Is a Noctilux worth it?

[Kiwimac]

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It’s a personal choice. If I had won millions on lotto then sure. I’d ring my dealer and tell them to send one of every lens on the market and one of every body. 
 

Absent that, there is no way I’d buy one or carry it. I think a 75 APO would deliver more than sufficient images for my use. 

Edited September 4, 2023 by Kiwimac

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[pippy]

5 hours ago, rramesh said:

Found it big, heavy and hard to focus on the M9......there are so many choices from the likes of Voigtlander at a fraction of its price.

I was always someone who almost never shoots wide-open but, several years ago, curious to get a general idea of what snapping a 50mm at around f1 / f1.2 might offer I picked up a 7Artisan 50mm f1.1 and - once it had been dialled-in - it turned out to be such a pleasantly-rendering lens my shooting-style changed and I found that occasionally f1.1 was a lovely thing to have.

Happily my own needs are not so finely tuned that I would require the specific rendering from the 1966 f1.2 (or any other Noctilux come to that) as I honestly wouldn't be able to see any appreciable difference. Other folks will have different priorities.

Philip.

[Guest]

Pictures instead of words. A few from my walk in the city this afternoon, I hope the point comes across. Noctilux 75mm and M10M.

Very unique look, you get what you pay for?

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Edited September 4, 2023 by mzbe

[pgk]

1 hour ago, mzbe said:

Very unique look, you get what you pay for?

I can't see that these have a 'unique lens signature' myself. I would expect similar images from any of the Leica 75mm lenses.

[Knipsknecht]

vor 1 Stunde schrieb pippy:

[...] Happily my own needs are not so finely tuned that I would require the specific rendering from the 1966 f1.2 (or any other Noctilux come to that) as I honestly wouldn't be able to see any appreciable difference. Other folks will have different priorities.

Philip.

I'm in the same boat😉. And - from my personal point of view - I prefer small and light lenses on a Leica M body. I think that is what a M is meant for. Technically the Noctis are great lenses, but a body with some more heft and grip suits them better than a small Leica M. On a SL body a Nocti makes much more sense - in my opinion😉!

[rich_]

I recently purchased the f1 Noctilux v4 (I think? The one with the extendable hood) for 2 weeks before i returned. The focus was so stiff to move it made it very difficult to precisely focus. Especially towards the MFD. I also didn't like the weight on the M although the lens was well balanced. The output wasnt that pleasing to my eye and i didn't use the F1 party trick enough.
An extra annoyance was that the Leica e60 UV filter bound so tight to the filter threads (I do not tighten these filters with barely any finger torque, not my first filter!) that when i tried to remove it initially it started to unscrew the front unit of the lens! V scary. I ended up having to use a dishtowel to gain enough purchase on the filter to remove, The tightness was such that i cut my finger on the ribbed edges of the filter when i removed! Ow.

[evikne]

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If you can afford it, there's nothing wrong with buying a 75mm Noctilux and playing around with it. But very few people are able to utilize its full potential. @trickness is one of the few I can remember seeing in this forum who can do just that.

On the other hand, it's obviously much more accepted to own a bunch of different 35 or 50mm lenses because the owners say they all have their unique look.

Edited September 4, 2023 by evikne

[Guest]

3 hours ago, evikne said:

If you can afford it, there's nothing wrong with buying a 75mm Noctilux and playing around with it. But very few people are able to utilize its full potential. @trickness is one of the few I can remember seeing in this forum who can do just that.

On the other hand, it's obviously much more accepted to own a bunch of different 35 or 50mm lenses because the owners say they all have their unique look.

True of any lens, that "few people are able to utilize its full potential"? Andreas Jorns comes to mind as a modern master using the Noctiluxes. If you scroll down to the bottom of his Noctilux 75 review, the second image ('sad clown') is one of his best known images of his career. That particular one is not even 'extreme' in its rendering. My point is: If you appreciate the rendering of the lens, you want that lens to be on your camera in moments you care about. Why you care could be many reasons, professional, sentimental, esthetical, ...

https://www.ajorns.com/leica-noctilux-m-1125-75-asph-ein-erfahrungsbericht/

[Warton]

As soon as “worth it” question is raised, I know it’s not worth it.

spend your money somewhere else and move on

[01af]

vor 21 Stunden schrieb RexGig0:

I do not believe that the 50 mm Noctilux is as optically well-corrected as the newer, more-precisely-corrected 75 mm Noctilux and 90 mm Summilux.

The Noctilux-M 50 mm 1:0.95 Asph is a good lens ... but the Noctilux-M 75 mm Asph and Summilux-M 90 mm Asph definitely are better lenses—technically. Yet, I use my 50 mm Noctilux way more often than the 75 mm Noctilux.

Don't get distracted with questions about sharpness, MTF, distortion, field-curvature, micro-contrast, and other kinds of BS. Just use the lens that fits your style.

[IkarusJohn]

7 hours ago, evikne said:

If you can afford it, there's nothing wrong with buying a 75mm Noctilux and playing around with it. But very few people are able to utilize its full potential. @trickness is one of the few I can remember seeing in this forum who can do just that.

