Cosina has been creating Voigtlander lenses since 1999, a tradition that they still continue in the digital era. Over the years, we have seen various focal ranges, including Voigtlander 40mm Ultron, 21mm f1.4 Nokton, and Color-Skopar 18mm f2.8. And now, after the launch of Voigtlander 50mm f1.2, the company is working on a new Nokton patent, which could be liked by APS-C users. Here’s a quick look at what the patent states.
On April 9, 2025, Cosina filed a patent for two lenses: the NOKTON 50mm F1.2 and the 70mm F1.2. According to the patent application, P2023058577 (via Asobinet), the new imaging lenses will help enthusiasts with better focus, compactness, weight, and aberrations. It is odd that Cosina is on the Voigtlander 50mm f1.2 when a similar lens has already hit the market. Could this be an updated version? We aren’t sure.
50mm F1.2
- Focal Length: 48.5mm
- F-Stop: 1.23
- Half Angle of View: 16.28 degrees
70mm F1.2
- Focal Length: 72.8mm
- F-Stop: 1.23
- Half Angle of View: 10.89 degrees
Per the patent, Cosina Voigtlander designs both lenses to offer better performance while overcoming the challenges seen in existing Nokton lenses. The patent is also going to help APS-C photographers get better designs with more lightweight and compact lenses in the market. There is also the improvement in low-light performance that the company aims to help with. Thus, these focal ranges will be perfect for anyone who wants to shoot at night, or against the light.
At the Phoblographer, we haven’t had the opportunity to test Voigtlander 50mm, but we have tested the 17.5mm f0.95, the 21mm f1.4, and the 10.5mm f0.95. And we have always found the Voigtlander Nokton series exceptionally great. The lens offers great soft bokeh, image quality, sharpness, and character. As we said in our review of the 21mm lens: “Voigtlander’s Nokton is an ideal choice for both full-frame and crop sensor Sony cameras. The lens has loads of character and creates images with plenty of sharpness, vibrance, and contrast. The photographs require minimal editing, if any. Imperfections are scarce and easily corrected.”
Similarly, we believe the optical quality of the lenses would be great, allowing ample character to portrait photographers. However, the challenge we wish the lenses address is weather sealing, which some Voigtlander lenses don’t have or may have partially. If weather sealing becomes a norm, then a lot of portrait photographers will be able to shoot outdoors without having to worry about their gear.
Overall, we are excited to see what Cosina creates in the Voigtlander lineup. A lens with weather resistance and a better price tag (due to the ongoing tariff war) will certainly be liked by a crop format photographer. For instance, when paired with Fujifilm’s film simulations, photographers can achieve exceptional results, which will also help them save time in post-processing. This allows photographers more time to focus on their craft and create more images. Until then, stay tuned for more.
