The new SLR Magic Hyperprime 35mm T0.95 and 35 T1.4 arrives for testing!

114 Comments

1. The “company” of Noktor (who rebrands these lenses purportedly made by Shenyang Zhongyi ), and I used that term “company” loosely must be a few High school buddies who rent a small metal storage shed from the local personal storage company. Some of their web pages do not work, some of their images don’t render. How do you do that?!

   Just try calling their tel# if you can find it. I sleuthed 3 #’s for “them”. In 10 months not once have they ever answered the phone, and in the same time, not ever have they actually returned any phone call. Yet their telephone tape machine has this guys voice gushing about how they are swamped with telephone calls and are really busy from all of it. What a crock!

   I ordered the 35mm T.95 e-mount from Adorama, who has been falsely advertising it for almost a year. They sent me the 1.4 version and invoiced me for the T.95 version. The 1.4 version felt like there was sand in between the barrels as you rotated the focus. I never was able to test the lens clarity as the clowns at Adorama sent me some bizarre mount not related to a Sony E-mount. They STILL do not have this lens. Why? Because Noktor has vaporware.

   Try even e-mailing the company about their 35mm T.95 and see if they even respond to that. Or you can do a followup question on their Facebook page, that way you can see what it is like to be ignored by multiple venues.

   • “Victim”, you are wrong.

     The lenses from Shenyang Zhongyi (Mitakon) and SLR Magic are completeley different designs. I had both in my hands and you find a direct comparison (including photos showing the lenses) here:
     http://3d-kraft.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=138&catid=40&Itemid=2

     They are different in length, weight and optical design. You see also significant differences in sharpness (especially in the borders adn edges) and bokeh.

     My requests to support@slrmagic.com have been answered always to my satisfaction and I met their team on the Photokina 2012 in Cologne where I got a professional impression.

     If you got a wrong item from Adorama, you can not make SLR Magic responsible for that mistake. But as far as I know the f/1.4 version, that you claim to have received, does not come with an adapter, so this also seems to be a fairy tale.

     I don’t know in which part of the world you live but for example UK Digital in Great Britain recently received 10 copies. Perhaps they still have one on sale for you.

   • The above may seem a bit aggressive, but has some good points.

     If you called them, remember they may be on a different timezone than you, so you should leave a message.

     I’m commenting because I’m finally going to likely pick up a 35/0.95 and I already own the 25 and 12 from SLRmagic, and will also likely get into their 1.33x Anamorphot. That’s to say that the customer service has acceptable considering they’re in another country and a small company.

     Try another email if you’re still interested, but you should definitely contact Adorama as that’s whom you bought the glass from n’all. SOrry for your troubles, man, spending money and not getting what you need is a bother.

     Hope you sort it!

     P.S. I am very certain that the glass you mention are not the same. There are some tests around the net proving that they are very different. The Mitakon is nowhere in the same ballpark as far as performance goes.

     • There’s time zone differences?! lol.3D kraft, I never placed blame on Noktor for Adorama’s issues.

       So I was just looking at Noktor’s website, and the below html gobblygook is what appears, which just reinforces the argument it must be some college buddies working out of a garage or storage space.

       What kind of half-ass company does this!?

       NOKTOR – Ultra Fast Lenses – Products

       $(document).ready(function(){
       $(“#slider”).easySlider({
       auto: true,
       continuous: true,

2. Greetings to Steve and Andrew,
   I’m an architect from India and mostly do real estate photography.
   Presently I have a Nikon D90 and two lenses namely, Tokina 11-16m f2.8 and Nikkor 35mm f1.8
   I’m interested in the bright lenses (0.95 lenses) from SLR Magic/Noktor. My heartiest congratulations to Andrew for making such awesome and pragmatic lenses. And for this I’m pursing the Sony NEX 6 because I believe its the only camera that can nail focus without the RF coupling mechanism (using peeking technology) and it has bigger sensor than mFT/other mirrorless. Please please correct me if I go wrong anywhere. So if that is the camera I need, my options are:
   1. 50mm F0.95 E-mount
   2. 35mm T0.95 + adapter for E-mount.
   Am I right here? If yes, please help me decide which of the above two is an appropriate lens for me.
   Thanks and Regards.

