Image courtesy: Beeldlab
43rumors reader Hugo had the chance to compare the Nokton 25mm f/0.95 and the SLR magic 25mm f/0.95 lens. He posted the results on his blog Beeldlab. In my opinion the focus point of the Nokton isn’t on the letters but on the white lens marks so it may not be a 100% correct comparison. I asked Hugo about this and his answer was: “Exact focus point might vary few mm. Voigt on the P, SLR on R, Nevertheless big difference.”
That said the new SLRmagic lens shows that this company made a quantum leap forward in image quality. And as I told you before this lens is even cheaper than the Nokton! It will be on market in February for $799. But there will be a special rebate at launch and the real price will be $649. That’s $550 less than the Voigtlander Nokton lens!
P.S.: Save this search on my Slidoo eBay notification service (Click here). Login and save it so that you will get notified when the SLR magic lens will available for purchase.
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Current SLRmagic lenses for Micro Four Thirds:
SLR Magic 12-36×50 ED Straight Spotting Scope lens (w/ hand grip) is now available on [shoplink 26994 ebay]eBay (Click here)[/shoplink].
SLR magic 11mm f/1.4 lens you can preorder on [shoplink 22154 ebay]eBay (Click here)[/shoplink].
Toy Lens 26mm f/1.4 lens on [shoplink 18603 ebay]eBay (Click here)[/shoplink].
SLR Magic 35mm f/1.7 MC lens on [shoplink 14881 ebay]eBay (Click here)[/shoplink].
Noktor SLRmagic 50mm on [shoplink 25691 ebay]eBay (Click here)[/shoplink]
50 Responses
Are there actually any pictures of this lens?
On his blog you can see it!
its focused in different spots
Yes, agreed. Not the same focus point.
Actually, forget the crops,and look at the full size pic. The red button on the left. The focus points have to be very different. With the CV, the red button is MUCH more in focus vs. the SLRMagic. For the SLR Magic, the top of the camera is much more in focus. Just seems like the missed focus is pretty significant, though the in focus part of the SLRMagic does seem a bit sharper.
does it matter?
should it be a macro lens? NO!
so wth they are doing this.
It is general knowledge the lens is optimized for certain distances – and if it is not macro, I don’t care about 1mm thin DOF and sharp badge on the LEGO figurine.
these tests are ridiculous…
+1
+1 (I admit I took some close up of flowers/leaves to play with the thin DOF, but it’s not the (main) purpose of this huge aperture lenses)
official importer (Crech republic) for the price of 25mm is 750$ (1,100$ for the 17.5 mm). I’m curious about the availability and cost SLRMagic
focused on different spots ….worthless try again
Yes, I’m sure it’s a pain to get these in perfect focus without any camera confirmation of focus support (some help would be appreciated – firmware update?), but it still looks sharp enough where it’s in focus.
If you’re using a manual lens, presumably he’s using a tripod, it’s extremely easy to set the same focus point. If you change lenses between shots, it should stay the same.
dead on
What kind of comparision is this? At least focus on the same point! It doesn’t take too much time and efforts.
Lol, good catch on the focus point admin. Kind of makes the comparison useless.
Useless comparison, I agree. The focus is different and it would be easy to focus on the same point using the 10x zoom on the liveview.
Anyway I have to say that I see some purple fringing in the SLRMAGIC which is not present in the Voigtlander: another detail to be kept in mind when choosing one or the other.
I would guess that the purple fringing could also be an artifact caused by the different focus points. The whole highlight is much brighter.
“the real price will be $649. That’s $550 less than the Voigtlander Nokton lens!”
No, the difference is not 550 USD: https://www.slidoo.com/slider/search/keyword/slr%20magic%2025mm/country/US/minPrice/0/maxPrice/1000/locationId/2/auctionMethodId/2/conditionId/2/ .
“Current SLRmagic lenses for Micro Four Thirds:”
You’ve skipped 12mm T1.6.
