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Convince me I need a Noctilux.......


thighslapper

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I am absolutely sure you fellows with this lens love it to death and rightfully so.

Me, although I admit to owning a CV f1.1….. hardly ever have the need for such

"fast glass". Again, this is not criticism but just my "practical" preferences.

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Noctilux f0.95 not Photoshop.

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!

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I've spent the last two months shooting my f1 Noct almost exclusively. Out of the 780 shots taken during that time (I just checked Lightroom), all but a handful were taken with the Noct. And of those, all but perhaps 2 or 3 were taken at f1. I use a 6-stop ND filter when outside during daylight hours. I've long wedded myself to a single lens for long stretches at a time. But this is the first time I've ever limited myself to a single f-stop. It's not nearly as constraining as you would think.

 

Even owning a handful of other exceptional Leica lenses - including the legendary and beloved 50 Lux ASPH - I have fallen deeply in love with the Noct. It's hard to say exactly why, other than that the signature is unique and beautiful. I think, counterintuitively, you buy it not for the extra stop - but for that signature. I'm wondering how I'll ever get it off my camera.

 

The f.095 version holds the additional advantage of having a similar look to the 50 Lux ASPH at f1.4 and above. Kind of like a magical marriage of the old f1 Noct and the Lux. How can you not love that?

 

Own the Night

 

Jeff - as usual, I find myself agreeing with you, and love your essay on the joys of the Noctilux posted on the page you linked to. JB

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Save your money. It's easy to get the Nocti look in photoshop with the smudge n blur tools when you want it.

 

money where mouth please.

it'd be a lot of work in photoshop.

and yes, i have one and it is my main lens.

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It was only a couple years ago that the consensus of opinion with M users was that the Noctilux was considered a real specialty lens (read here -- something not very practical). Time and time again, I would hear people who owned the lens say 'it's so big and heavy, and after all, it's only a stop faster then the Summilux."

 

Then suddenly they became popular. I'm not sure why. The refigured Noctilux is optically better. The old design dated from the 60's, I believe. But I think also the M9 brought a lot of SLR folks into the fold, and they were used to carrying around big lenses.

 

My feeling is that unless you really need that extra stop of speed, or really want that narrow depth of field when shot wide open, the better option is to pass on it. It's a lot of money. Go travel instead.

 

Is that true about the dude from California?

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The new Nocti has a beautiful signature.

It's difficult to explain why the lens is so fascinating, and I do understand why it polarizes opinions. On paper it's a stop faster and twice the weight of the Summilux, but, you can't put a number on charm and aesthetic. If you like the signature of the lens you simply can't live without it, that's the case for me. The Noctilux, or, at least the idea of the Noctilux, was what brought me into the M fold, but I waited several years before actually buying one, and then they remade the old and it was even better. I don't have the money lying around so I had to think about it good and hard, but once I had it, I was completely underwhelmed and totally annoyed and thought, $10K, for this. Until I learnt how to use it. Buying expensive brushes and paints doesn't automatically make you a great artist, there is some modicum of skill involved at the least. So, I had to learn to photograph with this lens, and it requires thought and knowledge of how it handles at 0.95. There in lies the genius of design that from 1.4 onwards it handles like a summilux, slightly better where flare is concerned, slightly worse on the aberration front, from f2 onwards they are quite hard to tell apart. But who cares about f2 and so on. It's the f0.95, and that is where it has no competition. There are many things you shouldn't do, even though you could, but, if you can afford a Noct, reasonably or otherwise, then you should own one. Only caveat is you may never put another lens on your camera.

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If I could afford it I'd happily buy one. Unfortunately I cannot and had to "downshift" my urges to a 'lux 50 PreAsph. Not that I complain about that too much, either. :)

Barring the thinner DOF and relevant aftereffects on the final result, what I could achieve at 0.95 I can do at 1.4 by increasing the ISO.

 

I had the chance to test a Nocti f1 which if I'm not wrong is slightly larger in diameter and I did not find the size nor the long focus throw nor the weight anything annoying. I could happily live with that.

