Voigtlander Nokton 35mm f/1.4 II Multi Coated Lens for Leica M, Black

The Voigtlander Nokton 35mm f/1.4 II Multi Coated Lens is a fantastic option for Leica M shooters looking for a high-quality, compact lens with a distinctive character. The build quality is superb, with a solid, all-metal construction that feels durable and premium in hand. Its compact size is a huge advantage for street and travel photography, keeping your setup lightweight and unobtrusive.The f/1.4 aperture is a standout feature, offering excellent low-light performance and beautiful subject isolation. The updated optical design in this Mark II version significantly reduces distortion and improves sharpness, particularly at wider apertures, compared to the original model. The multi-coated glass effectively handles flares and ensures good contrast, even in challenging lighting conditions.One of the most appealing aspects of this lens is its rendering. While it’s sharp in the center, it maintains a pleasing, vintage-like character with slightly softer edges at wide apertures. This quality gives images a unique, organic feel that’s particularly appealing for portraits and creative work.That said, there are minor downsides. The manual focus operation is smooth but may require practice if you're used to autofocus lenses. Additionally, while the lens is sharp, it doesn’t achieve the clinical perfection of more modern designs, which may be a drawback for those prioritizing technical image quality over artistic rendering.Overall, the Voigtlander Nokton 35mm f/1.4 II is an excellent choice for photographers who value compactness, versatility, and a touch of character in their images. It’s a great alternative to pricier Leica-branded lenses without compromising too much on performance.

For context this lens is being used on a Leica M 246.That's a full frame sensor, only matters for the "con".The interface with the camera is snug.The aperture ring is smooth with solid clicks.Focus is smooth, but the throw is long.This lens is sharp and has a really pleasing character.However it does have some vignetting (can be cropped out in post) so it is not a big issue.Price to results this is a good buy.

I've owned a bunch of lenses for the Leica M system over the years from a wide variety of manufacturers (Leica, Zeiss, 7Artisans, Voitlander and Minolta). And I have to say... Voitlander is an excellent value proposition if you need a small, fast prime for your M-Mount bodies.This lens, in particular, addresses some of the concerns from the original 35/1.4 from CV — namely the issue with focus shift and severe vignetting and edge softness wide open (which is, arguably, a strength from some perspectives as it can be used creatively in more environmental portraits to draw the viewer to the subject, assuming the subject is kept relatively close to the middle of the frame).This lens is small and light. It's well-built. It's sharp, especially stopped down a tiny bit. The background blur is great, albeit can be a little 'nervous' in some instances (the first version was actually better for this than the newer version). I do find the focus on this lens to be a little less damped than Leica or Zeiss lenses (Zeiss is almost too well-damped for many people). And I also found the aperture clicks to be a tiny bit soft and they exhibited what I'd sort of describe as grittiness. It's not *bad* per se, but I noticed it going from my Zeiss 35/2.8 ZM to this lens and back again.All that being said, I'm loosely comparing this lens to ones half it's price as well as double or even several times its price. And this lens stacks up to all of them in its own right. A good performer at a good price. Especially if you're shooting film where some of its... inadequacies wouldn't be nearly as readily apparent.Note: Adapted to digital mirrorless bodies, this lens disappoints a little in that it doesn't offer the close focus of a lens made for digital mirrorless bodies, and instead offers a longer MFD more aligned with its intended use, which is on a rangefinder body. I'd say to look elsewhere for a fast 35mm if you're strictly shooting on digital, unless you have a close-focus adapter.

I love Voigtlander products but I don’t know how this one got by QC. There is a large piece of white fiber or paper between the glass layers that can’t be removed. I’ll return and order another but not what I wanted to deal with.

This is a great little lens, just as good as the Leica equivalent at a quarter the price. Really nice quality, well made and produces amazing images.

Incredible build quality, character wide open, nice color rendering, small size, and all on a cheap price. just amazing

Great lens for the price ( actually great)But it has a soft vintage look ( I personally prefer the Ultron type ii because it is a lot sharper and has a more modern look)

love it on my Leica M10