Re: Noctilux comparison

[Erwin Puts <imxputs@knoware.nl>]

Alastair Firkin wrote:

>  
>
> I have the Noctilux and love it. There is a sample of reactions from
> this
> group published on my web page below under "collections", though no
> real
> hard facts or comparisons.

I think this text will answer a few questions. The Noctilux f/1

I did a four month study on the properties and peculiarities of the
Noctilux. And after that period I bought one. It is a most difficult
lens
to evaluate. On first impression it has a number of optical
characteristics
(some would say 'defects') not seen in modern production lenses out of
the
Leica stable. At full aperture it exhibits strong light fall-off (more
than
3 stops in the corners) and produces clearly visible coma effects
starting
at ±6 mm from the center of the image circle. The coma however is only
visible when the lens is sharply focused on light sources at a distance
of
more than 10 meters. When the light sources are out of focus they are
free
of coma. At full aperture the lens does not have the high contrast of
the
Summicron and Summilux and certainly not the definition of fine details.

To give you some reference. The Summilux at f/1.4 is 'better' in these
respects than the Noctilux at f/1.4. From f/2.8 the Noctilux, Summilux
and
Summicron are equal in most respects. The overall contrast of the
Noctilux
however never reaches the level of the two brothers. The most
interesting
point of the Noctilux at all apertures and especially from f/1.0 to
f/5.6
is the excellent rendition of colour hues and nuances,and a very good
micro
contrast.

The first impression of a Noctilux transparancy is an extremely fine
rendition of the textures of the surfaces of the photographed object. It
is
also the only lens I know of, that suppresses almost any flare
encountered,
better even than the Summicron-M. Because of this its shadow penetration
is
excellent. It would do this lens an injustice to classify it as a low
light
lens only. The higher inherent contrast of the Summilux makes this lens
a
strong contender in that specific area.

The Noctilux however has a very peculiar finger print and an interesting

one. Many people assume that one should use a high aperture lens at the
limits of handholding capabilities. But at 1/8 of a second no lens can
give
its best. The Noctilux at 1/60 or better even at 1/125 with the new
Ektachromes 100ISO. The Noctilux is one of my favorites for portraits
and
figure studies on location. I even use a tripod to get the most from its

optical potential.

Just as a very good French wine you have to learn its character before
you
can appreciate it. But do not approach the Noctilux as the champion for
dark nights only. It has more to offer.

Yes it is heavy and expensive. And it obscures part of the viewfinder.
And
it has an absurdly small depth of field around 3 or 4 metres at full
aperture. You have to train yourself to get correctly focused pictures.
Yes, the accuracy of the M6 rangefinder is OK. I made careful tests on
this
point.
 

Erwin Puts