Voigtlander Nokton 23mm F1.2 Review: The Holy Grail of Street Photographers

Introduction and Brief History of the Brand

I was allowed to receive a Voigtlander Nokton 23mm f1.2 lens to test in street photography and photojournalism conditions for a month. I was particularly excited to use a lens from this brand on my Fujifilm camera for the first time. I’ve heard so much about Voigtlander and its unparalleled reputation in optics, and I’ve secretly envied owners of Leica cameras who had the opportunity to use them. When I saw Voigtlander launching lenses in X mount, I knew I had to have one.

The Voigtländer brand is one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious photography companies. Founded in 1756 in Vienna, Austria, the brand has a long history of development and innovation in photography. From its first lenses for the darkroom to its modern digital cameras, Voigtländer has been a pioneer of photographic technology for over two centuries.

Over the years, the Voigtländer brand has become synonymous with quality, durability, and innovation in photography. Professional and amateur photographers have trusted the brand to capture high-quality images in various conditions. The brand has introduced many essential innovations in photography, including the first variable diaphragm lens and the first pentaprism reflex camera.

Related Post: Voigtländer Nokton 23mm f/1.2 vs TTartisan 23mm f/1.4 Lens

Moreover, Voigtländer has always been synonymous with quality and durability. The brand’s products are known for their robust construction and reliability, making them popular with professional and amateur photographers. Voigtländer lenses are also renowned for their sharpness and colour rendering, making them a popular choice for demanding photographers, especially those looking for an alternative to Leica lenses.

In the 1990s, the Voigtländer brand needed a partner to continue its operations. Then, Cosina, a Japanese company specializing in camera and lens production, decided to partner with Voigtländer. This collaboration allowed Cosina to relaunch the Voigtländer brand by producing a new generation of lenses while leveraging the know-how and reputation for the quality of Voigtländer. Cosina was thus able to benefit from the prestigious brand image of Voigtländer to market its products.

The collaboration between Voigtländer and Cosina allowed the brand to remain relevant in an ever-evolving market by producing high-quality products at affordable prices. This strategic alliance also allowed Cosina to position itself as a significant player in the high-end photography market, benefiting from Voigtländer’s prestigious reputation.

But what about this Voigtlander 23mm 1.2 in the field? How does it compare to the competition? What is it suitable for? Is that right for you? I’ll try to give you some answers here.

Specs

Manufacturing quality and ergonomics

Voigtlander Nokton lenses are generally made from high-quality materials such as aluminium and brass. These materials are chosen for their durability, corrosion resistance, and ability to withstand challenging shooting conditions.

Aluminum is a popular choice for lens barrels because it is lightweight and durable while offering high resistance to corrosion. The optical elements are typically made from high-quality optical glass, which offers exceptional clarity and sharpness.

Brass is also used for the focus rings and other mechanical parts because it is robust and durable. Therefore, the lack of WR, which could be a downside for modern lenses packed with electronics, is not a drawback for this lens because its construction quality makes it ready to be used in any environment. Of course, as long as you’re not shooting under a waterfall or blizzard.

In addition to their choice of high-quality materials, Voigtlander Nokton lenses are also manufactured with great attention to detail. Tolerances are strictly controlled to ensure precise focusing and smooth operation, while the lenses are multi-coated to reduce reflections and improve image quality.

There is no doubt that when you pick up the lens, you are faced with a beautiful object that gives a sense of quality. The weight perfectly balances the rest of the camera when mounted on it. I use a Fujifilm Xpro3, which fits perfectly in terms of ergonomics and general style.

The all-black combination is lovely. I especially appreciate its compactness, which makes it comparable to the Fujifilm 23mm f2 despite the latter having an aperture of f1.2… that’s the advantage of not having a motor inside and having exclusively manual focus.

As a street photographer, I can assure you that size is an imperative factor: you don’t hesitate to take your camera with you, and above all, you don’t have a protrusion that you point in people’s faces: discretion guaranteed! The focus ring is smooth and faithful to the brand’s origins, which specialises in manual lenses: the focus is precise, and the ring’s travel is short, allowing for quick focusing and being fast.

The lens comes with a high-quality small lens hood that does not detract from the lens’s style or make it more significant. Unlike Fujifilm, the aperture ring is located at the front of the lens. So, it takes a little time to adapt, but it doesn’t change anything in use. The ring is notched, and, most importantly, the lens communicates electronically with the camera body, which allows you to see the aperture in real-time in your viewfinder.

I appreciated that the lens has a distance scale, which is particularly useful in street photography. This is an essential point that was missing from Fujifilm lenses. This allows you to set the focus distance before taking the shot without having to look through your viewfinder or screen. It is an option that disconnects you less from your environment and allows you to stay more aware of the action happening around you.

This option is beneficial for me because, in bright conditions, I usually shoot using hyperfocal distance between f8 and f16. When you focus at 2m at f16, your depth of field extends to about 1m to infinity… the distance scale allows you to adjust this distance as you go along your photographic adventure.

Finally, this lens is a 35mm equivalent in full frame. So, it is a highly versatile focal length, particularly for street photography, documentary photography, travel photography, or everyday photography… The brand has also released two 50mm equivalents that may suit those looking for longer focal lengths.

