I want the new 0.95 Nocti....

[johnastovall]

Got to shoot the new Nocti on the M9 at the Leica Roadshow in Austin, Texas.

A Sample.

 

[glenerrolrd]

The new Noctilux .95 is an exceptional lens and worth saving for if you plan on the long term use of the M system. (the M lenses hold there value quite well ..invest in glass).

Not sure that the whole story is really told about the lens. It has exceptional rendering wide open....with both crisp sharpness in the plane of focus but also excellent transition and a nice bokeh. The transition isn t mentioned much but its really excellent. This keeps the plan of focus from having that hard edged look. (I don t have the slightest idea how they do this but I know it when I see it). A zeiss zf 100/2 has a sharp transition for example (and IMHO makes it less suitable for a portrait lens).

The other observation is that the 50/.95 has really great color and micro contrast at the larger apertures . I like it better than the 50/1.4 asph from 2.8 to 5.6 . This is important to me as I might start an evening shoot with pretty strong light and transition thru to night. I don t always want .95 for every subject. But I really like the rendering of this lens at every f stop. I prefer it hands down to the 50 1.4asph which is pretty great .

But don t kid yourself though you have to bring your "A" game to use this lens wide open..sometimes DOF just isn t enough to make the photograph even if you have enough light.

I still like the older Noctilux for some applications .... you just can t beat the beauty of that lens ....especially if you avoid the weakness at close focusing distances.

The whole M series is great because you can choose differences in how a lens renders as well as FOV etc.

 

[jonoslack]

So do I
but I can't afford one

 

[gero]

Me too.
Nice photo John, and I agree with Roger.

 

[ptomsu]

Would love to buy one too - but in the moment too expensive for me. Have so many other things to get first for my photography, that this one is on the long term waiting list.

PS: meanwhile I will enjoy my old Nocti, which I really love and I will always remember when I bought it - kind of sentimental though.

 

[Jeff Day]

I tried the .95 Nocti at the Leica Roadshow in Seattle and was similarly impressed. The .95 and the new 35/1.4 Summi are both on my wish list. One thing that impressed me about the Nocti compared to the CV 50/1.1 I just sold was how much better it handled on the camera. With the CV I was always aware of its bulk, but with the Nocti, even though it is of similar size, the way it handled mounted on the camera never drew attention to itself in the same way as the CV did. Best, Jeff

 

[ashwinrao1]

Just got mine, and I love it. Agreed that the rendering, even stopped down between f/1.4 and f/5.6, is quite lovely, and slightly different than the 50 lux asph. Also agree that this lens is a bit of a challenge to use, due to uber-narrow DOF, and not every shot needs f/0.95.

One thing that's super neat is using the lens at very low light (think late dusk) at ISO's around 640-1250. In that light, even the light off a cell phone or a distant campfire can illuminate the subject appropriately.

The sharpness/OOF transitions are lovely. The bokeh is nice, but I feel that at times, the 50 summilux is a bit creamier, and at times the new Noct can have a bit more geometry to its bokeh, probably due to aspherical design.

Regardless, it's lovely, highly recommended!!!

Best,
Ashwin

 

[deepdiver]

for all the Noct owners:
do you need 1.4x eye piece to use this lens? specially at 0.95.
It's already tough to get the right focus at F1.4
I can't imagine at 0.95

 

[johnastovall]

I don't see any need for it. I shoot both the 1.0 Nocti and a converted Canon 0.95. I've found the 1.4 eye piece much more useful with the 90 and 135.

 

[jonoslack]

for all the Noct owners:
do you need 1.4x eye piece to use this lens? specially at 0.95.
It's already tough to get the right focus at F1.4
I can't imagine at 0.95

I might be alone, but I find the magnifiers make focusing more difficult (especially in low light) - not sure why - possibly because of slightly less light? I've tried both, and ended up using neither.

 

[glenerrolrd]

for all the Noct owners:
do you need 1.4x eye piece to use this lens? specially at 0.95.
It's already tough to get the right focus at F1.4
I can't imagine at 0.95

I ve tried all the different magnifiers (leica ,megapearl etc 1.25x,1.35x and 1.4x). I don t wear any glasses or have corrected vision beyond a weak +1.0 diopter. The two leica magnifiers have ,as you would expect, slightly higher contrast (than the megapearl) making viewing and focusing easier.

I keep a 1.4x permanently attached to one M9 body thats dedicated to 50mm and up . I think for a 50mm you could go with either the 1.25x or the 1.4x. I can definitely focus more accurately with one of the two magnifiers.

On the 2nd body I attach a 1.25x magnifier to the strap but typically use the body with just the diopter . This body is for wide angles and only is used up to the 35/1.4 but more often wider. The magnifier slightly darkens the view and narrows you field of view ...for wide angles I would rather have the widest field of view I can get around the frame.

The two downsides of the magnifier are (1)you have less contrast and (2) it narrows the FOV thru the viewfinder.

You can test for yourself if you can borrow a magnifier . Take your typiclal ruler test or I use a newspaper at close focus distance. Focus on the the first letter of a word . Take 5 images hand held. Try it with and without the magnifier.

For testing I stack the 1.4 and 1.25 magnifiers . DAG uses a 2X .

My take is that the magnifiers help me focus more accurately but take away some of my viewfinder magic . Both are important.

The other issue with using the 0.95 is that it can test your night vision as well. Use 1600 and make it dark enough that you are shooting a 1/30 sec wide open . I shot a candle light procession in seville ...so dark you couldn t see your hand at all . (and of course at 1am so the eyes were pretty shot) . I could get usable exposures but couldn t focus.

 

[Double Negative]

I'd be happy with the ol' f/1. I definitely plan to pick one up - especially once I get an M9. Right now, 50mm just isn't a popular focal length with me on the M8.

Of course, the f/0.95 version would just be sick... But not for what it's going for, jeez.