Most of us were convinced the new Handevision 40mm f/0.95 would just be an expensive gimmick. And so was Roger Cicala from Lensrentals. But when he tested the lens he had to change his mind about it:
In my expectations at the beginning of this article, I never expected this lens to do this well in the center. I didn’t even consider it a possibility. I can’t tell you that it’s worth $2,000 to you, but I can certainly say it’s not overpriced for what it offers. This is an excellent lens.
So this lens is not a gimmick, but it remains a very expensive piece of glass. Is that mini aperture advantage worth 2x the price of the Voigtlander Nokton?
The Handevision 40mm f/0.85 is in Stock at BHphoto (Click here)
For the record. These are the five f/o.95 lenses:
Nokton 25mm f/0.95 ([shoplink 36580 ebay]here one Bay[/shoplink]).
Nokton 17.5mm f/0.95 ([shoplink 36581 ebay]here one Bay[/shoplink]).
Nokton 42.5mm f/0.95 ([shoplink 47609 ebay]here one Bay[/shoplink]).
SLRmagic 50mm f/0.95 ([shoplink 29455 ebay]here one Bay[/shoplink]).
SLRmagic 25mm f/0.95 ([shoplink 47610 ebay]here one Bay[/shoplink]).
14 Responses
It might have been useful to refer to another finding from the review: “people using the lens on m4/3 camera may not get quite as good performance as those using it on other mounts”. So if you buy the lens for centre sharpness on m43 you may not expect it to perform as well as the review otherwise indicates.
I think if you refer to the sensor glass stacking (which i never heard of before, so it was interesting read for me also) its a subtle effect i have the impression.
That may be the case, but I think still relevant for those who think about sharpness as the key criterion – that’s why I mentioned it. Essentially, the lens does not perform as well on m43 as it does on other system, so important to keep in mind when comparing reviews etc.
I had the impression he was quite positive about the performance on the mft body used? Personally I think the main benefit is gain in shallow dof performance if using bigger sensor performance. But indeed, anyone decides whats more important to him/her
Yes, interesting. Is that stack maybe the reason why the ultra wide primes are taking so long?
i have absolutely no idea, I remember the E-1 which was infamous for having a very “thick” AA filter, lacked a bit in resolution. So I was trying to conlude its glass part in front of the sensor was prob thick too.Maybe thats why some felt the E-1 had a very analogue look, showing less crispy sharpness, thought the fact it uses a Kodak ccd might be part of the looks too ofcourse.
Yeah it’s $2k, but it’s Autofocus. The Voitlanders are manual. So the real question is, is AF worth a grand?
It’s manual focus…
waiting for Maklike reply on this hehe, I miss info while reading too sometimes but this is a clear case of not reading at all?
From the samples seen I think the out of focus area isless pleasant than that of Voigtländer lenses.
To answer the question: a new lens is a good excuse to take photos. Already owning f0.95 lenses, I don’t see it adding anything to my passion, and I rather save for something really different (a different camera, a focal lenght lens I don’t have, books, a travel).
very interesting review, though i dont understand alot about MTF graphs. He could be right about the inclusion of a focal lenght reducer, which could explain the dimensions of the lens.
I have never heard about the use of shims in lens constructions(but who am i). It is good he tries to give the reasons why the price is high as it could debunk the many complaints heard on this forum. Its nice sample shots are included (thank god no stopped down samples) but as a MFT user i could complain that no full body shots were taken. close portraits are not really ideal way to see how a lens performs as its already easy to get a great blur/oof isolation (though i have the impression i miss the pop effect) with the 45mm 1.8. Maybe Steve Huff can go further into this. Interesting and good info here thanks alot Roger!
My nokton 42.5mm f0.95 is a better option
i think so far, price, size.
Low sales due to silly price….they never learn….