URL should be https://www.slidoo.com/slider/search/keyword/nokton%2025mm/country/US/minPrice/0/maxPrice/1000/locationId/2/auctionMethodId/1/conditionId/0/ .
That’s the price in Korea! In US the price is $1200:
https://www.slidoo.com/slider/search/keyword/nokton%2025mm/country/US/minPrice/660/maxPrice/1450/locationId/1/auctionMethodId/1/conditionId/0/
If you look at the white stripes, the Nokton clearly wins.
That’s because the Nokton is focused on the white stripes and the SLR magic is not.
Hugo….please do not do any more 0.95 lens sharpness comparisons until you learn to put the camera on a tripod and also learn to focus correctly and carefully.
…other than that this comparison looks GREAT! 🙂
The SLR is sharper at f0.95, no doubt…However I prefer the sample from the Nokton…
What a waste of time. Why confuse the readers with a comparison that can only give false information, admin?
Are there any reviews of the SLR Magic 12-36×50 ED Straight Spotting Scope lens?? Couldnt find any. Can that be used for paparazzi work? 😉
I don’t know why you people call it worthless.
The focus is maybe off bay a few milometers but the problem I see in Nokton sample is that its so soft that nothing really looks in focus. I guess it is sharpest on the “PO” while the SLR magics prime is clearly sharp on the “AR” part of the Polaroid lettering.
This is well enough to draw any conclusion and reason if it will have any important impact on your photography style.
+1 totally agree
Ok, maybe not worthless. Would be more worthwhile if they focused it in the same spot and gave us an apples-to-apples comparison.
Focusing issues in this test aside…
The Nokton (which) we have been enjoying for years..does have a certain “look” to the images it helps to create. …but based on preliminary sightings of the “Magic” Lens…one would think that the prices should be reversed…although Hugo does state that the Voight focuses buttery smooth and that the focus ring is tighter than the “Magic” lens…so perhaps the Nokton is better built.
In time……more will be reviewed…..
If you look right and watch the pics in full resolution you can see the difference clearly. Yes, the focus is not on the exact same spot. (Sorry guys!) Still easy to compare part that’s in focus. Not worthless at all.
I agree! You can clearly see the difference in sharpness. Thanks for your comparaison. I know “SLR magic” is not as sexy as “voigtlander” but it’s much sharper an cheaper. That’s all I wanted to know.
I would like to try the slr 35mmf0.95. Looks awesome!
Anyway, if the SLR magic is really able to show this sharpness it’s absolutely irrelevant how much better would be than its Voigtländer counterpart. 😀
Looking at the full samples, given that SLR Magic is focused at a closer distance, I found the amount of background blur too incoherent with the said aperture of f/0.95 rendered with the Voigtlander. Being focused closer to the camera would mean more blur and not a lot less blur in the background.
I wonder if exposure is really the same, EXIF is not available :/
Exposure was the same.
Well, lot’s of complaining about the test from Voigt owners… No wonder 😛
hee..hee….
I have the Nokton 25mm 0.95 and the Noktor 12mm 1.6, YES the build quality is the big difference. The Voigt has perfect high-quality build with butter-smooth focus ring. The Noktor is great BUT the build levaves quite a bit to be desired. The focus is EXTREMELY tight, so as to make focusing VERY hard.
Also there is considerably play in the Noktor mount so that when you go to focus you actually move the whole lens before you actually start to focus, making focus pull during video an impossibility without major camera shake. Last time I used it I actually had trouble removing it from my EP-3 for this reason. I fear it will get worse.
I definately hope the build of their new lenses has been improved considerably.
Agree on this last point. I own a SLR Noktor 50mm f0.95 (soft and nice) and its built quality is not comparable to my Voigtländer 17.5mm. I have the same “problem” with the mount: when focusing, the whole lens move for a mm. I admit it’s not a real problem, since I don’t shoot videos and so I don’t record that noise, but still it’s something I don’t like. I hope new mounts are better.
