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Noctilux more popular on the M?


bpalme

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It's well known the Noctilux is tricky at closer distance/wide open. If that's your thing.. Love it or hate it. I happen to be in the lover category. So I'm wondering with Focus peaking if more people will reconsider this lens that were previously put off for the tricky focusing.

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Quite possibly that is so. I am a great lover of the Noctilux and have used it for maybe 15 years. Yes, I do misfocus sometimes but I practice heavily and productively with it. Focus peaking does have some definite appeal to my mind, but, this is a big but! Currently I have on loan a Sony Nex-7 with 'M' adapter. It appears easier to 'find' focus but I seem to have a big problem outdoors on a bright day. My glasses have a sort of automatic shading that is light sensitive and darkens with increased light, to work like dark glasses. This makes viewing an EVF or LCD very difficult, even impossible. Removing my glasses for focussing and composing is not practical. I don't have that problem with the traditional RF finder or even an SLR.

 

This could, for some, be the deal breaker for the Leica M. Sadly if I am right. OTOH, if the new Leica M EVF ans LCD are better (much) than the Nex-7, then I may be well pleased. Hopefully so!

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Noctilux is semi-permantley attached to my M9 and I use it alot close and wide open. Have to say I really don't have problems with it! :confused:

 

I reckon that has to be dependent on your choice of subject matter and style. The Noctilux clearly is more challenging than many other lenses to focus, but not beyond a skilled and experienced operator.

 

The point an earlier poster was making was that focus peaking could be a welcome assistant for those that may experience difficulties. I will reserve my opinion until I can test it.

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I think it will certainly help any lens with focussing. For example I have more focus error in my 75 Lux which focus peaking will be a great help for.

 

I suppose my comment was only for those that may be considering a Noctilux and worried about it. It would be a shame to miss out on using one for fear of not being able to focus it easily when i've (and others have commented on the forum) not found it to be too bad at all.

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I don't have a problem because I know it's quirks.. as far as not being too close while at 0.95.

But with live magnified view or focus peaking.. it will open up some types of framing distances I may have previously avoided because it's just too hard to tell in the patch if it is actually in focus. Also misaligned rangefinders will not be an issue there. But even with peaking there is the issue of focusing on the eye and recomposing where you have now changed the distance from the camera to focus point.

It doesn't take much to be off.

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But even with peaking there is the issue of focusing on the eye and recomposing where you have now changed the distance from the camera to focus point.

It doesn't take much to be off.

 

I'm not sure if I've understood you correctly but focus peaking works over the entire frame I'm fairly sure. So you will no longer have to focus and recompose. Worth it in its self. :)

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I'm not sure if I've understood you correctly but focus peaking works over the entire frame I'm fairly sure. So you will no longer have to focus and recompose. Worth it in its self. :)

 

Hi Paul,

 

May I suggest, if you have not already done so, try out a NEX in a store.

I believe in hands-on experience and trusting my own judgement.

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I'm not sure if I've understood you correctly but focus peaking works over the entire frame I'm fairly sure. So you will no longer have to focus and recompose. Worth it in its self. :)

Good point.. all the better. I was also thinking about the magnified focus function my EP2 had. It was a focus and recompose situation... I think the M will have this in addition to peaking? Seems most modern cameras have that now. It was just too awkward on the EP2 though.

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Good point.. all the better. I was also thinking about the magnified focus function my EP2 had. It was a focus and recompose situation... I think the M will have this in addition to peaking? Seems most modern cameras have that now. It was just too awkward on the EP2 though.

 

Yes, Supposedly 5 and 10 times zoom.

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Focus peaking should be of great value when one wants to selectively focus off center. Focusing with the rangefinder patch centrally is not difficult. It only becomes challenging at f/0.95 when one wants to attain focus well outside the center. It's one of the top reasons I have one on order.

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Whatever the merits of the Leica rangefinder, depth of field preview is not one of them. Since shallow depth of field is a dominant characteristic when you shoot wide open, close-up, or with a longer focal length, I think the Live View will give you a much better idea of the image you are creating and the focus peaking will allow you to place that zone of sharpness where you want it.

