Menu
What's new
The GetDPI Photography Forum

Great to see you here. Join our insightful photographic forum today and start tapping into a huge wealth of photographic knowledge. Completing our simple registration process will allow you to gain access to exclusive content, add your own topics and posts, share your work and connect with other members through your own private inbox! And don’t forget to say hi!

Questions about Noctilux f/1.0

F

fotografz

Well-known member
Maybe some of you can help me here.

I just received a mint condition Leica Noctilux f/1.0 to try on the m9 and have a few questions for resident experts.

This is the E60 Canadian version just before production was moved back to Germany. Is there any functional difference between it and the last German made ones? What about relative re-sale value between the two?

Also this one has the built in shade, and as I remember it, the shade was pulled out and it sort of locked in place ... the one on this lens doesn't lock into place, and seems a tiny bit loose.

Anyone know the current going price for this model Canadian Nocti?

Thanks for any help,

-Marc
 
Lloyd

Lloyd

Active member
I have one, and the shade on mine does not lock in place. I've shot both the german and this one, and for my part, I can't tell any difference. I love mine.

(Can't help you with the rest of the questions, sorry.)
 
glenerrolrd

glenerrolrd

Workshop Member
Marc Robsteve is the expert on the Noctilux. My understanding from speaking with him was that all Noctiluxes were made in Canada but the final copies were assembled ,tested and boxed in Germany . This maybe folk lore but there is no difference in the optics from the beginning(or at least any that Leica will admit to).

I have handled several with a lose hood so its not unusual . Some users take the retractable hood off.

A good price on a mint minus E60 has been around $4500...but dealers are asking a lot more and prices have risen since the M9 was released.

Focus calibration has been an issue and you don t want to send it for 6bit coding as this can require recalibration.
 
C

cam

Active member
ditto what everyone's been saying.

as per usual, there is a slight premium on the German one -- but only because it was the last and and, well, German...

some people prefer the Canadian version before yours because it the removable hood, since so many people had issues with the built-in being loose. my understanding, though, is that the optics did remain the same.

i, personally, have a 1975 (pre-production?) E58 f/1 that is currently at Solms for recalibration. since i sent through the Leica store here, you can bet it's going on an M9 the second it returns! alas, it will only be the in-store model.

i would love to see some images from the combo, if you don't mind sharing. i still prefer the character of the f/1 vs. the newer one, but realise i may be in the minority.
 
2

2x2

Guest
glenerrolrd said:
Focus calibration has been an issue and you don t want to send it for 6bit coding as this can require recalibration.
Click to expand...
The shade doesn't lock into place (with the 50 Summilux it does).
The Noctilux has always been built and produced in Canada. There is no difference whatsoever between the original one's from Canada and those last 100 pieces assembled in Germany and sold for an indecent amount of money. Well, with the exception of the wooden box this "limited and final" series comes in.
Expensive box if you ask me.

PS: I did send in my Nocti for 6-bit coding and there was no problem with the procedure.
Leica will re-calibrate the Noctilux to work with the M8/M9 (digital sensors require a more precise calibration than film did). This is a standard procedure and necessary.
 
B

Bob Parsons

New member
My lens appeared to be fine on film but focus was a long way out on the M8. I also had other lenses with varying degrees of focus issues on the M8. When I sent it (with the other lenses) to Solms for 6 bit coding I included the camera and asked them to set the lens up for correct focus at full aperture. When I got it back the focus was spot on at f/1.0 It still exhibited focus shift when stopped down but that didn't worry me since I nearly always use it at full aperture.

So far on the M9 the performance has been maintained with no issues.

ETA: The loose hood on mine was a constant frustration, always retracting - solved by putting a tight wide elastic band on the lens barrel behind the hood.

Bob.
 
Last edited:
Lloyd

Lloyd

Active member
2x2 said:
The shade doesn't lock into place (with the 50 Summilux it does).
The Noctilux has always been built and produced in Canada. There is no difference whatsoever between the original one's from Canada and those last 100 pieces assembled in Germany and sold for an indecent amount of money. Well, with the exception of the wooden box this "limited and final" series comes in.
Expensive box if you ask me.

PS: I did send in my Nocti for 6-bit coding and there was no problem with the procedure.
Leica will re-calibrate the Noctilux to work with the M8/M9 (digital sensors require a more precise calibration than film did). This is a standard procedure and necessary.
Click to expand...
Hey. Nice first post. Welcome!! And let's see some of those amazing images of yours soon!!:thumbs:
 
robsteve

robsteve

Subscriber
Marc:

They were all made by Elcan in Canada. The last batch may have been assembled in Germany out of the left over parts from Elcan.

