light Lens Labs 50mm 1.2 (interesting)

[pippy]

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14 minutes ago, robert_parker said:

Light Lens Lab 50mm f/1.2 ASPH "1966" Pre-Order Deposit

Light Lens Lab

Thanks for those links, Robert. I see we 'cross-posted'.

I've just written a question to LLL and am awaiting clarification on a couple of points...

Philip.

[raizans]

26 minutes ago, Harout62 said:

It’s just a hunch and my own feeling, usually small companies like this with very niche products in very small markets, either move on to something else or just fizzle away. 

As much as I'd love LLL to make lenses for a long time, the whole "make replicas of hard to get but optically unique lenses" thing can only go for so long. You better get your LLL lenses while you can, because they're sure to become insanely collectible. This kind of thing doesn't happen very often.

Edited January 5, 2023 by raizans

[robert_parker]

3 minutes ago, pippy said:

Thanks for those links, Robert. I see we 'cross-posted'.

I've just written a question to LLL and am awaiting clarification on a couple of points...

Philip.

Yes it would've looked better if I'd posted just after you but such is life....

Beyond the 1.2 the thing that really appeals to me is that they do LTM versions of many of their lenses... 🧐📸

[Harout62]

3 minutes ago, raizans said:

As much as I'd love LLL to make lenses for a long time, the whole "make replicas of hard to get but optically unique lenses" thing can only go for so long. You better get your LLL lenses while you can, because they're sure to become insanely collectible. This kind of thing doesn't happen very often.

Exactly what I think as well,  I had the Elcan which I was not to Crazy about! I would never buy the original anyhow. But the 8 element and this one can be very interesting 

[pippy]

Just now, robert_parker said:

Yes it would've looked better if I'd posted just after you but such is life...

My own fault, Robert, for wittering on too much before I hit the 'Submit' button!

Yes; offering an LTM is something I feel that, for example, TTArtisan should have done with their recent 28mm f5.6 'Summaron-Esque' offering. In theory it might only open up a relatively small core-group of prospective purchasers but, then again, it would open up the market to those LTM users as well as those who shoot with M cameras. A missed opportunity methinks.

Philip.

[pippy]

24 minutes ago, raizans said:

As much as I'd love LLL to make lenses for a long time, the whole "make replicas of hard to get but optically unique lenses" thing can only go for so long. You better get your LLL lenses while you can, because they're sure to become insanely collectible. This kind of thing doesn't happen very often.

The mere fact that a company such as LLL are so passionate about their product-line that they will reverse-engineer such unique originals is absolutely astonishing and deserves to succeed.

Whether their output will ever become collectible is neither here nor there; I'm just delighted that some of us without limitless coffers can sample near-perfect re-issues of such esoteric, eccentric and extraordinary rarities as their Leitz 'originals' which, nowadays, are all priced uniquely in the reserve of wealthy 'afficionados' - many of whom might never use them to take a photograph.

Philip.

Edited January 5, 2023 by pippy

[darylgo]

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1 hour ago, Harout62 said:

It’s just a hunch and my own feeling, usually small companies like this with very niche products in very small markets, either move on to something else or just fizzle away. 

Forums are a wonderful meeting of minds and knowledge, I learn so much here, all hunches are welcome.   

[mdg1371]

3 hours ago, Harout62 said:

I think the stiff competition for this lens would be the Voightlander Nokton F1.  At about the same price. But.... the LLL would be a direct knock off which judging by their previous endeavours it will give the same experience and image quality of the 1966 F1.2.  My personal feeling is that LLL products are going to be Valuable in the future given their somewhat  limited runs and I doubt they will be doing this for a long time.

I concur. My thought is that this will not be a decades lasting production company— given the quality of what they have been producing, and the attention to detail, I think their products are A) Already a decent value and B ) Likely to become cult lenses.

If I didn’t have an original 8 element, I would likely have an LLL version.

I was lucky enough to score a chrome 50mm Noctilux f1.2 reissue, but given the auction prices for those, it isn’t worth the risk taking it out in the field. I placed a pre-order for,the chrome LLL 1966 immediately.

 

[Harout62]

10 minutes ago, mdg1371 said:

I was lucky enough to score a chrome 50mm Noctilux f1.2 reissue, but given the auction prices for those, it isn’t worth the risk taking it out in the field. I placed a pre-order for,the chrome LLL 1966 immediately.

 

Has anyone thought of this in all logical manner ? The truth is you take a lens made in 1966, a stretch by a company daring to push the limits but a imperfect lens none the less. It gets replaced with a better design in the F1, then gets replaced by yet even a better design in the 0.95. but yet we all yearn for those old faulty lenses, pay insane amount of money for them hype up the legend and even pay stupid money for their replicas. Lol only in the land of the red dot.

[mdg1371]

21 minutes ago, Harout62 said:

Has anyone thought of this in all logical manner ? The truth is you take a lens made in 1966, a stretch by a company daring to push the limits but a imperfect lens none the less. It gets replaced with a better design in the F1, then gets replaced by yet even a better design in the 0.95. but yet we all yearn for those old faulty lenses, pay insane amount of money for them hype up the legend and even pay stupid money for their replicas. Lol only in the land of the red dot.

