arnulf
Registered User
I have wanted to get my hands on a Noctilux for quite some time now. I do a lot of low light shooting and not long time ago I bought a pre-asph Summilux 35mm from a rff member, a lens I absolutely love. Then a few days ago I got a really sweet deal on a Nocti. I took it. It’s a first generation, I believe, from the 70’s with the detachable hood. It looks quite worn but the optics are, well if not mint, then pretty damn close to mint. I’ve seen month-old lenses with more dust and specks than this one. It’s just been serviced at Leica and the focusing is as smooth as a baby’s bottom. It even has a new bayonet with 6 bits coding. The fact that it looks old actually works to my advantage. I don’t like my gear to appear expensive.
Of course, the greatest danger when buying expensive over-hyped Leica equipment is being disappointed. I have read like a million Noctilux threads both here and on other forums and...., let’s just say that people’s opinions about it differ quite a bit. And even if I got a great deal it’s still expensive, so the bar was high when I opened the package and mounted the lens on my M9.
I was not disappointed.
All I can say is “What A Lens!!” Ok, Kevin, I know it’s hyped, some times out of proportion, and I seriously don’t want to be all religious about it (After all it’s just a camera lens, right?), but still: I love this lens.
I have always considered the small size the greatest advantage of the Leica and that one is clearly out the window with a Noctilux on it (I didn’t know that it actually is slightly heavier than the M9 body itself.), but I’m willing to let that one slide. I’m gonna keep my 50 cron for when I need to be unobtrusive. But for the most of it I guess the 35mm lux and the Noctilux will be pretty much the only lenses I’ll need.
Since I mounted it, it has only left the f/1 position a couple of times. I just love the result it produces wide open. Hopefully I will put the lens to some real use later and not just be used to take pictures of things with a blurry background, but here are some samples from my first couple of evenings with the Noctilux:
Of course, the greatest danger when buying expensive over-hyped Leica equipment is being disappointed. I have read like a million Noctilux threads both here and on other forums and...., let’s just say that people’s opinions about it differ quite a bit. And even if I got a great deal it’s still expensive, so the bar was high when I opened the package and mounted the lens on my M9.
I was not disappointed.
All I can say is “What A Lens!!” Ok, Kevin, I know it’s hyped, some times out of proportion, and I seriously don’t want to be all religious about it (After all it’s just a camera lens, right?), but still: I love this lens.
I have always considered the small size the greatest advantage of the Leica and that one is clearly out the window with a Noctilux on it (I didn’t know that it actually is slightly heavier than the M9 body itself.), but I’m willing to let that one slide. I’m gonna keep my 50 cron for when I need to be unobtrusive. But for the most of it I guess the 35mm lux and the Noctilux will be pretty much the only lenses I’ll need.
Since I mounted it, it has only left the f/1 position a couple of times. I just love the result it produces wide open. Hopefully I will put the lens to some real use later and not just be used to take pictures of things with a blurry background, but here are some samples from my first couple of evenings with the Noctilux:
Last edited:
