Yet another 50mm Noctilux 0.95 question - did you keep it?

[patashnik]

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I have been offered a 50mm Noctilux-M ASPH f/0.95, and would appreciate some input from those of you that own it (or have owned it previosuly). Short intro: Currently I have an M11 with four lenses:

- Leica 50m Summarit-M f/2.5
- Leica 75mm Summarit-M f/2.4
- Leica 35mm Summicron-M ASPH f/2.0
-Voigtlander 40mm Nokton f/1.2 

All these are good, all are keepers. Most of the time I use the 35mm Summicron, but the 40mm Nokton is nice for the "poetic" moments. 

The Noctilux is a lens that has been on the bucket list for a while. There are however a few things that holds me back. For one: The weight and the size: Does this even balance well on the M11? Does anyone use it as a "normal" 50? 

And, two: Is this one of those lenses that "everyone" has to try, but than passes on to the next person? Did you keep yours, and if not - why? 

 

 
 

[wda]

Define your real need. In what way is your current 50 inadequate? Occasional lack of speed is hardly a valid reason. How often do you shoot your 50 Summarit wide open?

[patashnik]

If you ever come to Bergen, Norway, the first beer is on me for that question.  

If we're talking "real need", I have no need for the Noctilux. The 50mm Summarit is more or less the perfect 50mm for me. The Noctilux is that witch that keeps scratching some (imaginary?) itch. 

[wda]

Resist!

[fil-m]

Tough question. It really depends on what you are trying to achieve and to which extent you are wiling to convert money into "best of breed" lenses!  

• When I use my Summarit 50/2.4 or Summicron M 35 (APO), I feel like I am there to capture the moment, to capture scenes that I like. These lens are relatively small, versatile. The APO has the benefit of being technically perfect which makes it quite permissive in post image processing like cropping/straightening without loss of quality. The Summarit or Summicron record reality with little interference. 
• When I use the Noctilux 95, I feel like I am there to "paint", to capture artistic images. I mostly use it at 0.95-1.4. It is really challenging and my mindset is completely different than shooting with the Summicron. When I say challenging it is not about the weight as I honestly (and unexpectedly) adapted, it is mostly the bulk of carrying it and the skills/odds of getting a sharp image that make it hard to use. With the Nocti I am mostly sitting and waiting, rather than walking like crazy and taking opportunistic shots as I often do with the Summicron or Summarit. The experience can be frustrating but the results rewarding when it works

All in all, before going for a walk I ask my self: is it a street shooting walk or an "image making/artistic" walk? When I am in the first mood, it is the Summicron (or the Summarit 50/2.4 on my M7) that I carry, when I am in the second mood, it is the Nocti. The tool you chose and your shooting mood and resulting style are all related and it can be seen in the images you take! I am giving you some samples to convey what I am trying to say. 

Now, if I have to keep one lens it has to be the Summi in my case. The Nocti is my "artistic" lens so I use it less but I am very happy to use it from time to time. NB: you can replace the Nocti with a Summilux 50/1.4, it is slightly less "artistic" but much less bulky and more affordable. 

Summicron mood: first 3 images

Nocti mood: last 2 images

Good luck! 

 

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Edited September 2, 2022 by fil-m

[fil-m]

To answer your second point

"Does anyone use it as a "normal" 50? "

To me a "normal" lens whether 35 or 50 should be easy to carry, unobrustive and mostly adapted to casual street shooting and in this context, I don't see value in anything faster than f2. I mostly use f4-f8 to reduce the odds of a missed shot due to focusing.

Now the Nocti is probably the most versatile lens as it offers the widest possible aperture range. But as a normal lens (in my personal definition of "normal") it is really overkill and therefore not an ideal choice due to its price, bulk and optical flaws (well, these bring some charm...) So IMHO, the the whole point of the Nocti is to shoot with it wide open .95-1.4 and only occasionally close it when "tired" and/or to reduce the odds of a missed shot 

So to me the Noctilux is an "anormal" lens for "anormally" beautiful pictures but this depends on the photographer, his/her skills and artistry. I am not there yet, far from it, it is tough to use and requires a lot of training. An interesting tool in any case and I am happy to challenge myself with it. NB: can also be replaced with less expensive alternatives. 