3. Greetings to Steve and Andrew,
   I’m an architect from India and mostly do real estate photography.
   Presently I have a Nikon D90 and two lenses namely, Tokina 11-16m f2.8 and Nikkor 35mm f1.8
   I’m interested in the bright lenses (0.95 lenses) from SLR Magic/Noktor. My heartiest congratulations to Andrew for making such awesome and pragmatic lenses. And for this I’m pursing the Sony NEX 6 because I believe its the only camera that can nail focus without the RF coupling mechanism (using peeking technology) and it has bigger sensor than mFT. Please please correct me if I go wrong anywhere. So if that the camera I need, my options are:
   1. 50mm F0.95 E-mount
   2. 35mm F0.95 + adapter for E-mount.
   Am I right here? If yes, please help me decide which of the above two is an appropriate lens for me.
   Thanks and Regards.

4. Hi

   If I add screw on filters to the lens, will the lens hood still be able to slide in and out past the filters. And will I also still be able to get full turning on the exposure.

   yes the lens hood is disturbing me lol

   Thanks for your help

5. Hey Steve,
   I just received the 35mm 1.4. Glad I bought it from Adorama because it has to go back. There is massive slop in the focusing helicoid that allows the lens to shift front/back by almost a full milimeter. Accurate focusing is impossible since it will drift after only a moment. Just a warning to anyone who was thinking about this lens. DO NOT BUY DIRECT! SLR MAGIC DOES NOT TAKE RETURNS! If you absolutely have to try it, buy from Adorama at the same price instead. That wayyou don’t get stuck with a bad lens.

6. sweet piece of “budget” glass for the N.E.X
   I know the T1.4 is kind of different with Sigma 30mm
   but please give us some head to head comparison between those two, yet three (19mm) as well
   cos now we can get those Sigma from B&H for the price of one 🙂

7. Hi Steve,

   Can you confirm please if the 35mil T1.4 work on the Olympus E-PM2? The SLR Magic E-Bay site doesn’t specify that model, but since it’s MFT, I”m inclined to assume yes (unless the E-PM2 doesn’t have some sort of shoot-with-no-lens override).

   Thanks!

   • You would just have to order it in the Micro 4/3 Mount. They sell it in Fuji X mount, Micro 4/3 and Sony NEX mount.

8. Oh yes, those who seek for it, the brand name is Mitakon, it is made by the same company than dslr magic lens, costs 820$ and is not the Cine type. Cine lenses have a stepless aperture ring and a wider gear type grip ring around this one and the focusing ring as well. Yu can get the Mitakon in black or silver.
   Shots can be seen here

   http://forum.mflenses.com/mitakon-35mm-f0-95-e-mount-t51266.html

   • Ben,

     There are many rumors out there and yours is adding to the rumor mill. It is clear you have not seen either lenses. For example, as of today the Mitakon also has a stepless aperture ring and your facts are incorrect to begin with.

     The Mitakon has a much shorter flange distance and it is impossible to be the same as our version of the 35mm lens. I am sure when someone does a head on comparison of the Angenieux 35mm f/0.95, Mitakon 35mm f/0.95, and the SLR Magic 35mm T0.95 we will know these are 3 unique lenses and not as you described. Maybe someone with the Angenieux 35mm f/0.95 and Mitakon 35mm f/0.95 can send a copy to Steve for a head on comparison test to straighten out the facts?

   • Not The same lens.

9. What makes me laugh is the “soon to be released”. You can buy the 35-0.95 on E-bay for 750$ since more than a month. D-Zone offers it and some companies in Korea.

   • Ben,

     You seem to be confused. There are two other 35mm f/0.95 lenses in the market but it is not the same as our 35mm T0.95 lens that is not released yet.

   • Not the same lens.

10. Can’t wait for your review on these. I’ve got the 35 T1.4 for about 2 weeks now and loved it so far. Yes it’s much heavier than my CV 35/1.4 but it seems to balance quite well on my XE-1. Starting from T2.0 it starts to produce sharp images. The shortest focus distance of .3 meter is a huge win over the CV 35/1.4 for my use as I take a lot of photos with my baby.

    Not so sure if I would be moved by your review on the T.95 and place an order after reading your review.

