Review on Voigtlander 42.5mm f/0.95 Nokton Lens - High-Performance 42.5mm Lens by John Destruction

The Voigtlander 42.5mm f/0.95 lens was a lens I had been expecting with childish eagerness. 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, against white backgrounds, light backgrounds, etc. Although mostly photographed at noon, when the sun is high and bright you wouldn't anyway, there's no need to shoot with such an aperture - at night, in darker conditions, these aberrations are less noticeable and less pronounced. At F0.95 there is some "glow" - I believe more glow appears at closer distances from 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 that I also have a good specimen as mine is pretty sharp. The glow decreases and chromatic aberrations decrease when stopped down - more or less disappearing at f2.8, but already very minimal at f2.0. Sharpness and contrast increase drastically from the open aperture and you get a VERY sharp picture even at F1.4. At F2.0 it's pin sharp, at F2.8 and F4.0 the lens peaks VERY sharp 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. The minimum focusing distance is around 4-5 inches - closer than the 9mm stated in the lens specs. 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. I personally think, that 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 adorned with the Leica brand, how much would they cost?