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Pros and cons of the Noctilux 0.95 and 50mm Summilux 1.4


Red Dot Fever

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Hi all,

 

I've been lurking a while and I'm getting to the pointy end of which 50mm lens to buy.

 

From what I have read on many sites these are the pros and cons of each lens.

 

Please feel free to ad your own if I have missed any.

 

Pros Noctilux:

*World class optics

*Opens up to 0.95

*Has it's own unique rendering at 0.95

*Likely to hold it's value plus some

 

 

Cons Noctilux:

Expensive initial outlay

Closest focus is 1 meter

Excessive viewfinder blockage

Renders very similar to the summilux from 1.4 onwards. (Not a bad thing but for an extra eight thousand dollars)

Heavy compared to the Summilux which goes against one of the main points of the Leica. That is world class optics in a small package.

 

Pros Summilux

Cheap in comparison to the Noctilux

Blistering sharp from 1.4

Closer focusing

Small in comparison keeping with the tradition of Leica

Light in comparison to the Noctilux

Renders similar to the Noctilux from 1.4

 

Cons Summilux

Can't shoot at 0.95

 

Any thoughts would be much appreciated.

 

Cheers,

Ben

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If you don't have a clear picture in your mind of why you need the Noctilux, don't buy it, get the Summilux. It is a lens for specialists. The Summilux is a more universal lens and suffices for most mortals. Use the rest of the money to buy another Leica marvel - there are plenty :)

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Ben, I think you covered most of it. I'll add one bit of information more - the MTF charts for f/2.8 & f/5.6.

Leica does not provide an MTF chart for f/1.4 for the Noctilux so we can't compare them at that aperture.

 

Red is the Nocti and blue is the Lux.

 

 

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So, what does this tell us?

 

f/2.8: at 5 & 10 lp/mm in both sagittal and tangential directions they are roughly equal

at 20 lp/mm & 40 lp/mm the Lux is markedly better in the sagittal direction and comparable in the tangential. There's a significant drop in resolution towards the corners with the Noctilux being a bit better.

 

Overall for f/2.8 the 50 Lux ASPH renders fine detail (40 lp/mm) and mid level detail (20 lp/mm) better.

 

f/5.6: We se a similar thing here although the differences are smaller with the Lux being generally better in the sagittal direction while the Nocti does a bit better in the tangential direction (especially at 40 lp/mm).

 

Based on this, I'd pick the Lux over the Nocti at f/2.8 and f/5.6 - especially for landscape photography where you want the 40 lp/mm sagittal to be as high as possible.

 

Having said that, what's the point of buying a Noctilux if you intend shooting it at f/2.8 or f/5.6?

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Noctilux has a unique signature profile,gives an illusion as if photo is three dimensional.,snap shots taken at night with multicolored walls,painitings,lights as backdrop,appears as if watercolos are mixed on painter's convass.Lux1.4 has excellent sharpness with good contrast and is not even close to noctilux when used @0.95. price wise $4000 vs $10500.--difference is sifnificant. current Leica magzine has an article on making and non availability of these lenses.

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The 0.95 is difinately heavier! And Larger! When you have both, you have to decide on a particular day if what you are going to shoot is is worth lugging the 0.95 along.

But, if you want the seperation from background, or it's low light ability, it is worth it.

At other times the 1.4 is a much better choice to keep with you all day. If I had only one, I would choose the 1.4. But then I like the light weight of the 1.4 unless I'm after a particular subject and going to store the 0.95 lens in my car. When I was younger and backpacked all over, this would be a silly reason to choose a lens. Now the weight matters.

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Thanks to everyone with their feedback and special thanks to Denoir for going to the trouble of showing the MTF comparison of the two lenses.

 

I have ordered the Summilux and now the long 6 month wait. They say 2-3 months but I sure there will be a spanner thrown in the works.

 

I figured I will get the lens first due to the long wait then buy the body when the lens arrives as I hear there is not too much trouble getting the camera. But who knows by the time I come around to purchasing the camera it will be as rare as hens teeth.

 

Thanks again.

 

Cheers,

Ben

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I use a v4 Noctilux f1 as my main lens, paired with a 35 Lux on another body this is my most used kit.

 

I do have a 50 Lux ASPH (which happened, to have been my very first Leica lens and ignited the rangefinder bug for me).

 

I completely prefer the Noctilux over the 50 Lux ASPH.

 

The Noctilux vs Summilux question can definitely not be answered, weighting in technical specs and pros and cons on the internet - you can trust me there.

These specs can give you an overall impression of the outlined things, to be expected, but they are so little value, compared to actually using either of these lenses for a while.

 

I suggest you, to consider this:

 

You need (I mean n e e d) the Noctilux only, if you shoot in the lowest light regularly (I shoot mainly in the late evenings and nights, the Noctilux makes things for me easier).

