gwelland Posted November 11, 2007 Share #1 Posted November 11, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) Can anyone share their experiences with getting a Noctilux adjusted for back-focus by one of the independents such as DAG, Stephen Choi, Kindermann, Sherry Krauter etc? How good was the job - single trip or multiple? How much? How long did it take? I'm not looking for another tirade about how poor/slow/incompetent Leica service is, btw. I've got a Noctilux, I need it adjusted. It's out of official warranty but is actually brand new (October - basically unwrapped and then I got it). Please don't give me 50 posts on how I should return it to Solms as I already know that's the 'official' option. The original warranty holder is happy to handle a return to Solms for me but to be honest I just want the job done properly and it doesn't bother me to pay for it (within reason) so long as it's done and it's perfect. Once. Anyone? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted November 11, 2007 Posted November 11, 2007 Hi gwelland, Take a look here Noctilux adjustment experiences - Independents. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
robsteve Posted November 11, 2007 Share #2 Posted November 11, 2007 Graham: The success rate of a Noctilux adjustment depends on a couple of things: -Is the cam ground properly on the Noctilux and the adjustment is just off globally? If an overall adjustment of the cam will not correct the focus in both near and far ranges, the lens will need to go to Solms. If you use Kindermann and it has to go to Solms, they can send it for you. They are an authorized Leica service agent. -Does your M8 have the rangefinder set properly to focus a lens like the 90mm APO Summicron, both near and far. If the M8 cannot focus one of the 90mm lenses properly, the hope of it focusing a Noctilux is slim. -If you have a realistic expectation of what the Noctilux will give you. At the near focus and shooting people the hit rate can be very low until you get very experienced. Even with experience, the hit rate is 50% or less. The M8 is very critical and the DOF is probably half of what it was on film. The difference between having an eye in focus or out of focus at close distanced is probably less than a cm. As for service, I had mine adjusted by Kindermann, it took a week and was very inexpensive. You are basically just a labour rate and it doesn't take too long to do. I took my Noctilux to a party last night and shooting at f1.2 and and 1250iso, I was happy with the focus performance. Robert Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwelland Posted November 12, 2007 Author Share #3 Posted November 12, 2007 Thanks Rob - I did some focus testing with a test chart today with my two M8's and pile of lenses and now rather than being just unhappy with the Nocti now I'm unhappy with everything other than my Zeiss lenses. I think I'll try the 2mm hex key trick on one with the Nocti (which back focuses badly) and leave my other camera body (which also seems to be off slightly with all lenses but not a problem day to day). Sometimes ignorance is bliss - that's a warning to anyone who carries out a detailed focus test - you may discover things about your gear you'd rather not know. If all else fails with the hex key work I may just package the lot up and send it off together for a holiday while I spend some time with the DSLRs. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie Roberts Posted November 12, 2007 Share #4 Posted November 12, 2007 Graham, Adjusting with the Nocti can be tough, because it does focus shift from f1 to f4 (the focus moves back a wee bit). If you have a 90mm around, that would be what I'd use. Next a 75, then a non Nocti-50 lux. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwelland Posted November 12, 2007 Author Share #5 Posted November 12, 2007 I have a 75 cron & 135 APO-Telyt which I guess would be the one's to use to set one of the bodies. Basically I'm pretty happy with the rest of my lenses on my silver M8 (Zeiss 21, 28 Cron, 35/1.2 Nokton, Zeiss 50/2, 75 cron, 135 APO & MATE) and I use my black M8 for WA lenses (CV 12 & WATE) that I leave the Frankenfinder on. If I set up the black camera to have the RF optimized for the Nocti then the effect on the WATE & CV 12 will be relatively minor as I generally zone or hyper-focal with these anyway and frame with the finder. I bought the Nocti for it's wide open performance and so long as it performs well f1 - f4 and close up to mid-distance I'll be happy. I have other lenses for landscape & distant work. I set up a studio test with the focus test target, tripod, flat lighting etc and tested at 1-3 meters. I haven't tried a star test but my other landscapes suggest that the lenses are working fine out to infinity. I did notice in my tests with the 75 Cron that the silver camera backfocuses slightly but not significantly with my main lenses. Combined with the Nocti though and it's terminal back-focus - unusuable to me unless I want to artificially set focus wide open close up maybe 20cm in front. That's not going to work for me. The Nocti on the other body is significantly better but still needs some work to be acceptable. It's meerly bad as opposed to awful. By comparison, my Zeiss 50/2 performs flawlessly wide open and at all other apertures. