Voigtländer Nokton 28mm f/1.5

Voigtländer Nokton 28mm f/1.5

When Cosina released this lens in early 2024, it became the fastest 28mm M-mount lens the company had produced, after decades of building 28mm Voigtländers ranging only from f/3.5 to f/1.9 [1]. It belongs to the Voigtländer Vintage Line, which carries that name for its styling rather than for any deliberately old-fashioned image character, and it sits alongside the 35mm, 50mm and 75mm f/1.5 Noktons as the fourth f/1.5 lens in that range[2]. For rangefinder photographers who had long wanted a genuinely fast yet compact 28mm without paying for the considerably larger and far more expensive Leica Summilux-M 28mm, it answered a clear gap in the market.

The optical design uses ten elements in eight groups, including aspherical surfaces, and the lens is notably small for its speed at 54 mm in diameter and roughly 45 to 46 mm long, with a 43 mm filter thread. The aperture uses twelve straight blades and operates with distinct half-stop clicks across roughly 110 degrees of travel from f/1.5 to f/16, while the focus ring turns about 100 degrees down to a minimum focus distance of 0.5 m. Markings are engraved and paint-filled, and the barrel feels tightly assembled. The lens is rangefinder coupled and does not feature six-bit coding. It shows some rangefinder patch blockage, though reviewers note this is less severe than on rival fast 28mm M-mount lenses, and it can also be adapted to mirrorless bodies such as Sony E-mount, including autofocus use via a Techart LM-EA9 adapter.

Cosina offers the lens in two mechanically identical versions that share the same optics. The Type I uses an aluminium barrel and weighs around 249 to 250 g, while the heavier Type II is made of brass at about 330 g and can be fitted with a small focusing stick in place of the standard focus tab. Both are available in matte black and in silver or chrome finishes, with the brass Type II giving a more substantial, higher-end feel. A noted handling quirk is that no hood is included; the vented LH-6 hood is sold separately, unlike some cheaper and more expensive Voigtländer lenses that ship with one. Some reviewers also single out the bright chrome ring at the front as a cosmetic detail they would have preferred blacked out.

Optical qualities

Rendering Reviewers describe the lens as delivering punchy color with good contrast and strong wide-open sharpness, yielding image quality regarded as excellent for the price. Performance is broadly in line with other fast, compact Voigtländer wide-angles, with strengths in central sharpness, sunstars and low distortion, and a few expected compromises that come with keeping the lens small.

Sharpness Central sharpness is high even at f/1.5, and one reviewer found no meaningful focus shift on stopping down, which is welcome for rangefinder focusing. Off-center sharpness at portrait distances between f/1.4-equivalent settings and f/2.0 is rated only average, a tradeoff attributed to the compact design rather than a more complex floating-element layout.

Bokeh and transitions For a 28mm lens the out-of-focus rendering is considered a relative highlight, performing well from close to mid distances.

Flare resistance and aberrations Flare control is generally good and improves from f/2.8 onward, though a faint ring flare can appear between f/1.5 and f/2.0. The lens shows noticeable coma between f/1.5 and f/2.0 that reduces on stopping down, and longitudinal chromatic aberration is visible near the minimum focus distance.

Distortion and vignetting Barrel distortion is small and rarely needs correction in practice. Vignetting is high wide open, measured at over three stops at f/1.5, a consequence of the lens's small size that is consistent with Cosina's other 28mm M-mount designs.

Sunstars The twelve-blade aperture produces well-defined sunstars across a wide range of apertures, from roughly f/2.0 to f/11.

History

Development and Launch Cosina has built 28mm Voigtländer lenses for many years but had never offered one faster than f/1.9 until this Nokton arrived in early 2024 as the fastest 28mm M-mount lens in its catalogue. Voigtländer presents it as a wide-angle combining a large aperture, compact dimensions and high optical performance, and it expanded the Vintage Line's f/1.5 family to four focal lengths.

Special editions No major factory special editions are widely documented; the lens is sold in the standard Type I and Type II body variants and their finish options rather than as limited or commemorative releases. A later mirrorless-mount version was subsequently announced, indicating Cosina extended the design beyond the original M-mount release.

Collector Notes The two versions are distinguished chiefly by material and weight, the aluminium Type I being lighter and the brass Type II heavier and offered with an optional focusing stick, so buyers should confirm which version and finish they are getting. Because the lens omits a hood, the separately sold LH-6 vented hood is an accessory worth verifying before purchase. The prominent chrome front ring is a normal feature rather than a fault, and has been noted as the suspected cause of the faint ring flare some reviewers observed wide open.

Sources

• [1] Phillip Reeve (Bastian Kratzke). Review: Voigtländer VM 28mm 1.5 Nokton. https://phillipreeve.net/blog/review-voigtlander-vm-28mm-1-5-nokton/
• [2] Keith Wee. Voigtlander Nokton Vintage 28mm F1.5 ASPH review. https://keithwee.com/2024/01/21/voigtlander-nokton-vintage-28mm-f1-5-asph-review-the-excellent-fast-wide-lens/