Noctilux price gone wild?

[kwpatlaw]

Lets face it ; if you are gonna dance with Lady Leica, you gotta pay the Band !!! Everything Leica is crazy expensive........Once you accept that, its a lot of fun !

Ken

[sdai]

Anything could happen on eBay, somebody paid US$14000 for a piece of gum spat out by Britney Spears.

[kwpatlaw]

Unfortunately , Ebay often sets the price in the marketplace. Sellers watch what happens on Ebay because they want to get the most that they can....... And for the record , I wouldnt have paid more than $5000 for Britneys gum !

Ken

[asfeir]

Originally Posted by bradreiman

seriously thinking about selling mine now. it doesn't focus from f2 to 5.6 on the m8 and I'm pretty much done with film. Loved it while it lasted but I keep thinking of the 2 new lenses I could buy if I sell her. Also my cv351.2 makes comparable images, if not better in many circumstances.

Very interested in your input. Just got a CV 35/1.2 and finds extremely sharp in the central part of the image even wide open. I also like its low contrast which makes great street photos at night. Can you please elaborate more on the comparison with the Nocti?

[ErikFive]

I had two Noctis a month ago. Should have kept the other one a little longer.

[Theodor Heinrichsohn]

Originally Posted by ErikFive

I had two Noctis a month ago. Should have kept the other one a little longer.

I have 2 Noctis as well ( 1.2 and 1.0 ) and am not considering selling, although I seldom use them. When I do, it is for the special effects that I can't seem to get with any other lens. It is true, however, that this "effect" is not really calculable, at least not for me.
Teddy

[rosuna]

The Summilux 75mm is more difficult to use than the Noctilux, in terms of focus and handling.

The Noctilux is really good stopping down too.

[GMB]

Originally Posted by Philippe D.

and you never take you car out of the garage as well ?

Originally Posted by innerimager

and that would really be the shame of this. I refuse to relegate this lens to a museum shelf, I'm going to shoot the heck out of it! best....Peter

No worries friends. I continue shooting with it as before (I don't see the purpose of buying camera gear to lock it up in a safe). But it is a strange feeling to run around with some 10,000 Euros (= M8 + Nocti) around your neck (ok -- some women have much more hanging around their neck ), in particular if your kids say: Daddy, can I try?

Makes you also wonder why Leica has to produce a lense in a manner that makes it so expensive. During a recent family meeting, I shot with the Nocti and my brother in law with the new Canon 85/1.2 on his D5. I tried out that combination and found it worked pretty well (at a certain age and in low light, autofocus does help). I have not yer compared prints or pictures on larger screens but what I saw on the camera monitor was very nice indeed. And this thing costs some 2,000 Euros -- not almost 5,000.

[ErikFive]

Originally Posted by Theodor Heinrichsohn

I have 2 Noctis as well ( 1.2 and 1.0 ) and am not considering selling, although I seldom use them. When I do, it is for the special effects that I can't seem to get with any other lens. It is true, however, that this "effect" is not really calculable, at least not for me.
Teddy

I use mine. Its a user lens. The other one I had was much nicer with 6-bit coding. Bought the user much cheaper(2400$ one month ago ) and sold the nicer one. Strangely enough I see no difference in the pics

[erl]

Originally Posted by asfeir

Very interested in your input. Just got a CV 35/1.2 and finds extremely sharp in the central part of the image even wide open. I also like its low contrast which makes great street photos at night. Can you please elaborate more on the comparison with the Nocti?

I am not familiar with the CV lens, but I reckon the biggest difference between it and the Nocti (apart from maybe 1/2 stop) would be the focal length. Just a different lens alround.

[rosuna]

Originally Posted by GMB

ok -- some women have much more hanging around their neck

Yes, but the husband paid for it

[Olsen]

Originally Posted by Riccis

"... Also, the fact that the rumored Nocti will hit the streets at $10k also means that within a year it may be $11k due to the yearly Leica price increases..."

Read; dollar fall.

With the current state of affairs of US economy an eventual new Noctilux 50 mm 0,9 (on a M8 1,33 crop) will be 12k to 13k US$ at the time such a monster reaches the shelves.

And mind you....

This monster will have a tiny DOF of less than half an inch at two yards. The market segment of such a thing will be 1)people payed in Euros (or NOK, SEK, DKK etc.) with 2)an eyesights of eagles.

[erl]

Originally Posted by Olsen

Read; dollar fall.

With the current state of affairs of US economy an eventual new Noctilux 50 mm 0,9 (on a M8 1,33 crop) will be 12k to 13k US$ at the time such a monster reaches the shelves.

And mind you....

This monster will have a tiny DOF of less than half an inch at two yards. The market segment of such a thing will be 1)people payed in Euros (or NOK, SEK, DKK etc.) with 2)an eyesights of eagles.

Next thing you know, people will be quoting this rumour as true!

[markgay]

As the depth of field is so narrow at f/1 the movement of your subject and your own ability to stay still is much more significant than any supposed backfocus.

This lens is so much fun on the M7 or the M8. Great for lowlight, moody portraits with lots of shadow.

I take it to the restaurant, to my friends' dachas, on picnics - anywhere I'm going where the light's going to be low or where I want to play with light and shade.

That's the spirit in which you should approach this lens. Stop taking it so seriously!

Maybe the price rise is a sign that more people are open to the joys of this lens.

[Mauribix]

Originally Posted by sdai

Anything could happen on eBay, somebody paid US$14000 for a piece of gum spat out by Britney Spears.

What's wrong with my favourite cinnamon flavour????...I'm free to spend my money!!!

[rosuna]

The Summilux 75mm has less DoF at f/1.4 than the Noctilux has at f/1.

[badpets]

Does this mean that it still focus shift a bit after stepping down from 2.0?

Does anyone has a Noct that focus accurately at all stops?

Originally Posted by erl

My M8 + Noct originally seriously back focussed. After a trip to Solms they are both virtually perfect, which is absolutely essential for this combo.

[Olsen]

Originally Posted by Mauribix

What's wrong with my favourite cinnamon flavour????...I'm free to spend my money!!!

Ha, ha!

[Olsen]

Originally Posted by badpets

Does this mean that it still focus shift a bit after stepping down from 2.0?

Does anyone has a Noct that focus accurately at all stops?

Mine don't. Even after two trips to Solms. But it predictably frontfocuses with a ca 5cm at 1,0 and the senter of DOF shifts backwards - and widens, gradually when a smaller aparture is applied. It is close to impossible to focus it accurately at shorter distances. At least; my eyesight is not good enough.

I have the old and no longer produced Canon EF 50 mm 1,0L which I use on my 1Ds III. This one is impossible to focus manually with the focusing screens of D-SLR's of today. But the 1Ds III/EF 50 mm 1,0L combo also front focuses 'slightly' at full aparture - when using AF. And the DOF drifts backwards when stopped down. Which is due to physical laws.

Examples bellow:

1)
From the Canon combo - 1Ds III / EF 50 mm 1,0L

2)
From the Leica Combo - M8 / Noctilux

Both without any filters, but with exposures corrected to make the results similar.

[jaapv]

Hmm... I just ordered a Nokton 35/1.2. Together with the Summilux 75 it should be an adequate workaround for the Noctilux.