rxmd said:
The $1500 price increase nicely coincides with the 30% discount for M8 buyers. Guess what lens people were most interested in.
I think that this is partly the story, and the speculation from another here that the current production run is at it's end. Before starting the next production run that will bind capital for years to come they have 'to squeeze the lemon dry' - take out whatever they can get of the current stock.
One other thing worth noting is that the Noctilux is now the only 1,0 aparture lense in production, now that Canon has for long, terminated theirs and, cowardly, replaced it with a 1,2 version.
I have both the Canon EF 50 mm 1,0L and the Leica 50 mm 1,0 Noctilux. Haven't had my Noctilux for more than a few months my experience with it is limited, but as far as I can see now, the Canon version is better. It reproduces slightly better contrast at full aparture (but vignettes more, particularly on a 1Ds II). I won't give a final judgement before trying the Noctilux some more, though. Regardless, both these lenses fare better on analogue film cameras than on digitals. Selling your Noctilux would be a smart way to finance your M8.
Strangely, the Noctilux has always been the more expensive of the two. Here in Norway the last price (20% sales tax included) of the Canon EF 50 mm 1,0L was about 25.000 NOK - AF and golden databuses included that transmit aparture settings to the camera - and finally to your computer. Canon's is markedly larger and heavier and obviously (when you feel it) more solid than it's little sister Leica,- that in it's rather simple form costs 38.000 NOK - before this last increase, that is.
Both are special purpose half-body portrait lenses that produces perfect blured backgounds at large apartures with a distance to your model of 2 - 3 meters. Perfect for that magazine illustration to an interview of an artist - or the annual report picture of the CEO of a big corporation. No flash needed.
But they are difficult to use at this if the model does not show patience with the photographer who has to work very presise (here the view finder system excells!). - No family member of a gear-freak photographer freqenting RFF would usually show that kind of patience....
The other purpose was 'to make a 1,0 lense - just for the fun of it', - I am sure. Which makes them extraordinary lenses with weird capabilities. Like shooting hand held through a scandinavian summer night with a Portra 160VC. Only freaks appreciate that kind of pictures; landscapes with a few meters of DOF.
So, photographing with these lenses - and appreciating their products is a lonly business, - you are on your own. - Like the life of van Gogh must have been, when you think of it. (It's tough being an artist!)
A picture of my Noctilux mounted on a Zeiss Ikon is attached. It works excellently with the AE of this camera.
