hkfixed Posted October 8, 2007 Share #1 Posted October 8, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) i am planning to buy this killer lens for its crazy DOF. where are they made now, germany? i found a NEW 1986 Noctilux at a local shop, this one is Made in Canada, comes in a long box with red and blue colors. on the web, i saw some Noctilux which comes in a white square box with grey wordings, are these newer model, also look shorter than older model? thanks for any input. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted October 8, 2007 Posted October 8, 2007 Hi hkfixed, Take a look here Noctilux. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
luigi bertolotti Posted October 8, 2007 Share #2 Posted October 8, 2007 If price is good, buy it: the Noctilux has never changed its optics. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivar B Posted October 8, 2007 Share #3 Posted October 8, 2007 Unless I am completely mistaken, the Noctilux is the only lens still made in Canada. If this has changed, it is very recent. As has already been pointed out, optically they all share the 1976 Mandler computation, but there has been some changes to the mount. The 1986 model you saw probably has a detachable lens hood, while the newest one has a built inn hood. Filter size is E60 now and has been for some time, but some of the oldest lenses were made with 58mm filters. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
marknorton Posted October 8, 2007 Share #4 Posted October 8, 2007 Always been made in Canada in, I believe, the old ELC plant in Midland, though who knows for sure? Current box is the usual silver and current lens has the plastic pull out lens hood. I am minded to remove mine and replace it with a 60mm hood screwed into the filter. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
erl Posted October 8, 2007 Share #5 Posted October 8, 2007 Forget the box and forget where it's made! Just buy the lens and be blown away!! :D Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparkie Posted October 8, 2007 Share #6 Posted October 8, 2007 but there has been some changes to the mount ??? not that I have heard of. care to explain Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack_Flesher Posted October 8, 2007 Share #7 Posted October 8, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) ??? not that I have heard of. care to explain I think he meant the hood mount, not the lens mount It is a fun lens with a unique look, but be aware that from f1.4 up the Pre-Asph Summilux is a better performer while offering a similar look in a package half the size and 1/3 the weight AND 1/3 the cost. My only point here is the Noct is a lens that should be used at f1.0 or 1.2 to exploit its uniqueness, and it takes a certain amount of dedication (physical and financial) to use it there all the time. Also, I am not saying it can't be used at smaller apertures, just that it lags slightly behind the Summilux resolution-wise at those apertures... Cheers, Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pelikan1931 Posted October 8, 2007 Share #8 Posted October 8, 2007 indeed, the noctilux is best used at f1, the shallow dof and vignetting render the whole picture one of a kind, starting from f1.4 all the way till f5.6, there will be focus shift, so unless you know how to compensate it, the pictures will remain soft. the pre-asph 50 summilux retains the best of those analogue charm, give a try too. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
4X5B&W Posted October 8, 2007 Share #9 Posted October 8, 2007 Brian, I believe that Elcan is still doing the lens elements. So regardless of where the lens says it was manufactured, the optics will be from Midland. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael_b_elmer Posted October 8, 2007 Share #10 Posted October 8, 2007 indeed, the noctilux is best used at f1, the shallow dof and vignetting render the whole picture one of a kind, starting from f1.4 all the way till f5.6, there will be focus shift, so unless you know how to compensate it, the pictures will remain soft. the pre-asph 50 summilux retains the best of those analogue charm, give a try too. Pelikan, this is not mentioned in Leica's technical specifications for this lens (cf. Leica Camera AG - Photography - LEICA NOCTILUX-M 50 mm f/1). Your statement is a subjective claim, not an objective factual description. In fact, I have this lens and many other lenses, that some people accuse of having front or back focus problems - and I have never experienced any such problem. May be those people should try and find more interesting motives for their Photography than rulers. If you can afford it, do buy this lens. It is excellent also at smaller apertures thatn 1.0 and 1.2, and you will find that it has a very special fingerprint. However, as others have stated, you should also get another 50 mm lens, and for that the 50/1.4 asph - or eventually the non-asph - is certainly the best choice. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LichMD Posted October 8, 2007 Share #11 Posted October 8, 2007 I'll second what has been said here by others, the Noctu is a great lens with a rather unique way of drawing. It is heavy, and it requires some serious practice but gives some beautiful results. If you found a good modelnand the price is good pick up now. cheers Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