    Cheers,
    Michael

11. I’ve just ordered the 35mm T1.4. I look at the samples from:

    http://www.lensporn.net/2012/12/slr-magic-35mm-t14-rolling-review-part-2.html

    and it seemed very good for the price. I also own the Sigma 30mm 2.8 and the Sony 50mm 1.8 (Which I like very much) but I would like something faster and not that long; the 75mm is nice, but not always. And since I have 4 of the old 50mm (Olympus, Rokinon, Minolta and Yashica that I got for less than 10USD each) I’m used to manually focus.

    Looking forward to test it and to read the Steve Review!

    Regards

12. Hi Steve,

    I saw someone commented on comparing HyperPrime 35/T0.95 to the Voigtlander Nokton 35mm F1.2 ASPH (V1), but haven’t seen anyone comparing this to V2.

    After reading your article I’m really considering to buy 35/T0.95 to go with my NEX but not quite certain yet, so may I have your opinion which one to get If I am aiming to get the similar result as Canon EF 50mm f/1.2 L USM Lens (mounted on 5D)?

    HyperPrime 35/T0.95 or Voigtlander Nokton 35mm F1.2 ASPH (V2)?
    (considering Voigtlander due to its smaller size) but really wonder on finding out about quality here.

13. I’ve got the SLR Magic 35mm 1.4 E-mount lens and have shot a Beverly Hills party with it. Those shots are here:
    http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151387506790763.538131.544700762

    I still need to test it out in the daytime. But I have plenty of thoughts so far.

    VERY IMPRESSED. This lens is SHARP! I’m not a pro like many of you, I’m a hobbyist, and relatively new as I’ve only upgraded from a point and shoot to an NEX about 2 years ago. With my NEX-5n I generally cycle between my Zeiss 24mm 1.8 E-mount and my Voigtlander 35mm 1.4 M-mount adapted to E-mount. I almost never touch any of the other 6 lenses I own. I can’t believe that for a fraction of the price, the SLR Magic 35mm 1.4 is much sharper than the Zeiss 24mm 1.8, making this the sharpest lens I’ve ever owned.

    Lens feels SOLID and heavy, everything feels tight. Though, the size and weight and lack of image stabilization make it difficult for me to shoot low light shots without flash, like I’m able to with the Zeiss 24mm 1.8 without much blurring. Maybe I just need to get better at keeping stable, but for most of the shots in the album above I used flash and cranked the aperture to around 4.5 or 5.

    Without flash:
    http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151387506835763&set=a.10151387506790763.538131.544700762
    http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151387506950763&set=a.10151387506790763.538131.544700762

    With flash:
    http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151387506910763&set=a.10151387506790763.538131.544700762
    http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151387507595763&set=a.10151387506790763.538131.544700762
    http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151387507240763&set=a.10151387506790763.538131.544700762

    I mis-focused slightly here, but you can see that the bokeh is a lot nicer than the Voigtlander 35mm 1.4
    http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151387506880763&set=a.10151387506790763.538131.544700762

    For it’s price/performance the SLR 35mm 1.4 is VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. It’s punching with the big boys that cost several times the price.

    • Clearly I need to be going to your parties. On a more serious note, I’ve taken a few test shots with the 1.4 so far and it’s fantastic. The build is so solid, the images are sharp and the bokeh is beautiful.

      • Well condensed into a couple sentences!

14. Hmm… It seems that the trade-in program only applies to the 35mm T1.4 version and not to the 35mm T0.95 version which I’m more interested in…

15. I fail to see the point for the 35/1.4. There are Fuji 35/1.4, Sony 35/1.8 OSS (!), Olympus 45/1.8 and 17/1.8 (announced), Panasonic 25/1.4, all not that more expensive, fully integrated into the system´s AF etc.. Unless you are into orchestrated video shots with manual focus pulling, for which you need a tripod and a camera assistant. Further any lens beyond 200g in my opinion feels odd on these light camera bodies.

16. I just ordered the 35 T 1.4 for my Panasonic GX1 and I’m looking forward to testing it out. I noticed it on Adorama (couldn’t find it on BH) and I couldn’t believe the price – I thought it might be one of SLR Magic’s toy lenses, but grotesquely overpriced.

