More Noktor 0.95 and E-P2 samples…

Just thought I would post these as they were shot at the same time as the other examples I posted yesterday. In other words, these were also shot in that first hour with the lens. Out of 20 images taken, only 2 or 3 were OOF. Not bad for a 0.95 lens! Again, these were shot on the Olympus E-P2 using the EVF (see my E-P2 review here). I found the EVF worked perfectly for manual focus. Olympus also just released the E-PL1 but these do not have the EVF. They are also nearly half the price of the E-P2 at $599 so for those whose budget does not extend to the E-P2, the E-PL1 seems to be a nice choice. Also, we can’t forget about the killer Panasonic GF1 which this lens will also mount to.

These will be the last samples I post until my full review, so enjoy! All samples below are at 0.95…

NOTE: Yes, I find the bokeh in 2, 3 and 4 to be pretty awful. More bokeh tests on the way…

30 Comments

  1. I love the idea of an f .95 lens but this bohek is kind of junky. Look VERY jagged, not IMHO very nice at all. I’ll stick with my Zeiss’.

  2. Wow, i agree with David, and Ark-kun and the others. That bokeh isn’t crazy, it’s crap. I see a crap lens here and I wouldn’t waste the money. The low light capabilities are useless in a long run. Anyone would be better off getting a VC 35/1.4 Nokton or even the 40/1.4 Nokton lens for less money.

  3. It is interesting to see how polarized the opinion is about the bokeh – I find myself in the camp that LOVES it and have been trying to replicate it in my photos with a cron but it is nothing compared to this in terms of dreaminess – and the description of scales is so accurate. Thanks Steve for bring this to my attention!

  4. Steve, I’m being a bit thick here I’m sure, but what do you mean by “hyperprime”? Is it a 50mm lens and, therefore, 100mm on MFT, or a 25mm lens behaving as 50mm?

  5. I saw this lens last week and Facebooked about this lens yesterday. . . . Glad you’re testing and posted samples! The bokeh is swirly in the worst way, IMO defeating the f/0.95 *daytime* advantage. “Horrific,” as Garon says, describes it–again, IMO, it’s beyond “character” and into “What the H%^# happened to the background?” territory.

    I hate to ask, but when you’re shooting, could you consider doing some “available darkness” shots and post those? Perhaps the bokeh is less of an issue when the lighting is lower, which isn’t a full fix but may redeem the lens OOF rendering somewhat. Thanks! Will

  6. i just would say, as it is with every lens, that you have to know when the bokeh works and when not. …and i think we talk about character and characters haven’t to be perfect.
    i also have a fast lens, ok it’s only f1.4 [Minolta Rokkor 1.4/50mm] which has also a bit wilder bokeh when you have trees with fine perches or similar in the backrgound.. Steve has shown us samples that we know what to expect, now we know “don’t use it when you have treeperches in the background” ;)…unless you like it for yourself. and that point is the most important.
    groove on steve and thanX for sharing your impressions.

  7. I agree, this bokeh is really, really disappointing. Guess I’m spoiled by my Sigma 50 1.4 (which, by the way, is better quality of bokeh than anything out there, besides than the Canon 85 1.2).

  8. Although is common with fast primes to see chromatic aberration within the bokeh, OMG!!! this lens is spoling the bokeh with tons of CA. Instead of enhancing the subject with such a narrow depth of field, you can´t help stop looking at the background. Also there is a strong cat’s eye effect ! Toooooo soft, resolution is really low wide open. I must say I was expecting a better performance. I prefer my ZD 50 F2.

  9. Agree with the others on the bokeh: some might say it has “character;” others will say it’s distracting. Would be curious, like David, to see how it changes as it’s stopped down.

  10. Thanks guys, yea, I agree…the bokeh in 2, 3, 4 is pretty busy. :0 I am thinking of just starting a review page today and adding to it every day as I get new samples and thoughts on the lens…

  11. Who in their right mind would look at pic of Mina and even see the background… By the way Steve you’re wife & son deserve a special mention to let you shoot them that much…in the snow, on a milk create, blowing bubbles…And the cats, the cats are good too. Cheers keep up the good work

  12. Dear Steve,

    thanks for making it possible for us to get such early impressions from that new lens. At least me, I’m waiting for fast prime lenses for the m4/3 system to make it really sexy.

    I like the pictures 1, 5, and 6 in the above strip. The shallow DOF is really what I’d need on the m4/3. But I really don’t like the bokeh in 2, 3, and 4.

    Keep goin’
    Martin.

  13. Hmmn – certainly “crazy” bokeh … I must admit I kind of like it though technically this type of “caffeinated” bokeh would usually be considered awful. At least it’s distinctive !! I like the low contrast too.

  14. Just an observation: the lens is quite soft at f/0.95, almost dreamy in character. The bokeh looks a bit harsh to my eyes but not bad considering that it’s at such a large aperture.

    I first thought that the color is very cool, as in, the opposite of warm, but I see that you added a filter so I guess my comment is moot. Haha…

  15. OMG.. Bokeh.. it’s awful =(
    Doubling lines (trees) and “fish scales” everywhere.

  16. Thanks guys.

    Brian, I really have no info about them. All I know is that they popped up a short while ago, caused a little bit of a stir and now have a website. They sent me the lens via Fed Ex so at least we know the lens is real 🙂

    They say they will ship these April 15th so all we can do is wait and see.

    Steve

  17. Hello Steve I have been following your site for awhile. I really enjoy your reviews and comments. Do you have any thoughts on the Noktor company as I am somewhat concerned about sending them my hard earned money since they are so new.

  18. That bohek is really crazy…

    I expect to see more images, only without any filters to judge this lens’ quality.

    Thanks Steve.

3 Trackbacks / Pingbacks

  1. UPDATED with youtube video -> Noktor – hands on by Steve Huff
  2. Neues Noktor Objektiv « Anderls Blog
  3. Signs of Spring | imperfiction

Comments are closed.