max0442 Posted October 8, 2007 Share #12 Posted October 8, 2007 I bought a new noc in Aug 2007 and it is stamped "made in canada"... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparkie Posted October 8, 2007 Share #13 Posted October 8, 2007 I think he meant the hood mount, not the lens mount it stumped me at first. thinking there was a screw or another mount! but i think youre right about the [hood] mount Agree, f1.0 or f1.2 is the major reason to buy this lens. but i think this lens can be used as your 'only' lens as well. all this talk about focus shift is bewildering. i havent noticed it the many M lenses i have used. I dont go 'looking' for focus shift, back focus or front focus. if i notice the point of focus is not spot on, i tend to blame myself! as for weight, it is quite hefty in the M line up but compared to SLR lenses, it's not that big and heavy. just trying to keep some perspective here Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonoslack Posted October 8, 2007 Share #14 Posted October 8, 2007 it stumped me at first. thinking there was a screw or another mount! but i think youre right about the [hood] mount Agree, f1.0 or f1.2 is the major reason to buy this lens. but i think this lens can be used as your 'only' lens as well. all this talk about focus shift is bewildering. i havent noticed it the many M lenses i have used. I dont go 'looking' for focus shift, back focus or front focus. if i notice the point of focus is not spot on, i tend to blame myself! as for weight, it is quite hefty in the M line up but compared to SLR lenses, it's not that big and heavy. just trying to keep some perspective here Hi there I hope you're well (I still blame you for all this M8 experience). (thank you). I quite agree with you - the lens is magic and strange at f1, and kind and delightful at other apertures; it's no 50 1.4 apo 'lux', but does have other advantages. I think it might be the only magical lens I have! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparkie Posted October 8, 2007 Share #15 Posted October 8, 2007 hey jono. hows life? and how is tim. the noct has a classic fingerprint. not too contrasty, nice tones. but sometimes the bokeh can be a bit swirly. how many lenses do you have now? & cams? you can PM me if you feeling bashful about the extent of your acquisitions Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsh Posted October 8, 2007 Share #16 Posted October 8, 2007 I have used the Noctilux as an everyday lens, and I have been pleased with the results at all apertures. If the lens had been designed to be used only at f1.0, Leitz would have produced a Noctilux with no aperture ring. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pelikan1931 Posted October 8, 2007 Share #17 Posted October 8, 2007 this is from erwin puts' article on the Noctilux: The Noctilux however has some very special problems in this area. Consider the results in the tables below. % Contrast in center Noctilux-M lp/mm 1.0 2.0 5.6 10 84 79 90 20 59 41 72 40 27 1 33 The 10lp/mm value at f/1,0 is very good, the 20lp/mm is still quite good and the 40lp/mm result is acceptable: the Summicron has the same value for the 40lp/mm in the extreme corners. (at f/2,0 mind you!). At f/2,0 we notice an overall drop in performance , especially at 40lp/mm, while at f/5,6 the performance is slightly better than at full aperture. Modern Photography tested the Noctilux a number of years ago and noticed the same behaviour. They just accepted the figures. We know that the Noctilux cannot be fully corrected for spherical aberration. One important result of this defect is a slight focusshift. (‘Blendendifferenz’ the Germans call it). When refocused the Noctilux showed these results: % Contrast in center Noctilux-M (refocused lp/mm 2.0 5.6 10 94 96 20 80 91 40 51 79 The focusshift of the Noctilux is 74 micron when stopping down from 1,0 to 2,0 and 120 micron when going to 5.6. The reason that the f/5,6 values do not drop as much as the f/2,0 values (in the first series of measurements) is the depth of field. At f/5,6 this depth of field is greater than the focusshift, so the results stay within tolerances. By the way: 120 microns is the total thickness of a typical fine grain 35mm film! These results show the pitfalls when testing an extreme aperture lens. As most objects in the real world are three dimensional and have depth, the effects of the focusshift are hardly noticable. What you could notice is a slight softening of the image at f/5,6, because the focusshift will produce a somewhat larger diameter of the blur circle. Noctilux-M 1:1.0/50mm | Photography and image capture: the Leica technique and philosophy by Erwin Puts | Erwin Puts you might or might not notice on film, but on digital, you will sure see it. I have the Noct by the way. LFI 6/2007 has an article on the same problem on 35 summilux asph, not necessarily a point against the two lens, but just to make sure we all know our lens. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
zlatkob Posted October 9, 2007 Share #18 Posted October 9, 2007 i found a NEW 1986 Noctilux at a local shop, this one is Made in Canada, comes in a long box with red and blue colors. Wow! I've got to wonder about the economics of stocking a product for 21 years before it gets sold. That is remarkable. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
blakley Posted October 9, 2007 Share #19 Posted October 9, 2007 If price is good, buy it: the Noctilux has never changed its optics. This is false; the original Noctilux was a 50/1.2 (not 1.0) lens with two aspheric elements; the first aspherics in a production 35mm lens. The 50/1.0 followed, with no aspherics and a different formula. There have been several different versions of the 50/1.0 with the same optical formula but different hoods and exterior cosmetics. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hkfixed Posted October 9, 2007 Author Share #20 Posted October 9, 2007 I bought a new noc in Aug 2007 and it is stamped "made in canada"... is the box like this? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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