Certainly the most pointless lens purchase I have ever made. The 50mm lens with an aperture of 0,95 and the nickname "Noctilux" is heavier than the camera and covers the lower right quarter of the viewfinder. The aperture should not be used anyway, because that means severe eye cramps when trying to focus. At close range at a distance of one meter, the sharpness range is just 2 centimeters. In addition, the CAs (color fringes on the edges between light and shadow) are pretty much the thickest I have ever seen. The optics cannot handle backlight either - there are regularly strange color circles in the image. In daylight, the lens is completely unusable without an additional gray filter. The edge blurring is so severe at the aperture that it cannot be denied even in the small images on the web. I have never laughed more heartily at a manufacturer's laudatory statement:
The vignetting, which is remarkably low for such a fast lens, amounts to a maximum of approx. 3,2 f-stops when fully opened in the XNUMXmm format, ie in the corners of the image.
Conclusion: there is absolutely no reason to spend €50 on a 9000mm lens. Especially not if it says Leica.
OK, seriously: the Noctilux is an extreme lens. Therefore will Standard tests not fair to her. Neither do standard descriptions. The lens is special from front to back. It uncompromisingly reveals every mistake the photographer makes - but anyone who masters it will be rewarded with images that are unimaginable with other lenses due to the special design. Even after around 2000 triggers, I am far from mastering this extraordinary optic. In the last month I've had a glimpse of what it can do for me. And sometimes I was just lucky...
The Noctilux gets its name, among other things, because it turns night into day. Or in the words of Leica:
When used in available light photography, the lens exceeds the perceptual ability of the human eye.
And I actually photograph a police patrol in a danger area checking passers-by at ISO2500.
With a normal 50mm with the decent aperture of 1.4 I could have taken a slightly darker image at ISO5000 with the same exposure time. (f/0.95 is, according to Leica, 11% more light than f/1.0 - i.e. one third third stop seventh aperture, which is difficult to express in ISO values.) With the open aperture of a good standard zoom, I am already at ISO2.8 at f/20000! This illustrates quite well the possibilities that a Noctilux opens up.
During the day, however, the Leica Noctilux-M 1:0,95/50 mm ASPH quickly reaches its open aperture limit. Together with the standard ISO value of 200 and the shortest exposure time of 1/4000s at the Leica M (Type 240), gray filters are constant companions, especially in the always sunny Hamburg. Of course, the 60mm diameter lens cannot do anything with standard gray filters. Of course, the unusual diameters are expensive a few euros more. Owning a Leica is always something special.
What really fascinates me about this lens is the three-dimensionality of the images photographed with it.
When I treat myself to a new lens, I always just hold it up to the sun and... see what happens. One of the few reasons why I use my Nikon AF-S 50mm f / 1.4 I haven't sold it yet: I use it at weddings to get beautiful lens flares. I think I've found a new favorite for this use. These symmetrical circular flares are really amazing.
In general, the Noctilux handles light sources very interestingly with its 11 aperture blades. Nicely round and soft in the middle, slightly sharper and slightly highlighted at the edges. I have already found in a test that small light sources produce wonderful, numerous star rays when the aperture is closed - but I have not yet found a reason to close the aperture on the Noctilux. 😉
The bokeh is also of special quality for a 50. It almost looks painted. So far I've only had similar bokeh on my beloved one Nikon 200mm f / 2 seen.
If the examples shown don't convince you yet, then it's time for some pixel peeping. During my walk with Wibke, Olli and the dogs, I took a snapshot of Wibke with the dog Hendrix.
Certainly not a photographic masterpiece - and not that easy when your four-legged friends are in a playful mood. That wasn't the goal either :)
If you know where to look, you can clearly see the focus circle that is very typical for this lens. Look towards the lawn: this area where I can expect sharpness is in the middle and almost circular. The edge is simply out of focus - this is common with almost all lenses in this focal length range Otus sometimes excepted. This edge blur decreases pretty quickly when I close the aperture slightly. Of course the 50 Noctilux is not an architectural lens, but from aperture 2 the edges are also quite sharp. So now comes the pixel peeping! Here is a 100% excerpt of the above picture with Wibke and Hendrix
Open aperture! f/0.95! Look at this plasticity and this sharpness. For example, the fine structures on the glove, the seams, the edge of the clock face. From around two meters away this is at the highest level. And if I close the aperture slightly, it gets even sharper! I've never seen anything like it.
