Voigtlander Nokton 21mm f/1.4 Aspherical Lens

Ultra-wide with a fast design, the M-mount Nokton 21mm f/1.4 Aspherical from Voigtlander is a dynamic wide-angle prime characterized by its impressively bright f/1.4 maximum aperture for working in low-light conditions and controlling depth of field. An advanced optical design incorporates a pair of aspherical elements and three partial dispersion elements, which, together, help to suppress both spherical and chromatic aberrations for greater sharpness, clarity, and color rendering. A floating elements system is also employed to maintain consistent image quality throughout the focusing range. The lens’s manual focus design permits working with subjects as close as 1.6′ away, and a 12-blade diaphragm contributes to a pleasing bokeh quality.Fast f/1.4 maximum aperture benefits working in low-light conditions and also enables greater control over depth of field.Two aspherical elements are incorporated at the front and the rear of the 13 elements, 11 groups construction, and help to limit spherical aberrations and distortions for improved sharpness and accurate rendering.Three abnormal partial dispersion elements are featured in the optical design and help to minimize color fringing and chromatic aberrations in order to achieve higher clarity and color fidelity.Floating elements system maintains consistent image quality throughout the focusing range to suit working with both distant and close-up subjects.Manual focus design permits smooth, refined control along with a minimum focusing distance of 1.6′. When used with a rangefinder camera, however, the lens has coupled focusing from 2.3′ to infinity.A 12-blade diaphragm contributes to a pleasing out-of-focus quality when working with shallow depth of field techniques.Included lens hood helps to prevent stray light from causing lens flare and ghosting when working in bright and backlit conditions.