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

[wda]

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I know this will be anathema to many, but having spent an hour looking at the wonderful images in this thread, I suddenly yearn for a little more depth of focus in my shots. Ah well, that will save me some money!

[menos I M6]

@Jamie

This is exactly my experience - both with RF and SLR camera/lens combinations.

 

I never as deep into evaluating my SLR gear, the way, I do with the Leica stuff, as with the Leica M and second hand lenses, this is a much more pronounced issue.

 

I can only state: learn to set camera/ lenses or be very good friends with your trustworthy Leica technician of choice (send Christmas cards, daughters birthday gifts, bring the sunday newspaper, mow the lawn, wash his car, … ).

 

@Bundestrainer

I like the high key look - very nice.

 

@Pico

Setting the RF precisely according factory specs demands equipment and is without unlikely to achieve.

Setting the RF across a set of different lenses for best performance for the users most important needs is not difficult (one uses the Noct as a close up portrait lens, the other for Astrophotography, etc…).

The biggest issue with adjusting RFs and lenses is, that it is indeed dead boring stuff. ;-)

One just has to take half a day off, have a good infinity target, good lighting on a ruler, to read the exact focus plane from the magenta/green edges on the ruler and work through the whole lens lineup, documenting properly each lens' behavior - boring tedious stuff.

 

Nothing is more rewarding though, than having the stuff set up properly and just nail focus, when back on the road with a camera/lens combo that was a bit of a princess before.

 

My Noctilux f1 and M8.2 mated perfectly, spot on from day one.

The M9 is a bit of a princess and does not 100% behave the way, the M8.2 does, despite having been set up the same way - a thing, I still have to find out.

[Jamie Roberts]

I know this will be anathema to many, but having spent an hour looking at the wonderful images in this thread, I suddenly yearn for a little more depth of focus in my shots. Ah well, that will save me some money!

 

Well, except it's worth pointing out that both the Noctis are also brilliant past f4 --though the 1.0 does focus shift from 2.8 through f4 quite drastically. So you can have both narrow DOF and nice DOF

[wda]

Well, except it's worth pointing out that both the Noctis are also brilliant past f4 --though the 1.0 does focus shift from 2.8 through f4 quite drastically. So you can have both narrow DOF and nice DOF

 

Jamie, I accept that qualification but it does beg the question "Why a Nocti?" if it is mostly used stopped down. No, my comment had more to do with viewing so many fine pictures which depended largely on shallow DOF for their impact. A bit like the old fetish of using star-burst filters ad nauseum a few decades ago!

[menos I M6]

Jamie, I accept that qualification but it does beg the question "Why a Nocti?" if it is mostly used stopped down. No, my comment had more to do with viewing so many fine pictures which depended largely on shallow DOF for their impact. A bit like the old fetish of using star-burst filters ad nauseum a few decades ago!

 

Because, you can shoot it at f1 - being because you need light as here (dark street last night in hot Shanghai):

 

"becoming a rockstar" bigger on flickr

 

… or a little less dark here:

 

"…" bigger on flickr

 

Some people around are married to a Noct just for the thing it's made for - little light.

It can be also used as the superzoom of fast primes - the "all you want it to be lens" - wide open for the night and crisp and sharp for the tripod huggers - all without changing lenses once.

 

I love my Noctilux.

[ldhrads]

My $.02

I've used this lens since I bumped into one about 1&1/2 years ago

I've said this before, it was underapreciated on my M8.2, but on the M9 it's a remarkable lens. It's much more stable than the canon 0.95 I had. I have used it all around and have no problem carrying it all day.

 

It's fun just playing around the house. here's some sunflowers my wife bought yesterday

 

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[menos I M6]

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Lawrence, I feel exactly the same about the Noctilux! It has been my absolute favorite and most used lens on the M8.2, since I bought it (and I still love it on the M8.2, which I keep, even after getting a M9).

 

When I bought the M9, it has been a revelation, to see the full image.

Nice sunflowers!

[Ib M]

Noctilux is probably not a lens I walk around all day, when one of the big advantages I see in Leica, is the compact design and it is not Noctilux advantage.

 

But as a special lens Noctilux can make pure magic.

And then I also thought that the bokeh you can do with Noctilus, offers unprecedented challenges in the expression of the final image - love the new challenges, and love Noctilux.

