The Lens That Could Have Beat Leica?

[@cameraprepper7938]

Leica Lenses are not always the best, but often the most expensive. Funny enough in the beginning Leica was the "poor" mans camera who could not afford to buy Contax cameras !

[@graham_white]

Totally agree

[@Astyanaz]

I have both Leica and Contax. For some reason, I find Leica more fun to use.@@graham_white

[@throtol]

I returned to photography three years and purchased a Fujifilm X-E3. My first non-Fujifilm lens was a Voigtland Nokton 40mm lens for Leica M. I was immediately blown away. Since that time, I have purchased numerous vintage lens as well as a number of film cameras. However, the Nokton still sits on top (Zeiss and Leica lens included)

[@kumasan1969]

The user interface of Voigtlander Prominent 35 series was inherited from the Bessa series folding medium format cameras. It is right kind of set up. It just has a different historical background. Once you get hold of it. It operates smoothly, and you can hold the camera steady while focusing. Also try Prominent II. It has a built-in beautiful 1:1 viewfinder. In my opinion, Prominent 35 series is one of the most misunderstood and underestimated camera products of all time.

[@graham_white]

I do wanna get the II for that reason, the viewfinder and the advance lever instead of knob.

[@kumasan1969]

Well, the lever isn't that bad even tho Vitessa or Leica M^ winds faste

[@brentbrown51]

Great content. Super production quality. Thanks!

[@graham_white]

🙏🏻🔥 much appreciated!

[@neilfoddering921]

I’ve just bought a Prominent, and the quality of this camera is spectacularly good. The focusing knob is not an issue for me, since the 1930s and 1950s medium format Voigtländer Bessa rangefinder cameras and the 35mm Voigtländer Vito III I‘ve been using for years have the focusing knob in the same position. I suspect that Voigtländer incorporated this feature into the Prominent simply because their other rangefinder cameras operated in the same way. I‘ve owned 1930s Leicas and 1950s Contaxes, but I didn‘t particularly like them, and after a while I sold them. I settled on a Vito III as my 35mm rangefinder camera, since the quality of the camera and the Ultron lens is superlative. I suspect that the Prominent wasn’t successful mainly because the rise in popularity of SLRS (the Pentaprism was introduced in the late 1940s by Zeiss in East Germany, and its adoption by many other manufacturers gave rise to a surge in the popularity of SLRs) left the Prominent in a contracting market for premium rangefinders, and in competition with the two established rangefinder systems of Zeiss and Leica.

[@ICHWARSNICHT58]

Like the lighting in your video

[@graham_white]

Appreciate it

[@luissalazar2021]

Great stuff you got bro, keep sharing thanks for the info.

[@graham_white]

Appreciate it!

[@JHurrenPhotography]

Can you share your adapter setup with the Fuji? I shoot my XT3 everyday, and I have this Nokton in a droor, waiting for me to have some time to develop film again. I'd love to fire it on the sweet x-,trans sensor... Also, when I've shot the Prominent, I keep it on a tripod, for the reasons you talk about. The fiddly swapping back and forth between either hands. Shooting this beast of a camera on a tripod doesn't seem like much more of a limitation. The camera is a wonderful curiosity, but the limitations are plentiful and taking photos is time consuming.

[@graham_white]

So I tried several variations. I adapt everything to to canon Ef speed booster but tue flange distance wasn’t working out. I got a prominent to m39 adapter, tried using a slim adapter ring to keep distance close to sensor but didn’t work. So I used a m39-Fuji x adapter which gave me more distance to sensor and works out. It’s closer to a 85 u fortunately but better than macro. I’ll go back eventually and try some other options.

[@Drobium77]

I find that people who can afford Leicas will go to any length to defend their overspending, a bit like high end Nike trainers

[@graham_white]

Hahaha

[@Drobium77]

@@graham_white is that "hahaha" in good way, or "hahaha" in a bad way, like "you have no idea what you're talking about"?. Because if it's the latter, you're absolutely right 😄

[@graham_white]

@@Drobium77 Don't get me wrong leica glass is good. But I would agree with you in most cases it's bought for the name and hype and most people wouldnt recognize difference

[@sentimental7167]

Yes! The Prominent and the Nokton -lucky you! I am trying to hunt down this lens for years, biggest problem apart from the price being many show signs of separation… allegedly, Zeiss Ikon bought Voigtländer in around 1957 because of this lens being superior to the Sonnar. There were prototypes made for the Contax RF. I have the Prominent Ultron which I use with an adapter for my Nikon S2, also a great little lens…

[@graham_white]

It was labeled improperly on marketplace so I got an absurd deal on it. Interesting information. I saw some of those Nikon S adapters and they were not cheap

[@sentimental7167]

@@graham_white Nice buy! Bought the adapter 10+ years ago, about 25€, Cosina/ Voigtländer. I had the Cosina/ Voigtländer Nokton for Nikon S, which was nice, but not my taste, didn’t like the out-of-focus areas. Ultron (Prominent) at that time was 70€… those were the days… The Ultron is a very nice lens, but I think not better/ sharper etc. than the Nokton. Flares against direct sunlight.

[@colelowery1838]

canon p????

[@graham_white]

?

[@sentimental7167]

Yes, the Canon RF 1,4/ 50mm is a great lens too, prefer it to the equivalent by Nikon… (but came a little later, around 1960 or so)

[@Astyanaz]

Voigtlander was known for making great lenses and putting them on awkward cameras. Another example is the incredible Heliar which they put on the Superb TLR. One reason for this is that they went so far out of their way not to use other firms patents.

[@graham_white]

makes sense. They took risks and did some cool stuff but yeah to their own detriment I suppose.

[@qingyunwang3802]

Scientifically, Nokton is better than the 1950s Leica 50mm Xenon (Summarit) by and large, with higher contrast and better coma & CA corrections. That shouldn’t come as a surprise, since both lenses were designed by the same person, Dr. A. W. Tronnier, but Nokton was designed 15 years later than the Xenon and used more advanced glass.

[@graham_white]

Interesting bit of information