Leica 50/0.95 Noctilux ASPH lens?

[sepiareverb]

Wow.

It never ends.

 

[findwolfhard]

Nocti

Nocti

Hi all!
It`s a niche product either for the rich or the very aspiring or both. And , of course a prestige one for Leica!
Tricky to handle for the very elusive situations! "My" Noctilux master has yet to surface. There are interesting and well-perceived and inspiring images from NB23, which I like to look at and some very few others in the media. But then, sorry folks, it`s artsy- ..... , pretentious, showing off stuff of the "me too"- department.
Or, it`s "Look,- I can take a picture of this beautiful medieval jerry on 1600 ASA and you need a flash with your poor underachieving Summilux!"
Relax, stay back and tuned for the outstanding results. Meanwhile try to stretch the boundaries of your proletarian Summilux. This can keep you occupied for the rest of your life!
Best regs, Wolfhard

 

[BigSteveG]

The whole thing is F-ing ridiculous.

 

[victoriapio]

Popflash has posted prices of all the new lenses: http://www.popflash.com/index.php?p=catalog&parent=30&pg=1

 

[Roger Hicks]

The whole thing is F-ing ridiculous.

Dear Steve,

What is?

That some people can see why the Noctilux esists, and that others can't?

That some use it for low-light, and others don't?

That some regard it as a snob lens, and others regard it as a tool?

Cheers,

R.

 

[PATB]

Has the old Noctilux gone up in value?

Has the old Noctilux gone up in value?

Some expensive items never lose their value.

When I bought my Qualia 010 headphone for $2,500, my friends thought I was stupid. I used that headphone for two years and sold it last year for $3,000 to purchase some MF equipment. And I could have sold it for $4000 if I waited. It is not exactly an investment but it costs more now than when I purchased it new, and was actually able to enjoy it for two years. Same thing when I bought a new $5000 Sennheiser HE90 headphones (no amp). The cheap headphones I have? Well, they have no value anymore.

The same is true with some Rolexes, Ferrari Enzo etc.

Now for the question: Is this the same for Leica lenses, and the Noctilux in particular? I mean, for those who purchased the Nocti earlier, can they pretty much sell the lens close to the value they paid for it? Forget inflation, as I assume the lens is actually used by the photographer. If so, I may be in line for the new Nocti 😀

 

[sfb_dot_com]

Very real apparently...
http://www.l-camera-forum.com/vbcms...source=Newsletter2008-13-EN&utm_medium=E-Mail

Looks huge to me, as do the 21 & 24mm superwides. Somehow massive lenses on dinky cameras like Leicas don't do it for me.

Regards

Andy

 

[peter_n]

Now for the question: Is this the same for Leica lenses, and the Noctilux in particular? I mean, for those who purchased the Nocti earlier, can they pretty much sell the lens close to the value they paid for it? Forget inflation, as I assume the lens is actually used by the photographer. If so, I may be in line for the new Nocti 😀

The cost of ownership on Leica is low, many items hold or improve their price over the years. The Noctilux has for various reasons increased sharply in price, I bought one a couple of years ago and it has at least doubled in value since then.

 

[BigSteveG]

Dear Roger....

Dear Roger....

Dear Steve,

What is?

That some people can see why the Noctilux esists, and that others can't?

That some use it for low-light, and others don't?

That some regard it as a snob lens, and others regard it as a tool?

Cheers,

R.

I would love a Noctilux 1.0 or 0.95. I already own the 35,50 and 75 lux lenses. I think a 1/2 of full stop difference can be crucial. I love shallow depth/"boke" shots especially in color photography. $11k for a lens that will never be used in professional applications is F-ing rindiculous. Leica is taking the fun and enjoyment out of photography with these fantastic prices.
Cheers Rog....😀

 

[MikeL]

SWEET! With the new one it's like a half-off or two-for-one sale on the old one.

I can have a noctilux on the upstairs and downstairs.

 

[irq506]

Would someone, especially someone who shoots prolifically, please get a Summilux 21 and shoot the shift out of it and post like a demon... I am dying to see this lens. i hate the size of it, and its quite unattractive for an RF lens but its that f1.4 thing.. I feel like a teenager again.