17. man oh man, when I read some of the comments… what a bunch of rich, bourgeois, spoiled, photographers…

    Anyway: best wishes for 2013 to everybody, especially to Steve! Never give up the good work !!

    • NO, YOU LIE! LOL

18. I like to hear myself talk. Sorry.

19. Hi Steve,

    In your article you compare the price of the HyperPrime 35/T0.95 to the Voigtlander Nokton 35mm F1.4 but I guess you meant the Nokton 35mm F1.2 ASPH (as linked to)?

    For those who are interested in a comparison of that lens to the Nokton 35mm F1.2 ASPH (V1) and a fullframe (D800E) with a 50mm F1.4, please visit:
    http://3d-kraft.de/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=134&catid=40&Itemid=2

    Best regards and a happy new 2013
    Helge

20. Maybe I missed this, but where are these lenses designed and manufactured?

    China, I’m assuming…?

    • Our lenses are either made in China, Hong Kong, or Japan. None of our lenses are made in Korea.

21. For me, the coming wave of full frame options is making these crop-frame lenses a lot less sexy. It seems evident that in 5 years we will have small, reasonably priced FF interchangeable lens cameras that will make these lenses obsolete.

    Even on crop sensors these lenses offer no advantage in size over full frame M mount lenses in the same focal length. I’d much rather have an old Summicron 35 or even the Voigtlander 35 1.4 than these things poking out of a tiny camera like the NEX.

    • +1

      • and +1.
        It honestly seems to me ( While it is nice to see something different ) that these are just for people who want to spend more money on something new.
        Big, heavy..and if you really do have a bokeh fetish look at some of the lovely old lenses on the market that can give you similar results for half the size and money like some of the old M lenses. By the way it looks like hard work screwing those lens caps on and off!
        As much as I can appreciate the feel and look and perhaps picture taking potential of lenses like these I doubt if I would really go to the effort of carrying these things around. My 135 telyt M (wonderful as it is) often gets left at home for the same reason.Shame on me!

    • You are comparing a $2700 small M lens to the $200 SLR Magic lens. You might as well say the leather in the Bentley is better than the leather from a Lexus. Maybe you have deep pockets….i dont know

    • Thats a good point, soon full size sensors will be mainstream and from 2014/15, we would prob have a few options.. its just the wait. I want to buy a new camera and i think i will settle for the Fuji x200 when its out and sit pretty till the the following years when the full size sensors take the stage 🙂

22. Can any of these lenses be used on cameras with a Canon EOS mount with adapter. Thanks

    • No.

    • They have it for the EOS M mount

23. These certainly give a new meaning to “small” and “portable” cameras, which I thought was the most important raison d’être for Nex’es and so on.

    • fast lenses are never small. just like muscle cars are never compact

24. Is it safe to regard the construction of these lenses is WITHOUT using Loctite?

    • I guess no Loctite. They use BandAide instead. Hope that might comfort you.

    • Leica, Zeiss, Canon, Tamron, Olympus, etc all use Loctite if that makes you feel better. Read on some forum some Russian lenses use rope.

25. Steve,

    by feb 2013.. ? right ?

    ======================================

    “We have two programs

    A) Owners of the SLR Magic 35mm f/1.7 can ship their lens back to Hong Kong for trade-in at $90 value to upgrade.

    B) If bought by Feb 2012 from us we have a $70 promotional rebate program.”

    =======================

    • Obviously it was Feb 2013.

26. Just a small correction, I think: you wrote, that it is in the same price range as the Voigtländer 35/f1.4. I think, you mean the Voigtländer 35/f1.2, as the 1.4 costs about half of that.

    Anyway, I wish, they would make all those nice lenses also with RF-coupling (those, which are for 35mm cameras), because manual focus on the OM-D is not really an option for me (even with auto-x10 magnification using Olympus lenses – just trying to use that with the new 17mm/f1.8). Instead I’d love to test that on the M9 or the next M, as soon as it arrives…

    What do you think about the handling of the focus ring of the new lenses? It looks like it has more grip compared to the 50mm/T0.95 (deeper and sharper edges). When I visited SLR Magic at Photokina and had the chance to play around with the 50mm a bit, the focus ring was was the only thing, I did not like. I prefer lenses with focus tabs for easy one-finger-focusing, for the 50mm I needed to use two fingers and really hold the ring between my fingers. The new focus ring looks much grippier.

