Noctilux pricing

[ampguy]

Ned

Ned

All of my Leica lenses have been checked by Leitz Solms, and/or well respected Leica techs, and/or approved Leica dealers to be working perfect, and perfect representative examples.

The CV and FSU lenses do vary lens to lens. Rokkors I believe are consistent, and factory M-mount Summarit 50/1.5's I have not heard of being inconsistent, while I have seen the LTM versions vary.

This is the real world for me.

Ampguy,

I'm having troubles with what you are saying.

You are ranking the lenses you own, correct? Besides, you know your samples can vary, correct? So this is simply a definitive list of your own lens line up and it doesn't necessarily reflect the real world.

 

[tomasis]

Second place is good anyway.. Silver medal for Ned 🙂

 

[Ororaro]

No tomasis, I couldn't care less if the Noctilux was rated 15th place in a "The definitive list of top M-mount lens". Such a list needs MTF testings and more. I understand many lenses will beat the Noctilux at f5.6. So what?

Such a list (The definitive list of top M-mount lens) has to be a serious list, not a mere what's in my bag kinda list. That's just not serious.

 

[Ororaro]

All of my Leica lenses have been checked by Leitz Solms, and/or well respected Leica techs, and/or approved Leica dealers to be working perfect, and perfect representative examples.

Oh my god, this is sad.
And this is how you came up with a Deifnitive top M-mount lenses list? Not even one single MTF graph to show? Not even one?

To make up such a list you would need to test all M mount lenses (3 copies of each, at the very least), test color, saturation, curvature of field, vignetting, falloff, contrast, lpm, construction, true angle of field and more.

hmm...

 

[jarski]

sorry OT. ampguy, love your avatar. while cat is cute and in funny position, one scares to think what you interfered it from doing with your camera 😀

everybody else, pls continue while I get more popcorn...

 

[palec]

I understand many lenses will beat the Noctilux at f5.6.

Today, during my closet reading, I found this note about Noctilux 1.2: "The Leitz test team noted with awe that they had never seen a standard 50 mm lens produce such picture quality at f/5.6." LFI 2/2004

How much is Noctilux 1.2 today? Or should I start another thread 🙄

 

[Nh3]

To me Noctilux exemplifies pure indulgence, self-delusion and conspicuous consumption gone insane.

 

[Ororaro]

Today, during my closet reading, I found this note about Noctilux 1.2: "The Leitz test team noted with awe that they had never seen a standard 50 mm lens produce such picture quality at f/5.6." LFI 2/2004

How much is Noctilux 1.2 today? Or should I start another thread 🙄

Palec, I know the noctilux very well. I shoot landscapes with it, this is how good it is. I was mainly giving examples of all possibilities. I certainly didn't shoot graphs of the Noctilux compared to all the new ASPH lenses so I wouldn't be surprised to see it somewhere below in many departments. I am certainly not an expert in the definitive M mount lens lineup but I know what an expert is 🙂

 

[Nh3]

With Nikon D3 having a usable ISO 6400 capability a lens such as the 50 1.4 could function as a f .95 and even wider.

The whole F 1.0 is no longer a big deal.

 

[Ororaro]

With Nikon D3 having a usable ISO 6400 capability a lens such as the 50 1.4 could function as a f .95 and even wider.

The whole F 1.0 is no longer a big deal.

Oh sure it is a big deal.

With all the 18-300 Tokina lenses and the USM Photoshop feature, all prime lenses are useless. And the P modes and Autofocus cameras, you can now have your left hand cut off and sell it to some rich guy. You don't need your left hand in photography anymore.

 

[ampguy]

here you go Ned!

here you go Ned!

No 2 isn't bad all. You'll try harder and be a better photographer from it.

Oh my god, this is sad.
And this is how you came up with a Deifnitive top M-mount lenses list? Not even one single MTF graph to show? Not even one?

To make up such a list you would need to test all M mount lenses (3 copies of each, at the very least), test color, saturation, curvature of field, vignetting, falloff, contrast, lpm, construction, true angle of field and more.

hmm...

 

[Ororaro]

Ah ok, so you seriously tested all your lenses. Good.

So, how are your print sales going?

 

[ampguy]

Thanks Ned!

Thanks Ned!

Print sales are going great, so well I can't keep them in stock!!

In fact, to see a sample of how good the top lenses are, anyone can place an order for 4x6's this month for just $1 USD each. Just use the codeword "NOCTILUX#2" at checkout!

Ah ok, so you seriously tested all your lenses. Good.

So, how are your print sales going?

 

[Nh3]

Oh sure it is a big deal.

With all the 18-300 Tokina lenses and the USM Photoshop feature, all prime lenses are useless. And the P modes and Autofocus cameras, you can now have your left hand cut off and sell it to some rich guy. You don't need your left hand in photography anymore.

Are you saying people with disability should not be able to photograph... *gasp*

Come on, you know it in your heart that you could sell that Nocti, buy a D3 and some decent lenses and turn into a "serious photographer"... And I have looked at your website and you seem talented.

