Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/01/07

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Subject: [Leica] Re: Noctilux as a GP lens
From: Jeff Moore <jbm@jbm.org>
Date: Fri, 08 Jan 1999 01:19:53 -0500

At 7 Jan 1999 21:54:10 -0600, Walter S Delesandri <walt@jove.acs.unt.edu> 
wrote:

> Using a Noctilux at smaller than f1.0   >OR< using it with slower 
> film makes NO sense at all...

I have to disagree with you there about the slow films.  The Noctilux has 
allowed me to use slow, saturated, fine-grained films in improbably-dim 
(normal, comfortable but far-from-daylight room lighting) circumstances.  Fuji 
Reala, for example, becomes a 1/125 or 1/250 *indoor* film!  The results can 
look pretty darned swell.

And, actually, as far as the smaller apertures go:  sure, it may be 
suboptimal, but the lens you have on the camera is generally a fine lens to 
use... :-)  There's a lot to be said for the flexibility of that big ol' 
optical moose in changing conditions.  I've gotten thoroughly addicted.  
Bought the thing about 5-6 months ago, and have ended up using it for a pretty 
solid 75% of all photos since.  5 other lenses scrabble after the 25% 
remaining use (with the other wide-ass champ, the 75/1.4, despite its 
similarity in mission to the Noctilux, doing well in that pack).  When 
everything goes right with the 75, the pictures just look really magical.

All this is from someone who considered a 50, and certainly a 75, too long for 
comfortable use.  But then, I used flash a lot then, too.

I fear I might have to save my pennies for the 35 ASPH Summilux.

 -Jeff Moore <jbm@jbm.org>