On the other hand, it's obviously much more accepted to own a bunch of different 35 or 50mm lenses because the owners say they all have their unique look.

I don’t begrudge people buying lenses they like.  The 0.95 Noctilux is still a perfectly good 50mm lens.  If you concentrate, and work with the lens, it is capable of some extraordinary images, in my view.

But, to be honest, those extraordinary images are the result of great composition, an element of good luck (why do good photographers always have good luck?) and good technique.  Without intending to offend nyone, 90% of the images on this forum are dross (and that’s not counting those intended to show the strengths or benefits of a given lens).  I look at those images and ask, what is the point of that image?  If it’s just to show off the rendering or depth of field of a lens, it is of little or no interest at all.

Sorry to be blunt, and I don’t want to discourage people pursuing their passion.  But let’s be honest - the best photos could be taken with any lens of the same focal length. Yes, there is a very small minority of great images which are enhanced by the photographer’s ability and understanding of the strengths of a lens.  But, that is a very small group.

I don’t count myself in that group (I’m still learning), but I enjoy my lenses nonetheless.  I don’t kid myself that my images are great because I use an expensive lens …

[Photoworks]

Sure it is hard to justify the price of a Noctilux, but it definitely has a look and rendering that works for me.

0.95 lenses have been around for some time and even more manufacturers are coming out with f1.2. There must be a demand for this look.

I did a shoot last week with the summicron-SL lenses on a just woman. most of the images were too crisp and micro-contrast for a portrait, took out the 50 0.95 and I got some magic, to me this lens is worth owning it.

and just to add, even if you have 0.95 on the Lens, it does not mean you have to use it that way. In the contrasty situations, I close down 1-2 clicks to reduce the CA, there is plenty of character there. Comparing it to a Summilux-M the Noctilux shoes much more character up to f4. at that point, it becomes a really sharp lens with even more contrast than the Summilux-M

Here are two samples at 0.95 and f8.

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[rustyrus]

On 9/2/2023 at 4:50 AM, Olaf_ZG said:

I know, another question about a lens. And I also know, that only I can answer for myself. Yet, I am still interested in other opinions.

On my M I have a 24mm, several 50’s, and the nokton 75/1.5. I am seriously considering to add the 90mm apo as well as a SL75 apo.

A remark from @trickness about the Noctilux 75mm made me take a look into this lens. I never considered such lens before, but must admit the rendering is really nice, but so is its price.

But instead of a m90 and the SL75, and with selling the nokton, the Noctilux comes within reach (with some additional cash ofcourse).

But will a Noctilux be worth it? I know many here would like one, had one or still have one. If you had one, why did you sold it? If you want one, why don’t you go for it? 
 

thanks, Olaf

I would try and snag the 75 Lux. There are some pristine copies going around and its a really special lens IMO. 

 

To answer your actually question, I think the Noctilux's are worth it. I think you have to have the disposable income to make you want to use them though or they will be trophy pieces vs lenses you use. So if you bought a 10K lens, would you use it or would you be to afraid to damage it due to the financial loss that could come with that?

 

For me the handling and joy I get from some of the special Leica lenses is worth the investment for me. Also for the record, the 50 1.2 is my favorite Noctilux by a landslide

 

Cheers

 

 

[RexGig0]

21 hours ago, 01af said:

The Noctilux-M 50 mm 1:0.95 Asph is a good lens ... but the Noctilux-M 75 mm Asph and Summilux-M 90 mm Asph definitely are better lenses—technically. Yet, I use my 50 mm Noctilux way more often than the 75 mm Noctilux.

Don't get distracted with questions about sharpness, MTF, distortion, field-curvature, micro-contrast, and other kinds of BS. Just use the lens that fits your style.

Yes, absolutely, choose the lens that suits the style, and, of course, the purpose, whether creative, scientific, evidentiary/forensic, etc.

Five-plus years after adding the Leica M system, with the Summilux-M 50mm ASPH as my first M lens, I still believe that I started “at the top.” When going to a small gathering, where I want to prioritize images of people, and do not want to use auto-focus, there is no better lens, for the task and purpose. 

In early 2022, when I became aware of two or three decent pre-owned f/0.95 Noctilux lenses, being offered by highly-reputable sellers, I did some research, and, instead of acquiring a Noctilux, bought a nicely-preserved, pre-owned APO Summicron-M 75mm ASPH, which I knew that Peter Karbe had designed as a personal labor of love project, based upon his Summilux-M 50mm ASPH design. It is not that I am totally devoted to a “Karbe Look,” but these two lenses nicely complement each other. Notably, a significant advantage of the APO Summicron-M 75mm ASPH is its Magnification Factor, at the Minimum Focusing Distance of 0.7m, which can be quite useful, at times, and which makes “upgrading” to the Close-Focus Summilux-M 50mm ASPH II unnecessary.

On the original topic, I do believe that the Noctilux lenses, and the 90mm Summilux, are, indeed, worth their financial cost, for the creative needs of those who wish to use them. Funding the acquisition is an individual matter. There are creative ways to fund one’s passions. Whether it is “worth it” to carry and support the considerable weight and bulk is an individual matter, only answerable by the individual photographer. (We have SLR lenses that dwarf the Noctiluxes.)