It’s a question of painting with different brushes. I use the .95 quite a bit— but if I am inclined, especially in the city, in the evening with a lot of potential light sources, I will use the f1– it renders background much differently. Significantly more flawed, but striking. We don’t yearn for the lens, we yearn for the differences— one of my favorite lenses is the 50mm Summarit f1.5– it is still a bargain, and can readily be found for 500 USD, but it’s rendering is so unique, I wouldn’t part with it.

Seems perfectly logical to me😀

[Harout62]

4 minutes ago, mdg1371 said:

 one of my favorite lenses is the 50mm Summarit f1.5– it is still a bargain, and can readily be found for 500 USD, but it’s rendering is so unique, I wouldn’t part with it.

Seems perfectly logical to me😀

I have one of these as well, unfortunately I have not had the chance to use it much at all. I guess that is the side effect of buying so many lenses in a very short time 

Edited January 6, 2023 by Harout62

[darylgo]

31 minutes ago, Harout62 said:

Has anyone thought of this in all logical manner ? The truth is you take a lens made in 1966, a stretch by a company daring to push the limits but a imperfect lens none the less. It gets replaced with a better design in the F1, then gets replaced by yet even a better design in the 0.95. but yet we all yearn for those old faulty lenses, pay insane amount of money for them hype up the legend and even pay stupid money for their replicas. Lol only in the land of the red dot.

High mp cameras are a driving force, the soft rendering lenses with high resolution yields beautiful results that are unique for small format.  

[pippy]

9 hours ago, Harout62 said:

Has anyone thought of this in all logical manner?...

Absolutely. For me the whole point of a 50 Noctilux is encapsulated by the rendering delivered by the f1.2 version. I don't want a Noctilux whose rendering is 'better'; If I want 'better' I'll use my Summicron.

Philip.

EDIT : Incidentally (and as mentioned by mdg in post #30 and yourself in post #31) I also have - and love - the f1.5 Summarit. Crazy lens wide open but perfectly sane stopped down. In point of fact at the moment it's become my 'most-used' 50.

Edited January 6, 2023 by pippy

[hdmesa]

9 hours ago, pippy said:

Absolutely. For me the whole point of a 50 Noctilux is encapsulated by the rendering delivered by the f1.2 version. I don't want a Noctilux whose rendering is 'better'; If I want 'better' I'll use my Summicron.

Philip.

EDIT : Incidentally (and as mentioned by mdg in post #30 and yourself in post #31) I also have - and love - the f1.5 Summarit. Crazy lens wide open but perfectly sane stopped down. In point of fact at the moment it's become my 'most-used' 50.

They're not designing a perfect replica. The intent is to capture most of the original magic but also address some of the long-lamented drawbacks that also turned people off from the re-issue. So for those that didn't like the re-issue's lack of sharpness at f/1.2, they can get what they want. In addition, the Leica re-issue didn't use the same source glass from the original like the LLL one will. So this LLL version will be something special. Not an exact replica but something different – in some ways "more". Those that still want the original can still pay the going price and enjoy one – or buy the reissue from Leica.

[archive_all]

I heard about this somewhere a couple of months ago (forget exactly) but emailed LLL to be put on the list and they mentioned somewhere close to or around $2k. Like others mentioned that's too much for me with so many other fast and/or vintage options out there.

[pippy]

2 hours ago, hdmesa said:

They're not designing a perfect replica. The intent is to capture most of the original magic but also address some of the long-lamented drawbacks that also turned people off from the re-issue...

Thank you for the additional info, hdmesa.

As it happens when I looked (briefly) at the 'prototype' sample photographs provided by Fred Miranda on his site I thought that the LLL exhibited less nervous oof stuff than the original f1.2 as tested which surprised me slightly. From what you say LLL's intention with their Noctilux would appear to be slightly different than with their 8 Element and will be sort of a 're-imagining' of the Leitz lens rather than a full-on reverse-engineered recreation as was the case with their '8-E'.

I've been in touch with LLL about the lens in question and will get back to them again to sort out a few more questions I would like to put to them.

Thanks again.

Philip.

[hdmesa]

1 hour ago, pippy said:

Thank you for the additional info, hdmesa.

As it happens when I looked (briefly) at the 'prototype' sample photographs provided by Fred Miranda on his site I thought that the LLL exhibited less nervous oof stuff than the original f1.2 as tested which surprised me slightly. From what you say LLL's intention with their Noctilux would appear to be slightly different than with their 8 Element and will be sort of a 're-imagining' of the Leitz lens rather than a full-on reverse-engineered recreation as was the case with their '8-E'.

I've been in touch with LLL about the lens in question and will get back to them again to sort out a few more questions I would like to put to them.

Thanks again.

Philip.

To me it sounds like a “what if” experiment to create a v2 within the original design parameters.

Oh, also ask them if the increased sharpness at f/1.2 and updated bokeh rendering will have any drawbacks versus the original or reissue. For example, what if the lens doesn’t perform as well stopped down at infinity as the re-issue?

Edited January 7, 2023 by hdmesa

[hjddd]

The len may be a good one，but the boss of LLL not a good person

[Sunyforreal]

5 hours ago, hjddd said:

The len may be a good one，but the boss of LLL not a good person

How so?

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[pippy]

5 hours ago, hjddd said:

The len may be a good one，but the boss of LLL not a good person

Seriously?

If we restricted our purchases to only those corporations whose bosses are Saints our houses would, no doubt, be very empty places...

Philip.

Edited January 7, 2023 by pippy