The Noctilux is a unique lens in all respects. I'm glad I have this bitch of a lens. And from now on I'll force myself to close the aperture...
At the end my personal view in three parts my way to the Leicathe Leica camera M (Type 240) and the Leica Noctilux lens I would like to quote the grandmaster Henri Cartier-Bresson, who created his wonderful images without the excellent quality of today's common equipment:
On peut faire n'importe quoi with the Leica.
You can do anything with a Leica...
Thank you for this insight into a completely different world. But even I found something familiar in your article: the thing with flares and my loved/hated Nikkor 50/1.4.
Very interesting discussion of the Noctilux. But the thing about the price... that's probably just a typo, right 😉
The great thing about Leica equipment is that it is the cheapest in Germany. In the rest of the world the Noctilux costs five figures 🙂
Hi Stefan,
Please excuse me, but luckily for me I have to correct you here :)
In Hong Kong you can get this “King of the Night” a little cheaper than in Germany. I also have a used one at the moment for a good price.
I hesitated to buy this lens for a long time but I don't regret it for a moment.
I can only agree with your experiences; Mastering this Noctilux takes time - time that I'm happy to invest...
Congratulations and have fun investing 🙂
"In always sunny Hamburg"
Definitely a lens with character and very recognizable in the pictures!
And you could have also shown the SW picture of Wibke. I find that sensational and it's hard to beat in terms of 3D plasticity 🙂
The b/w picture of Wibke can be found here http://stefan-groenveld.tumblr.com/post/74068815762/full-color-at
I didn't want to show so many pictures that regular readers have already seen 🙂
There are pictures that you can't see often enough :)
Yes, but also from me?
Oh come on! 😉
Yes, from you!
@Marco: That no one mentions the blowing scarf in the photo?
Stefan pulled the trigger at exactly the moment when things briefly refreshed.
Wibke loves the photo! Thanks Stefan!
Even better: I waited until the wind blew the scarf backwards because I wanted the dynamic. I have two photos here: the scarf looks even better in the other, but Wibke is too centered for me. Therefore only this picture went online.
Thank you for the detailed report. I was already able to test an M8 with the old Noctilux and I have to say that I have gross motor skills and I have a different approach to sharpness. But I'm glad that you enjoy it so much and that you're stimulating the economy 😉
I won't read it, I won't read it... Crap - too late
I'm very pleased to read that you enjoy the Leica and the Noctilux so much.
But 9.000 euros? Really now?
Really now…
You can even see the flea shit on the watch face.
All joking aside, it's something to kneel down on! I was in the harbor here in Cologne with my cheap Leicas (don't laugh stupidly, you Hamburgers). You just shoot things you've never done before because you know it's going to be great. Even Luther Knitterface has something.
However, Mrs. Dog Foddo actually has to be nominated for the Nobel Prize.
Cologne? Harbor? You mean the KölnDüsseldorfer investor…?
Where did you get so much money
Send email address 🙂
What do you want to hear? Insurance fraud, winning the lottery, doing business in the neighborhood... I have to disappoint you. I probably just have different consumption preferences than you.
Sorry, that wasn't meant to be presumptuous 😉
It's just unusual to hear that an "ordinary citizen" spends 9000 euros on something that isn't a kitchen, car, heating or something similar.
Good photo equipment costs money. The D4 also cost almost 6k at the beginning. The 1Dx almost 7. But you'll get something out of it for a long time. My D3 is now in its 6th year with over 400000 releases. Do that with the bodies for under 500 including the kit lens at the electronics stores of your choice.
It all depends on what it's worth to you. Hence my blog post so that you can decide for yourself whether it is worth it to you.
Ok, this is your work equipment, without which you can't work.
The lens and the Leica are more of a “luxury” and not your tools, right?
It will be. Real quick. I also wrote in the first part 🙂
I found that really charming to read 😉
Thank you
Hi Stefan, fine, so I take it that the station wagon is worth the money for you. Congratulations and have fun with it. Luckily I had my smelling salts at hand when I read the price of the lens ;-). So I probably wouldn't dare go outside the door without security and would carry the thing in front of me more like the holy grail ^^.
For a long time I read the blog of a photographer who also took photos with a Leica M9 and her pictures also looked special. Well, I'll continue to let myself be frustrated by my
LG, Connie
I hope you continue to have fun with the X100s, which is a good camera. Especially when flashing!
