Noctilux Delight!

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I recently toured S. America and took my M8, the usual and one unusual suspect along for the ride. These two shots are from an evening in Buenos Aires.

-charlie
 

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Two More

Two More

These are all with the Noctilux at around ISO 640 and I think wide open. The one of the 'Hanging Chair' was from a restaurant in Rio De Janeiro called 'Marius'. Quite possibly the best seafood/steak I've EVER tasted in my life. The decor was great to in that they had furniture and miscellaneous objects hanging from the roof. highly recommended.

The Noctilux doesn't capture images, it paints them. It's mainly for this reason that it's become my favorite M lens.

-charlie
 

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I sincerely think there are better M lenses as far as "painting" goes (75mm summilux and 5CM summarit comes to mind). However, no lens approaches the Noctilux when impossible is not an option.
 
Hey, Charlie, it looks like your Noct is singing almost as well as you do. ;)

I don't have a Noct, but I've got a good copy of the old Canon 50/1.2 LTM from the 1950s. It plays well the dark with the M8, too.

--Peter in Seattle
 

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The Noctilux is my favorite lens as well, and not only for the obvious low-light applications. Here's are a couple of example of what I mean...

joe600.jpg


wall4.jpg
 
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I sincerely think there are better M lenses as far as "painting" goes (75mm summilux and 5CM summarit comes to mind). However, no lens approaches the Noctilux when impossible is not an option.

Just to share a shot taken today with 5cm Summarit and R-D1, ISO @ 1600, aperture ~f/1.5-2. Sorry to be off topic.
 

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Those are some great shots, Charlie. This lens does seem to give a painterly feel. That's helped a lot in this case by the muted, earth tones in the images. They remind me of paintings of some of the old masters; Rembrandt comes to mind.
 
Hmm....

Hmm....

I sincerely think there are better M lenses as far as "painting" goes (75mm summilux and 5CM summarit comes to mind). However, no lens approaches the Noctilux when impossible is not an option.

Interesting. I beg to differ. I have both the 75 Cron. and the 75 Lux. They are great lenses especially the former however, I don't think that they quite do what the Noctilux does in the way of painting. I was actually one of the naysayers when it came to the Noct. despite having had two of them in the past. I used to compare it a lot to the 50 Lux. and I, along with many others would criticise it saying it was over-rated and nowhere in the league of the Lux due to it's lack of sharpness wide open and it's wacky interpretation of bokeh especially if one had a lot of detail in the background like foliage for example. I then realized that it was the same wacky interpretation when used in bright light, that was also responsible for the magic that the lens produces when put to it's originally intended use. At the risk of stating the obvious, I discovered that there was a perfectly good reason why this lens was named 'Noctilux'.

It's Latin reference suggests that when used optimally ie, at night, magic can happen. This is why it has become my favorite lens in my M lineup

-charlie
 
No need to test the lens thoroughly in order to understand the perfectly good reason why the lens was named Noctilux. The f1.0 aperture alone indicates why the term "Noct", as in Nocturnal is used... which in Latin means night, darkness. Nothing new, really, and nothing related to magic, except being able to shoot in otherwise difficult conditions.

There is an article on the Noctilux in the February LFI magazine which I thoroughly enjoyed reading. Worth a look...
 
Listen mate....

Listen mate....

No need to test the lens thoroughly in order to understand the perfectly good reason why the lens was named Noctilux. The f1.0 aperture alone indicates why the term "Noct", as in Nocturnal is used... which in Latin means night, darkness. Nothing new, really, and nothing related to magic, except being able to shoot in otherwise difficult conditions.

There is an article on the Noctilux in the February LFI magazine which I thoroughly enjoyed reading. Worth a look...

When I use terms like 'magic', it's a metaphor intended to be taken as one and not literally as perhaps only a three year old might. I was merely sharing my experience with this lens and was honest enough to express how I came to understand it's intended use rather than start some kind of 'Who knew and who didn't know what the name Noctilux meant' debate.

NB23, you might wanna just relax in your tone of text a little. We're just sharing not critiquing.

-charlie
:)
Btw, your images are amazing.
 
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Charlie,

I am a mucho relaxo Hombre and I was not critiquing in any way. I too, love your shots and at f1, you clearly took advantage of all what the lens had to give. I just had to point that, personally, I find other lenses have a more unique look throughout their f-stop range Versus the Noctilux which has its unique look wide open, mostly. Actually, I prefer it this way because it lets me shoot landscapes at f5.6. The Noctilux is ma favorite lens, too.
 
You are right.

You are right.

Ned,
I really love the images on your site. There's one in the Belgrade & Nis series of a woman carrying a red shopping bag with her child. This conjures up such emotion in me and I love it. I don't know why it does this as there are arguably, technically better images on your site like the one of the guy laying on the side walk with the shadows of onlookers (is he dead?) which is a superb capture. However photographs have an uncanny habit of triggering different things in different people which is I guess why we do it. That image has some reference to me, perhaps my childhood and is probably one of the reasons why it caught my eye. If you're interested in selling a print to me let me know. I would also buy the Montreal one as I think it's brilliant.

-charlie
 
Charlie,
Great shots, I really love the Noctilux, they certainly nail it when nothing else can. I have only shot with it on film but now I am back with the Leica M8 I am lusting after one again.... I've only had the M8 for a couple of days but loving it so far.

Mark
 
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