Noctilux vs APO travel setup

[Jeff S]

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Since you live in the US, seemingly without budget constraints, you could rent any and all M options (including the Viso) that you don’t already own. Only you can determine preferences, including viewing and handling. 
 

Jeff

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[3D-Kraft.com]

If you think about a 75mm for the M and do not consider a 50mm Noct, I would think about the 75mm f/1.25, if no budget has to be considered. For portraits, the 1 1/3 additional stops of the 75 Noct make a significant difference over the 75mm APO. Wide open, it produces some color fringing, but hey - you have the Mono M 😉

[Eoin]

When I travel, compact and light is the order of the day. For years I shot 35 & 75 while the 21 seemed to stay in the bag except for the odd occasion.
The dilemma you pose would make for an uncomfortable day on many levels in my opinion.

I've always enjoyed the 75 Summicron APO, I've always found it more usable than the 90mm focal length.
The one thing I'd say to you is the Noctilux 75's abilities/character are more noticeable in colour than when used on monochrome, again, in my opinion. On monochrome  the gap closes slightly between the Summicron and Noctilux 75s. A well calibrated Summicron 75 makes a perfect travel companion and more likely use case than its Noctilux sibling.  

[ktmrider2]

Why travel with two systems?  Why duplicate focal lengths?  I assume you want color so leave the monochrome at home.  KISS is the ultimate rule for travel photography.  

[thrid]

Another vote for KISS.

It really sounds like you will be doubling up on focal lengths between two different systems. That's a lot to juggle and schlepp around.
I've made that mistake in the past myself. Also too many choices often results in seemingly always having 'the wrong lens' mounted or 'wrong camera' in hand.

 Maybe the answer is to take the S-system and then just the Mono with the 35 as a compact shooter. At 61MP you can always crop to 50mm, especially on the Mono with its 1:1 pixel resolution. Obviously a color M11 would be more flexible...

I travel a lot and try to keep my kit compact.

A full-size camera bag is a lot to lug around for a full day. Depending on how much walking you are doing your back is going to feel it sooner or later, unless you're using a backpack. And a backpack is a lousy choice for travel. A waist pack keeps the weight on your hips. Also given the cost of Leica gear I like to keep a low profile and make myself less of a target for thieves (who may also stab me, as an added bonus)... Even a 'low profile' camera bag or pack can scream 'mug me!' to the wrong people. At this point they all know what to look for. I knew one guy who used a diaper bag. He never had a problem.

I used to own the older f1/50 Noctilux and shot it on film bodies.

I ended up selling it because it was too big and heavy for all daily use, let alone travel.

The old Noct weighed about 580g. I found the front element to be very large, very exposed and made from very expensive glass, so I would add the clip-on hood. This resulted in a contraption of considerable size that defeated the whole purpose of the Leica being an unobtrusive, lightweight travel camera. It was just way too big for travel.

As I used the Noctilux on a daily basis a few other issues also became very apparent. Up close and shooting at f1 resulted in about 1cm of sharpness. Very difficult to focus on a moving subject or if you are in motion. Lens speed is far less of an issue these days with high asa capable digital cameras. We're not shooting with Tri-X in the dark anymore... Besides? How often do you shoot travel shots at f1? Everything will be a blur... Also the focus throw on the Noct was very long compared to a Lux or Cron, making it difficult to focus quickly on fleeting moments, while wandering the streets.

As much as I liked my Noctilux, I ended up selling it for a Summilux-M 1.4/50. The Lux was plenty fast, far more compact and could disappear in a jacket pocket if needed. 

I think the 50 APO is a fantastic lens. Technically perfect and compact in size. I would not be bothered by it being an f2 lens these days, because with digital you can just crank up the speed.

I have also shot the old 75mm and while it is a very nice piece of glass I found it to be too close to the field of view of a 50. The 90 will give you greater differentiation. If you insist on the 75, then maybe skip the 50 and make it a 35/75 combo? Personally I stopped shooting anything longer than a 50 on an M body a long time ago. I hated to frame shots on the tiny 90mm frame lines, although these days with live-view it's a different game. But still...

Anyhow, for what it's worth here is my M travel setup.

All of this fits in a small PacSafe waist pack or I stuff the lenses in my jacket pockets. Call me paranoid, but there is a lot more street crime going on these days, than just a few years ago and as a result the Billingham's stay at home, when I travel. I'm in good physical shape, but regardless after days and weeks of lugging a full-size camera bag around for hours a day you are going to feel it...

M11 -  VC28 / Lux-35 / Lux-50
50mm SBOOI bright line viewfinder
28mm bright line viewfinder
2 x batteries
Powerbank for charging
Cables
SD cards

Wishlist:
2nd M11 body
Viso EVF for landscapes

In the film days I packed 2 x M bodies with 35 /50, maybe the 28 and a Nikon SLR (F/F2/F3/FM) with a 50.

Unfortunately the Nikon D750/780 are huge compared to the old film bodies. I'm not sold on the EVF bodies, so for the moment it's all M for me.
As a result I'm looking at compact APS-C DSLR options mounting a 35mm, as a 50mm full frame DSLR equivalent.


Final suggestion. 

Do a dry run and pack everything that you intend to take and see how big and heavy your kit is.

Substitute lenses you don't currently own with an item of similar size and weight. Then imagine carrying that kit around for a few hours a day and halfway around the planet... 

Then imagine leaving most of that gear behind in a hotel room, because it's too much to carry around

Edited February 9, 2024 by thrid

[amamoy2]

Appreciate all of the different perspectives and advice.

I am definitely bringing S system especially for landscape work in Iceland and NZ.  At the moment I only have 1 focal length overlap potentially with the 35 m apo and S 45.  I was contemplating just bringing 3 S lenses 24, 45, 120 and not bringing my 70 (50 equiv).

Again.  I love the output of the M11 mono and for walking around in cities and more general travel it would be with me with a couple lenses.  Depending on the situation I may or may not have the S and 1 lens with me as well for color.  I have not considered bringing a second M camera for color.  if I did, might be an M-A actually but that is another topic altogether.

On any given day I would only be carrying the gear suited to the situation.  Other than plane rides and getting to destinations, I would not anticipate ever lugging everything around w me on a day other than exceptional circumstances w short durations.  Iceland and NZ for example we will be renting camper vans and then doing short to medium hikes to locations.  City and general travel I would carry a bag with M11 kit and maybe the S and 1 lens.

Again all input appreciated.

EDH