This is a nice review!
Just after talking myself into slower lenses for its portability (and I still like the small lenses for many occasions for sure) I also got a Noctilux and shooting it over the weekend I am very happy with it.
In difference to many I would not say that the Noctilux is as good as the Summilux when stopped down a little. My feeling is that I prefer the images from the Noctilux even when both are stopped down.
I find the color rendition slightly different (I like the blues and greens from the Noctilux; the Summilux seems to have a little more red in those tones), I like the transition between sharp and unsharp areas in images form the Noctilux.
The bokeh of the Noctilux is a little more "alive"/ or nervous than that of the Summilux, but for my taste its just right.
When I first put the Noctilux on the M9 I found it quite heavy, so heavy that it is the first lens which makes me using the handgrip (I have owned it put didnt use it much before).
I do however admit that I would not spend that much money for a lens if they wouldnt hold their value as good as they do.
Thank you very much!
I would agree; the Noctilux does lag behind the Summilux a little in sharpness, especially into the corners. At least until stopped down a fair ways. Even at f/2 it's not quite there yet. The Summilux is just THAT good!
The bokeh is a little different too. They each have their own charm and you can't go wrong with either. They're just different - yet similar...
As for weight, yeah. That's a biggie and there's no escaping that. Like I said in the review - it's remarkably dense. Even more so than a Canon EF 50/85L because they're bigger, so you kind of expect the weight... But the Noctilux is something else. I haven't tried using the grip with it yet (I've thus far shunned it with other lenses, including the 50mm f/1.1 Nokton). I might give it another go... I tend to prefer the Thumbs Up though generally and if you're going to wield a Nocti with any regularity I'd almost consider it a necessity. Though as I mention, you're not so much cradling the body so much as the lens now - so if you pay attention to that it's actually not bad. Still, the extra grip is comforting...
As for resale, hmm. Yeah - they do hold their value if not gain. While I won't get into the details, suffice it to say that my investment is protected even today - let alone in the future. As tempting as the profit aspect might be, I find actually shooting it (as it was intended) to be more rewarding.
