bbbonthemoon Posted August 19, 2011 Share #1 Posted August 19, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) I've recently acquired really nice, mint, late production Noctilux F.1 (thank you Steve) But all my shots wide open are not even nearly sharp as these coming from 50 lux asph, for example. In fact, they are clearly soft at focus point. After reading K.Rockwell, E.Puts and other reviews, I expected it to be much better. So, I'm questioning myself if something wrong with the lens, and I need to send it to Solms for overhaul, or with my focusing skills, or it is just should be like that. I'm sure we've got here many lens owners, so please share your experience and if you've got a sharp image made with Nocti at f.1 please be so kind to post it Thank you! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted August 19, 2011 Posted August 19, 2011 Hi bbbonthemoon, Take a look here Post your SHARP Noctilux F.1 photos. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
wattsy Posted August 19, 2011 Share #2 Posted August 19, 2011 I doubt there is anything wrong - the Noctilux F1 is simply not that sharp at F1 (especially if you are comparing with the ASPH Summilux at F1.4). Sometimes you need to do your homework before buying something. I think you need to post a sample (including a 100% crop) for us to get an idea of the level of unsharpness you are experiencing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
joseetan Posted August 19, 2011 Share #3 Posted August 19, 2011 hello feom hong kong had a Noct F/1 v3 before and i too found it too soft wide open and the weight just went against the whole point of using the M system i suspect the main attraction of Nocts is the fact of owning a Leica F/1 lens and the bragging rights that come with it, of course there is also that crazy bokeh that one either loves or hates eventually sold it and settled for a 50 lux asph...been happy ever since just my 0.02 best jose Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
joseetan Posted August 19, 2011 Share #4 Posted August 19, 2011 feom = from :-) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
C_R Posted August 19, 2011 Share #5 Posted August 19, 2011 Focus is here on the eyelashes 100% crop This is what you could expect from the 1.0. Carsten Flickr: my stuff tagged with noctilux Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkP Posted August 19, 2011 Share #6 Posted August 19, 2011 Various M9, E60 1.0/50 Noctilux photographs shot at f1.0 ±ND filter. I also have a current 1.4/50 Summilux ASPH which is a very different lens, not better or worse. Mark 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! focus on water rivulets running off flat black rocks focus on seagull focus on purple patchwork focus on girls (obviously!) Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! focus on water rivulets running off flat black rocks focus on seagull focus on purple patchwork focus on girls (obviously!) ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/159712-post-your-sharp-noctilux-f1-photos/?do=findComment&comment=1769834'>More sharing options...
joseetan Posted August 19, 2011 Share #7 Posted August 19, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) the OP mentioned his shots being soft wide open so i presume all these are wide open shots? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
250swb Posted August 19, 2011 Share #8 Posted August 19, 2011 All lenses are softer wide open than when stopped down, moreso as the design explores the limits of what is possible. Sharp is a relative term, often meaning 'sharp considering this is at f/1'. Steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkP Posted August 19, 2011 Share #9 Posted August 19, 2011 the OP mentioned his shots being soft wide open so i presume all these are wide open shots? Thanks Jose, I've edited the post. Photographs shown were taken at f1.0 ±ND filter I suspect the OPs soft shots at f1.0 may be due to the focus plane not being precisely on the intended subject. Either due to rangefinder/lens calibration error/focus shift, or difficulty in focusing to such a narrow plane at f1.0 (anyone who has used this lens is aware of this challenge). Regards, Mark Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
joseetan Posted August 19, 2011 Share #10 Posted August 19, 2011 indeed a challenge, Mark! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
erl Posted August 19, 2011 Share #11 Posted August 19, 2011 Of all the lenses, this is the one you must train with, over time, not just at morning tea break. And only then when you are satisfied that the camera is well matched to that lens. My testing set up is with camera tripod mounted and a metre rule stuck to my front gate. The gate and fence are picket style. Start shooting the rule at 1mtr, using an oblique angle of say 45 Deg., at all apertures up to say 5.6. Then repeat at increasing ranges, say 2mtr; 5mtr; 10mtr; 25mtr; infinity. At the longer ranges, you wont read the rule, but can focus on marked pickets accurately. Modify this technique to suit your circumstances. I do this for all lenses, on all bodies. Then, and only then, when I can have confidence in the gear, do I test myself, and train at focusing, and train at focusing, and train at ............ ! You get the idea? There is no easy way. After all, using a Noct should be an Olympic sport! Footnote: Some people will say the noct is too heavy and badly balanced on an M camera. My view is that that is bollocks. (Freedom of expression and all that). It is all relative to how you want to think. Clearly I am comfortable with the combo. I know others are not. It's only a personal choice. Not a mandatory condition. Another footnote: The noct is sharp enough wide open, whatever that means. No, you can't shave with it. Why would you want to? Think why you are taking the photo in the first place. Are you trying to satisfy some deep techno urge to produce razor images, or are you using this lens for it unique light capturing and forming characteristics, to put a signature on the image you are chasing? It's a tool with a personality that is different from the others in your bag. That's why you have it, isn't it? Enjoy what it delivers. