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Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.1

Voigtlander Nokton 50/1.1 — Field Curvature (Pond)

Please see the notes on field curvature on the previous page.

Since the M9P does not record an accurate aperture, I am unsure of the aperture here, but it might have been f/4 or even f/5.6 or f/2.8 (the M9P recorded f/3.4).

This example shows the same strikingly abrupt variation in sharpness that occurs across a short distance within the frame. After years of working with hundreds of different lenses, I cannot recall ever seeing such a pronounced field curvature.

The center area is blurred, with an abrupt change to nicely sharp, which accrues by moving either up or to the left or to the right right.

Any attempt to compare the Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.1 to another lens would be fraught with errors, since analysis would depend predominantly on the position within the frame at which sharpness is to be compared. What can be said is that the Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.1 is not a good choice for scenes like this due to its uneven sharpness across the frame (assuming one is after sharpness).

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~f/4 @ 1/250 sec, ISO 160 0.2 stop pull
Leica M9P + Voigtlander Nokton 50/1.1

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