 

As to the purple fringing, my suggestion would be "know your gear and use it accordingly".

If you know where its weaker spots are, then don't use it in those conditions. And if you have to, then you might want to plan for a bw conversion. That's the way I commonly fix the purple black fabrics issue with my M8 :D

 

Cheers,

Bruno

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I think it would be hard to convince you; after all, it's a personal choice.

I will say though, the 50mm f0.95 Noctilux is by far the most amazing lens I've bought in 21 years as a pro photographer.

I got mine a couple of months ago and I'd say around 80% of all I've shot has been on this Noctilux.

It's quite simply a stunning lens with a gorgeous signature. Beautiful.

 

Edmond

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It was only a couple years ago that the consensus of opinion with M users was that the Noctilux was considered a real specialty lens (read here -- something not very practical). Time and time again, I would hear people who owned the lens say 'it's so big and heavy, and after all, it's only a stop faster then the Summilux."

 

Then suddenly they became popular. I'm not sure why. The refigured Noctilux is optically better. The old design dated from the 60's, I believe. But I think also the M9 brought a lot of SLR folks into the fold, and they were used to carrying around big lenses.

 

My feeling is that unless you really need that extra stop of speed, or really want that narrow depth of field when shot wide open, the better option is to pass on it. It's a lot of money. Go travel instead.

 

Is that true about the dude from California?

 

Absolutely.....

 

Not sure I'd even want one M9 titanium.....

Cleaned out the store of virtually every available lens ...twice....

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I have the f1 Noctilux and therefore think it is vastly superior to the 0,95.

My opinion in this matter should be trusted precisely as much as those that own the 0,95 and prefer it over the f1.

 

But seriously, the 'my lens is better than your lens' attitude I read over and over on the forum reminds me of the high-school playground. Do you ever hear women wasting their time with that sort of boasting?

 

The 0,95 renders in a completely different way to the f.1. Try both and see which you prefer. If you feel either are your cup of tea, then spend the money. Otherwise spend it on something else, or alternatively keep it in a bank vault so it's safe when you die.

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I have the f1 Noctilux and therefore think it is vastly superior to the 0,95.

My opinion in this matter should be trusted precisely as much as those that own the 0,95 and prefer it over the f1.

 

But seriously, the 'my lens is better than your lens' attitude I read over and over on the forum reminds me of the high-school playground. Do you ever hear women wasting their time with that sort of boasting?

 

The 0,95 renders in a completely different way to the f.1. Try both and see which you prefer. If you feel either are your cup of tea, then spend the money. Otherwise spend it on something else, or alternatively keep it in a bank vault so it's safe when you die.

 

You are so right about the f1 and f0.95 being so different. As crazy as this sounds, in an ideal world I'd like both versions as they create such different kinds of image.

 

Just in case it helps, here are a set of images from my f0.95 Nocti:

 

 

Cheers,

 

Edmond

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But seriously, the 'my lens is better than your lens' attitude I read over and over on the forum reminds me of the high-school playground.

 

Couldn't agree more. Nor can I say I am remotely impressed by anecdotes of people buying up M9 Titanium bodies and "cleaning out the store". As for meeting a "better class of people in Leica stores"......

 

The forum has changed a lot in recent years.:(

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Hi

 

Fifty years ago you could justify a super speed lens for your rfdr cause Kodachrome was 10 or 25 ISO and the faster films were 'a bit pale' by comparison.

Today it seems to be a phase that you have to go through, I have a /1.4 and /1.5 not really used either... bit like AA really.

The fastest 5cm lens I've used in the last 2 years is a f/2.5...

But yes you need to buy a Noct if you want to buy a Noct.

 

Noel

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I have the f1 Noctilux and therefore think it is vastly superior to the 0,95.

My opinion in this matter should be trusted precisely as much as those that own the 0,95 and prefer it over the f1.

 

But seriously, the 'my lens is better than your lens' attitude I read over and over on the forum reminds me of the high-school playground.

 

Oh yeah? Well the lens I do not own is better than any lens you do not own. :cool:

 

.

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