    Best regards

27. There is a 23mm 1.7 for sale on eBay right now that I have been eyeing and considering purchasing. This 35mm 1.4 looks nice, but wouldn’t a 23mm be a better focal length on the apsc NEX?

    I think I may snag the one 23mm on eBay up if its still available in a day or two.

    • SLR Magic has a revised version with better IQ announced at Photokina. I’d wait if I were you.

28. Hi Steve, thanks for the update. Would you happen to know if there will be a series of lenses that are only for photography and not cine lenses. I actually would prefer these lenses minus the cine threads on the barrel and for that matter also prefer an aperture ring with clickable detents. Any updates on that 23mm f1.7 as well 🙂

    Thanks!

29. I’m wondering what the motovation is to buy f0.95 lenses these days other than super thin dof. Throwing 98% of what is in a frame out of focus just because one can is no gurantee for producing quality images. Lack of high iso performance of sensors can no longer be the justification for these lenses and would not make a lot of sense anyway as manually focusing a f0.95 lens in low light is neither easy nor fun. And as far as far as the f1.4 version of the lens is concerned, there is stiff and excellent native mount competition out there for the Fujis, with AF, significant less weight and bulk and not costing much more and a new and quite inexpensive f1.8 e-mount version for the NEX. If mft owners need a fast 70mm equivalent solution, the tiny FF Voigtlander f1.4 35mm is looking good.

    • The tiny voigtlander has ugly bokeh

      • Bokeh has nothing to do with picture taking, only to bokeh collectors.

        • distracting and ugly bokeh takes the attention away from the subject thus photos with no pop

          • Then you shouldnt shoot the subject in front of distracting distracting backgrounds. what is distracting to you is what others call geometry. Blurry backgrounds do not have geometry of composition. It’s an easy way out for a lazy photographer. We live in a world that is the way we see it, backgrounds do exists, we dont live in a world of blurry space…unless you are visually impaired.

          • Sometimes you do not have a choice to tell the subject to move

          • sometimes you do not have the choice to tell your subject to move.

    • +1

    • There’s a major value for motion picture, where the need for larger lights becomes less worrysome under extreme lowlight shooting situations.

      HAWK, a producer of Cinema Anamorphic lenses, have recently announced their new aspherical lens set dubbed VANTAGE T1’s. PRetty much 0.95’s, but in cinema format. Our market wants them, irregardless of how sensitive sensors have become.

      Nothing wrong with options!

    • Retow, you have made excellent points.

      To have these monsters hanging off small mirrorless bodies seems to defeat the purpose of shooting with high ISO-capable cameras with the many outstanding IQ small lenses which would do 99% of the shots.

      Revving up those who do not know the difference between full and cropped frames may not benefit them or poor Danny (8) who seems to have entered some sort of emoticon frenzy of expectation or euphoria.

      I’m a little disappointed by what seems a huge push for this brand.

      • This lens definitely killed the Nokton in terms of IQ

        http://3dkraft.de/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=134:conquering-the-darkness-with-slr-magic-hyperprime-cine-35mm-t095&catid=40:camerasandlenses&Itemid=2

30. For the life of me I can’t seem to take a lens named SLR MAGIC seriously. The name does not resonate of quality to me and looking at the way the barrel focus rings are carved out it looks almost as 3rd rate like many crappy old zeiss jena, practika , sears lenses.

    • The “carving” in the focus and iris rings denote their Cine (short for Cinema) moniker. You attach a follow focus or focusing device to the lens so that the person adjusting your focus during shooting can track your subject without putting his or her hand on the lens itself.

      Doing so sometimes creates unwanted jitters or shifts in the image, a follow focus eliminates a lot of those issues and allows repeatable focusing from marks. Follow Focuses also come in wireless flavors, for remote focus pulling. =]

      The great thing is that, before these new Cine SLR Primes started to show up we had to attach third party, plastic, cheap gears to our SLR lenses. In my experience with the 12/1.6 Prime from SLRMagic, the gear is nearly as stout as some of the more expensive cinema conversion options available, which cost hundreds just for the gear to be pressed onto the lens you already purchased.

