Noctilux: Why do you love it, or why not?

[ohnri]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

The Nocti has a 1/2 stop advantage

 

E Puts and others give the Noct a full stop as apparently the HEX is a true f/1.4

 

Best,

 

Bill

[peter_n]

This is my E58 sideways on:

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

[Guest]

This is a collection of gorgeous pictures. Thank you all for them.

 

Also today I read bill's statement, that nobody ever became a better photographer by spending money on a new lens.

 

I modestly beg to differ, only I believe in progress step by step.

I awarded myself a 28Cron on my M8 some time ago, after using a 2.8/28A for over a year. For the first six months with the tiny jewel, I never opened it more than f:4, that I knew from my MATE.

Next year I might graduate to the 35Cron on the M8.

And then 50Lux on FF?

 

My point is not to lift what I can pay for but what I can focus reliably, when photographing people.

When they're doing what they usually do. People move. That's imo the whole idea of Leica photography.

 

I do have a 50LuxA (and a 24Lux, that I use on a M6TTL) but I only use them for pics of people, when they don't move. When they calmly stand or sit.

 

It's easy to have a look at kurtkamka.com or follow Yanidel's blog and to conclude, that a Noct is an absolute gottohave for me right now. But as Y. just mentioned, he's shooting sometimes eight hours per day. Most every day.

Do I have the time to do this? Unfortunately not.

 

imo for a 50mm fan, a LuxA and a most beautifully rendering old Noct is the set to go with a M9.

For static subjects.

Or for shooting 8 hours per day.

(No difference here imo between a Noct and a -much less costly- 2/90, that I only use for landscape, not for people. Focus, focus, focus, practice, practice, practice).

 

Luigi's remark, that he was tempted to buy a new, very exquisite piano when not finding time to practice his usual weekly hours (as a compensation?), was one of the most helpful posts I've read in this forum.

 

Cheers!

[arthury]

Well, since I've been messing around with mine to check near / far focus before I send it in (and tweaking to see if I have to), I happen to have a boring mirror shot (shot at f1) of the 1.0 Nocti.

 

It certainly shows you how large the Nocti "looks" on the camera (this is from an effective 2 meters)--compared with other M lenses it's massive, for sure. But it's all relative, and from farther away it just looks small, like any other M lens, even though the front element is bigger than the 90 cron and about the same size as the 75 Lux

 

In other words, half the size of a Canon 50 1.2L and 85 1.2L, and insignificant compared with a 70-200 zoom

 

[ATTACH]202722[/ATTACH]

 

Jamie,

You looked pretty serious there ...

 

> insignificant compared with a 70-200 zoom

 

And, even negligible compared to the Nikkor 200mm/2VR.

 

Let's not also forget the latest Noct has enough low dispersion and anomalous color dispersion elements. Colors are bright and approaches lenses that have pure Calcium Fluorite crystals. I would not want to speculate that there are such pure elements in there but the images do look like they have them.

 

 

@f/0.95

Edited May 15, 2010 by arthury

[Jamie Roberts]

Jamie,

You looked pretty serious there ...

 

> insignificant compared with a 70-200 zoom

 

And, even negligible compared to the Nikkor 200mm/2VR.

 

{snipped}

 

It's been that kind of day, Arthur... especially serious because I can't seem to get my Nocti, 75 Lux and 90 cron to agree on infinity, which messes up close focus as well.

 

If I didn't know better I'd swear someone shimmed my Nocti... and now it needs to be unshimmed.

 

BTW--the colours on the new Nocti look great. And I have to say that the M9 has a subtly different colour palette, overall, than the M8. I like it, too...

[Guest maddoc2003jp]

My Noctilux developed slowly a problem of not focusing to infinity. The RF matched up at infinity but the lens front focused, say at 3m when it was set to infinity. Leica (Japan) had a look at it and found that one element of the front group had become loose. They fixed and calibrated it (together with my M4-P) and now it is working just fine.

 

Walking a whole day with the 50/1.0 (night time) + 50/3.5 (day time) + one M-Body is a joy.

 

[menos I M6]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

My Noctilux developed slowly a problem of not focusing to infinity. The RF matched up at infinity but the lens front focused, say at 3m when it was set to infinity. Leica (Japan) had a look at it and found that one element of the front group had become loose. They fixed and calibrated it (together with my M4-P) and now it is working just fine.