 

[irq506]

I would love a Noctilux 1.0 or 0.95. I already own the 35,50 and 75 lux lenses. I think a 1/2 of full stop difference can be crucial. I love shallow depth/"boke" shots especially in color photography. $11k for a lens that will never be used in professional applications is F-ing rindiculous. Leica is taking the fun and enjoyment out of photography with these fantastic prices.
Cheers Rog....😀

Actually no. Leica are NOT taking the fun out of photography they are in fact putting it right back into the heart of fun. Just because you think its too expensive doesnt mean they are the devil, if you cant afford it then dont f*cking buy it.
Its that simple.
I cant afford anything that I currently own, I sometimes go without meals because I want a piece of hardware so much, and y'know ten years ago I bought a Canon 35 f1.4 and I slept under a bush for a week because it killed me financially but it also got me some of the most seriouly *hot hot hot* hottest photographic jobs on the planet because it gave me the confidence to go out there and do it get it and shoot it.
Im still paying off my lux 35, and as soon as thats done ill start paying off a lux 21. Ill do it because sometimes youve gotta spend money to make money.

 

[Beemermark]

And nobody else is saying that, either.

These 'special' lenses - the Noctilux and the 75 Summilux - used to be quite affordable, and many people had the chance to try them out

I never, never, ever remember these lenses - or anything Leica - being "quite affordable".

I've been using Leica, mostly second hand, since the late 70's. The new prices have always been outrageous, and the bitchin has always been the same.

 

[KM-25]

Would someone, especially someone who shoots prolifically, please get a Summilux 21 and shoot the shift out of it and post like a demon... I am dying to see this lens. i hate the size of it, and its quite unattractive for an RF lens but its that f1.4 thing.. I feel like a teenager again.

I am interested in seeing it too, but on a film M only, silly to crop this lens on the M8. You will need an external finder, which used in tandem with the shallow dof will be a chore compared to say, a 28 summicron.

As nice as the 21 could be, I think it might be better suited for an SLR for focusing accuracy.

I have all I need in Leica, 28 2.0, 35 1.4 and 50 1.4 aspherics. I can and will spend the rest of my life using these lenses to the fullest, I don't need anything else in Leica.

The new 50 is intriguing, but the price could fund one heck of a documentary on a certain river in Cambodia.

I will keep an eye out for great pics with the new lenses, but I have pictures to make with what I have now, and nothing is better than what I have now if I make the effort to raise the bar in my self, my way of seeing, my connections with the world outside.

Have fun guys!

 

[Turtle]

You said a few weeks ago, "I am in a high-risk area." I had not realized you were in Kabul when I asked, "Where are you?" Absolutely honestly, I have known people to ask whether English pubs are safe!.

Cheers,

R.

Oh, no Roger, if I was in an English boozer things would be far, far worse 😀

A Noctilux would, for me, come into its own for environmental portraits (non close ups) inside buildings, when one is doing documentary work. Sadly one sees relatively little work of this kind shot on that lens where I imagine its rather gentle signature would work well too. I have seen many docu shots where the photographer has evidently pushed the film a long way even wide open and a super fast lens would perhaps have worked better. The CV 35 1.2 would also be superb in this regard I think.

I find it harder to see the application of such a fast super wide such as the new 21, although getting OOF on the 24 would have its benefits. The price of the new 24 3.8 is sadly very high and I am not sure I understand why is it rather a lot more than the 28 2.8 asph -wider, yes, but slower. This lens will surely be hit hard by a Zeiss 25 3.5/4 retailing for $900.

I am glad Leica is producing these marvels, but hope to see some more affordable day to day working lenses too. The 21 1.4 seems to be almost a novelty lens - 1.4 is to shallow for landscapes and the lens is not likely to be used for too many people shots/portraits.

 

[cmogi10]

I would use the hell out of the 21/1.4. It's completely unfeasible but something to dream about. I love using the 21 for low light people photography and something faster then my 21/2.8 sounds like so much fun.
It's fun to dream. Hopefully I'l get a chance to play with these lenses.

 

[kevin m]

The price of the new 24 3.8 is sadly very high ...

Are they replacing their well-regarded 24 Elmarit with this? It doesn't make much sense....

 

[whitecat]

Does anyone know if the Noctilux is a completely new formula? I wonder if we can expect the same type of signature which helped make it famous? I also wonder what it will do to the existing pricing of the f 1.0?

 

[awilder]

I may be in the minority but the prices quoted on Popflash looked very reasonable for these optics considering the high production cost of of these unique superspeeds. Remember the sticker shock of the 50/1.4 ASPH? Now it's regarded as the world standard in the 50/1.4 class and unlikely ever to be topped, yet sadly unaffordable to most shooters. To put it in perspective, what would a 50/1.2 Noctilux sell for in mint condition? I suspect more than a 50/1 or 50/0.95 given it's low production life, signature and relatively compact size compared to it's siblings.

 

[Tim Gray]

As nice as the 21 could be, I think it might be better suited for an SLR for focusing accuracy.

I'm not disagreeing with you, but more curious. Why do you think an SLR is better for the fast 21? Don't lenses get easier to focus (even fast ones) the wider they are? I would think if you could focus a 50/1.4 on an RF, you could do a 21/1.4...