The gradual roll-out of the Nokton 75mm f/1.5 continues - now it's the turn of Sony shooters to get this portrait prime
(Image credit: Voigtländer)
We're used to a new third-party lens being launched simultaneously in several mount options, but for the Nokton 75mm f/1.5 Aspherical, Voigtländer has adopted a staged release schedule. The lens was first released for Leica users, before being rolled out to Canon RF shooters in March this year. Then in April it was the turn of Nikon Z users to get in on the action, and now Voigtländer has announced the lens is officially getting a Sony E-mount launch.
Unlike a completely manual lens which can be adapted for multiple mounts with relative ease, the Nokton 75mm f/1.5 Aspherical does have electronic contacts for communication with the host camera body, so these must be re-engineered during the mount conversion. The inclusion of electronic lens-body communication enables features like Exif data recording, automatic live-view magnification when the focus ring is turned, and compatibility with Sony's 5-axis in-body image stabilisation (in camera bodies which offer this feature).
The Nokton 75mm f/1.5 Aspherical is a full-frame lens, and though it lacks autofocus, it's claimed that the all-metal helicoid focus mechanism offers high precision, and is also tuned with the aid of high quality grease to provide optimal resistance for silky-smooth focus adjustments.
The aperture ring can cycle through the lens's f/1.5-f/32 iris range either seamlessly or in clicked f-stops, thanks to the built-in switching mechanism. The aperture itself is a 12-blade unit, making the iris very well rounded. This should in turn provide smoother out of focus areas and creamier bokeh.
(Image credit: Voigtländer)
7 lens elements are arranged in 6 groups, with a single aspherical element at the back of the stack. The Sony version of the lens is 73.9mm long, 74mm in diameter, and weighs 515g; making it marginally shorter and lighter than the Nikon Z-mount version previously released. The E-mount variant also has a slightly longer minimum shooting distance of 0.55m (0.5m for the Z-mount edition). Full specs below:
(Image credit: Voigtländer)
The Voigtländer Nokton 75mm f/1.5 Aspherical lens for Sony E will cost ¥135,000 in Japan - at the time of writing that equates to approximately $858 / £676 / AU$1,296. The lens is expected to go on sale in Japan in July, though a global launch date has not yet been announced.
Ben is the Imaging Labs manager, responsible for all the testing on Digital Camera World and across the entire photography portfolio at Future. Whether he's in the lab testing the sharpness of new lenses, the resolution of the latest image sensors, the zoom range of monster bridge cameras or even the latest camera phones, Ben is our go-to guy for technical insight. He's also the team's man-at-arms when it comes to camera bags, filters, memory cards, and all manner of camera accessories – his lab is a bit like the Batcave of photography! With years of experience trialling and testing kit, he's a human encyclopedia of benchmarks when it comes to recommending the best buys.
