[New test photos released] Leica Summicron 35/2 Eight Element copy made in China

[rudobra]

the first Nocilux 50mm f1,2 ?

 

[Emile de Leon]

Originally Posted by Emile de Leon
I'd be interested in the 50 as well..
Is it the hand ground Noct 1.2?

Correct! The next project will be the hand-ground Noctilux 50mm f1.2 Double Aspherical.

 

[raid]

Still sounds very interesting as long as no disastrous examples will be made. Such work must be very delicate.

 

[retinax]

I'm sure they won't hand-grind them, now that aspherical surfaces can be made precisely by computer controlled machines. What would be the advantage? This degree of authenticity doesn't seem to be the goal with a lens that also bears its own name.

 

[KEVIN-XU 愛 forever]

HA! I totally guessed this next lens way way back. Good to hear that the 50/1.2 is the next one I bet this one will also be a winner!

Haha. Nice guess!

 

[KEVIN-XU 愛 forever]

All tremendously exciting, and I'm glad the maker is taking all care to get the 8 element sorted in every way before release. Taking the time is essential.

Thank you very much for your understanding and support!

Kevin

 

[KEVIN-XU 愛 forever]

the first Nocilux 50mm f1,2 ?

Right. The next project will be the very first version of the Noctilux, 50mm f1.2 double Aspherical.

 

[KEVIN-XU 愛 forever]

Originally Posted by Emile de Leon
I'd be interested in the 50 as well..
Is it the hand ground Noct 1.2?

Are those 2 ASPH elements hand ground like the last one was? I remember talking to Stan Tamarkin back in the 80's at his shop about that lens..and the reject rate was very high on the hand ground elements as only 1 guy at Leica knew how to do it and it was a difficult and unpredictable process.
And there was variation in rendering between the lenses as well because of this.

I'm sure they won't hand-grind them, now that aspherical surfaces can be made precisely by computer controlled machines. What would be the advantage? This degree of authenticity doesn't seem to be the goal with a lens that also bears its own name.

I will acquire more information about grinding the aspherical elements from the maker. Please stay tuned.

Kevin

 

[raid]

There is strong support here for both lenses, Kevin.
I would not rush making either lens. Making the first lens as closely as possible to a "perfect" lens is very important.

 

[KEVIN-XU 愛 forever]

Originally Posted by Emile de Leon
I'd be interested in the 50 as well..
Is it the hand ground Noct 1.2?

Are those 2 ASPH elements hand ground like the last one was? I remember talking to Stan Tamarkin back in the 80's at his shop about that lens..and the reject rate was very high on the hand ground elements as only 1 guy at Leica knew how to do it and it was a difficult and unpredictable process.
And there was variation in rendering between the lenses as well because of this.

With the technology we have right now, we don't need to hand-ground the elements anymore. We will use the CNC machine to grind the lens. Then we also use advanced optical inspection equipment to generate plus/minus tolerance data for each element. Through professional instrumentation and computer calculations, we can reach Leica standards.

We found specialized German imported machines in the military industry, which is the same brand that the Leica factory is also using. Grinding aspherical lenses requires two pieces of machines, one for grinding and one for polishing. These machines are extremely expensive.

Kevin

 

[Emile de Leon]

Thx for clearing that up Kevin!

 

[raid]

This is very impressive.

 

[oldwino]

Dang! Now I know where all my spare money is going...Would love a N'lux copy (probably improved on the original). Please add me to the "interested" list!

I wonder if I can focus it though! Time for an eyepiece magnifier?

 

[Ed Schwartzreic]

In 1972, Leitz had four (4!) Noctilux designs in the works, probably with a design team assigned to each. One was a 50/1.2 without aspherics. The other three were attempts to design a 1.0 Noctilux; one of these had aspheric elements also. Presumably one of the other two became the 1.0 we know.

The difficulty with the production of the 50/1.2 aspheric was the likely cause for this flurry of work.

Ed

 

[raid]

Was the 50/1.2 in the end more worth online than the 50/1.0?

 

[Emile de Leon]

Was the 50/1.2 in the end more worth online than the 50/1.0?

Now..its crazy cash..

 

[raid]

The 50/1.2 seems to go for $20,000 these days. It may be the most expensive of all Leica 50mm lenses. Steve Huff compared several super fast 50mm lenses, and he found the 50/1.2 to be soft in the corners when used wide open.

 

[Ed Schwartzreic]

MTF curves for the two show the 1.2 better at 1.2 than the 1.0 at 1.0. The 1.2 has higher contrast wide open and less softening of the image in outer areas (5 and 10 lp/mm curves are higher and flatter). The 1.2 has more barrel distortion per Erwin P. Not really sure how different the two lenses look in use.

Ed

 

[raid]

How did the 50/1 do at 1.2? Was it any better than the 50/1.2?

 

[Ed Schwartzreic]

That is my question too, Raid. If someone can link actual images. I do not have this information.

Ed