stimply
Newbie
I finally got a chance to borrow an m9 for the day and ran around the city trying out my noctilux with it
I think I still prefer the mechanical shutter and the feel of my m6, but the instant review does come in handy.
-Sam
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stimply/
I think I still prefer the mechanical shutter and the feel of my m6, but the instant review does come in handy.
-Sam
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stimply/
dogberryjr
[Pithy phrase]
Thanks for the pointers, guys! Those reviews were just what I was curious about.
maddoc
... likes film again.
urban_alchemist
Well-known
Went to the Verdi Opera "Nabuko" in the Negev desert at the foot of Masada. Took the f1.0 instead of the f0.95 as I thought the backdrop would go better with the painterly feel of the lens.
The opera was a disaster, photos not so much
Leica M9, Noctilux 50mm/f1.0
The opera was a disaster, photos not so much
Leica M9, Noctilux 50mm/f1.0
Andy Kibber
Well-known
I like those last two.
C_R
Established
M9 and Noctilux 1.0
JamSee
James Craig
Excellent shots everybody, I love the character of the Noctilux
ali_baba
Well-known
M9+Noctilux
M9+Noctilux
here's some recent noctilux shots.
a lens i can't work without.
Leica M7 + Noctilux
Fuji Velvia 100
Playa Del Carmen, MX
M9 + Noctilux
YACHT
Sasquatch Music Festival
George, WA
front row fan
sasquatch music festival
george, wa
M9+Noctilux
James Murphy (LCD Soundsystem)
Sasquatch Music Festival
George, WA
Martina Topley Bird
Sasquatch
Jamie XX (of the XX)
Sasquatch
Dave + Amber (of The Dirty Projectors)
Sasquatch
a chevy from Rock & Rod Festival
Monterey, CA
All from the M9 aside from the velvia shot.
enjoy!
M9+Noctilux
here's some recent noctilux shots.
a lens i can't work without.
Leica M7 + Noctilux
Fuji Velvia 100
Playa Del Carmen, MX
M9 + Noctilux
YACHT
Sasquatch Music Festival
George, WA
front row fan
sasquatch music festival
george, wa
M9+Noctilux
James Murphy (LCD Soundsystem)
Sasquatch Music Festival
George, WA
Martina Topley Bird
Sasquatch
Jamie XX (of the XX)
Sasquatch
Dave + Amber (of The Dirty Projectors)
Sasquatch
a chevy from Rock & Rod Festival
Monterey, CA
All from the M9 aside from the velvia shot.
enjoy!
khc1013
Anthony
very nice shots ali_baba
like the kid with rvp100f the most
like the kid with rvp100f the most
Axlmy
Member
M6 - noct 1.0 - Ektar 100
arnulf
Registered User
M9, Nocti, 1/125, 160 ISO
arnulf
Registered User
martin s
Well-known
M9, Nocti, 1/125, 160 ISO
Very surreal. I usually think it's ridiculous when people interpret the wildest stuff into photographs, but this one - it's like you're in that little kids head seeing that room with her eyes. The tilt really adds to it, to.
Great shot. Great, great thread.
martin
arnulf
Registered User
Thanks Martin. The composition is a little weird, but I really like it anyway - for the reasons you mention
martin s
Well-known
Thanks Martin. The composition is a little weird, but I really like it anyway - for the reasons you mention
There's this photographer - Steffen Roth - who has a series with people staring at the horizon. His shots sometimes feel like you see what his subjects see. This photograph by Erwitt has that 'effect', too, I think.
martin
dovevadar
DoveVadar
Some humble pictures to share from my recent Munich/Prague trip. All shot with Leica MP + Noctilux E58:
palec
Well-known
I like the first one most. The colour palette, composition and the moment play together very good.
Epimetheus
Well-known
time
Established
Lovely bokeh. I love the creamy bokeh from the Noc. I wish I can get one...
menos
Veteran
Thoughts about the Noctilux and the internet
Thoughts about the Noctilux and the internet
This is a very interesting thread, which I have seen yesterday the first time (and now fully consumed), thanks Gregory for the tip.