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter H Posted August 19, 2011 Share #12 Posted August 19, 2011 ......... Another footnote: The noct is sharp enough wide open, whatever that means. No, you can't shave with it. Why would you want to? Think why you are taking the photo in the first place. Are you trying to satisfy some deep techno urge to produce razor images, or are you using this lens for it unique light capturing and forming characteristics, to put a signature on the image you are chasing? It's a tool with a personality that is different from the others in your bag. That's why you have it, isn't it? Enjoy what it delivers. I often think the same, but applied sort of in reverse: the desire for a good wide-open shot with the fastest possible lens can take over from the wish or need to express oneself or explore a subject. It can become a sort of technological game, in which the equipment, and how its used, and how the photo demonstrates its abilities, becomes more important than your own creative and aesthetic explorations. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
erl Posted August 19, 2011 Share #13 Posted August 19, 2011 Ah, yes Peter, this partly why I reckon that photography is possibly one of the most difficult artistic pursuits. It demands great skill and undertanding of both 'art' and 'science'. Blending the two every time you make an image is quite a challenge, if taken to it's limits. It is easy to stray too far into one camp at the expense the other. It can, and does, work in both directions. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkP Posted August 19, 2011 Share #14 Posted August 19, 2011 Following on from Erl &Peter, I think it's important to realise that this lens ALSO produces lovely photographs when stopped down. Although perhaps it is not as 'sharp' as my 1.4/50 Summilux ASPH, I could not have been happier with these three both shot at 5.6-8 with the Noctilux. They are not subjects and DOF typically associated with use of this lens. Mark 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! [ATTACH]273878[/ATTACH] Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! [ATTACH]273878[/ATTACH] ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/159712-post-your-sharp-noctilux-f1-photos/?do=findComment&comment=1769959'>More sharing options...
bbbonthemoon Posted August 19, 2011 Author Share #15 Posted August 19, 2011 Thank you all for your input! at F5.6 I have no complains, it's perfectly sharp my issue is with photos shot wide open This is what you could expect from the 1.0. If this shot was made at F.1 my nocti(or camera) is clearly broken. I'm getting much softer results. Was it shot on M9? Please post more sharp photos made at F.1! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holybasil Posted August 19, 2011 Share #16 Posted August 19, 2011 Why don't you just go on flickriver and look at all the nocti f1 shots? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbbonthemoon Posted August 19, 2011 Author Share #17 Posted August 19, 2011 Why don't you just go on flickriver and look at all the nocti f1 shots? I searched on flickr, not very reliable, many images are post edited, using sharpening and etc. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holybasil Posted August 19, 2011 Share #18 Posted August 19, 2011 True I suppose... Can you post a photo that "should" be in focus? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
C_R Posted August 19, 2011 Share #19 Posted August 19, 2011 Thank you all for your input! ...If this shot was made at F.1 my nocti(or camera) is clearly broken. I'm getting much softer results. Was it shot on M9?... Yes, M9. Maybe your Nocti should be adjusted for your M9 ? Carsten Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkP Posted August 19, 2011 Share #20 Posted August 19, 2011 Thank you all for your input! at F5.6 I have no complains, it's perfectly sharp my issue is with photos shot wide open If this shot was made at F.1 my nocti(or camera) is clearly broken. I'm getting much softer results. Was it shot on M9? Please post more sharp photos made at F.1! My comment about the lens at smaller apertures was not to comment specifically on sharpness but to point out that the lens should not be discounted as a 'general purpose" lens with respect to image quality at smaller apertures. Back to shooting at f1.0. The drift of a number of comments above (including mine) is that what you are calling lack of sharpness may in fact be be lack of focus. There may be focus shift, or rangefinder misaligment, or simply not obsessive pursuit of perfect focus, and at f1.0 there is NO room for error as the depth of field is near zero. It is not uncommon for people to focus bracket at f1.0 to ensure that at least one image is correctly exposed. You were given good advice above regarding test focus photographs on a tripod (and adequate shutter speed to avoid camera shake (still the main cause of lack of sharpness in most photographs) at ~45° to a subject, whether it be a ruler or paling fence or row of books on a shelf. Determine what you are going to focus on, take your time to focus perfectly, and then check on 100% crop, not to pixel peep but to check whether the plane of focus is out by even a few centimetres or less. When correctly focussed this lens should be adequately 'sharp' for anyone. Please post with your test photographs so we can better comment. Regards, Mark Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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