Nothing worst than wasted talent. 😉

 

[ampguy]

the advantage

the advantage

to taking photographs without digital manipulation is that it inspires the imagination.

sorry OT. ampguy, love your avatar. while cat is cute and in funny position, one scares to think what you interfered it from doing with your camera 😀

everybody else, pls continue while I get more popcorn...

 

[tomasis]

ned. im just being sarcastic

nh3, D3 is not anything of Leica M size and weight. Neither it is a rangefinder.

to carry a brick is waste of time. and I can shoot faster than somebody with D3 because the capability of the rangefinder. Believe or not.

pushed Trix, neopan, delta all at iso 3200 sounds like great deal for noctilux. you can go far with slower timings compared to DSLR 🙂

 

[tomasis]

Good investors don't buy Porsche as an investment strategy. They buy it because they damn love the car and other investments made them rich!
Same for Noctilux ! Would you invest in something you risk to break everytime you use it ?

I'm not sure if I understand what are you trying to say. Investors and investments, huh? What is it which breaks?

 

[Olsen]

I think Ned is defending his turf well against the flock of Noctilux bashers. Really; it cooks down to 'what you like'. And what you can afford.

What the Leica employees can't afford is to get payed in dollars and having to pay their bills in Euros. All too many Americans here don't seem to understand that it is the fall of the US$ - and not some 'egocentric trip' on behalf of the Leica management that causes the drastic price increases. In dollars.

And then this fellow trying to sell his Noctilux on EBay, - an American I presume, for 10,000 $. According to statistics, that's only half of his credit card debt. Help him out, folks! It just might save him from an up-coming foreclosure. Or feed his SUV with petrol for a few months.

I have done some comparisons; very amateurish, with my two aparture 1,0 alternatives; Canon 1Ds III / EF 50 mm 1,0L (no longer in production) v M8 / Noctilux 50 mm 1,0 'New' type with the built in sun shade - or what it is supposed to be (also; no longer in production).

First of all; both of them are notoriously difficult to focus. To manually focus the Canon combo is 'impossible'. With my eyes. You have to rely on AF. Which is fine. The Canon combo front focuses with a few cm at 1,0. DOF moves backwards - and get wider when closed down.

The Leica combo is 'very difficult' to focus. Mine, - as far as I can see, front focuses about 5 cm - after two adjusting trips to Solms, but DOF moves backwards - and widens when stopped down.

Examples bellow:

1)
Canon 1Ds III / EF 50 mm 1,0L - 'right out of the box' - crop 100% from PS no sharpening. No filter

2)
M8 / Noctilux 50 mm - 'right out of the box' 100% from PS no sharpening. No filter.

 

[gdi]

All too many Americans here don't seem to understand that it is the fall of the US$ - and not some 'egocentric trip' on behalf of the Leica management that causes the drastic price increases. In dollars.

Well in the interest of being a good member of the community, you could have straightened us Americans out a little sooner.


Oh wait, I guess you have done that about a hundred times. And you drag out the same old discredited claim that the prices only increase in the US. The claim that the price increases on the lens in strictly the result of currency exchanges is simply false and it has been pointed out to you previously.

 

[ampguy]

huh?

huh?

My Noct never did that. They must send the defects to Norway 😀

I think Ned is defending his turf well against the flock of Noctilux bashers. Really; it cooks down to 'what you like'. And what you can afford.

What the Leica employees can't afford is to get payed in dollars and having to pay their bills in Euros. All too many Americans here don't seem to understand that it is the fall of the US$ - and not some 'egocentric trip' on behalf of the Leica management that causes the drastic price increases. In dollars.

And then this fellow trying to sell his Noctilux on EBay, - an American I presume, for 10,000 $. According to statistics, that's only half of his credit card debt. Help him out, folks! It just might save him from an up-coming foreclosure. Or feed his SUV with petrol for a few months.

I have done some comparisons; very amateurish, with my two aparture 1,0 alternatives; Canon 1Ds III / EF 50 mm 1,0L (no longer in production) v M8 / Noctilux 50 mm 1,0 'New' type with the built in sun shade - or what it is supposed to be (also; no longer in production).

First of all; both of them are notoriously difficult to focus. To manually focus the Canon combo is 'impossible'. With my eyes. You have to rely on AF. Which is fine. The Canon combo front focuses with a few cm at 1,0. DOF moves backwards - and get wider when closed down.

The Leica combo is 'very difficult' to focus. Mine, - as far as I can see, front focuses about 5 cm - after two adjusting trips to Solms, but DOF moves backwards - and widens when stopped down.

Examples bellow:

1)
Canon 1Ds III / EF 50 mm 1,0L - 'right out of the box' - crop 100% from PS no sharpening. No filter

2)
M8 / Noctilux 50 mm - 'right out of the box' 100% from PS no sharpening. No filter.