THREE MONTH REVIEW of GFX 50R + Voigtlander 40mm 1.2 (SLIDESHOW)
BLOG with PHOTOS: https://www.hanselongphotography.com/...
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AFFILIATE LINKS:
GFX50R: https://amzn.to/3ZHBHZH
Voigtlander 40mm 1.2: https://amzn.to/3UfQl9i
Leica M to GFX Adapter: https://amzn.to/3KBAP3l
Lens hood: https://amzn.to/3zAifU3
Strap: https://amzn.to/3GjegyX
My Memory Cards: https://amzn.to/417Lqtm
Voigtlander 58mm 1.4: https://amzn.to/40O0Gf1
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I would like to share with you my personal experience in using the Voigtlander 40mm 1.2 with the GFX 50R, and I hope you will find this video insightful.
For quite a while, I wanted to own a lens that will give me just the right field of view. I want something wide, but not too wide that the lines become too distorted. I want something narrow, but not too narrow that it leaves off the photojournalistic feel. I’ve been using telephoto lenses for too long, and I wanted something different.
I decided to go with the Voigtlander 40mm 1.2 Nokton. I based off my decision off my experience with the Voigtlander 58mm 1.4. I wanted a premium-feeling lens without the premium price tag. I wanted the character, the colors, the contrast, and the compact size. And I found the field of view quite perfect for me. And I’m happy to say this lens delivered—with a few punishing trade backs.
I have used the 40 for 3 months straight, mainly on streets, and once on birth photography. I had a couple of portraits done, but not on paid shoots.
First, I can’t emphasize enough how the handling of this lens makes it perfect as a street, travel, and family camera when matched with the GFX 50R. It’s easy to underestimate size when you’re used to carrying DSLRs and large equipments, but I can say that carrying something this small for once leaves a lot of room for everything else. The size of this lens makes my life easy. However, that is not to say the lens feels light and cheap. Its metal construction certainly gives off the premium feel, yet its compact size make it lightweight.
Second, the gorgeous image quality I expected actually delivered. I appreciate how extremely sharp this lens is at the center. The colors are beautiful, the bokeh is creamy, and once again, the field of view is perfect for me. It’s not too narrow, and it’s not too wide. I have been using normal and telephoto lenses all my photography career, so I am loving the wider field of view.
However, as wonderful as everything sounds, I am uncertain if I can recommend this lens to anyone when paired with a GFX50R. There are some things that are left to be desired, and it’s all preferential.
I say this because the 40 has a lot of vignetting, smearing, and distortion on the medium format sensor as you fall off from the center. It’s going to take a lot of time to correct this post-processing. And time taken away from actual photography is not good. But if those things don’t bother you, I think the 40 has amazing potential that I have yet to explore.
However, as a semi-professional photographer, I can recommend this lens for fun, experimentation, slow photojournalism, and personal work, but I can say with certainty the Voigtlander 58mm 1.4 is a better option for other paid gigs such as: weddings, portraits, engagements, and family. The 40 is an amazing lens in the center that produces absolutely gorgeous photographs. On top of that, using it with a GFX50R gives you a very beautiful setup that will inspire you to go out and take some photos. And beautiful cameras rarely intimidate people.
Maybe, the reason you’re curious about this lens is you’re getting bored with your current setup, or you’re just curious on how it will do on a GFX. If that’s the case, I think you will find a lot of fun using this lens, such as I did.
All in all this lens is extremely superior in many aspects, although I think it is better to stick it with a full-frame camera. Nevertheless, using a lens for 3 months rarely is enough time to completely master it, so I may change my opinion as I continue to use this lens.
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#GFX50R #Voigtlander #Voigtlander40mm #AdaptedLens