I have a Voigtlander 25mm f0.95 and I have no problem with the focus ring or mount.
Noktor, not Nokton..
Thanks for the comparison Hugo! I own both the Voigtlander 25mm and the SLR Magic 12mm 1.6 and absolutely adore them both. I used only those two lenses in the short film ‘My Fashion Inspiration’ (https://vimeo.com/54944767). With the SLRMagic probably being the bigger surprise given its low price. Technically it might not be a perfect lens which you notice when you use it for stills, but it really does have character and gives a great cinematic look in video.
That’s why I’ve really been keeping a close eye on SLR Magic and when I saw the first comparison photos that EOS HD tweeted I already started making plans in the back of my mind for trying to sell the Voigtlander and going for the new 25mm SLR Magic.
To me, the biggest strength of the Voigtlander is it’s incredibly smooth and soft bokeh. That’s something I haven’t seen on many other lenses before, especially on MFT, and from the compression photos I see here (of the full Polaroid camera) it seems the SLR Magic won’t really be able to reach that either. Too soon to tell and I’d love to see some video and outdoor comparison shots. But a lens this fast you probably buy to use wide open or close to that most of the time and I think the quality and look of the bokeh can really define your image then. (taking the Voigtlander’s vignetting for granted).
Can’t wait to see more and SLR Magic makes fantastic products that I want more of! 😀 But I’m not selling my Voigtlander just yet..
I was going to point out the same, Niels. Even though the focus point doesn’t seem to be placed at the same spot, it’s quite easy to see that the SLR is a bit sharper. However, and given they are at the same aperture, what caught my attention is how much more blurred the background is in the Voigt. So, I guess, and apart from other differences that only more tests will reveal, it’s going to be a question of choosing: do you prefer a bit more sharpness, or a bit more bokeh?
Good to have 2 options, anyway!
Man, i just bought the Voigt last week, and now they announce this, what an upset. But, I got a great price, $620 used but it looks to be great and the sharpness looks good to me. But, I’m not digging the CA on the SLR, I think bokeh will be make or brake for sure. And yes, this test shows nothing sadly.
Don’t forget the Voigtländer is a superb lens. I have now noticed it is not as sharp fully open when watching close in full res photo. But using it for video. Compress it. Use it on internet. Who cares? The Voigt is a pleasure to work with!
It has a GREAT look…Truly..but with that softness wide open…I think it should be less money.
It is definitely a special use lens…and when you want that nothing else will do.
..but for me….I just can’t see spending that much for a lens that is that soft at its maximum aperture…
I know many are crazy for that lens!
a year ago people were raving how sharp the lens is and now the hyperprime comes and people are saying the voightlander is beautifully soft?
I’m not even going to touch any SLR Magic with a ten-foot pole after their epic failure on their high-speed Leica M 50mm. It’s one thing to abruptly discontinue the product for whatever reason, but it’s their disastrous PR left a bad taste on my mouth.
The did not discontinue it. They are just not shipping the lens abroad. They were being attacked by a few leica nuts just like what we are seeing here. But this time it is voightlander fans that got upset. if you follow the comments of whag everyone said you will see the true story.
Hugo’s comparison is faulty.
A zebarnabe has pointed out:
>Given how much less bokeh there is in the SLRMagic, I really doubt the aperture is identical in both lens (even if they were both at f/0.95 setting)
It’s not an identical f-stop. I just checked. I photographed a Polaroid SX-70 myself, (several times, at f/0.95 and above) using the Voigtlander alone. I was able to reproduce the same depth of field and bokeh as shown the SLR-Magic’s “F.0.95” by setting the Voigtlander 25mm to around f/1.4.
It was a lot of messing around because we weren’t given the distance of the subject from the GH2’s focal plane. Nor do we know if the pictures have been cropped. For example, I can make the Polaroid’s angles look about the same if I put it so that the letter “R” in the lower part of the Polaroid’s body is 420mm away.
But I’m pretty satisfied there’s been a mistake.