Review: Leica Noctilux 50mm f1.2

[Steven]

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On 1/29/2021 at 7:46 PM, farnz said:

I've just been informed by a mutual friend who is now taking good care of your former SL that chrome 50/1.2 Noctilux asphs are currently trading on FB for $29,000, $11,000 above retail the day after they were announced.

You should have bought it at that price. It now trades around 85K. I've spoken with several people who actually bought them at that price, so it's not a dealer's myth. 

[farnz]

43 minutes ago, Steven said:

You should have bought it at that price. It now trades around 85K. I've spoken with several people who actually bought them at that price, so it's not a dealer's myth. 

Hi Steven,

I was interested in the new 50/1.2 Noctilux asph in chrome but Leica's original price was about as far as I would tolerate so another $11,000 on top kills my interest stone dead - it's a lens I would buy to use, not as an investment. 

On principle I also refuse to support price-gouging from 'flippers' who managed to acquire the limited edition lenses (by whatever shady means) to drive the price exponentially just to make money.  That's fine for those people - and I hold Leica partly to blame for restricting the small number it released and facilitating the feeding frenzy - but I don't look at lenses in that light.

I already have a 50/1 v4 Noctilux and a 75/1.25 Noctilux so they keep my creative hunger satisfied and my interest (curiosity?) in the 50/1.2 Noctilux is gone now.

Pete.

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[Steven]

1 minute ago, farnz said:

Hi Steven,

I was interested in the new 50/1.2 Noctilux asph in chrome but Leica's original price was about as far as I would tolerate so another $11,000 on top kills my interest stone dead - it's a lens I would buy to use, not as an investment. 

On principle I also refuse to support price-gouging from 'flippers' who managed to acquire the limited edition lenses (by whatever shady means) to drive the price exponentially just to make money.  That's fine for those people - and I hold Leica partly to blame for restricting the small number it released and facilitating the feeding frenzy - but I don't look at lenses in that light.

I already have a 50/1 v4 Noctilux and a 75/1.25 Noctilux so they keep my creative hunger satisfied and my interest (curiosity?) in the 50/1.2 Noctilux is gone now.

Pete.

Have you ever thought that I could be Leica organising this, as a marketing technique to raise the luxury level of the brand ? This is what Patek does, at least. They sell watched through their stores in very limited quantities, and buy them back at higher prices the second they go out, until they raise crazy prices on auction.... 

I think it's a pity too, and I understand why you're against it. What's even more a pity is that I fell in love with that Silver Noctilux and I want it.... and what's even more a pity is that I can afford it..... scary days ahead of me... 

[farnz]

1 minute ago, Steven said:

Have you ever thought that I could be Leica organising this,

Oh yes I have and it's not the first time.  It's a shame I think because it turns the lenses into commodities, which robs them of whatever Leica ethos and mystique might have surrounded them.

Through gritted teeth I tell myself that it's a positive if it keeps Leica healthy as a company but it's a bitter pill to swallow.

Pete.

[Steven]

2 minutes ago, farnz said:

Oh yes I have and it's not the first time.  It's a shame I think because it turns the lenses into commodities, which robs them of whatever Leica ethos and mystique might have surrounded them.

Through gritted teeth I tell myself that it's a positive if it keeps Leica healthy as a company but it's a bitter pill to swallow.

Pete.

Will you look down on me if I encourage their game by acquiring a Silver Noctilux 🤪 ? I tried everything I could to get one the "normal" way, it seems just impossible. 

[Jeff S]

So, what’s the current value of the original Noctilux f1.2?

Jeff

[Steven]

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19 minutes ago, Jeff S said:

So, what’s the current value of the original Noctilux f1.2?

Jeff

About the same as the Silver reissue. 

[chasdfg]

one should just get the standard one and send it to a competent repainter. Unless what the person really wants are the bragging rights to owning something that is officially Leica and one in a hundred, which is a high price to pay for stroking one's ego...but that's not unheard of. I guess there's also the factor that the silver ones are made of brass, so one would need to get past that too.

Or Black paint it and you'll have an even more unique one..until a black paint version comes out.

[wlaidlaw]

If I were Leica I would make lots of silver 50/1.2 lenses and stuff it to the speculators. 

Wilson

[farnz]

2 hours ago, Steven said:

Will you look down on me if I encourage their game by acquiring a Silver Noctilux 🤪 ? I tried everything I could to get one the "normal" way, it seems just impossible. 

