Daniel Pietzsch

Voigtländer VM Nokton Classic 35mm f1.4 MC lens aperture comparison

After I acquired my new camera and lens, I set up a quick test subject in the backyard to test the camera’s shutter speeds as well as the lens’ different apertures in a controlled environment.

And I figured these test photos are worth sharing, as it gives an idea of how this lens renders on film at its various settings.

The test setup:

• Lens: Voigtländer Nokton Classic 35mm 1.4 Multicoated.
  
• Camera: Leica M4-2.
• Camera on tripod positioned approximately 1 meter from the focus point.
• The focus point is pretty much in the middle of the frame (just right to the center of the bottle in the middle).
• Film: Kentmere 400, developed in Rodinal.
• Scanner: Canon CanoScan 9000F Mark II (scanned using Silverfast SE software).
• Adjustments: contrast raised and some sharpening applied in Apple Photos (all photos to the same amounts).

Anyhow, here they are: the photos showing the test scene at the eight different major aperture stops of the Voigtländer Nokton Classic 35mm 1.4 Multicoated lens for the Leica M mount. (Zoom in or open the image in a new window/tab for slightly more resolution.)

f16 – 1/8s

f11 – 1/15s

f8 – 1/30s

f5.6 – 1/60s

f4 – 1/125s

f2.8 – 1/250s

f2 – 1/500s

f1.4 – 1/1000s