[johnwolf]

I know this will be anathema to many, but having spent an hour looking at the wonderful images in this thread, I suddenly yearn for a little more depth of focus in my shots. Ah well, that will save me some money!

 

I'm with you, David. No offense to anyone, but so many of these photos look gimmicky to me. Although a few are stellar. I have not used the lens, nor do I desire it, but I honestly think I'd prefer adding blur in post, so it's more selective, irregular, and controlled.

 

John

[wda]

I'm with you, David. No offense to anyone, but so many of these photos look gimmicky to me. Although a few are stellar. I have not used the lens, nor do I desire it, but I honestly think I'd prefer adding blur in post, so it's more selective, irregular, and controlled.

 

John

Yes John, I feel it is a niche lens for special applications and certainly not an everyday lens for most photographers. I guess Leica knew that when they decided to produce it.

[Bundestrainer]

I love the Noctilux because I think its colors are nicer and more realistic than those of the Summilux. Below are two photos, the first of them taken with the Noctilux, the second taken with the Summilux. White Balance is identical.

 

 

Which look do you prefer?

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[Lord Fluff]

White Balance is identical.

 

I find that very hard to believe when the difference between the two looks so much like a white balance difference.

 

Was the lighting flourescent? You'll find many lights of that type can cycle their colour temperature, so you would expect differences from frame to frame.

 

Do the same test under natural light or tungsten and then I'll believe you

[Bundestrainer]

I find that very hard to believe when the difference between the two looks so much like a white balance difference.

 

Was the lighting flourescent? You'll find many lights of that type can cycle their colour temperature, so you would expect differences from frame to frame.

 

Do the same test under natural light or tungsten and then I'll believe you

 

I applied the same values for WB in Lightroom.

 

I took the photos during a ride on the tube. Why should lights cycle their color temperature there?

[bbbonthemoon]

I can say that the girl on the photos definatelly likes summilux more than nocti

[Lord Fluff]

I applied the same values for WB in Lightroom.

 

I took the photos during a ride on the tube. Why should lights cycle their color temperature there?

 

The tube (London Underground) most definitely uses fluorescent lights, and I would expect colour shifts to be inevitable - they are effectively strobes of a cheap and unpredictable nature.

 

Here's a link to someone who shot under fluorescent lights to demonstrate the constant changing of white balance with this type of light.

 

http://www.guyrhodes.com/photo/wb_experiment_large.jpg

 

Clearly under such circumstances I would expect different results frame-to-frame even with the same lens.

[Lord Fluff]

Here's another link for you, with his conclusion being to shoot lots of frames and pick the best one!

 

How To Shoot With Fluorescent Tube Lighting

 

I'd be very keen to see you repeat this test under consistent light, and would encourage others not to draw conclusions from your well-meaning comparison shots.

[Bundestrainer]

The tube (London Underground) most definitely uses fluorescent lights, and I would expect colour shifts to be inevitable - they are effectively strobes of a cheap and unpredictable nature.

 

Here's a link to someone who shot under fluorescent lights to demonstrate the constant changing of white balance with this type of light.

 

http://www.guyrhodes.com/photo/wb_experiment_large.jpg

 

Clearly under such circumstances I would expect different results frame-to-frame even with the same lens.

 

Thanks for your reply. The shot was taken in Munich, Germany, so maybe lights made in Germany do cycle less. Just kidding, you may be right. Can't do the test under different conditions though because I don't have a Summilux anymore.

[Jamie Roberts]

But regardless of the lights, which is unflattering at best, you can see the other reason to own a Nocti 1.0 (or 75 Lux, or other mandler-era lens) and that's the difference in contrast between the 50 Lux ASPH and the Nocti.

 

They're both great lenses, of course. At 5.6, I have a preference for the lower contrast of the Nocti on digital, and on lower contrast films, I like the Lux.

 

Sorry that's not a great answer, and we're talking minutiae here. I agree the main reason to own a Nocti is to shoot it between 1.0 (or .95) and 2.0

[LVSBB6]

Bumping up the thread for more Nocti pictures please

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[tobey bilek]

They cycle 60 times per sec in the USA. Longer exposures should even them out.

 

Never use them in a darkroom because of afterglow and never use a single light above machinery such as a lathe.

 

Ok so we can fix fluorescent, but the killer is mercury vapor. I can not get the red out no matter what.

 

I dislike pics with no debth of focus so I am not a Noct fan.