Of course not, Stephen!  (I hope I wouldn't be so shallow.) The game is in play now so you have little or no control over it and you didn't play a part in setting it up.  If you do manage to acquire one then good for you and I hope that you get one for whatever price you're happy with.

Pete.

[farnz]

2 hours ago, chasdfg said:

one should just get the standard one and send it to a competent repainter

There's the small matter of the serial number too, which won't match one of the silver chrome batch so if you were to eventually sell it you might encounter problems.  (On the other hand it might work in your favour although it usually doesn't for repainted Leica items.)

Pete.

[frame-it]

2 hours ago, Steven said:

I tried everything I could to get one the "normal" way, it seems just impossible. 

yesterday i bumped into a teenager walking around with a nice shiny MP-3 and brand new noctilux 50 f1/2, he said he just got the combo and its his first time shooting

[chasdfg]

4 hours ago, farnz said:

There's the small matter of the serial number too, which won't match one of the silver chrome batch so if you were to eventually sell it you might encounter problems.  (On the other hand it might work in your favour although it usually doesn't for repainted Leica items.)

Pete.

Oh yes, this too - though I find that people are willing to pay/have no issues paying the slight premium for repainted items particularly if they were they were done by e.g. Shintaro, Kanto, cameraworks etc., unless you end up painting it yellow or pink or something that specifically appeals to just you. I've actually considered this before though I've never done so (it's more of a ploy to keep me from bothering with special edition cameras and lenses where the edition is unique simply because of a "paint job" or simply anodised in a different colour), since I only like the cosmetics but would buy it to shoot and won't have to worry about taking care of that special edition at the back of my mind. Plus you can customise the lens paint job and detailing too. 

It's a good ploy for me since it has worked successfully, most recently with the M10R repaint. I admittedly was rather tempted, then figured i wouldn't even bother buying a used M10R and repainting it (which would cost less than the M10R repaint new), so I saved a couple of grand (only just).  Still a bloody nice camera though.

Edited July 18, 2021 by chasdfg

[Steven]

After chatting with a forum friend who's owned the Silver version of Noctilux, I am having cold feet about my acquisition as he told me that the silver is too heavy and much less usable than the black. 

As a reminder, I am a user before a collector, and I wanted the silver for my pure pleasure, as I love the look of silver lenses on black paint bodies. Any one with some experience using the Silver can confirm about the weight ? 

[Wonzo]

vor 9 Minuten schrieb Steven:

After chatting with a forum friend who's owned the Silver version of Noctilux, I am having cold feet about my acquisition as he told me that the silver is too heavy and much less usable than the black. 

As a reminder, I am a user before a collector, and I wanted the silver for my pure pleasure, as I love the look of silver lenses on black paint bodies. Any one with some experience using the Silver can confirm about the weight ? 

The silver version is made of brass, most parts of the  black one are of aluminium.

[Steven]

Just now, Wonzo said:

The silver version is made of brass, most parts of the  black one are of aluminium.

Yep. What I was wondering is if in use, the 200 extra grams of the brass version really make a difference.... 

After all, one reason why I loved the black version was it's compactness. So I dont know if the extra weight will be welcome. 

[Wonzo]

Gerade eben schrieb Steven:

Yep. What I was wondering is if in use, the 200 extra grams of the brass version really make a difference.... 

After all, one reason why I loved the black version was it's compactness. So I dont know if the extra weight will be welcome. 

The weight will be compensated through enjoyment 😊 (200 g. is a lot !)

[jaapv]

I had a silver Summilux for a long time - the only thing that I did not like was the weight. I would say don't; after you have gotten used to liking the way it looks the extra weight will become annoying.

[ianman]

11 hours ago, frame-it said:

yesterday i bumped into a teenager walking around with a nice shiny MP-3 and brand new noctilux 50 f1/2, he said he just got the combo and its his first time shooting

Did you suggest opening the back to get to the screen?

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Hallo,

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[Studienkamera]

22 minutes ago, Wonzo said:

The silver version is made of brass, most parts of the  black one are of aluminium.

Is this documented somewhere? I could not find anything. Leica US shows the same weight (405g) for both versions, which suggests that they both may be anodized aluminium. However, it would not be the first time Leica provides wrong weight information.