A normal-length prime lens designed for M-mount rangefinder cameras, the Nokton Classic 40mm f/1.4 SC from Voigtlander blends the comfortable, unique focal length with an especially bright f/1.4 maximum aperture, which benefits working in low-light conditions as well as offering increased control over depth of field. This edition of the 40mm f/1.4 also features a single coating, as opposed to a more common multi-layered coating, which offers a subtler image quality with slightly reduced contrast that is especially well-suited to black and white applications. The lens also features a manual focus design, for working with subjects as close as 2.3', and has a 10-blade diaphragm for a smooth bokeh quality.
- Leica M-Mount
- Aperture Range: f/1.4 to f/16
- Single Coating
- Manual Focus Design
Voigtlander Nokton Classic 40mm f/1.4 SC Overview
Voigtlander Nokton Classic 40mm f/1.4 SC Specs
Focal Length | 40mm |
Maximum Aperture | f/1.4 |
Minimum Aperture | f/16 |
Lens Mount | Leica M |
Angle of View | 56° |
Minimum Focus Distance | 2.3' / 70 cm |
Optical Design | 7 Elements in 6 Groups |
Diaphragm Blades | 10 |
Focus Type | Manual Focus |
Filter Size | 43 mm (Front) |
Dimensions (ø x L) | 2.2 x 1.2" / 55 x 29.7 mm |
Weight | 6.2 oz / 175 g |
Package Weight | 0.615 lb |
Box Dimensions (LxWxH) | 4.7 x 4 x 3.25" |
Voigtlander Nokton Classic 40mm f/1.4 SC Reviews
Such a great lens
I use this lens on my Leica m typ 246. I specifically wanted the SC version because my camera is a monochrom. I do also use this lens on my Sigma FPL I like it very much on that color camera too. All around a great every day carry lens
On my Xpro2
on my Xpro2 it is the perfect couple, the best of both worlds.
Excellent!
Perfect for B&W
Go for it!!!
40mm might be odd, but that’s why you can get this lens dirt cheap. Image quality especially for b/w-shooters spectacular!!! Build quality as well! It’ll be discontinued soo, due to unpopular focal length: So get it while you can!
Great all-around lens
Great lens for daily use. Its built well, produces great images, and is compact. It should be obvious, but this lens will produce a more classic look, meaning soft in some areas, a little glowy looking, with busier bokeh, but thats what I love so much about it. I mixes the modern with the classic perfectly when paired on a newer camera. My only complaint is a minor one. I dont like how the aperture has two tabs coming out and the focus only one. I would have liked for the focus tab to be larger than it is, or remove one of the aperture tabs. Its a little too easy to move the aperture when trying to focus, given the small size. However, as long as youre mindful of it, it doesnt continue being an issue.
Outstanding with Fuji X cameras!
This is my first Voigtlander lens. I am using it with a Fuji X-T (soon to be up graded to the X-H1 or X-T3) and I can not express how satisfied I am with it. Built like a tank, yet with a good bit of heft. Very easy to use with the cameras focus peaking. I know there are Fuji lenses close to this focal length (35mm f1.4, 35mm f2 and even the Zeiss Touit 32mm F8). I have had them all. And all are excellent. But I wanted the compact size and the idea of a manual lens that slows me down a bit and makes me think appealed to me. The sharpness & colors are beautiful. And I had forgotten how wonderful a real manual focus lens feels (no fly by wire focusing!). I can see this being in my camera bag for many years and it will probably be joined by a few more Voigtlander's!
Unique Rendering Lens
I got this lens specifically for B&W shooting. It has such a unique rendering wide open (both color & B&W) that I am already in love with it. I am shooting this Leica M-mount lens on a Nikon Z7-ii via a Novoflex adapter. EXIF data is not recorded for lens make & model, focal length, or aperture setting -- as this lens is totally non-electronic. Shooting with this lens takes me back to 1978 when everything was 100% manual and E-X-I-F were four letters in the alphabet with no special meaning. Rendering of both color and B&W is unique with this lens, especially wide open. This lens is not sharp wide open, but it has a unique character that I find attractive. Note: lens sharpens up at about f/2.0 Bokeh is not smooth, but I like what I am seeing (which is, of course, totally subjective). I just got this lens a few days ago, so I have not shot too much with it yet. From the limited shooting that I have done, I can say that the B&W images look REALLY good with almost no computer manipulation. The B&W versions of most pictures look better than the color versions -- although I have a few color shots that are outstanding due to the unique rendering of color by this lens. This lens is shockingly small -- especially compared to the rest of my Nikon lenses. The focus ring is smooth. The aperture ring has clicks every 1/3 stop. Build quality is superb. I will be doing comparison shots of the Voightlander 40mm f/1.4 SC against Tamron 35mm f/1.4 and Sigma 50mm f/1.4 lenses -- with an eye to B&W rendering. I expect the very big, heavy and fully automatic modern lenses will be sharper wide open. I expect the older design manual lens will have more character. Whether that character translates into better B&W images is an open question. I will write another review once I have the comparison results. Attached pic shows the lens mounted on Z7-II via Novoflex ring. There is a SmallRig L-plate on the camera so that I have somewhere to put the pinky of my right hand. Regarding manual focus on the Z7: I use focus peaking on this lens most of the time. For critical focus, I need to use EVF magnification. But nothing helps when the lens is wide open: this lens is soft for most shots done at f/1.4. The softness is not apparent unless you pixel peep 1:1 on the 45 megapixel image.
For the slow, relaxing days
I bought the voigtlander 21mm f/4 and was so impressed with its performance, I ended buying this little gem of a lens shortly after. It's a little bit soft up close at f/1.4, but not in a negative way. I absolutely love the focal length (adapted to a fujifilm x-pro2) and it's ergonomics bring a cool vibe to your shooting experience.
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