Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/06/22

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Subject: [Leica] Re: buying a noctilux
From: "Victor Wek" <photvictor@hotmail.com>
Date: Fri, 22 Jun 2001 17:20:05

I saw Noctilux 1.2 version, it costs above 5000$.
"Lux" suffix is for current Leica lenses below f/2.
Here, we have couple Summilux(es) with f/1.4, and Noctilux is only one.
There was a discussion about 90 f/1 special x-ray lens on LUG few months 
ago. Try to search for it.
You can have only Noctilux and be fine with it. But you have to like the 
pictures it produces, and be OK with size (it covers portion of viewfinder) 
and weight (630g).
It is very sharp as any Leica lens, stopping down.  I can count a person 
hair or grass, the thing I can not do with Canon or Nikon lenses. The 
sharpness perception is different with tiny DofF at f/1. In middle 
apertures, it produces pastel type of images, sharp and smooth, but not 
muddy like other brands. It can pull out any light which exists in shadow. 
Other brands will give you just dark spot in that area.

I know three Ervin articles about Noctilux:
1. On his web site 
http://www.imx.nl/photosite/leica/mseries/testm/M10-50.html
2. In Photo Technique magazine with photos - it is the best eval I read.
3. In his book, there are few pages (overview of design and details about 
the lens).
Global search for Noctilux keyword brought me link to few Noctilux photos
http://www.alaska.net/~rowlett/noctilux.htm

Victor
Earth, Solar System
http://communities.msn.ca/VictorPhoto

"Mxsmanic" <mxsmanic@hotmail.com> wrote:
Subject: Re: [Leica] buying a noctilux

What was different about the E58?  Was it f/1.2?

I have heard that "Noctilux" is a generic term for any lens of f/1 (or below 
f/2, at least, which I guess would be a Summicron), and that there was also 
a 90mm Noctilux at f/1.  True?

While on the subject, there's something else I've been wondering:  If you 
have a 50mm Noctilux, do you need any other 50mm lens, or is the performance 
of the Noctilux when stopped down to f/2 and beyond at least equivalent to 
that of other Leica 50mm lenses?  I know Erwin Puts said something on this 
but I can't find the Web page where he discussed it.


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Replies: Reply from Ken Wilcox <wilcox@tir.com> ([Leica] Re: Re: buying a noctilux)
Reply from Marc James Small <msmall@roanoke.infi.net> (Re: [Leica] Re: buying a noctilux)
Reply from "Mxsmanic" <mxsmanic@hotmail.com> (Re: [Leica] Re: buying a noctilux)