 

You want (read: not necessarily need) one, if viewfinder obstruction is overrated or irrelevant to you (to me, it is irrelevant, as I can judge my framing even with the Noct obstructing a big part of the frame - I do not shoot architecture or landscapes with it, but constantly moving scenes and life subjects).

The more you shoot your M, the more viewfinder obstruction will be irrelevant for you, as you learn, to frame subjects even with a lens between your eye and them hiding the subject ;-).

 

You want one, if you can live with the extra weight and size - to me, this is a non issue, as I am fairly big, have mostly only 2, seldom 3 cameras with me and don't carry an extra bag of lenses around.

I have been used, to lug SLRs with heavy, fast lenses, so anything, made by Leica, connecting directly to an M is indeed small, light and comfortably to handle.

 

You want one, if you are an active photographer, constantly anticipating your surroundings, constantly pre focussing, presetting your camera without fiddling.

 

If you fiddle with focus a lot or are the kind of person, bumping into people, while figuring menus, you will be dead fish with the Noctilux' looooong focus throw and missing focus tab.

The very quickly focussing 50 Lux is a lot easier then.

 

If you are tempted by the Noctilux for it's crazy rendering wide open and look for a daytime thin DOF shooting lens with thick ND filters, you are way better off with the 50 Lux ASPH, as it has benefits over the Noctilux, which make the lens more enjoyable to use in the long run (not to talk about saving a lot of money in the first place).

 

When people ask me, what I would suggest, if they should spring for a Noctilux, I always tell them - try one! If you have the money, buy a second hand f1 Noctilux, try, if you like it and sell it later, if you feel like it.

If you are not sure, get a nice deal or a mint sample for a sane price (difficult these days), as they sell easy afterwards without much loss (if at all).

If money is constrained, get a f1.1 Nokton, to experience, how it is, to shoot a very fast lens.

It's not for everybody - many have issues with focussing, while others just love it.

This depends not entirely on the lens and body, but on the photographers condition.

 

I am strangely not interested in the 0.95 Noctilux, as it has reportedly a very similar, perfected imaging, as the 50 Lux ASPH - I prefer the f1 Noct, while exploring more and more older lenses.

 

You cannot measure or spreadsheet a Noctilux (or any exotic lens for that matter).

You must experience it, to find, if you like it.

 

If it happens to be THE ONE lens, you really love, even a high price as for the 0.95 Noctilux is not outrageous. If I had to choose between all other lenses, I have or the Noctilux, it would be the Noctilux.

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This is one of those impossible siutations where, if you order one, you will always wonder about the other. Once the seed is planted in the noggin, it's always ready to germinate and grow at any time ;-)

 

I have a lux and an old f/1 nocti, (the one with the removable hood). I'm glad I have them both, as I'll pick either one depending on what I want.

 

Shot my first wedding with the Leica last week - I'd usually use two Nikon bodies, but for a change I took the nocti and one Nikon body, with the 85 and a couple of 2.8 zooms.

 

The background at the venue didn't make for the most flattering look, indside or out (an old holiday inn), but the nocti still produced some lovely portraits of couples and individuals with that horrible background all but gone. Was also good for low light dancing shots later in the day. Yeah - I missed a few shots focusing etc. but probably no more of a fail rate than with the AF Nikon, taking in to account all the other stuff that makes a shot a keeper or not.

 

It also gives that unmistakable 'look' to those portraits I took (like it or loathe it!), that make your pictures stand out from everyone elses'. Rather than just looking like a regular fast 50. That's another reason why I like it.

 

I bought the f/1 to use later as a downpayment on the 0.95, which I've been waiting almost a year for now. (So it's half paid for already!). Should arrive in a few months I hope.

 

I've grown to love the look of the f/1 - so I'm now almost wishing I could keept the old and the new one, but this is unlikely unless my numbers come up in the Euromillions! Though from sample images I've seen, (check out Ashwin's images), I'm looking forward to the more 'modern' look of the new one and am confident it will suit me fine - and still have a unique look that you just can't get with any other 50.

 

I'll pick the lux when I want sharp, sharp, sharp. Always enjoy the closer min focusing distance (300 mm makes a massive difference)!

 

You can read all this stuff, people's opinions and test charts 'till the cows come home.... Only you can decide what's best for you - based on what you want out of the lens, or what compromises you're prepared to accept if you can only have one. (at this time!!!).

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I own both and my rationale was this: I will carry the lux when the noct is too heavy. Now every time I carry the lux and I bring back the pictures I am somewhat disappointed that it doesn't draw like the noct. A sinking feeling. The only time I take the lux is when I am going on long treks and will make pano's and/or need the resolution for other things. The detail rendered is crisper between 2.8 and 5.6. Then again, shooting at 0.95 is an addiction for which I haven't found a cure.

Having said all that, my last exhibition I sold as many lux pictures as noct ones.

Last thing to consider is, if you have a noct you can sell it without a loss, and you have had one.

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Thanks to everyone with their feedback and special thanks to Denoir for going to the trouble of showing the MTF comparison of the two lenses.

