Could there be a better aesthetic combo than Voigtländer’s new Nokton 35mm f/1.2 and Fujifilm’s vintage-inspired X-Pro3? It’s a reasonable question, and one that X Series users are already asking. Of course it’ll look great on whatever X Series body it’s mounted on, and will be available in black or silver to suit different models. Best of all, of course, it promises to give great image quality.
With a full metal body, including a screw-on lens hood, the Voigtländer Nokton 35mm f/1.2 weighs only 196g and measures approximately 60x40mm, making it a lightweight partner to whatever X Series body you’re shooting with. It’s not weather sealed though.
The 35mm focal length and fast f/1.2 aperture means it’ll be a sure-fire hit for low-light work across a range of subjects from documentary and street to landscapes and portraits. And it’s a little faster than Fujifilm’s own 35mm f/1.4 R, though it’s a manual focus model. Like many X Series lenses, it also has a manual aperture ring, operating in one-third of a step clicks. Minimum aperture is f/16, its minimum focus distance is 30cm and it has a 46mm filter thread.
In terms of image quality, the lens promises excellent edge-to-edge sharpness, and minimal aberrations even wide open. Internally, it has a construction of eight elements in six groups, and uses a 12-bladed aperture to produce very smooth and rounded bokeh.
The Nokton 35mm f/1.2 is an existing model in the Voigtländer’s E mount range, but the company says it has been completely redesigned for Fujifilm’s X-Mount, and outside of the optics, includes full electronic contact with the camera body. This allows automatic focus check where the camera’s view instantly enlarges the image as the manual focus ring is turned, distance info, EXIF info and also full compatibility with Fujifilm X Series cameras that have in-body image stabilisation (IBIS), making it even better in low light. On the downside, that full electronic connection is only available on X-Pro3, X-H1, X-T4, X-T3, X-T2, X-S10, X-E4, and X-T30 bodies. Older cameras will still be able to mount the lens, just without the benefits, and will need to set Release Without Lens to On in the menu.
So, what other Voightländer lenses could we see coming to Fujifilm X-Mount cameras? Well, if the company’s E mount glass is anything to go by there could be a tasty 21mm f/1.4 Nokton and a 50mm f/1.2 Nokton in the pipeline. Of course, that’s unconfirmed. The Voigtländer Nokton 35mm f/1.2 will launch in August, priced around £650.