Edited September 2, 2022 by fil-m
Adding one last statement

[spydrxx]

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If you do a search using the word "Noctilux" you will see lots and lots of opinions, on both the 50/1 and 50/0.95. I've only owned the 50/1 and the Canon 50/0.95. I sold both within a year of purchasing them. IMHO they just weren't the right lenses for a small Leica body, they obstructed the viewfinder in an annoying manner and made the camera extremely front heavy. Lastly, I wasn't impressed with the central area sharpness wide open....could have been sample variation, but in both cases I was convinced that neither was the lens for me, and in fact wondered why either was so highly regarded. To each his own, you probably should try it out for yourself and see if it works for you. IMHO definitely not for use as a "normal" lens.

[darylgo]

It's big, it's heavy, it's unnecessary and everyone wants one.  It makes no sense.  

I love mine.  

 

 

Edited September 2, 2022 by darylgo

[a.noctilux]

No, I didn't keep it.

My "old" 1.0 (E58) is enough, and wait a second ...I use Summarit-M 2.5/50 more.

[Guest]

5 hours ago, patashnik said:

I have been offered a 50mm Noctilux-M ASPH f/0.95, and would appreciate some input from those of you that own it (or have owned it previosuly). Short intro: Currently I have an M11 with four lenses:

- Leica 50m Summarit-M f/2.5
- Leica 75mm Summarit-M f/2.4
- Leica 35mm Summicron-M ASPH f/2.0
-Voigtlander 40mm Nokton f/1.2 

All these are good, all are keepers. Most of the time I use the 35mm Summicron, but the 40mm Nokton is nice for the "poetic" moments. 

The Noctilux is a lens that has been on the bucket list for a while. There are however a few things that holds me back. For one: The weight and the size: Does this even balance well on the M11? Does anyone use it as a "normal" 50? 

And, two: Is this one of those lenses that "everyone" has to try, but than passes on to the next person? Did you keep yours, and if not - why? 

 

 
 

I don't think you have to buy it to make an informed decision. For me, it comes down to - how much do you like the signature look that you will only get from the Noctilux wide open? Take a look around overgaard.dk - many examples of images at f/0.95. This cannot be duplicated by any other Leica lens, and is the only reason to own (and keep) a Noctilux 50mm f/0.95.

Now, once you join the club, the Noctilux does everything the Summilux does, except for the heavier weight, the size difference is not as big. Hence, from an image quality point of view, Noctilux offers great versatility as your 'always on' lens and obviously beats any other lens in low light.

Yes, I kept mine. I also have to 50 APO, which I prefer over the Noctilux for landscape & architecture. The Noctilux would work perfectly fine, it's just that the APO does it better, and easy to have at hand as a backup due to its compact size and weight.

[PeterGA]

Most photographs you see demonstrating the out of focus rendering and subject separation at 0.95 like this:

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but the lens also renders beautifully at higher apertures like these all between F 3.4 and 5.6 

 

 

 

 

As for balance on an M camera- I use a thumb grip and on the M11 the handgrip - which helps a lot. However I find that it is almost a perfect combination on an SL/Sl2 camera because of the viewfinder...

You will need to be mindful of chromatic aberration tendencies with higher megapixel cameras - especially - mostly correctable of course and be prepared to have your technique constantly tested when shooting wide open or close to that....the misses will frustrate but the hits may delight...

I use it mainly as a portrait lens for street shooting hardly ever.

As a lens It is an eccentric  luxury whose part properties can be replicated by less expensive alternatives from VC or Artisans I believe and higher ISO modern cameras remove the once attraction to extra stops

which I used to capture images like this in low light...

very personal and expensive investment but nothing wrong with a bit of idiosyncratic eccentricity -life is short.

Hope this helps

Pete

 

PS as to wether I keep it or not - probably yes, maybe not...

 

 

 

Edited September 3, 2022 by PeterGA

[rtai]

No. I only shoot street and my photography didn’t benefit from shooting a 50mm at f/1. Most of the time stopping down would have been more appropriate. Worst, I suddenly developed an urge for bokeh shots like close ups of tree branches and wine glasses.

