Cosina Reveals the Nokton Vintage Line 28mm f/1.5 Aspherical VM Lens
Cosina has announced the Nokton Vintage Line 28mm f/1.5 Aspherical VM lens for Leica M-mount cameras. The lens combines classic style with up-to-date optical technology and is compatible with Leica rangefinder cameras. “This high-grade lens combines three features: a large aperture, compact and tight dimensions, and outstanding optical performance,” Cosina said in a press release.
The lenses are made of pure metal and are designed to resemble legendary optics from the 1960s and 1970s. The lens is available in two versions: Type I and Type II. The former has a lightweight metal body and is available in matte black and silver paint finishes. The Type II lens, on the other hand, is made of brass and is available in black paint (not matte) and silver finishes. A detachable focusing knob is also included with the Type II lens.
In terms of focus, the manual lens has a minimum focusing distance of 0.5 meters and a simple focusing knob. When using a rangefinder-coupled camera, the minimum focus distance is 0.7m. The lens has a “very precisely machined and adjusted all metal helicoid unit lubricated with high-quality grease,” according to Cosina, and promises “just the right amount of torque” and precise focusing performance.
While the lens is designed to look antiquated and old-school, it boasts a sophisticated optical design with 10 elements organized into eight groups. The lens is said to have minimal color shifts and aberrations, and Cosina claims it produces outstanding image quality on both analog and digital cameras.
Cosina observes that the lens balances well when used on non-VM-mount cameras using an M-mount adapter, which are widely available for a variety of camera systems. Because the lens has a full-frame picture circle, it should perform well when adapted.
The Type I lens is incredibly tiny and lightweight, measuring only 45.5 millimeters long and weighing 250 grams. The brass Type II is the same size as the Type I but weights 330g. The lens sports a 43mm filter thread and a 12-bladed aperture diaphragm, providing soft bokeh.
Here are some sample pictures:
According to Cosina’s Japanese press release, the lens will be available for purchase in January. The lenses will cost 125,000 Yen for the Type I model and 140,000 Yen for the Type II model in Japan. Assuming that costs in the United States will be close to current exchange rates, that works out to around $880 and $985, respectively.