I find the Noctilux 75mm to be especially appealing, though I know that I would probably need to use it with a tripod, for best results. I am not as rock-steady as I once was; an inevitable limitation of aging. A tripod also facilitates using Live View to help achieve critical focus. Being able to justify the cost of a Noctilux 75 would not be an impossibility, because I am considering selling some telephoto SLR lenses that are now a bit too heavy for us to enjoy using, as we age, plus there is another hobby that has become less appealing.

Edited September 5, 2023 by RexGig0

[benqui]

vor 27 Minuten schrieb Warton:

sure, ignore is mutual. A mentally poor person cannot handle truth.

Wow, how rude is this? I am not a native speaker but I can not decide between „arrogant“ , „bigheaded“, „narcissistic“ or just „stupid“ (as an alternative to mentally poor).

 

But back to Noctilux. I use the 0.95/50 and I really like it a look, with Visoflex it is not so difficult to focus and it works very well with other mirrorless cameras. For sure it is not a lens which I would use for travelling because it is rather heavy, but the results are really unique. But on the other hand most of the time you have use this lens wide open. I do not know whether this effect becomes a bit boring. 

 

the 0.95/50 with M10

 

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and in combination with the Hassi X2D

 

 

 

 

click on the photo for a sharper version

[elmars]

Great portraits!

vor 11 Stunden schrieb benqui:

because it is rather heavy

vor 11 Stunden schrieb benqui:

I do not know whether this effect becomes a bit boring. 

This are the two reasons why I sold my Noctilux. I actually knew that when I bought it. But the lens had such a fascination for me that I had to have it once and photograph with it. Occasionally, I will certainly miss the look of the Noctilux. But I'm not one to keep things that I only use occasionally.

[RexGig0]

On 9/6/2023 at 12:31 AM, elmars said:

Great portraits!

This are the two reasons why I sold my Noctilux. I actually knew that when I bought it. But the lens had such a fascination for me that I had to have it once and photograph with it. Occasionally, I will certainly miss the look of the Noctilux. But I'm not one to keep things that I only use occasionally.

These same two reasons are largely why I did not buy a Noctilux 50mm f/0.95 in early 2022. Up to a point, I like a bit of size and heft, in a lens, but this Noctilux seemed like it might be a bit too much of both. Plus, viewing every set of comparative or near-equivalent images I could find on-line, I knew that the f/0.95 Noctilux would remain less-used than my much favored Summilux-M 50mm ASPH. That left the one stop of light as being the only significant thing that the Noctilux would offer, and I could not recall when one stop of light had ruined an opportunity to capture a image with my Summilux, because I tended to use a 35mm f/1.4 lens when the lighting conditions were really low, anyway.

I did allow myself the luxury of adding the Cosina Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.0 Aspherical, because I will tolerate keeping a special-occasion lens that cost ~$1800 US, whereas I just could not justify spending $8K to $10K US for a pre-owned Noctilux f/0.95, that I would use only occasionally. Plus, the background blur produced by the Nokton actually seemed a bit more pleasing, to my eyes, that that of the Noctilux f/0.95, in comparison images I found posted on Fred Miranda’s forum, so, I do not feel that I am missing anything. This Nokton f/1.0 is of a delightful size and weight, and, to my eyes, visually appealing, but its limited utility relegates it to its carton, most of the time, while my Summilux-M 50mm ASPH continues to be used, regularly.

To be clear, I will being paying close attention, if Leica announces an updated/refreshed Noctilux 50mm lens, especially if it as optically-corrected as the Noctilux 75mm. Fast Fifties have long fascinated me.

Edited September 7, 2023 by RexGig0

[jakontil]

The 0.95 noctilux is the nichest out of niches, because for 50mm lens we have plenty of options, i would only usually use it for my professional session or very special occasions, even so my other noctilux 1.2 seen more days 

i dont go for that extra stops light gathering, since days of m10, the iso has always been quite more than capable… but that renderings and gradation of the image that always makes me keep my 0.95, when you need it, u dont have other options

 

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[IkarusJohn]

53 minutes ago, jakontil said:

The 0.95 noctilux is the nichest out of niches, because for 50mm lens we have plenty of options, i would only usually use it for my professional session or very special occasions, even so my other noctilux 1.2 seen more days 

i dont go for that extra stops light gathering, since days of m10, the iso has always been quite more than capable… but that renderings and gradation of the image that always makes me keep my 0.95, when you need it, u dont have other options

 

Agrred - I don’t get the “light gathering” thing either.  For me, the aperture ring is there for a reason, and it’s all to do with depth of field.

[Olaf_ZG]

Two weeks passed since my question, and I am afraid that @elmars reply in #81 might become my case as well, and selling a Noctilux won’t be an easy task without losing, so risk for trying is high.

That said, to develop my 75mm skills, I keep the nokton 1.5 on the M, and ofcourse it ain’t a Noctilux, I do really enjoy it.

But, no decision taken yet…