Micro 4/3 shooters are a great bunch. They realize the value of a lightweight, portable rig while still demanding 4K recording with image quality that rivals much more expensive rigs. The list of viable Micro 4/3 cinema cameras continues to grow and show son sign of slowing down. One of the only drawbacks to shooting Micro 4/3 has been the crop factor when compared to Super 35 format. Micro 4/3 requires wider lenses to achieve a field of view similar to that of a Super 35 format sensor, therefor increasing the depth of field of a given shot. For example, if you wanted to shoot a scene with a 50mm lens on Super 35 format, but with Micro 4/3, you would need to jump to a 25mm lens. This wider focal length is going to increase your depth of field and give you less bokeh. Most shooters struggle to compensate for this by using faster lenses.
Here’s where the Voigtlander Nokton primes come in. Available in a 17.5mm, 25mm, and 42.5mm (equiv 35, 50, 75mm) – the Voigtlander Nokton lenses all feature an ultra fast f/0.95 maximum aperture. With such a fast aperture, you regain that ultra shallow depth of field that you would normally expect when shooting on a sensor larger than Micro 4/3. I’ve been a huge fan of these lenses ever since I was sporting my original Olympus E-P3. Their construction is rock solid – actually built in the same facility as the Zeiss ZF.2 and ZE primes – and the optics are great for the money.
The folks over at Planet5D have taken the time to do an in-depth review and comparison of the Voitglander Nokton primes – something I’ve been meaning to do for years now. Check out the full write-up on their site.
