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Personal experiences with the Noctilux f/0.95?


jayvernl

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3 hours ago, Felipe said:

I knew your thoughtful review (and enjoyed the great pictures!). It's nice meeting you around here now! I wouldn't buy the Noctilux either... unless I had a good offer for a totally mint one at a very good price. And then, I had it! :)  


I wouldn't even consider buying a mint one at a really good offer unless it was covered under warranty still.
My Noctilux had to go to Wetzlar 3 times to focus properly new out-of-the-box. That would cost a lot if it wasn't covered under warranty. So during my 1 year ownership I was able to use it properly for about 7-8 months. Such is the life of a Leica M owner.

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1 hour ago, indergaard said:


I wouldn't even consider buying a mint one at a really good offer unless it was covered under warranty still.
My Noctilux had to go to Wetzlar 3 times to focus properly new out-of-the-box. That would cost a lot if it wasn't covered under warranty. So during my 1 year ownership I was able to use it properly for about 7-8 months. Such is the life of a Leica M owner.

Jesus! That sounds scary. The one I'm about to get (on Thursday, hopefully) hasn't any warranty left. But focusing with rangefinder cameras is a very different issue than with mirrorless. I had zero problems with focus with my former two Noctilux (f1) on my Sony A7.

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2 hours ago, Felipe said:

Jesus! That sounds scary. The one I'm about to get (on Thursday, hopefully) hasn't any warranty left. But focusing with rangefinder cameras is a very different issue than with mirrorless. I had zero problems with focus with my former two Noctilux (f1) on my Sony A7.

On any EVF based camera you have nothing to worry about. The Noctilux belongs on an SL in my opinion. It renders wonderfully and airy, even stopped down. 

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  • 6 months later...
On 11/6/2018 at 7:20 AM, Felipe said:

Jesus! That sounds scary. The one I'm about to get (on Thursday, hopefully) hasn't any warranty left. But focusing with rangefinder cameras is a very different issue than with mirrorless. I had zero problems with focus with my former two Noctilux (f1) on my Sony A7.

Putting a Nocti on a Sony A7 camera seems silly to me. I fully acknowledge my post is worthless but I couldn’t help myself. 

I don’t think my fingers would fit in between the lens and grip and that would be my first of many concerns. 

To each their own.  

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41 minutes ago, dkmoore said:

Putting a Nocti on a Sony A7 camera seems silly to me. I fully acknowledge my post is worthless but I couldn’t help myself. 

I don’t think my fingers would fit in between the lens and grip and that would be my first of many concerns. 

To each their own.  

Not sure if the new Noctilux is much larger than the f/1 version I have but it's actually just fine on A73 body, much easier to handle and more room for fingers than many of the native lens offerings for Sony.  Then again, I have small hands so have not had an issue with the grip and any lens I have so far tried.

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@Boojay How do you handle the weight of Noctilux lenses? I tried the Noctilux 0.95 and hated it because of its size and weight. The Noctilux 0.95 weighed over 700 grams and blocked the viewfinder. It was anathema so I traded it for the APO Summicron.

I'm interested to hear your views.

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26 minutes ago, Peter Kilmister said:

@Boojay How do you handle the weight of Noctilux lenses? I tried the Noctilux 0.95 and hated it because of its size and weight. The Noctilux 0.95 weighed over 700 grams and blocked the viewfinder. It was anathema so I traded it for the APO Summicron.

I'm interested to hear your views.

Hi Peter, I haven't tried the later Noctilux (and doubt I will), and I think my older version is a little lighter at around 580 grams.   I like it best on M10, it does block the viewfinder a little but I don't find that or the weight a problem.   50mm on full frame is my favourite focal length, I think the Noctilux is a special purpose lens, not something I need or use very often, but, when I do it usually makes me smile.  

 

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Thank you for your assessment. I agree that 50mm is the favourite focal length, although I have had fun with a 35mm in the past week. It is easy to crop the 35mm.

580 grams is still a solid lump to carry around for any length of time ... or maybe I'm just getting old!

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On a Canon DSLR a professional zoom can outweigh a Noctilux 0.95, but you don't feel weight as much because the camera body is larger and has a substantial handgrip. It seems to disperse the weight better. On my M240 the Noctilux feels like a cannonball. I've traveled to many countries with it and walked endless miles with it hanging around my neck and have gotten used to it (sort of), but it's a beast on a rangefinder Leica and makes it quite front heavy. BUT...the photos it can render can be out of this world, which is why many of us put up with its weight, viewfinder blockage, and other idiosyncrasies. 

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@Sam Thank you for your comments. Would you have been happier with a lighter lens? The Canon monster lens fanatics seem to spend hours chimping and I often wonder how many good photos they produce. My view is that I have had loads of photos accepted by LFI.Gallery mostly taken with the APO Summicron. Small, light, and easy to focus. My wife loved it as soon as she saw it and said it was a beautiful lens. Who needs a Noctilux when 'management' gives approval?

  

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1 minute ago, Peter Kilmister said:

@Sam Thank you for your comments. Would you have been happier with a lighter lens? The Canon monster lens fanatics seem to spend hours chimping and I often wonder how many good photos they produce. My view is that I have had loads of photos accepted by LFI.Gallery mostly taken with the APO Summicron. Small, light, and easy to focus. My wife loved it as soon as she saw it and said it was a beautiful lens. Who needs a Noctilux when 'management' gives approval?

  

I have plenty of lighter lenses, but the Noctilux renders differently and I have a hard time putting it down.
Canon is just another tool and there are fabulously talented photographers using them and producing amazing results. At the end of the day it doesn't matter how the photo is taken or whether it was chimped. The end result is what counts.

Leica is an experience that only Leica users can appreciate, and we pay dearly for the privilege.

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8 hours ago, Boojay said:

Not sure if the new Noctilux is much larger than the f/1 version I have but it's actually just fine on A73 body, much easier to handle and more room for fingers than many of the native lens offerings for Sony.  Then again, I have small hands so have not had an issue with the grip and any lens I have so far tried.

The size of your 50 Noct looks much more manageable on the A7. Thanks for posting the pic. I stand corrected for this version.

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