 

I have ordered the Summilux and now the long 6 month wait. They say 2-3 months but I sure there will be a spanner thrown in the works.

 

I figured I will get the lens first due to the long wait then buy the body when the lens arrives as I hear there is not too much trouble getting the camera. But who knows by the time I come around to purchasing the camera it will be as rare as hens teeth.

 

Thanks again.

 

Cheers,

Ben

 

There is a used one for sale in Norway. Foto.no - BruktmarkedAnnonse: 50mm Summilux-M ASPH f/1.4 vurderes solgt

 

Best

Ola Fiske

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I just want to let you know that a couple of weeks ago I bought a brand new black 50 Summilux 1.4 ASPH from a main London dealer, off-the-shelf. I was not on a waiting list. It was just sitting there waiting for the first person to come in and buy it, and I was the lucky one.

 

This is slightly off-topic because it doesn't involve a comparison with the Nocti, but the fact that it was available and is a beautiful lens makes it the winner for me!

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Many thanks for your replies especially to Reds and Menos for their detailed real world experience with the Noctilux.

 

As tempting as the Noctilux sounds I come from an AF Nikon background for the last 20 years. Having never even held a rangefinder camera in my life I feel the Lux would suit me better at this early stage in my rangefinder venture. Being easier to manually focus and the closer focusing distance which I am so used to coming from Nikon.

 

Plus I like the idea of a small compact camera with world class optics which really keeps with the Leica tradition.

 

 

After buying the Fuji X100 and usng the optical viewfinder it felt very natural looking through an non slr viewfinder. It made my think differently about my shots, in a better way I think.

 

I'm sure in a year or two the bug will bite and I will start saving for the Noctilux but if I were to save this time around for one it would be at least a year before I could even afford to buy one and that would be a year without the Leica experience which is pretty addictive I hear:)

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i can speak for the noctilux but i can for the 50 lux. personally i think the lens is magical. i have the biogon 21, 35mm cron and 90mm summarit. they are wonderful lenses, the cron is the better, but the lux creates photos that do not make me miss film. to me the noctilux is an extravagant expense where the extra stop is just not necessary. perhaps if money were no object, but it always is one way or another.

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You made the right choice, Ben. Much as I love it, I would never suggest a Noct as one's first and only M lens. It's disadvantages outweigh its benefits to many (most?). With the 50 Lux ASPH you're getting the very best prime 50 in the world. There's not much you won't be able to do.

 

Having said that, somewhere down the road the Noct may yet sing its siren song. It brings an incomparable magic that nothing else can provide. I've been using my f1 version exclusively since January, with virtually everything being shot wide open. Doing that is a bit of artifice, I admit. But it's a bit of contrivance - "six months at f1" - that I have deeply enjoyed.

 

Enjoy the new lens and camera when it comes in. And welcome to the forum!

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Ben, good decision - very reasonable.

As has been quoted many times - the 50 Lux ASPH might very well be the best 50mm 1.4 lens, ever made for 35mm format.

 

If you want a culture shock, you could also pick up a classic 50 1.4 in Leica thread mount (LTM or L39, …).

There are many manufactured by many different manufacturers, some of them highly regarded.

If you compare one of these old lenses side by side in their imaging to the latest and greatest modern Leica 50 Lux ASPH, you see a huuge jump in development.

 

I just got a 1950s Nippon Kogaku Nikkor-S.C 5cm 1:1.4 in LTM mount and I can tell you, the difference, when it comes to optical perfection is astonishing!

 

Don't ask me though, which imaging I prefer for special situations though - special looks in controlled situations - the old lens, purely perfection and sharp, sharp, sharp detail - the 50 Lux ASPH hands down!

 

The Noctilux though for me is the better all around lens - it proves as much light, as technical feasible by Todays lens technology, but also can provide sharp detail, when I need it.

I can make it look "soft", when I need and I can focus spot on precisely actually quicker and more efficient, than with my 50 Lux ASPH ;-)

 

If you sidestep later to other 50mm, the 50 Lux ASPH was no bad choice, as it remains the technical perfection, it is Today and likely keeps high value over time (look, how long Leica has kept the 50 Cron the principle same optical design in production - I would be surprised, if Leica came up with a new optical design for the 50 Lux ASPH in short term).

 

Enjoy the camera and lens, as soon, you receive it, don't push things, be patient and give the "getting used to" some time - it will be very rewarding.

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I believe you have made the right choice as well. For me it would be simple one, I would either be in need of .95 or not :) As it is, I am a college student and even the consideration of a Noct is very far off.

 

Enjoy the lens,

 

Thomas

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Thank you all for making me feel very welcome. It's a bit of a refreshing culture shock coming from the slanging matches in the other forums :)

 

If you are interested here is my website.

 

Wedding Photography Sydney Ben Newnam - Wedding Photographers Sydney North Shore

 

See if you think the Leica system will suit my style.

 

Always open to constructive critisism.

 

Cheers,

Ben

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