[rtai]

7 hours ago, fil-m said:

To answer your second point

"Does anyone use it as a "normal" 50? "

To me a "normal" lens whether 35 or 50 should be easy to carry, unobrustive and mostly adapted to casual street shooting and in this context, I don't see value in anything faster than f2. I mostly use f4-f8 to reduce the odds of a missed shot due to focusing.

Now the Nocti is probably the most versatile lens as it offers the widest possible aperture range. But as a normal lens (in my personal definition of "normal") it is really overkill and therefore not an ideal choice due to its price, bulk and optical flaws (well, these bring some charm...) So IMHO, the the whole point of the Nocti is to shoot with it wide open .95-1.4 and only occasionally close it when "tired" and/or to reduce the odds of a missed shot 

So to me the Noctilux is an "anormal" lens for "anormally" beautiful pictures but this depends on the photographer, his/her skills and artistry. I am not there yet, far from it, it is tough to use and requires a lot of training. An interesting tool in any case and I am happy to challenge myself with it. NB: can also be replaced with less expensive alternatives. 

Yes I went to Delhi for a business trip and took the Noctilux F1 as my only lens. I couldn’t shoot it at max aperture all the time because I didn’t have an ND filter but it’s doable as a normal lens. I had in mind to isolate the subject in a crowded environment. I agree it isn’t worth it overall for the reasons you mentioned.

MP Noctilux Acros 

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Edited September 3, 2022 by rtai
Add photo

[Pierre68]

here's my story: beginning of 2022 I bought the 50 f/0.95. Used id for 2-3 months. Pictures taken with this lens were outstanding but it was hard to nail focus on the M10R and the rate of misses was frustrating. And I found the lens very heavy and not well balanced on the M10R. So I exchanged it for the 50 f/1.2 AA. This lens is also exceptional by its character at f/1.2 and balances very well ont the M10R. Recently I have bought a SL2-S with a M to L adapter. Earlier this week I stopped by the store that took me the 50 f/0.95 and noticed the lens was still sitting on the used shelf, collecting dust. After a quick and friendly negotiation I got out of the shop with "my" Noctilux. Now I use it mostly on the SL2-s with the adapter but also on the M10R and I am sure the with time my technique will improve and the rate of infects picture will get better.

Pierre

[nwphil]

In short?  - yes

Regrets? - not having bought it sooner 

Selling?  - no

[Bo-Sixten]

I rate my Noctilux 0.95 and F1(v2) the highest among all (>25 and multiple 50mm) of my Leica lenses. 

Buy it, try it and sell it if you don’t like it. I however never managed to sell anything.  :))

[jakontil]

i have both the noctiluxes 0.95 and 1.2 remake

the former is finally a keeper for me as this is my 2nd time acquisition, at first it was big and heavy, but then the more i explore, the more i feel i need that wide opening, and my style photography is mostly portraits and despite having the lux and the apo cron alongside, i just couldn't ignore the noctilux for my portrait session

for street and travelling this is where the 1.2 came along if i dont want the heft and size

the 0.95 is a modern lens, sharp at its widest aperture, things cant be the same with the 1.2

so yeah everything comes down to your needs 

[rtai]

10 hours ago, Bo-Sixten said:

I rate my Noctilux 0.95 and F1(v2) the highest among all (>25 and multiple 50mm) of my Leica lenses. 

Buy it, try it and sell it if you don’t like it. I however never managed to sell anything.  :))

I must agree even though I chose to sell mine because of non use. The F1 is a lens with no substitute. For every Leica lens there’s a competent alternative in Voigtlander, Zeiss ZM, Konica KM, vintage Nikon, Canon, etc but not the F1. 

[Pyrogallol]

21 hours ago, darylgo said:

It's big, it's heavy, it's unnecessary and everyone wants one.  It makes no sense.  

I love mine.  

 

 

Just like the SUV cars in another thread.

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[52K]

The Noctilux f0.95 is a bit of a niche, specialist lens which comes with great character and some foibles. I learned how to get the best from mine and I love it because it suits my photographic style. I also have the amazing 50 Summilux f1.4 when I need something a little lighter and with less purple fringing at wide apertures. I love the character of the Noctilux and the punchy black and white or colour render which is quite unique. So, mines a keeper. I shoot often wide open and with the M11 rangefinder rather than the EVF which I prefer. That set up is not going to suit everyone.