Noctilux f/0.95 or Summilux 50 ASPH or both?

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[Guest]

And the more it goes up in price, the less people actually buy it. Even used. I've seen the same mint Noctilux 0.95 for sale 2nd hand here for 4-5 months straight, and nobody has bought it, even if it's listed 20% off retail price. I tried to sell my own last summer (when there was more movement in the 2nd hand market for Leica glass, it seems to have stagnated now, at least here). I spent two months selling it, and then only just broke even on a mint one that I bought for 20% off the normal retail cost of it.

 

All the Summilux lenses sell for less 2nd hand now than they did 1-2 years ago. Everywhere.

 

So investing in Leica glass nowadays doesn't seem like a good option, unless you plan to own the lens for 10+ years maybe.

If you use it (carefully) it does. Isn't this the primary reason to buy a lens?

[Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS]

What is the difference between a Sponsoring member and a Erfahrener Benutzer?

I think the Erfahrener Benutzer is someone from the Philippines and a sponcering member is english 

[indergaard]

I think the Erfahrener Benutzer is someone from the Philippines and a sponcering member is english

Learn 2 German

[Jan1985]

And the more it goes up in price, the less people actually buy it. Even used. I've seen the same mint Noctilux 0.95 for sale 2nd hand here for 4-5 months straight, and nobody has bought it, even if it's listed 20% off retail price. I tried to sell my own last summer (when there was more movement in the 2nd hand market for Leica glass, it seems to have stagnated now, at least here). I spent two months selling it, and then only just broke even on a mint one that I bought for 20% off the normal retail cost of it.

 

All the Summilux lenses sell for less 2nd hand now than they did 1-2 years ago. Everywhere.

 

So investing in Leica glass nowadays doesn't seem like a good option, unless you plan to own the lens for 10+ years maybe.

 

The market for this lens seems to be very little. there are only few people who can afford this high price. so i can understand how hard it was for you to sell this lens. i love my noctilux and will never sell it. you are right. if you make the decision for such a glass you must plan for a very long time to have this in use. it is a big investment. but for me as wedding and portrait photographer it is something i can refinance and so it is also a business decision.

[Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS]

Learn 2 German

No loblem, my ingrish okay laaaa

[Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS]

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My wife recently sold her Sony 70/200 f4 that was 4 months old........she paid RM5300 $1500 dollars equivalent and sold it for $874 dollars equivalent that's a 41% drop same goes for she paid RM6900 $1950 dollar equivalent for a Sony a7r 7 months ago and will sell it on Saturday for $1050 which is 46%

I guess at that rate we should see 6 month on Noctilux 0.95 going for ~ $6000........now wouldn't that be nice

[Jennifer]

Maybe not being fabulously wealthy leaves me incompentent to comprehend how they think, but I really don't get why anyone who could afford purchasing all three 50-LUX-ASPH, 50-APO and 50-Noct-ASPH would need to ask whether to sell one. 

 

I have to assume that as the author of the OP your presumptive and condescending remarks were aimed at me. It is not for you to speculate upon my wealth or the lack thereof nor is it for you to offer your moralising judgement as to how I chose to spend my money, perhaps those that educated you failed to point out that such observations are both uncivilised and ill mannered.

 

My OP merely canvassed informed/expert opinion as to whether there was any point from the technical/practical standpoint in retaining all three 50mm lenses and, if not, which of the three should go, in that respect most posters were kind and helpful.

[pop]

What is the difference between a Sponsoring member and a Erfahrener Benutzer?

"Neuer Benutzer" is a "new member" while "Erfahrener Benutzer" denotes an "experienced member", the difference being the number of posts. A "Sponsoring Member" is a "premium member"...

 

... unless the member decided to supply his or her own description.

[Peter Kilmister]

I agree with Jennifer that a lot of presumptive remarks seem to have been made on what appeared to me to be a sensible topic.

 

Having just retired I thought I would use some spare cash that was earning 0.05% interest to try something that was a fantasy until last year. It seems odd that so many people are prepared to make unnecessary comments in what I thought was a friendly forum. In my view if anyone works and pays their taxes and has money to spare then it is their choice what they do with it.

 

As someone with a social conscience, I pay my taxes ... and lots of them. I have a bit of spare cash after working for 50 years. I'll do what the hell I want to do with it ... provided my wife lets me.

 

Please stop being grumpy and controlling so we can discuss topics seriously.

[Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS]

"Neuer Benutzer" is a "new member" while "Erfahrener Benutzer" denotes an "experienced member", the difference being the number of posts. A "Sponsoring Member" is a "premium member"...

 

... unless the member decided to supply his or her own description.

Pop.I googled it "Registered User"

Cheers mate

[Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS]

I have a bit of spare cash after working for 50 years. I'll do what the hell I want to do with it ... provided my wife lets me.

 

 

+1

Hell yea.................luckily my wife of 18 years has no idea how much money I make so I don't have to worry about that side of things 

[KM-25]

You must have some rigorous standards. Film photographers have been putting up with a lot more "noise" from perfectly exposed TriX at ISO 250 than the MM delivers at ISO 1600.

