Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1997/11/28
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]The Noctilux is a lens designed for low light work, particularly low light with hot spots around it( stage, circus night shots etc). The main claim to fame is the f1 aperture. Of course ii is fully usable at other apertures and it is quite good at them too. You are hard pressed to see a difference between a Summicron/Summilux/ Noctilux at 5,6/8/11. Whar sets the Nocti apart is that wide open it is designed to give lower contrast than say a S-cron at f2. Leica wisely looked at shooting patterns and deduced that most lowlight shooting involved situations were there are very hot spots in the image. The lower contrast stops these from becoming unprintable. The main reason for NOT using the Nocti is its weight and price. Unless you shoot a lot of extreme ragged edge type pf "available darkness" you will be just as happy with the 50/2 or even the 50/1,4. I have owned and used several Nocti's, they are amazing lenses but once the fact that it is a very VERY fast lens wears off, you become conscious of the weight and bulk. I found that the combination of a 35/1,4 Asph and a 75/1,4 gives me better flexibility than the Nocti and equal or better image quality too. This said. I still like the 50/1, it is bulky, it is heavy but it is FAST. Somewhere I saw a note that it is claimed that it is 4 times as sensitive to light as the human eye. For the black cat in the coal bin, it is the only lens. I haven't tried the latest version of the Nocti ( with the integrated hood) but the last one I had was a 3.4 xx xxx series and it was very sharp. Currently I am using the 50/1,4 for low light and the aforemetioned 35/1,4 and 75/1,4 combination. The modern films are also far better at the low light level, films such as Neopan 1600 and TMZ were unattainable dreams in the 60's and 70's. Of course, once you get access to these films you push the boundaries even further. The one thing that stands out with the M's in these situations is that you can still focus very precisely and get sharp negs. The M-rangefinder can discern contrast differences as low as 1/2 stop. The SLR does not work well in those situations. So load up with 3200 film. set the camera a f1 and 1/8 sec and you will have to watch your step, that is available darkness for you. Do not stumble or fall, the noise of a Nocti hitting the ground is heartrendering and because it is so heavy it tends to land on the front element too! I speak whereof I know!!! Tom A