There has been some discussion about the lens and its reason of being in the very beginning (2007 !!!),
which I have not been aware of so far, as the Noctilux was never a topic for me (price).
I just didn't reflect a second, I might buy and use one.
I have been on the hunt for something faster than my 50 Lux since I went from film to the R-D1 and then even more so with the M8.
More fuel on the fire has been, me sending my Lux ASPH to Solms for a CLA - these Leica strategists really know, how they can tease
their customers in GAS due to long waiting times ;-) I thought in all directions (Canon 1.2, Konica Hexanon 60 1.2, CV Nokton, etc).
Somehow - I can still not properly remember, when exactly the coin dropped - I ended up with a mint Noctilux v4, which I picked up on Monday.
My hands tickle, to use it, as I have no time these days, so I made my first experiences from f1-f11 on my daily longer taxi rides, shooting drive by out of cars.
I won't show any photos too soon, but wanted to comment about one thing to the humble owners of such lens, as to the critics,
who missed the point and of course, to the people, who have tried and found it not meeting their work or even their expectations.
With the little images, I have seen so far blown up and printed bigger than 8x10, I can say:
Now I really understand the lovers of this picture taking machine!
The lens has a marvelous imaging (call it drawing, rendering, painting, what ever you will)!
It is very sharp, where it must be and has a (in amiss of a better word) special angel dust, glowing all over the image, leaving a signature,
I have never seen with any other lens. This is amazingly found from wide open deep into the mid apertures!!!
This effect surely is the least visibly presented in small web sized compressed JPGs, but anybody, who uses this lens,
has printed or seen blown up images from it, will know exactly, what I mean and lack, to find the right words for!
Surely, what optically in a scientific sense might produce this "special character" might be an aberration, or otherwise unwanted
and well corrected in expensive lenses. I really do not care - I do not regret one cent, I paid for it. It really is worth it's price in full.
One other topic about the Noctilux:
I have read many comments about the lens, being limiting or limited as per the bad performance wide open, the bad performance closed up,
the bad performance due to focus shift, the bad performance in contrast, the bad performance in resolution per se and the bad performance whatnot onetwothree…
Often it is criticized, that the long focus throw is a hindrance, the heavy weight, the big barrel diameter and my grandmother knows what…
All in all it makes the impression, people think, it is a very unusable lens in operation, having only a very thin window of usage!
I have been using this lens now for just under 2 days around the block, in the rain, during bumpy taxi rides and in the house.
I have been doing a lot of these Flickr - Noctilux standards with thin dof and frozen subjects, to find out about focussing and my RF and
have been trying myself in using it in quick motion.
You have to use the lens differently as you 35 Summicron folks!
The huuuge barrel and focus throw really helps in anticipating and constantly prefocussing your potential moments - Focussing can be quicker and
less missing than shooting a D3 + 50 AF-S, as the Noctilux has a direct brain plugin to the using photographer!
You know, which aperture and focus range you need, when you come around a corner and expect a certain light and potential subject distance!
Any AF camera does not!
The Noctilux' focus scale is easier and more clear to read, than the one on my 50 Lux - the focus throw and barrel diameter correspond perfectly
with my large hands (I am a 2 meter guy). Of course are you twirling around, set dead in the water, when your usual prefocus sits at ∞ and your subject runs
into you at 1.2 meter, while you "want" to shoot the whole evening at f1, 'cause you paid 5 grand!
You have to start at f2.8 or f4 and "the right" prefocus for unknown, moments with surprise factor and scale tighter, when you know, you got the time for
a thinner focus depth and more precise focus distance!
I have experienced in 3 taxi rides, that the Noctilux is a much less demanding, than described "on the internet" and likely my most versatile single lens,
I have used so far! It might well be used as "the superzoom lens of all primes" in handling! One lens for all light conditions with different characters and
endless possibilities, which YOU can enable, when YOU want them (meaning turning the aperture ring a bit more clockwise, than you're used to be with
your Summicrons and Summiluxes). This is indeed an always amazing feature, to not hit bottom left from f1.4 ;-)
I hope, I will find more time, to put this marvel to real use and create some shots, I like - these, I will of course share also here in this thread.
