Cosina is set to release one of the first lenses of 2025 with its new Voigtländer Nokton 28mm f/1.5 Aspherical E-mount lens, offering a compact yet powerful option for full-frame Sony mirrorless camera users. Combining a fast aperture with a lightweight design, this lens promises to appeal to those who value portability without sacrificing optical quality.
The Nokton 28mm is a manual focus lens with a large maximum aperture of f/1.5, enabling excellent low-light performance, and creative control over depth of field. A 12-bladed aperture contributes to smooth, aesthetically pleasing bokeh, making it well-suited for a wide range of genres including portraiture, street photography, and creative close-up shots.
Despite its fast aperture, the lens measures just 55mm in length and weighs a lightweight 320g, which makes it highly portable and easy to carry around for long shooting sessions.
The Nokton 28mm f/1.5 is optically constructed of 10 elements in 8 groups, including aspherical lenses that help deliver sharp, high-quality images even when shooting wide open. These elements also aid in battling aberrations such as color fringing ensuring the full field of view remains sharp.
Although a manual lens, it features electronic contacts that allow for Exif data communication with Sony cameras. This ensures compatibility with in-body image stabilization (IBIS) on Sony models, using distance information for 5-axis shake reduction when shooting handheld. For photographers and videographers, this can help minimize motion blur, especially when working without a tripod.
Another key feature for videographers is the de-clickable aperture ring, which provides smooth, step-less aperture adjustments – a useful feature for those who need to avoid abrupt exposure shifts while filming. The addition of a well-textured, precision-engineered focus ring also promises smooth adjustments, even at wide apertures.
Regarding pricing, the Voigtländer Nokton 28mm f/1.5 Aspherical lens will retail for ¥143,000 (approximately $975 or £810) and is scheduled for release in January 2025.
While the Nokton 28mm f/1.5 offers a range of solid features, its manual focus design and premium price tag may leave some potential buyers questioning its value. Given the increasing demand for autofocus lenses, particularly in the Sony ecosystem, the absence of autofocus in a lens priced at almost $1,000 could be seen as a limitation. However, for manual focus enthusiasts or videographers seeking smooth aperture adjustments, it could still be a compelling option.
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