 

I tried the Noctilux on the M and it was interesting to see the moving image with very shallow depth of field. Excellent.

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I think this could be a real aid with lenses like the noctilux. The rate of out of focus shots at f1 can be quite tragic- especially when you see how good it is when it is in focus...

 

I have been wondering: would it be possible for Leica to retain the optical RF but change the mechanical 'arm' 'cam' 'thingie' that 'talks' to the lens helicoid (?) translating focus to the RF for an electronically actuated one?

 

Basically that little wheel on a sick thingie?

 

With a live view- focus peaking- sensor, etc- would it thusly be possible to automatically calibrate focus for each lens and store focus profiles obviating the need to send lenses and bodies off for calibration? I believe you can tweak focus a little like this on DSLR's?

 

You could also use such a design with an EVF camera to simulate an RF possibly....

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I think this could be a real aid with lenses like the noctilux. The rate of out of focus shots at f1 can be quite tragic- especially when you see how good it is when it is in focus...

 

I have been wondering: would it be possible for Leica to retain the optical RF but change the mechanical 'arm' 'cam' 'thingie' that 'talks' to the lens helicoid (?) translating focus to the RF for an electronically actuated one?

 

Basically that little wheel on a sick thingie?

 

With a live view- focus peaking- sensor, etc- would it thusly be possible to automatically calibrate focus for each lens and store focus profiles obviating the need to send lenses and bodies off for calibration? I believe you can tweak focus a little like this on DSLR's?

 

You could also use such a design with an EVF camera to simulate an RF possibly....

I'm sure it can be done. If not with todays technology.. tomorrows. Have conventional rangefinder patch that turns green when the focus is perfect which would be undetectable to the human eye. Kinda of a combo optical electronic.

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that would be a bit more complicated though- as it would require some kind of electronic focus confirmation from the sensor as well? My idea was just for the focus cam (?). It would mean that the point of focus distance could be displayed in the finder... and stored in the metadata- but without information from the sensor the camera would only know the focus point- and not if that is where something you want in focus actually is...

 

I was thinking about if for camera like the fuji-x- if they could make an adaptor ring that uses the mechanical focus information that comes from M lenses... to at the least display that information in the finder...

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I am pretty sure the success in low light photography will be ultimately no better ?

 

EVF's are notoriously bad at showing contrast in low light :cool:

The way things are today for autofocus cameras yes it would be a problem. I think you would simply disregard any electronic help in low light and rely on the optical patch.

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.......... My glasses have a sort of automatic shading that is light sensitive and darkens with increased light, to work like dark glasses. This makes viewing an EVF or LCD very difficult, even impossible. Removing my glasses for focussing and composing is not practical. I don't have that problem with the traditional RF finder or even an SLR.

 

This could, for some, be the deal breaker for the Leica M. Sadly if I am right. OTOH, if the new Leica M EVF ans LCD are better (much) than the Nex-7, then I may be well pleased. Hopefully so!

 

Couldn't you raise your glasses and use the EVF with the built in diopter correction? I'm not a eyeglass wearer but I do wear sunglasses and need to raise them to use any EVF.

 

The EVF for the M is a rebadged VF2 from Olympus (made by Epson?). It's a 1.44 million pixel unit. The NEX7 EVF is 2.3 million pixels. I have both.

 

The cramped positioning and very short eye releif on the NEX 7 EVF makes it much more contrasty and uncomfortable to use than the EVF2. Personally I prefer the EVF2 to the NEX7. Even though the Olympus/Leica unit has lower resolution the image appears larger and sharper with significantly less contrast. Adding focus peaking will be fabulous.

 

As an aside, the Sony a77 and a99 use the same EVF as the NEX7 but with better optics and a longer eye releif. On those cameras it's the best EVF in any camera any where. Too bad the NEX camera size compromised the quality of the viewfinder, even though they're the same unit.

 

Finally, just like focusing a rangefinder, focusing using focus peaking is a learned skill. It takes a bit of practice to get consistantly accurate focusing.

 

Gordon

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