As for the hood, I don't know, because mine is the first E60 version with the very rare bayonet on hood.

In regards to focusing, a lot have had success with DAG calibrating their lenses. They are most accurate in the f1 -f1.4 range when calibrated, with a focus shift when topped down a bit more and the shift disappearing at f4 or f5.6.

In my case I had always set my film M's up for the Noctilux and with film it didn't seem to affect the focus of the other lenses. On the M8, I had to get the Noctilux calibrated. Kindermann did this for me and it focuses fine now on my M8 which was setup by Leica using their current because of a sensor replacement for dead pixels.

Robert
 
4season

4season

Well-known member
My "German" Noctilux had significant backfocus issues, but until I checked it out with LensAlign, I thought maybe it was just me being sloppy with my focusing and needing a magnifier! Leica USA fixed it perfectly, and any remaining fuzziness really is my fault now.
 
2

2x2

Guest
Lloyd said:
Hey. Nice first post. Welcome!! And let's see some of those amazing images of yours soon!!:thumbs:
Click to expand...
Hehe, thanks my friend.

Well then, check this out. http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/877387

I just finished uploading a slightly revised version. Wasn't happy with a couple things the first time around (my mistakes). Let me know what you think.
Just click on preview to see the entire book (or buy it ;) )

For everybody who hasn't seen my book, all Bounce shots have been taken with the M8 and the 90/f2 Apo-Summicron ASPH.
 
Lloyd

Lloyd

Active member
2x2 said:
Hehe, thanks my friend.

Well then, check this out. http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/877387

I just finished uploading a slightly revised version. Wasn't happy with a couple things the first time around (my mistakes). Let me know what you think.
Just click on preview to see the entire book (or buy it ;) )

For everybody who hasn't seen my book, all Bounce shots have been taken with the M8 and the 90/f2 Apo-Summicron ASPH.
Click to expand...
Ok, ok, you've humbled us all with your magic. Beautifully photographed, processed, and designed. But wait, no one plays basketball in Canada, do they!?! Shouldn't they all be playing hockey? It was pond hockey in Alberta when I was that age! And who's that tall, German kid? ;)
 
Last edited:
Lloyd

Lloyd

Active member
robsteve said:
How about basketball, in Canada, CIAU (NCAA equiv) championships, shot with a Noctilux :)

Click to expand...
So who says you can't shoot sports with a Leica? ;) Was that on the M8? (And yes, I know there is roundball in CA... just had to tease my friend a little. :))
 
glenerrolrd

glenerrolrd

Workshop Member
2x2 said:
The shade doesn't lock into place (with the 50 Summilux it does).
The Noctilux has always been built and produced in Canada. There is no difference whatsoever between the original one's from Canada and those last 100 pieces assembled in Germany and sold for an indecent amount of money. Well, with the exception of the wooden box this "limited and final" series comes in.
Expensive box if you ask me.

PS: I did send in my Nocti for 6-bit coding and there was no problem with the procedure.
Leica will re-calibrate the Noctilux to work with the M8/M9 (digital sensors require a more precise calibration than film did). This is a standard procedure and necessary.
Click to expand...
You had good fortune with your Noctilux. The issue with the Noctilux is that the mount is often shimmed to fine tune the calibration at the factory. The normal process for 6bit on most lenses is to exchange your mount for an already milled and coded replacement. This worked fine for most lenses but with the summiluxes and noctiluxes they went back to milling your mount. The mounts proved to not be inter changeable without a real effort. My Noctilux made 4 separate trips to Solms and I had Leica NJ doing the tests each time (with the std M body etc)....so it wasn t me.

I would either enter the info thru the menu or try to find one thats already 6bit. Your experience may be different . After all that I had DAG relube the lens to smooth out a rough spot in the fine focus...but now its a sweet lens and focuses perfectly.
 
robsteve

robsteve

Subscriber
Lloyd said:
I knew that... :deadhorse:

I'm just giving my friend 2x2 a hard time... besides, like I said above (and despite its having been invented in Canada), when I was the age of those kids, in Alberta we were playing pond hockey, not much basketball.
Click to expand...
And Hockey was invented in Nova Scotia :)

This was on the lake in my back yard, last winter. Shot with the M8 and 50mm, probably the Summicron.

Robert

 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top