Oh and Gregory - you were spot on with your comment regarding the 90 Cron!
The Noctilux is easier to focus spot on and more quickly than the 90 Cron - it has a character in a similar direction, but much more detailed and finer in drawing.
I am talking these bristling tiny details, that surface through the glow, making the lens so dream like.
Sorry for the long post, but these are the thoughts, that I had to share after finding a very different lens, than described, advertised, criticized, commented "on the internet"!
Ok - now the last one - really: focussing issues on your cameras!
Everybody, who gave or gives up on focussing this lens spot on, comfortably and quickly, here is the real thing:
- make sure, your body is perfectly aligned to the lens
I set my RF camera's range finders by myself, since I bought my first Leica - a M6.
I happened to be lucky with the Noctilux, as I set my M8.2 spot on ∞ and close focus to a new 135 APO, which I bought new some weeks ago.
- learn how to do it by yourself or better, bring camera and lens to a known professional, who will do it for you!
- are your eyes ok?
Mine are not! I got myself a -2 diopter correction lens from Leica and switched from right eye to left eye focussing - I can see clear now and focussing is a breeze!
Make a check at your optician, if you have doubts!
- is the lens in order? Made the two things above (and do them critically - don't be too sure about things!)? Then have your lens checked by a professional.
Only if you don't get it now, the lens might be too fast for you - don't bash the lens for your bad camera or bad eye sight ;-)
This lens is not for everyone - Leica's newest breed of ASPH lenses - including the 50 Lux ASPH has a much different, bristling sharp, contrasty and clean look - the "angel dust"
is almost gone (which makes them no worse or better, but different). Choose, what you like ;-)
The next post will have a "first shots" photo attached - promise
Cheers,
Dirk
Thoughts about the Noctilux and the internet
This is a very interesting thread, which I have seen yesterday the first time (and now fully consumed), thanks Gregory for the tip.
There has been some discussion about the lens and its reason of being in the very beginning (2007 !!!),
which I have not been aware of so far, as the Noctilux was never a topic for me (price).
I just didn't reflect a second, I might buy and use one.
I have been on the hunt for something faster than my 50 Lux since I went from film to the R-D1 and then even more so with the M8.
More fuel on the fire has been, me sending my Lux ASPH to Solms for a CLA - these Leica strategists really know, how they can tease
their customers in GAS due to long waiting times ;-) I thought in all directions (Canon 1.2, Konica Hexanon 60 1.2, CV Nokton, etc).
Somehow - I can still not properly remember, when exactly the coin dropped - I ended up with a mint Noctilux v4, which I picked up on Monday.
My hands tickle, to use it, as I have no time these days, so I made my first experiences from f1-f11 on my daily longer taxi rides, shooting drive by out of cars.
I won't show any photos too soon, but wanted to comment about one thing to the humble owners of such lens, as to the critics,
who missed the point and of course, to the people, who have tried and found it not meeting their work or even their expectations.
With the little images, I have seen so far blown up and printed bigger than 8x10, I can say:
Now I really understand the lovers of this picture taking machine!
The lens has a marvelous imaging (call it drawing, rendering, painting, what ever you will)!
It is very sharp, where it must be and has a (in amiss of a better word) special angel dust, glowing all over the image, leaving a signature,
I have never seen with any other lens. This is amazingly found from wide open deep into the mid apertures!!!
This effect surely is the least visibly presented in small web sized compressed JPGs, but anybody, who uses this lens,
has printed or seen blown up images from it, will know exactly, what I mean and lack, to find the right words for!
Surely, what optically in a scientific sense might produce this "special character" might be an aberration, or otherwise unwanted
and well corrected in expensive lenses. I really do not care - I do not regret one cent, I paid for it. It really is worth it's price in full.
