Review on Voigtlander 42.5mm f/0.95 Nokton Lens - High-Performance 42.5mm Lens by Icehot Cleversley

The Voigtländer 42.5mm F/0.95 was the lens I looked forward to with childish longing. I've had experience with the 25mm Voigtländer but I'd say this version is even better. I immediately tested the F0.95 specs - sharper than my 25mm version and well sharp for F/0.95 - I was really impressed. Focusing at this aperture is a bit tricky, especially at close range of 1 meter. At medium distances, the F0.95 setting offers a nice selection of the subject. Magenta fringing is noticeable in certain situations with white, light backgrounds, etc. Although it's mostly photographed around midday when the sun is high and bright, you don't necessarily need to be shooting with this aperture at night. , in darker conditions these aberrations are less pronounced and less pronounced. At F0.95 there is some "glow" - I believe more glow appears as the subject gets closer to the lens. In many cases, however, this "glow" is useful, as it creates a dramatic, dreamy, whimsy, creamy, whatever you want to call it, rendering of the scene that the photographer can manipulate into preferred situations. This lens offers excellent performance for such an extremely large aperture. I don't know of any lens that performs better than this at the right aperture. I'm not sure, but I'm sure I have a good one as mine is pretty sharp. Glow is reduced, and chromatic aberration is reduced by stopping down - more or less non-existent at F2.8, but very minimal at F2. 0 already. Sharpness and contrast increase dramatically from the maximum aperture, and you get a VERY sharp image even at F1.4. At F2.0 it's pin sharp, at F2.8 and F4.0 the lens achieves VERY sharp sharpness and if you stop further it starts to flex and you start to lose sharpness as you zoom out. It's a pleasure to use - the focus ring is just soooo smooth - consistent resistance - neither too loose nor too tight - controllable with one finger if needed - yummy! The focusing stroke is long, so the focus can be fixed fairly accurately. The diaphragm ring is strong and firm with positive clicks. The stepless adjustment works like a charm, and while I don't shoot video, this lens would be a darn nice tool when shooting video with that feature. as indicated by 9mm as stated in the lens specifications. I may have to measure this to confirm if this is absolutely true, but it looks like it. The hood is nice, albeit large, and suitable for easy storage. The downside to this lens is the weight, but it's all metal and F0. 95 and 42.5 mm (equivalent to 85 mm), which is to be expected. I don't think lightness was the main consideration when designing this product. Personally, I think the price is reasonable given the features (stepless aperture, close focus capability, and precise manual focus control), build quality, and light gathering ability. The lens really is a bargain. I always think if these lenses were labeled Leica brand how much they would cost. I think a lot more than what Voigtländer is currently selling. Many thanks to Steven G. from Camera Quest - shipped the sucker same day, received it next day, got the black and white filter for free - great! The Micro 4/3 is a very flexible platform in its own right, but with lenses like these Voigts, that's reason enough to consider using the system.