 

Walking a whole day with the 50/1.0 (night time) + 50/3.5 (day time) + one M-Body is a joy.

 

May I ask, what costs are involved in such a service?

[Nikkor AIS]

 

 

 

 

 

Taken with 50 1.0 Noctilux on M7 @1.0 with B+W ND filter on Ektar film.

 

Gregory

[RAN]

Hello Gregory

 

I love your work!

what ND filter are you using?

 

cheers

 

RN

[Nikkor AIS]

Thanks Ran I really appreciate it. Iv got two filters for the one is the B+W 8x ND as well as a B+W polarizer. God how I wish they still made Ektar 25 ASA so I wouldn't have to use any filters with Noct wide open shooting color film. Maybe Kodak will bring it back.

Or maybe Leica can come out with a M9 film camera with a metal shutter and 1/8000. Oh ya there is also a world @ f 1.0 thread with many Noctilux shots on the Nikon cafe film section

 

 

 

 

 

All taken with 50 1.0 Noctilux and M7 on Ektar 100 film.

 

Gregory

Edited May 16, 2010 by Nikkor AIS

[Fotogo]

I find the M system's compact size a compelling feature. The 50mm nocti is not so small. And spectacularly expensive, of course, especially for the .95 current version.

 

If you have used either the 1.0 or .95 for your M9, tell me what you find compelling such that you are willing to spend that much money on it and schlep the 700gm monster around. Is there a compelling reason to prefer the .95 over the 1.0?

 

Or if you have tried it and rejected it, why?

 

I find the weight of the 0.95 or the 1.0 adds to the stability of the shot. What can be more fun than shooting in the dark. I am accustomed to carrying the camera and lens without being encumbered by the weight.

 

Below: This shot at f / 0.95 and 1/125th sec on my M9

 

Tokyo Bar under the JR line, Tokyo, Japan

 

 

Below: Shooting into the sun with the Noctilux series 3, f /1.4, 8000th sec on the great M8, of course.

 

Gasworks Park, Seattle, Washington

 

[esquire53]

 

Below: This shot at f / 0.95 and 1/125th sec on my M9

 

Tokyo Bar under the JR line, Tokyo, Japan

 

great shot

[Hacker]

I have a number of Leica lenses and this is the stiffest of all in terms of focusing. Anyone has the same "problem"?

[arthury]

I have a number of Leica lenses and this is the stiffest of all in terms of focusing. Anyone has the same "problem"?

 

Yes, I agree but the focus has to be really precise to get it right at f/1.0 or f/0.95 and so, the higher "road-feel".

[menos I M6]

I have a number of Leica lenses and this is the stiffest of all in terms of focusing. Anyone has the same "problem"?

 

I have a 90 Cron, which at the beginning felt also veeery stiff (but evenly smooth and precise without any play).

 

Is the Noctilux similar?

[doug_m]

I have a number of Leica lenses and this is the stiffest of all in terms of focusing. Anyone has the same "problem"?

 

I bet your Nocti ASPH will become as smooth as butter after a bit of use.

[mikenic]

I have a number of Leica lenses and this is the stiffest of all in terms of focusing. Anyone has the same "problem"?

 

Noctilux f:1 E60

 

There are grub screws on the aperture ring barrel that slide under the focussing ring during focussing. They can bind on the under side of the focussing ring if they stand slightly proud of the barrel. Mine would change aperture settings when I focussed. it took a while to find out why I was so far out with my exposures until I found the problem. All fixed now.

 

Mike

[Epimetheus]

I have the f/1 version and love it.

 

Here is my latest shot with it, taken with M9 wide open:

 

 

More Noctilux shots with M9 on my blog.

[wattsy]

I have a number of Leica lenses and this is the stiffest of all in terms of focusing. Anyone has the same "problem"?

 

Yes, I turned down a Noctilux F0.95 that I ordered late last year when I got to attach it to my camera. It was stiff enough that you could feel the lens move in the mount as you turned the focussing ring. It might have loosened up a little with use but I wasn't going to spend £6500 to find out.

[Advertisement]

Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[arthury]

So far, I have been shooting wide opened. Here are some stopped down ...

 

M9; Nocti/0.95 ASPH ; @f/2.8

Larger version: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3405/4617859736_477729f32b_o.jpg

 

 

 

M9; Nocti/0.95 ASPH ; @f/3.5

Larger version: http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1219/4610238906_45dbc06c48_o.jpg