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50 APO vs Noctilux


BigBabyEarl

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Why not?:confused:

Unless you must have a Noctilux and cannot afford both that would be the only reason. There are a lot of folks that use a Noctilux for their every day 50. The APO in my judgment is a much better every day 50. I own both plus a couple more 50's. I would not sell any on them. FWIW

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Amen! Amen brother! I've been waiting for that lens for months! The ubiquitous long waiting list for that lens is testimony to its quality; and, besides, I have rarely sold a lens without regretting it later!

I always regret selling or trading a lens it seems. Later I have gone back and bought another 21, 24 and 135 over the years because I wished I had not gotten rid of them.

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I don't know the 50 lux works well for me since I had it adjusted and when I shoot Cmode easy to focus only problem as I have commented before is when shooting into the light the lens tends to loose it contrast getting kinda (milky light) look....but not always.

 

Not sure if the APO has the same issues haven't shot with it yet, my recommendation is if you don't have a 21cron or lux get one and then get another body so you can shoot two formats at once.

 

Regards

 

Barry

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I have a 35FLE and the new 50 APO for my Monochrom. Obviously the 50 is magic on that camera. However, I keep looking at images shot on the Noctilux both 0.95 and f1. I know it's a heavier lens, but with a one or two lens system it's not a big deal with a small bag (I have the ona). My question is, would you sell the APO and get a noctilux or keep the APO and save up for the 0.95 or F1?

Thank you

 

Keep and save.

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The two are really, really different IMO. Image wise, yes, but being 2 stops faster isn't exactly nothing, even with the MM. The DOF is another thing entirely, but to be entirely honest, DOF at f/1.4 at a meter is half an inch and is .4 inches at f/1 so we're not talking about a lot.

 

Having something faster than an f/2 makes a lot of sense to me, but I would never sell the APO. If you need faster, the Summiluxes are all great choices. If you want a Noctilux, though, there's no substitute, I have all three :-).

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Like most others ? :confused:

 

The Noctilux lenses are very well known to be one of the most traded lenses. People buy them, have them for a while, sell them, then some people re-buy them again, and then sell them, all depending on many factors. It's a lovely lens, but then again, it's heavy and cumbersome to haul around on a day-to-day basis. And if you're not using it wide open, you are better off with a Summilux or APO-Summicron - since both of those lenses have more resolving power, far less distortion and is much lighter and compact.

 

I had a Lux 50 ASPH and a Noctilux 0.95 ASPH side-by-side myself for a few months and made many comparison shots on my M240, and from 1.4 and up the files looked pretty much completely identical, except that the Summilux was sharper at f/1.4 and f/2 than the Noctilux. The real advantage of the Noctilux over the Summilux was less vignetting when shooting at f/1.4 and f/2.

 

Personally, after a year or so, I grew tired of the wide-open look of the Noctilux and started using my Summilux more and more again, and really started appreciating it for what it gave me. The lack of distortion was especially nice, as the Noctilux has noticeable distortion (Lightroom fixes it but this also crops the image by a noticeable amount). I preferred the Summilux at 1.4 versus the Noctilux at 0.95 and 1.4. So that's why I sold it. No reason to keep it around.

 

It's a lens that many people have an emotional attachment to though. Holding it feels nice. Looking at the glass makes you feel great! It's a jewel of a lens...

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I would not sell the APO to purchase the Noctilux. My bet is that you'll sell the Noctilux after about a year after purchasing it anyways, like most others, myself included.

 

whaat ? this lens has a learning curve, but once you get the hang of it is so rad. not in a million years would i trade my Nocti for an APO

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indergaard, thanks for explaining your experience with the Noctilux f/0.95.

It is a matter of personal feelings. Some users like you may prefer the Summilux, but assuming most users do is a bit extreme...

 

And keep in mind that there is also the Noctilux f/1, which renders in a totally different way than the Summilux.

 

People and Noctiluxes are different ;)

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whaat ? this lens has a learning curve, but once you get the hang of it is so rad. not in a million years would i trade my Nocti for an APO

 

The Nocti has a learning curve? It is one of the easiest Leica lenses to handle and focus due to the very precise focus throw. The only thing you need to learn in regards to this lens is to not shoot wide open into high-contrast backlit scenes - unless you really enjoy fixing purple fringing / chromatic abberations in post. And that is learnt rather quickly seeing as this lens is one of the worst modern lenses in regards to purple fringing.

 

indergaard, thanks for explaining your experience with the Noctilux f/0.95.

It is a matter of personal feelings. Some users like you may prefer the Summilux, but assuming most users do is a bit extreme...

 

And keep in mind that there is also the Noctilux f/1, which renders in a totally different way than the Summilux.

 

People and Noctiluxes are different ;)

 

I didn't assume anything. I know many who has had a Noctilux, and few of them still own it but most of them sold it after a year's use. Nothing wrong with that. The lens is excellent for what it is, but it gives very little compared to what you have to give for it in regards to money, weight, bulk and limitations (1m focus distance is a huge limitation).

 

Noctilux owners tend to praise them as they are some sort of holy grail lens though. It isn't. Not by a longshot. It's got more distortions and purple fringing than any other modern Leica lens available. But at the same time it's got great color reproduction and the capability of shooting at f/0.95. It isn't really sharp at f/0.95 however, even though many people say it's pin sharp at f/0.95 (again, mostly owners) - it truly is not!

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The Lux is "the odd man out". If you have the APO and the Noctilux.

 

But I'm ok with all three. :)

 

 

I have a bit of a "problem" with 50mm lenses. I once went to Hawaii with a Noctilux, a Summilux and a Summicron only along with two film bodies both with b&w film. Great trip actually.

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Noct is too big and heavy for an always lens. Unless you have succumb to the no debt of field fad.

 

I borrowed one in the 80`s and returned it after a day or two keeping my Summicron.

 

If you are trying to please others, they will not appreciate the nuance of the noct if there is such a thing. Same with the APO. Different story for yourself perhaps.

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I know the MTAs only tell one part of the story but nevertheless its an interesting story

 

I would look more closely at those carried out with the same sensor, obviously the Sigma Art and Zeiss Otus are using a different sensor so therefore not directly comparable

 

This from lens rentals at f2:

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