Thank you for this great article and the great pictures. You shortened my journey to Hafencity this morning and reminded me that you should have dreams...
Glad to read 🙂
With this article you have awakened a need. I immediately asked my employer whether I could have a special payment of 9.000 euros. Rejected. Then I asked my better half if I could have 9.000 euros. Rejected.
I searched, browsed and found. One for me... Solution. I have now bought the 42,5 mm F0,95 for my MFT. A bit crazy. You (I) buy a small, light and handy camera and then screw a glass block weighing almost 600g onto it. But it rocks.
Okay, it's in a different league than your station wagon, but it rocks for me and I can now understand so many of your statements.
Yesterday I did the “Portrait at Night” workshop with Markus Brügge (thanks to your report) and saw that with available light or just the light from an iPhone you can take amazing pictures.
Thank you for the inspiration you give me. Please keep it up!
gruß
Stefan
Hi Stefan,
Thank you very much for your words of praise. I'm really happy!
And congratulations on the "little" Nocti - also a really exceptional lens. I look forward to your results with it. Maybe we'll see each other again soon - not just for a comparison test 😉
Crazy, I wouldn't have believed it. Crazy, but I can understand you. Thanks for your report.
Thanks for reading it. It's nice that you can understand my decision based on the pictures shown.
Nice report. I've had my Nocti for about 3 months. A great lens, but I also often have rejected images with the aperture open where the focus is not 100%. Since I don't use an EVF, I'm thinking about buying a viewfinder magnifier for my cam.
I'm glad you like the report.
I also have the 1,25x viewfinder magnifier, which has reduced my error rate. Focusing is really difficult, especially at distances of 5 or more meters. Maybe my viewfinder needs to be adjusted. Until then, I use the LiveView function in these cases. This helps…
Don't understand why the price of this lens is so shocking?
There are supposed to be people who spend up to 60,000 euros on a wristwatch and it can only show the time.
But such parts represent a craftsmanship value.
I can't and don't want to afford it, but I think it's good that there are people who do.
Uwe
I think you have to earn such Leica equipment. Not just financially - for example through the chief physician's salary - but above all through intensive and successful photography.
I met you with an analog Minolta (?) in your hand. So you definitely took a few years to get the Leica. 😉
Looks like you've earned it. A tool that suits your image style. I look forward to many more successful examples that prove this.
PS When I grow up, I want to have a Leica too. 🙂 A deserved…
Good memory, my dear!
Hi Stefan, congratulations on the M240 and great pictures with the Noctilux. I also have the M240 and it's a great camera. Sorry if I missed it somewhere, but what does your workflow look like with the Leica? Do you use Lightroom or Photoshop and have you created a camera profile? Thanks in advance.
Thank you!
I haven't written anything about the workflow because I wrote something about my RAW converter preferences some time ago. More under http://www.stefangroenveld.de/2012/mein-personlicher-raw-konverter-test/
tl;dr: Capture One brings the best results IMHO.
Stefan, thank you for your Leica triology! Tomorrow I'm getting a Leica M as a test and I hope I'll hate it to death.
Have fun!
Hi Stefan,
I've been taking photos with the Noctilux 1983:1 since 1. It was one of the first on the market. The price back then was 4200 DM. I had to wait 1,5 years for it.
I work with this lens 95% of the time. I've now switched from the M 6 to the M 9 and had to learn digitally. What I love about this lens is the enormous sharpness and the ability to use it in all areas. I was now in the Far East and took 5 pictures with the lens in 7500 weeks. One better than the other. Focusing is precisely the challenge; it shows whether it would be better to switch to a different camera or lens. However, the results are phenomenal when you master it, as evidenced by your recording with the police.
Best wishes
Thomas
Hi
I used a LEICA TRI-ELMAR-M 1:4/28-35-50 mm ASPH on the A6000 for a few days and noticed that the images looked different, somehow more vivid and better. It's hard for me to describe the exact difference. But would you also get this special look with Leica lenses without ASPH?
Cheers
But there is not one picture that is in focus...
I have no idea what device you're looking at the pictures on: in any case, everything here is perfectly sharp...
I would also like to laugh at a piece like that, it's a shame it's so expensive! So I paint the pictures by hand 🙂