One other topic about the Noctilux:
I have read many comments about the lens, being limiting or limited as per the bad performance wide open, the bad performance closed up,
the bad performance due to focus shift, the bad performance in contrast, the bad performance in resolution per se and the bad performance whatnot onetwothree…
Often it is criticized, that the long focus throw is a hindrance, the heavy weight, the big barrel diameter and my grandmother knows what…
All in all it makes the impression, people think, it is a very unusable lens in operation, having only a very thin window of usage!
I have been using this lens now for just under 2 days around the block, in the rain, during bumpy taxi rides and in the house.
I have been doing a lot of these Flickr - Noctilux standards with thin dof and frozen subjects, to find out about focussing and my RF and
have been trying myself in using it in quick motion.
You have to use the lens differently as you 35 Summicron folks!
The huuuge barrel and focus throw really helps in anticipating and constantly prefocussing your potential moments - Focussing can be quicker and
less missing than shooting a D3 + 50 AF-S, as the Noctilux has a direct brain plugin to the using photographer!
You know, which aperture and focus range you need, when you come around a corner and expect a certain light and potential subject distance!
Any AF camera does not!
The Noctilux' focus scale is easier and more clear to read, than the one on my 50 Lux - the focus throw and barrel diameter correspond perfectly
with my large hands (I am a 2 meter guy). Of course are you twirling around, set dead in the water, when your usual prefocus sits at ∞ and your subject runs
into you at 1.2 meter, while you "want" to shoot the whole evening at f1, 'cause you paid 5 grand!
You have to start at f2.8 or f4 and "the right" prefocus for unknown, moments with surprise factor and scale tighter, when you know, you got the time for
a thinner focus depth and more precise focus distance!
I have experienced in 3 taxi rides, that the Noctilux is a much less demanding, than described "on the internet" and likely my most versatile single lens,
I have used so far! It might well be used as "the superzoom lens of all primes" in handling! One lens for all light conditions with different characters and
endless possibilities, which YOU can enable, when YOU want them (meaning turning the aperture ring a bit more clockwise, than you're used to be with
your Summicrons and Summiluxes). This is indeed an always amazing feature, to not hit bottom left from f1.4 ;-)
I hope, I will find more time, to put this marvel to real use and create some shots, I like - these, I will of course share also here in this thread.
Oh and Gregory - you were spot on with your comment regarding the 90 Cron!
The Noctilux is easier to focus spot on and more quickly than the 90 Cron - it has a character in a similar direction, but much more detailed and finer in drawing.
I am talking these bristling tiny details, that surface through the glow, making the lens so dream like.
Sorry for the long post, but these are the thoughts, that I had to share after finding a very different lens, than described, advertised, criticized, commented "on the internet"!
Ok - now the last one - really: focussing issues on your cameras!
Everybody, who gave or gives up on focussing this lens spot on, comfortably and quickly, here is the real thing:
- make sure, your body is perfectly aligned to the lens
I set my RF camera's range finders by myself, since I bought my first Leica - a M6.
I happened to be lucky with the Noctilux, as I set my M8.2 spot on ∞ and close focus to a new 135 APO, which I bought new some weeks ago.
- learn how to do it by yourself or better, bring camera and lens to a known professional, who will do it for you!
- are your eyes ok?
Mine are not! I got myself a -2 diopter correction lens from Leica and switched from right eye to left eye focussing - I can see clear now and focussing is a breeze!
Make a check at your optician, if you have doubts!
- is the lens in order? Made the two things above (and do them critically - don't be too sure about things!)? Then have your lens checked by a professional.
Only if you don't get it now, the lens might be too fast for you - don't bash the lens for your bad camera or bad eye sight ;-)
This lens is not for everyone - Leica's newest breed of ASPH lenses - including the 50 Lux ASPH has a much different, bristling sharp, contrasty and clean look - the "angel dust"
is almost gone (which makes them no worse or better, but different). Choose, what you like ;-)
The next post will have a "first shots" photo attached - promise
Cheers,
Dirk