I'm probably the last person here to realize this about the 50 Noctilux

[onasj]

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The 50/0.95 noct is generally known as a lens that, wide open, is sharp in the middle but not away from the center.  This review from the photozone/optical limits folks is representative:

http://www.opticallimits.com/leicam/860-noctilux50asph

 

And if you shoot a flat subject (such as a particular attractive brick wall), this reputation is indeed justifed.

 

However, if you shoot a carpet or rug from a shallow angle at f/0.95 you will immediately notice a pronounced front-to-back field curvature away from the center, so that the edges are strongly backfocused when the lens is wide open.  Within that curved DOF, I was pleasantly surprised to see how sharp the rug was-- almost as sharp as the center.

 

And indeed, if I use live view to focus the lens, the subject can be reasonably sharp even in the extreme corners of the field.  This was quite a surprise to me.

 

Of course LV focusing is not always practical, but it's good to know that the 50 noct is capable of being quite sharp across the entire field, even wide open, so long as you don't rely on the optical viewfinder to focus subjects that are more than modestly off-center.  Also, with practice I can tweak the focusing ring a bit backwards to compensate for the backfocus as the subject approaches the edges.  

 

Yes, I realize it's a bit silly to think of a $7k camera + $11k lens needing guesswork to get an off-center subject focused with the OVF, but I guess this is all part of the challenge we enjoy shooting Leica RFs

 

Just a small personal realization that I assume most 50 noct owners already know.

Edited March 21, 2018 by onasj

[Peter Kilmister]

I tried the 0.95 Noctilux and hoped it would be amazing. It was a sad disappointment as a landscape lens.

I sold it.

 

@onasj: sums it up well. Probably it is perfect in a studio with 'flat' portrait images.

 

Outside in the open countryside it is a heavyweight adversary that has to be carted around weighing 700 grams and fulfills no demand I have ever faced.

Coupled with that it blocks the viewfinder because it is a huge, long lump of a lens.

 

Each to their own. My mind is sealed after a failed attempt to like it.

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[ianman]

I tried the 0.95 Noctilux and hoped it would be amazing. It was a sad disappointment as a landscape lens.

I sold it.

 

I wouldn't have considered a Noctilux as a lens particularly suited for landscape photography.

Edited March 21, 2018 by ianman

[onasj]

Actually I think the 50 noct fares well as a landscape lens—it just needs to be stopped down to ~f/2.8 or smaller.  Of course other lenses are more suitable for general landscape photography by virtue of their focal length or smaller size, or both.

[lct]

Landscapes at f/0.95 really?... Judging by the MTF graphs the 50/0.95 behaves at least as well as the current 50/2 non apo at f/2.8 and f/5.6. I have no experience with the 50/0.95 though.

[Mr.Q]

Yeah to each their own. I've owned the APO-Summicron, Summilux ASPH, and Noctilux 0.95.  Kept the Lux and Noct for their wonderful rendering. Sold the APO as it's ergonomics was the worst out of the three and the images lacked character. Other than high contrast I'm not sure what people see in that lens.... overpriced and overrated for a slow F2 lens imho.

[darylgo]

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Good info, thanks. And this field curvature can be seen in most optics. When looking at MTF curves there will be dips, these are indeed less resolution or contrast but only if your subject is planar. A 3d object will show better imaging at the dip that the curve indicates but not on the same plane as the center.

 

The noctilux is a phenomenal landscape lens, stopped down to 2.8 it is the equal or slightly better than the current summilux. It's a challenging lens, fun to use with flowers where the oof greens are spectacular at f0.95 .

[ianman]

Actually I think the 50 noct fares well as a landscape lens—it just needs to be stopped down to ~f/2.8 or smaller.  Of course other lenses are more suitable for general landscape photography by virtue of their focal length or smaller size, or both.

 

Yes, that is precisely what I meant. I have nothing against using any focal length for landscape. It was the use o f/1 (or f/.95) that I can't understand in this context. I guess it depends also on ones definition of landscape photography