM 50mm 1.0 Nokton | MS-Optics 50mm 1.0 ISM | Mr. Ding 50mm 1.1 | Voigtl\u00e4nder VM 50mm 1.2 Nokton<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The M-mount seems to be more popular than ever, thanks to plenty of manufacturers – old and new – from Europe, Japan and China designing and releasing countless of new lenses every year for this bayonet.
\nSuper fast 50mm lenses are especially popular here, so many manufacturers designed one as their “flagship” lens.
\nThanks to a reader and very cooperative companies I managed to get 6 of these lenses on my table at the same time, so let’s see what each of them is good at – to help you figure out which one might work best for your needs.
\nLast Update March 2025:<\/strong> Transmission section updated<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n\n

Disclaimer: <\/strong>I only tested one sample of each lens. As sample variation comes into play, it is possible that any one of these lenses may perform above or below average in certain areas, e.g. corner sharpness.
\nFurthermore no lens is perfectly symmetrical, so it is possible I picked the best corner of one lens while I picked the worst of another. Sample variation usually has less of an affect on other aspects like bokeh, vignetting and color correction though.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

The Leica 50mm 0.95<\/a> was kindly provided by our reader Dirk B., without whom this comparison would not have been possible. The Voigtl\u00e4nder VM 50mm 1.0 Nokton was provided by Voigtl\u00e4nder GmbH<\/a>, the German Voigtl\u00e4nder distributor, the Zhong Yi 50mm 0.95 M<\/a> was provided by Zhong Yi<\/a> directly. Big thanks to both companies for sending me their lenses on such short notice!
\nThe other three lenses I bought myself – the Voigtl\u00e4nder VM 50mm 1.2 Nokton<\/a> I bought specifially for this comparison, because I really wanted to include it.
\nAll the testing is done on a Leica M10 (unless stated otherwise) and all the focusing was done with liveview.<\/em><\/p>\n

I know there are some of you, whose favorite lens (e.g. TTArtisan 50mm 0.95<\/a>, MS-Optics 50mm 1.1 Sonnetar<\/a>, 7Artisans 50mm 1.1<\/a>, Leica 50mm 1.0 Noctilux, Leica 50mm 1.2 Noctilux Asph, Voigtl\u00e4nder VM 50mm 1.1 Nokton<\/a>, Canon 50mm 0.95 LTM<\/a>) is not included, let me tell you this:
\nI don’t have the resources to buy all these lenses (or rent, which isn’t even possible for most of them anyway), especially at the same time and even more so because some of them are really hard to obtain.<\/em><\/p>\n

Specifications<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Leica 50mm 0.95 Noctilux-M Asph<\/a> NOCT<\/span><\/em>
\n<\/strong>$12.995 (new), $6.000 (used)
\n<\/strong>buy from amazon.com<\/a> | amazon.de<\/a> | B&H<\/a> | ebay.com<\/a> | ebay.de<\/a> (advertisement\/affiliate links)<\/em><\/p>\n

Zhong Yi 50mm 0.95 M<\/a> ZY<\/span><\/em>
\n<\/strong>$499 (new)
\n<\/strong>buy from manufacturer’s shop<\/a> | amazon.com<\/a> | B&H<\/a> (advertisement\/affiliate links)<\/em><\/p>\n

Voigtl\u00e4nder VM 50mm 1.0 Nokton<\/a> VM1.0<\/span><\/em>
\n<\/b>$1.799 (new)
\n<\/strong>buy from amazon.com<\/a> | amazon.de<\/a> | B&H<\/a> | ebay.com<\/a> | ebay.de<\/a> (advertisement\/affiliate links) or find your local Voigtl\u00e4nder distributor<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

MS-Optics 50mm 1.0 ISM<\/strong><\/a> MS<\/span><\/strong><\/em>
\n~$1.300 (used)
\nbuy from ebay.com<\/a> (advertisement\/affiliate link)<\/em><\/p>\n

Mr. Ding 50mm 1.1<\/strong><\/a> DING<\/span><\/strong><\/em>
\n$399 (new) 
\n<\/em>buy from official Mr. Ding Studio shop<\/a> | ebay.com<\/a> (advertisement\/affiliate links)<\/em><\/p>\n

Voigtlander VM 50mm 1.2 Nokton<\/b><\/a> VM1.2<\/b><\/span><\/em>
\n<\/b><\/a>$949 (new)
\nbuy from amazon.com<\/a> | B&H<\/a> | ebay.com<\/a> | ebay.de<\/a> (advertisement\/affiliate links) or find your local Voigtl\u00e4nder distributor<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

To not always having to write the full lens name in the following comparisons I will use the abbreviations as highlighted in red above.<\/em><\/p>\n

Build quality\/Handling<\/h2>\n

There are some notable differences in terms of size, weight, handling as well as build quality here. I will only mention a few specifics, for more detailed information you can always check out their individual reviews<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Leica 50mm 0.95 Noctilux-M Asph<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"This is not the biggest, but the heaviest lens in this comparison. It is also the oldest design, as this lens had been first released in 2008. The price suggests this is a top-of-the-line premium product, but aperture ring and retractable hood spoil the picture for me a bit. The aperture ring moves a bit past the f\/0.95 mark and this actually often annoyed me in the field, as it made counting stops without looking at the lens more difficult and it simply feels like cheap and sloppy engineering. The retractable hood also ain’t that great, as it often extends by itself.<\/p>\n

\n

Zhong Yi 50mm 0.95 M<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"This is the biggest lens in this comparison. Generally the Zhong Yi lenses do not have the greatest mechanical construction, but here the design of the retractable hood is actually better than that of the Leica, as it has felt on the inside and is not as loose, so actually stays in place on its own.
\nUnfortunately this lens (like all Zhong Yi lenses I have used so far) does not feature click stops on the aperture ring, which often leads to me changing the aperture setting accidentally.<\/p>\n

\n

Voigtl\u00e4nder VM 50mm 1.0 and 1.2 Nokton<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"The build quality and handling characteristics of these lenses are so similar, it doesn’t make any sense to talk about them individually. These lenses have the best build quality and handling, I cannot find any flaw with them.
\nThe faster f\/1.0 lens comes with a bayonet type hood (with felt on the inside) whereas a hood has to be bought separately for the f\/1.2 version.<\/p>\n

\n

MS-Optics 50mm 1.0 ISM<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"This is a handmade low volume boutique lens and it surely handles as one: rotating lens barrel, no click stops, you cannot even change the aperture setting without changing the focus setting as well. It is by far the lightest and smallest lens in this comparison though, probably the smallest lens with these parameters ever made. Best have a look at my review of it<\/a> to learn about all its quirks.<\/p>\n

\n

Mr. Ding 50mm 1.1<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"This lens unfortunately shares the aperture ring design of the Leica lens, meaning it also turns past the f\/1.1 mark. I have an older model here, where the aperture ring turns in the “wrong” direction. If you order a new one now, that won’t be the case anymore.
\nThe f\/1.4 stop is also not that well calibrated, the lens is actually more open at this click stop (also discussed in more detail in its individual review<\/a>). I tried to account for this in the following comparisons.<\/p>\n

\n

I rate the Voigtl\u00e4nder lenses best here, as there is nothing that gets in the way and they just work. Next in line are Leica and Mr. Ding, then the Zhong Yi lens. When rating the efficiency of the operation – which is what I did here – the MS-Optics lens takes the last spot.<\/p>\n

Field of view<\/h2>\n

Despite all of these lenses nominally being 50mm, their actual field of view differs quite a bit:<\/p>\n