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eoin Posted November 12, 2007 Share #6 Posted November 12, 2007 .....I bought the Nocti for it's wide open performance and so long as it performs well f1 - f4 and close up to mid-distance I'll be happy. I have other lenses for landscape & distant work..... Here in lies your problem, all Noctiluxes will back focus between f:/2 and f:/4 as I have found out. There seems to be no mechanical adjustment that can be made to compensate for the drift between these apertures that will not also effect the focus at f:/1 or from f:/5.6. Despite having my lens and M8 calibrated twice by Solms this effect was still there. The only option was to optimise the focus with under focus between f:/2.8 and f:/4. I can't say it was sucessful because it required a lot of chimping to get the exact amount right for a given distance. Not really something I was keen on having to do on a €4800 lens. In the end I decided to drop the Noctilux and f:/1 for a summilux 50 Asph with it's floating elements which compensate for this drift and use my 85 Summarex on which the Noctilux optical formula was based to get the softness in portraits I was craving. Rumor has it (well I've been told) the Noctilux will not be available any more and Leica are not taking orders for it. I think the digital sensor has forced a re-design and who knows what's around the corner given recient comments at the LHSA meeting. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
robsteve Posted November 12, 2007 Share #7 Posted November 12, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) Rumor has it (well I've been told) the Noctilux will not be available any more and Leica are not taking orders for it. I think the digital sensor has forced a re-design and who knows what's around the corner given recient comments at the LHSA meeting. They are probably just not made anymore. Elcan, the subcontractor that made them has gone through two or three owners/mergers since they made Noctilux. There is a good chance the last batch of Noctilux were just taken from inventory, coded and put in the new Leica box. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eoin Posted November 12, 2007 Share #8 Posted November 12, 2007 folklore says there is only one employee left in elcan who can produce the Noctilux and he's been overworked with the 30% offer uptake. Poor chap! True or not, he's due for retirement hence no more except for orders already in the pipeline. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fotografr Posted November 12, 2007 Share #9 Posted November 12, 2007 I had Don (DAG) adjust mine for optimum performance at f/1.2. He did an excellent job and I believe his standard charge for this is around $70. It is a fairly quick process, but how long it takes depends on how busy he is. If you call or email him I'm sure he'll be happy to give you an estimate. As far as the Noctilux being "perfect," it likely never will be that. There is focus shift and the image quality wide open is nowhere near what most Leica glass is. With this lens, you must be willing to make some sacrifices for what you gain in speed and unique bokeh. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlc43 Posted November 12, 2007 Share #10 Posted November 12, 2007 Can you provide contact information for Don (DAG)? He's often referred to with the assumption that everyone automatically should know who he is or how to get in touch. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thai.charlie Posted November 12, 2007 Share #11 Posted November 12, 2007 DAG Camera Parts Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwelland Posted November 13, 2007 Author Share #12 Posted November 13, 2007 I had Don (DAG) adjust mine for optimum performance at f/1.2. He did an excellent job and I believe his standard charge for this is around $70. It is a fairly quick process, but how long it takes depends on how busy he is. If you call or email him I'm sure he'll be happy to give you an estimate. As far as the Noctilux being "perfect," it likely never will be that. There is focus shift and the image quality wide open is nowhere near what most Leica glass is. With this lens, you must be willing to make some sacrifices for what you gain in speed and unique bokeh. Thanks Bret, that's exactly what I was looking for. I fully expect the Nocti to be somewhat of a one-trick pony and I bought it for the unique bokeh and wide open use. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.