Voigtländer Nokton 23mm f/1.2 Aspherical 23mm
Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS
What Buyers Say
Voigtländer Nokton 23mm f/1.2 Aspherical 23mm
The Voigtlander Nokton 23mm f/1.2 is a manual focus lens that delivers beautiful character, good sharpness, and excellent build quality. Users appreciate its compact size, fast aperture, and electronic coupling, though some note heavy vignetting and a lack of weather sealing. Overall, it is a solid choice for street photography and creative work, with a few trade-offs in clarity at wide apertures.
Pros
- Beautiful image character and bokeh
- Compact and lightweight design
- Excellent build quality
- Fast f/1.2 aperture
- Electronic coupling with camera
Cons
- Heavy vignetting at wide apertures
- No weather sealing
- Manual focus only (no autofocus)
- Softness/glow at f/1.2
- No image stabilization
Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS
The Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS lens is widely praised as an excellent all-in-one travel and walkaround lens for APS-C E-mount cameras. Users consistently highlight its sharpness, compact size, light weight, and versatile 27-200mm equivalent zoom range. While many note it is not ideal for low light and some report significant vignetting at the wide end, the overall sentiment is very positive, with most considering it a great value kit lens upgrade.
Pros
- Sharp image quality
- Compact and lightweight
- Versatile 27-200mm equivalent zoom range
- Effective optical image stabilization
- Fast and accurate autofocus
Cons
- Significant vignetting at 18mm wide end
- Not ideal for low light photography
- Variable aperture limits brightness at telephoto
- Some copies may have quality control issues
- Slight autofocus lag compared to premium lenses
Scores
Specifications
| Voigtländer Nokton 23mm f/1.2 Aspherical 23mm | Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS | |
|---|---|---|
| Optics | ||
| Type | prime | zoom |
| Focal Length Min | 23 mm | 18 mm |
| Focal Length Max | 23 mm | 135 mm |
| Elements | 10 | 16 |
| Groups | 6 | 12 |
| Aspherical Elements | 1 | 1 |
| ED Elements | 2 | 2 |
| Aperture | ||
| Max Aperture | f/16 | f/3.5 |
| Min Aperture | f/1.2 | 3.5-5.6 |
| Constant | ✓★ | ✗ |
| Diaphragm Blades | 12★ | 7 |
| Build | ||
| Mount | Nikon Z | Sony E |
| Format | APS-C | APS-C |
| Weather Sealed | ✗ | ✗ |
| Weight | 0.22 kg★ | 0.33 kg |
| Filter Thread | 46 mm | 55 mm |
| AF & Stabilization | ||
| AF Type | manual focus only | Linear motor★ |
| Stabilization | ✗ | ✓★ |
| Focus | ||
| Min Focus Distance | 180 mm★ | 450 mm |
| Max Magnification | 1:4.9★ | 0.29x |
Pros & Cons
Voigtländer Nokton 23mm f/1.2 Aspherical 23mm
- Strong macro (84th percentile)84th %ile
- Strong build (82nd percentile)82nd %ile
- Below average af (15th percentile)15th %ile
- Below average user sentiment (32nd percentile)
- Below average versatility (33rd percentile)
- Below average stabilization (34th percentile)
Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS
- Strong af (98th percentile)98th %ile
- Strong versatility (96th percentile)96th %ile
- Strong social proof (91st percentile)91st %ile
- Strong aperture (83rd percentile)83rd %ile
Verdict
Scores 92 overall, wins 9 of 9 usage categories and 2 of 20 specs.