Image Quality

Those who have followed my previous lens tests know that I am not a big fan of laboratory tests for lenses as it does not say much about the quality and character that the lens possesses. “Pixel peeping” is a practice of zooming in on an image at a very high level to examine the finest details, such as individual pixels. This practice can help identify sharpness or noise issues in an image. Still, it does not always reflect how the image will be perceived as a whole, as it focuses on details that may be invisible to the naked eye or when the image is displayed at a standard size.

Also, Read About Dylan Siragusano

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• Best Street Photography Lens: 35mm vs 50mm
• The Ultimate Street Photography Checklist for 2021

When choosing a photo lens, pixel peeping can be misleading as it can give the impression that one lens is better than another based on tiny details. However, what matters in a lens is the overall image quality it can produce.

The unique character of a lens depends on several factors, including optical design, manufacturing quality, and the quality of materials used. Each lens is designed to produce a particular image rendering, which can vary depending on factors such as focal length, maximum aperture, and construction quality.

Despite this, I admit that I was pretty surprised when I zoomed in on the images produced by this lens to conduct this test. The centre sharpness is very consistent at all apertures. It is exceptionally high at f5.6. The corners particularly impressed me because they are sharp from wide open.

The peak is reached at the same point as in the centre, around f5.6. I have tested many lenses, and I can tell you that we are dealing with a lens with impressive optical quality in terms of sharpness. There is vignetting at wider apertures, but this is easily correctable in post-production for those who do not want this effect.

This lens can photograph at a minimum distance of 18cm in close focus. As you can see in the image crop, the image is very sharp in-focus areas, so it can be fully utilized in these conditions. The bokeh has a unique character; it is pretty creamy and should delight those who like background blur. The sun stars are quite common; the flare is relatively well-managed and does not particularly affect image capture.

If I had to compare it to the Fujifilm 23mm f2, I would say that both lenses are almost equivalent. However, the Fujifilm is misleading because it contrasts more, whereas the Voigtlander has softer differences. Contrasts artificially increase the contrast of an image.

I would say that the Voigtlander is a notch above. It is significantly more consistent across the entire image and all apertures. It surpasses Fujifilm in terms of close-focus sharpness. The same goes for the bokeh of the Voigtlander, which benefits from an aperture of f1.2.

Lens personality

Voigtlander lenses are known for having a specific image-rendering character due to their optical design and manufacturing quality. Voigtlander lenses are often appreciated for their soft and vintage image rendering, warm colours and pleasing background blur. This is often attributed to their optical construction, including high-quality glass elements and special coatings to minimize reflections and aberrations.

Voigtlander lenses can also offer unique features, such as wide maximum apertures or unusual focal lengths, contributing to their distinctive image-rendering character. Professional and amateur photographers often use Voigtlander lenses to add a unique creative touch to their images.

This lens lives up to its reputation. The colours are particularly pleasing, and the micro-contrasts are stunning. I find that these contrasts come to life when shooting in black and white, creating a 3D effect that I particularly enjoy. That’s why I invite you to try shooting in monochrome…

Of course, the ability to shoot at f/1.2 is very tempting, even if it can be challenging to find the focus point. The photos have a cinematic atmosphere, and the background blur has a particular character that is rare to find in other modern lenses that strive for optical perfection and, therefore, don’t have a unique identity.

This is particularly true of the 23mm f/2, which has a higher overall contrast and saturation level but is much more standardized. This doesn’t suit all uses. We’re dealing with a character lens here that should stimulate the minds of the most creative photographers, giving that “je ne sais quoi”, a touch of magic, that many photographers are currently seeking in vintage lenses. Try it out, you’ll love it…

Pros and Cons: For Which Use?

Pros:

• -High manufacturing quality
• -Excellent optical quality
• -Compact size and wide maximum aperture ratio
• -Unique image identity (bokeh, micro contrasts, flare… etc.)

Cons:

• -A higher financial investment than other options
• -No weather resistance for extreme conditions

For whom: The demanding photographer who will appreciate the heritage of this brand and the possibility of exploring its potential on modern cameras. The photojournalist/street photographer seeks a unique tactile experience with the ability to shoot in various environments thanks to its wide maximum aperture versatility.

Final Words

As you may have understood, I have fallen in love with this lens. It completely fulfils what was missing for my use with the 23mm f2. I reluctantly admit that the latter remained in my drawer throughout the testing period, and I don’t think I’ll be putting it back on my camera for a while. At the same time, the lack of autofocus indeed requires some technical skills; what a pleasure it is to have complete control over the composition of your photo, and what a sense of pride it gives to achieve sharp images!

For those who are more hesitant, the hyperfocal distance or zone-focusing technique makes this process much simpler. For me, this lens is the holy grail of street photographers, as it perfectly complements Fujifilm cameras in terms of ergonomics and style while delivering impressive image quality. It is much more than that; this lens has its own identity and is a specific alternative to competitors’ lenses that seek optical perfection that homogenizes image rendering.

This lens is a pleasure to use; it is intended for photographers passionate about their craft and demanding. Shooting with a Voigtlander lens is a part of the history of photography with a prestigious legacy; you will not be disappointed. As I write this review, Voigtlander is expanding its range of X-mount lenses. It has just announced a 35mm f0.9 lens that should delight portrait photographers and a 27mm f2 pancake lens that perfectly complements this 23mm for street photography. I eagerly await wider focal lengths, such as an 18mm…Voigtlander, we closely follow your news and can’t wait to see your next gems!