      The pitch is also industry standard (0.8) and works with long existing professional equipment, along with lower priced options.

      I’ve never actually commented on Steve’s blog, but after getting my hands on the 12/1.6 I’ve become a MAJOR fan of SLRMagic and I love what they’re doing for my industry’s subset. I use cinema primes that cost more than some people’s houses in my daily work (Zeiss Master Primes, etc) and it’s amazing that I feel like these primes will be a great alternative for shoots where those lenses are too large and or just too expensive to rent. I can actually OWN these suckers.

      Thanks for your review Steve, and especially the video of the 35/0.95. It’s such a pretty lookin’ piece of glass, that super large taking element and the massive rear element… and I LOVE the sound of the brushed metal caps going on. Sounds like a freakin’ workhouse.

      Seriously… can’t wait to put this on my Blackmagic Camera.

      • For everything you said I still cant get over the name SLR MAGIC. I cant wait till there is a MY LITTLE PONY LENS OR A TELETUBBY-TELPHOTO. Ejoy the lens, cause if it dont sell, you wont have any resale value.

        • Look at Lens Baby. No problems with the name at all.

          • Good reminder, theres another lens name I cant stand. Ijust see hollow tubes much like I saw the pet rock back in its day. And YES, there were actually people who paid actually hard currentcy for a rock.

        • I think we’re in different segments… I don’t shoot stills, I shoot motion picture. Just about everything I have has a resale value when filmmaking is concerned.

          Realistically, Zeiss Contax’s used market value didn’t leap this high until filmmakers began to use them on 35mm Adapters. We’re responsible for that, same way that we’re responsible for driving the price of an SLR Anamorphic lens from 350.00 to 3500.00 each.

          Talking about the once-obscure Iscoramas, which photographers were barely even interested in… but as soon as one of our low budget filmmakers found one the value sky-rocketed in a matter of months.

          SLR Magic’s being well received in my community, the lenses are still SLR glass and perform well in regards to Stills–as Steve testifies to, and excellent in the Cinema market as well.

    • The “..barrel focus rings are carved out..” so that they engage with the manual focusing wheels used by video shooters when they mount a camera on a video rig. These lenses are intended to match focusing mechanisms like Chrosziel’s ( http://tinyurl.com/bg7qeg9 ) so that someone shooting video can get -s-m-o-o-o-t-h- follow-focus using a smaller-than-full-frame camera, such as a Sony or an Olympus OM-D.

31. The 35mm T1.4 would be a great addition for my Sony NEX-6 for filming since its a cine lens. 😀

32. The 35 T 0.95 really is an interesting animal, not cheap, but actually very comparable to Nokton 35/1.2 asph (full frame though). It would be interesting to see how these two compare. Anyhow – it needs to be mounted on a bit larger camera than NEX-6 – it dwarfs it completely 🙂

    Looking forward to read a full review.

33. I was waiting for the review of these lenses !!! The SLR Magic Hyperprime 35mm T0.95 with the Xe1 would be a killer combo !!! Could you somehow review the xe1 with SLR Magic Hyperprime 35mm T0.95 Steve !! Pretty Please :))) maybe vs the fujinon 34 f1.4 🙂 Keeping an eye on the fuji X200 at CES as well 🙂

34. Wow the new 35mm T0.95 sounds great!
    Steve can you try this new Hyperprime on the M9? I’m curious to see how is the results on a full frame camera.

    • No it is not rangefinder coupled so it can not be focused on the M8, M9, RD1, etc.

      • Hi Steve. Can you explain what Rf coupled mean? It is something a lens need in order for it to work on the leica M range finder system?

        • It means the lens has to be “coupled” for the mechanical rangefinder mechanism to work and use the lens to focus. Without it being coupled you can attach it to an M but when you turn the focus ring it will do nothing in your RF window so you will not be able to focus the lens on ANY RF camera.

          • error, the new 240 will have live view, hehe.

            The 260 will have AF, 280 will have focus peaking, so all problems resolved, the D-class will have a normal price one can afford too …. Let’s hope so. We call that integration. Sorry, should have posted that on April 1st.

