Thypoch Ksana 35mm f/2 vs Voigtländer Nokton 35mm f/1.4 II SC/MC

The Thypoch Ksana 35mm f/2 and the Voigtländer Nokton 35mm f/1.4 II SC/MC are both 35mm lenses. Here are sample photos from each, plus a side-by-side look at the specs.

In my YouTube video I'm directly comparing the Ksana against the 35mm f/1.4 Nokton.

The Nokton actually is nearly as sharp as the Ksana 35mm f/2, it's just a bit more funky in its rendering. Especially the out of focus areas and the bokeh is harsher, despite the bokeh balls being more round. It has 0.7m minimum focus distance versus the 0.45m focus distance with the Ksana. There's more coma in the frame with the Nokton. The Nokton is sharper in the closer focus areas, until 3 meters, from there the Ksana wins due to the flat field curvature.

If you're looking for an all-around lens, I'd recommend the Ksana. The Nokton is special though, and should be a lens in everyone's collection. It gives you images almost no other lens can.

The Ksana is claimed to be as sharp as the 35mm f/2 Summicron ASPH by Thypoch, but I can't verify this claim. My gut feeling says that the Summicron is a bit sharper overall.

Specifications

SpecThypoch Ksana 35mm f/2Voigtländer Nokton 35mm f/1.4 II SC/MC
Focal length35mm35mm
Max aperturef/2f/1.4
MountMM
Min. focus distance0.5 m0.7 m
Length28 mm
Diameter55 mm
Weight199g (Aluminum and Brass)189g (Brass)
Filter thread39 mm43 mm
Elements / groups8 / 58 / 6
Aperture blades1010
Rangefinder couplingNoYes
Rangefinder blockageNoNo
6-bit codingNoNo
Production2026–present2019–present
ColorsBlack