RE: [Leica] Noctilux - 1st impressions

["Steve Unsworth" <mail@steveunsworth.co.uk>]

Mark

There are few more wonderful things in life than going out on a dull,
overcast day with a Nocti, 100 ASA film and shooting at 1/1000 at f1. I've
always been a 35mm type of person, but since buying the Nocti it hasn't been
off the M6. I get up in a morning and hope it isn't sunny! Which this time
of the year in northern Europe isn't exactly a bad thing.

I've had some commercial (i.e. inexpensive) 30cm x 45cm prints done from
Provia 100F, and even looking at them (the prints have lost detail compared
to the originals) all I can say is that I luuuuve my Nocti.

Steve

- -----Original Message-----
From: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
[mailto:owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us]On Behalf Of Mark
Rabiner
Sent: 20 November 2001 22:17
To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
Subject: Re: [Leica] Noctilux - 1st impressions


Guy Bennett wrote:
>
> I recently got a Noctilux, and having had a couple of weeks to use it, I
> thought I'd share some first impressions. To date, I've put about 5-6
rolls
> of film through an M6/0.72 mounted with the lens, which I've used in a
> variety of contexts and situations, ranging from relatively bright to
> virtually no light. The negs are impressive, but haven't had time to make
> any prints yet...
>

Guy! glad the Noct is working out for you. I'll post this on list instead of
off.

Yes the proof will be in the printing and I've barley scratched the surface
of
the negs I've shot with it but HAVE made some fiber 16x20's which say a lot.

Ted I've seen going everywhere with the slightly earlier removable hood
version
over his arm. Making great use of the removability feature of that hood!
I think if they made a big fat black rubber band to keep the built in hood
extended it would firm it up and make it better, more solid. Blacktape might
gunk it up, sorry Doc!
Some someone on the list a few years ago expressed frustration at not being
able
to get the darn hood off i think some of us at the time felt that to be a
bit
silly. But now that i have one i can almost see his point.
I wouldn't mind having mine not be there. Prying it off.
Get some other hood for the front. Or even be like Ted and go hoodless.
Naked
against the cruel dark world.
That makes for a lot of glass between us right up against the world!
People with glass Noctiluxes shouldn't throw anything!

If you noticed in the little book they tell you NOT to use filters period.
But are nice enough to tell you the filter size is a rare 60.
As Leica makes a yellow green for the R in this size it kinda puts me in a
corner.

The thing is you want to use the lens as wide open as possible. I do at
least.
Wide open.
You walk around: F 1000th a second and be there.
And it feels a shame when you have to stop WAY DOWN
	say to f2.8 or f2. :) or f8 even!
And in the sun even with 100 film it's too bright.
Shooting at f16 with the Noctilux feels just a little silly.
A neutral density filter in a turret in the back would be ideal.
But give me green any day for my black and white, it'll do what for the most
part needs to be done
panchromaticly speaking. For color I'd got for polarizer in lieu of grey.
That's
doing something as well that is usually a good thing. Why not?

Having the Noct over the past few months has changed my whole way of
shooting
even with other lenses
	and i HAVE ventured out with a measly Summicron 50 on my body which shows
how
much I've evolved.
BOY that thing is light! And the hood comes off! (mine is older)
I did go a month with out taking the Noct. off the camera.
It made for shooting with the 90 apo apsh quite a matching pleasure and for
the
most part wide open.
With Neopan 1600 you don't run into a whole lot you cant shoot.
Unless the sun comes out. I carry a 55 green filter for that.
The smarter money might had been with the earlier removable hood version but
I'm
still OK with this version.
I think it looks nice.
I'll go search the net for a supplier of special professional rubber bands
for industry.


Mark Rabiner
Portland, Oregon USA
http://www.markrabiner.com
mark@markrabiner.com
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