35. WOW , These Lenses just killed me , so damn sharp (sorry!) 🙂 😀 specially the 35mm at f0.92 , well i should start saving up for this from now on 🙂 😀 😛 😉 LIKE & THANKS Mr.Huff

36. Since the Epson as well as the M8 aren’t FF sensors, i would imagine the 0.95 would work on those, no?

    • Read the answer to message 6, above, Larry!

      These lenses don’t have a ring or cam which couples to the Leica or Epson R-D1 rangefinder focusing cam ..therefore you can only focus by guesswork (i.e; estimate the correct distance) on a Leica or Epson rangefinder.

      And it’s pointless trying to guess the correct distance, and set it on the focusing scale on the lens, with the razor-thin depth-of-field when the lens is wide open at 0.95 aperture!

      So, no; although the lens may cover the smaller-than-full-frame imaging chip in the M8, M8.2 and Epson R-D1, there is nevertheless no way to get accurate focus with these lenses on those camera bodies. You need “Live View” (i.e; a display which shows exactly what the imaging chip sees) in order to focus these lenses.

      • Yes, i wrote that prior to Steve’s explanation that these aren’t RF coupled.

      • David, another workaround is the cine way. Get the Disto laser finder, check Nocti on any mirrorles for accuracu of distance markings on the barrel and here you go. Of course no basketball games, 😉

        • (grin!) ..The Disto will need to be at the camera’s ∅ sensor-plane mark, too, to get an accurate reading for an 0.95 lens, but who’d calibrate the Disto first? ..Or Larry might prefer a Leica Pinmaster..?
          (../these are Leica jokes..)

37. Steve, do you know if the 0.95 will work on the original digital rangefinder – the Epson?

    Xpanded

    • Well, technically it would but the lens is not RF coupled so you can not focus it on any Rangefinder. For use on an RF the lens needs to be RF coupled and I think SLR Magic has a sour taste in their mouth from making an RF coupled lens due to the many M cameras that are out of whack with their mechanisms, this causing the lens to misfocus.

      Even Leica is growing tired of calibrating bodies and lenses which is one reason they made the next M with LiveView 🙂

      • Leica is a mechanical (mostly) camera which makes it unique. Hopefully they keep it that way forever, otherwise it’s just another mirrorless cam.

        • The Leica film cameras may be mechanical but their digital m’s aside from the rangefinder mechanism are no more mechanical than a Fuji xe1. And practically every camera during theNikon f2 years nd before were al mechanical. The epson digital rangefinder arguably was more mechanical than any Leica m because they even put the film lever to use, Leica digitals had no lever. The Leica m9 is itself a mirrorless camera if you take out the rangefinder mechanism. It has a sensor, shutter, electronics, a dial here and buttons there, no different than any mirrorless digital camera.

          • what you say here, Nico Foto, is like saying: “hey, if you get rid of the V8 of this car…this car is just as a pedal car, which by definition is car too”.

38. Hi Steve…
    …thanks for the info. Just two quick questions, and maybe you now the answers:
    You mention two options, A and B. Are those options mutually exclusive or can I combine them? Second: Do you know if they also ship to Germany?
    Thanks in advance for your reply and already wish you a happy 2013.

    • They said on twitter the options can be used in conjunction of each other. SO in otherwords you can combine A and B together.

39. The 35 T1.4 looks too good to pass up! I look fwd to your review of it on the Fuji, as i have the XP-1. What does the T1.4 work out to in f stop land? I have the 35 1.4 X lens, but am keen to try this one out. Look fwd to comparisons.

    • Not sure, maybe like an F 1.2

      • I would love it if you could try them out on the Ricoh GXR M-mount as well if you have one around.

40. Hi Steve!

    I expected that SLR MAGIC would keep their hands off of super-fast lenses after what happened and the feedback they got from customers with their M-mount T0.95 Hyperprime and the closed production of that specific lens?

