The following review of the Canon 50mm f/1.0 lens brands it as "wholly impractical" which is a label I would expect the reviewer to also hang on any of the Leica Noctilux M lenses; but is this an accurate assessment of the 50mm f/1.0 lens as a whole - regardless of who makes it?
I suppose that depends on how one defines the term "wholly impractical." If that definition hinges on price, there are a lot of lenses and cameras out there that the reviewer would also brand as "wholly impractical."
A 50/1.0 lens is capable of more than shooting at maximum aperture. A lens that offers f/1.0 or f/0.95 is a specialized lens; it offers the image maker choices that are not available with slower 50 mm lenses.
Yes, any 50/1.0 (or 0.95) lens is big, heavy and costly; that's a given. But specialized is not tantamount to impractical IMHO.
Thoughts?