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Are you sure it was a full production version? I was at Photoplus only a couple of weeks ago, and while I was able to look at one, the rep didn't even want me putting it on a camera body because he said it was basically a mock-up of the lens and would not be representative of a production version optically, so there would be no point in taking samples.a friend of mine sent me a couple of raw files of pictures that he took at photokina. i clearly was not impressed. the old nokti signature is way more pleasing.
I'm not sure how the new one would have less "focusing issues". It's the sliver of DOF that's the issue. If your rengefinder isn't spot on it'll show up with a Nocti immediately. Same issue with the 75/1.4 and 90AA to a slightly lesser degree.I can't imagine they would put out a 11k lens and it not have the same signature that everyone loves but with less focusing issues......
Exactly my experiences.While its easier to see with shallow depth of field ....the faster lenses are more difficult to get right. When I was fighting this thru with Leica NJ last year , we sent back my 50 summilux and the noctilux 4 times each. They consistently backfocused.
To eliminate the variable of my M8 s which were all calibrated in NJ(while I watched ), they always tested the lenses with both their test equipment and with the STANDARD M8(leica NJ).
The last two times NJ tested the lenses and then sent them back to Solms. They could tell from the collimator(sorry I am sure this is misspelled)....that the lenses would probably back focus. The rangefinder/focus tests confirmed this.
To their credit they fought this through and the Noctilux is perfect ( now I know its really me when I miss..LOL). The summilux was replaced.
I drew the following conclusions:
(1) the fast lenses are much more difficult to calibrate and this goes beyond the inherent shallow DOF.
(2) the specifications for standard performance were based on film and are not tight enough for use on the M8. In spec doesn t mean it will produce acceptable results.
(3)it is much easier to adjust the rangefinder to bring your results into line than the lenses. But the more lenses you use the more likely some will be off after adjustment.
(4) Most users really don t know how well their lenses focus on their M8s. Accurate enough is in the eye of the photographer .
Surely Leica must recognize this (they have the history of repairs) and hopefully the new fast lenses will be easier to get right the first time.
None of this alters the need to have a calibrated rangefinder as a starting point or the fact that at f1.0 its darn hard to get the exact focus point you may want.
After a long spa vacation in Germany my 35/1.4 ASPH also now works on my M8 just fine ... as does the 50/1.4ASPH after 3 trips back to der fatherland.I can get my 35 1.4 to work but I had to send it to DAG first to be calibrated with the M8.
Pray tell. I'm about to give up on mine (35 Lux Asph) with the M8 (won't sell as I use it on M7). So Solms can deal with the focus shift?After a long spa vacation in Germany my 35/1.4 ASPH also now works on my M8 just fine ... as does the 50/1.4ASPH after 3 trips back to der fatherland.
Well there's normal "busy" and then there's "hundreds-of-M8-owners-send-DAG-their-camera-and-entire-lens-collection" busy.When has DAG ever NOT been busy though?
I sold my 35/1.4 Asp - focus was well within spec but I found it too fussy to use. My 75 'lux focuses properly after a long trip to DAG. My 50 Lux ASP had a very small amount of backfocus - I've sent it to Leica for six-bit coding and a tuneup.Mine too -- I don't use my 35/1.4 ASPH or 75/1.4 summilux on the M8 anymore because they just cannot focus as reliably on it. They are my favorite lenses for film, but on the M8, the 28/2, 50/1.4 ASPH and 75mm summicron all focus properly at every aperture, which makes them far more useful.
Kevin, DAG turned around my .2 camera a 35 LUX, 50 LUX, 28 cron, and a canon .95 in a week and a half. Don at DAG says he try's to turn around M cameras in a week.Well there's normal "busy" and then there's "hundreds-of-M8-owners-send-DAG-their-camera-and-entire-lens-collection" busy.