    • The Hyperprime 50 T 0.95 is still in production, you just can not buy them in the USA. Actually there were MANY more people who bought this lens who are extremely happy with it compared to the few who had some issues, and two of those with issues were “beta testers” who bought their lens at a deep discount and then decided they wanted a refund after 90 days, when the policy was 30 days. These individuals used nasty tactics I will not get into but the bottom line is that they decided they wanted to buy a Leica Noctilux .95 instead, so Andrew refunded them anyway and then they trashed him anyway. The interesting thing is, one of those individuals went on to have focus issues with his Leica Noctilux. Karma sucks.

      I never had one issue with that lens, it was and is gorgeous IMO. One guy had a dust speck inside of his and complained but that happens sometimes. I have a 50 cron with dust specks inside while new in box. SLR Magic is a small company and while not perfect they are doing their best to push on and with these new lenses it appears they are doing just that.

      One thing to remember is that when using super fast lenses on a Leica M9 or MM or M8 you WILL have some focus discrepancies due to the nature of the RF mechanism. My Noctilux was a SOB to focus after I used it for 3 months. I finally gave up on it after three trips to Leica.

      The good thing is that these two lenses are NOT for the M so what you see on the LCD of EVF is what you will get out of it. The 35 0.95 Hyperprime is still tough to focus just due to the razor thin DOF.

      • Thx for explanations and insight…

        And I do know that those are now for full frame bodys – so that too helps as you get more DOF on a smaller sensor.

        I had my Noctilux too send in to Leitz with my M9 body to get it calibrated but of course – still always a challenge to produce sharp pictures wide open.

        Cheers,
        Michael S.

      • I don’t believe Karma either.

        • get new Leica M with LV and your calibration problems with Nocti are solved.

          • Hey… Karma does suck pretty good!

      • Hi Steve. I’m on my second SLR Magic 50T f0.95 HyperPrime for the M9. The first one arrived with a loose focusing ring. The second is a bear a to focus, especially at or near infinity. Focusing is off at all distances. I’m banking on the new M with focus peak and live view. If it doesn’t work out then I’ll try for the Noctilux.

        • I purchased a SLR 50 T0.95 Hyperprime and I also had focusing issues with it initially. SLR asked that I send the lens together with my M9 body back to them for calibration and I’ve had no problems since. SLR, while a small company, is extremely committed to providing the highest level of customer service and I would recommend dealing with this company anyday.

          I think what people really don’t realize is just how hard it is to use a lens with such a thin dof – regardless of whether it is SLR or Leica.

          • Hi Kevin,
            I heartily agree with your assessment. I’ve been snapping pictures for 50 years with everything from a Kodak Brownie Bulls-Eye to Hasselblads, Nikons, Canon’s & Leicas. I know about shallow depth of field. Andrew at SLR suggested sending the lens & M9 back for recalibration. Sensitive photographic doesn’t travel well and I’m skittish about sending my M9 back for that reason. Also a change made by SLR on my M9 would compromise all my other Leica lenses! So it’s like art…you learn to live with it!

          • Hi Lance,

            I was similarly concerned about the interaction of my other lenses with my M9. As it turned out, the focusing on my M9 was the problem and I’ve had no issues with my other Leica lenses.

            I don’t purport to be an expert on how the lenses and the body calibrate together, but since my other lenses are summilux’s, the margin of error was more forgiving so the calibration of the body had no discernible impact on my other lenses.

            Anyways, just an FYI.

            Cheers,
            Kevin

41. Has anyone figured out what other lens bests the SLR Magic 35 mm T1.4 (the “cheaper” lens) because it looks to me that it is a superb lens, especially at $70 off now, for MFT and Fuji, and Sony etc.

    • Probably the 35mm f/1.4 summilux asph

    • summilux 1.4/35 preasph. pricewise.

42. So can the second one(1.4) be used on leica?

    • No. These are not full frame lenses.

      • what about aps-h camera’s like the m8?

        • I had wondered about that as well. The M8 has a ?1.3 crop factor ie APS-H.

          • this is not a rangefinder coupled lens – so you can not use it on the M8

      • Yes it can but will vignete.

      • What about using the 35mm f0.95 on the Ricoh GXR with it’s M-Mount module?

        Same question re: 35mm f1.4… does it alos have the M mount with an attached adapter?

        • Joel,

          The rear element of the 35mm T0.95 is 36mm in diameter and will not fit into the M-module for GXR.

          Best regards
          Helge, 3D-Kraft.com

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