Lol, +1,000

 

My wife and I checked out a gallery showing today of really fantastic work shot in 35mm on tri-x pushed two stops that was printed to 36" on the long side....it looked soooo good!

 

I shoot tmax 400 pushed to 800 as a standard now because I can get away with it in full sunlight and really takes care of business in low light as well.

 

As far as 50's go, I had a 480 gram 50 1.4 asph that while wonderful was just too darn heavy for how I wanted my M3 to feel as a daily carry. So I now have a brand new 50 Planar in silver that weighs 211 grams and is just so darn good, cost $750 brand spanking new. For the 50 slot, this is "the" lens for me, does everything I need it to and the prints I will make from it will be stunning.

 

For my fast gun I figured out what was wrong the past 4 years in just using an M3 and a 50 as my only Leica, it needed to be a 35mm 1.4, haha!

 

So now having used an M6 and 35 1.4 asph for awhile...man, that combo is Banger! There is no question that fast glass in super low light on digital is a great combo, I use it and other really shooters use it all time in Canon and Nikon.

 

But man, the .95 thing....for what the Leica M has been renown for, that's a bulky hard to focus combo ( yes I have tried it ), so when the photographer who truly cares about making the most bomb-tastic image thinks about the "look" in a pragmatic sense, a Canon 85L on a good solid body starts to make infinitly more sense.

 

I would love nothing more than to see some photographs from the .95 that just blow me away, give me the chills. I'll keep waiting...

Edited May 4, 2015 by KM-25

[KM-25]

Personally I own 4 50's. I always regretted selling a lens and end up buying another copy again. You will end up keeping all of them I bet

I had a great time selling my chrome 50mm 1.4 asph to replace it with a planar and 35mm 1.4 asph. I never regret making the moves for the best photographs I can get.

[KM-25]

Leica glass seems to achieve a better rate of return than any bank offers.

If you buy used and sell in the same condition maybe. I bought a new silver 50mm 1.4 asph from Popflash in early April of 2014 for $3,500, there were hardly any to be found used. When I sold it three weeks ago with hardly a trace of wear, the most I could get for it was $2,900 before PayPal took a bite.

 

People talk of Leica being good "investments" but current reality ( no product shortages, 12% discount ) dictates otherwise.

[bocaburger]

I have to assume that as the author of the OP your presumptive and condescending remarks were aimed at me. It is not for you to speculate upon my wealth or the lack thereof nor is it for you to offer your moralising judgement as to how I chose to spend my money, perhaps those that educated you failed to point out that such observations are both uncivilised and ill mannered.

 

My OP merely canvassed informed/expert opinion as to whether there was any point from the technical/practical standpoint in retaining all three 50mm lenses and, if not, which of the three should go, in that respect most posters were kind and helpful.

"Presumptive" would've been if I had intimated your post was a way of trumpeting "Hey look at me, I've got enough disposible cash to buy three of Leica's most expensive lenses in the same focal length!"  And I did not speculate on your wealth.  You put $20K into 3 50mm lenses.  Speculation is quite unneccessary.  Perhaps my error was in trying not to sound condescending.  Perhaps I should have said if you can afford to buy all three lenses, why not just shoot them and decide for yourself which ones to keep or not?  I could imagine myself, a person unable to buy these three lenses, having a compelling reason to have "canvassed informed/expert opinion".   Even then I probably would try to rent them so I could shoot them first.  I really had no intent to stir your righteous indignation.

[KM-25]

Renting at least in the U.S. with outfits like Lensrentals is really a fantastic way to get hands on with gear you are mulling over. I have been meaning to rent the Apo Summicron to take it to the technical brink with a fun project I have been doing on Kodak Techpan film that involves still life's of things painted entirely black.

 

I think that lens and film combo would be spectacular so it will likely happen. But will I buy it for 7-8k? Not sure for a couple reasons, one being that the chrome versions of Leica glass ( except for the .95 ) tend to weigh a virtual ton compared to their black counterparts being silver coated brass. I shoot a chrome and grey covered M3, would want the same color, believe me it has paid in spades for in person self promotion.

 

The other reason is that I am blown away at how good the planar is compared to the vanilla flavored 50 Summicon ( I borrowed a friend's last week. ) So I think in terms of what $6,000++ saved can do in travel, film, paper above all, framing a show and the professional artist in me says I can always just rent the Apo if I need to.

 

But yeah....renting is a great way to "Date" the girl before you commit to marriage.

Edited May 4, 2015 by KM-25

[BerndReini]

The kids.

No way, they make for such good photographic opportunities.

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[Jan1985]

Here are some results of my work. For me the Noctilux is unique. I love it.

 

Leica Noctilux Fashion by janhartmannfotografie, on Flickr

 

Dreamy Garden. by janhartmannfotografie, on Flickr

 

Looking for Light by janhartmannfotografie, on Flickr

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[Jennifer]

Its taken me a while, but I'm just starting to love this lens. However, I still find it a difficult lens to use well. Probably operator incompetence.

 

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M240, Noctilux f/0.95