I very much enjoyed your review. I bought my f1 Noctilux new for £1550 20 years ago when Leica were having an end-of-year sale - one of the few items of camera equipment I own that have gone up in value! I have used it on my Leica M6 TTLs and my Leica M 240, as well as my Panasonic M4/3 - giving me the 'equivalent' of a 100mm f1!. The first accessory I bought shortly after I purchased my Canon EOS R was a Leica M to Canon EOS R adapter and now I can focus accurately!! I can also take advantage of the 1/8000s to be able to shoot wide open in normal daylight. Very distinctive images at f1. Best Wishes to you all.
Very nice video's here! The f/1.0 Noctilux is an artistic lens with a very special character. I sold mine 10 years ago because it had a complete different drawing compared to my other Leica lenses. Now I can value the character more and am looking into buying it back. The video says there are 3 versions, but actually there are 4 of the F/1.0 lenses. The first batch had a E58 filtersize, the other 3 types had E60.
Connoisseur lens ! A favorite from the 80"s my elder brothers preferred lens for night photography with time lapse open shutter! Thank you for the memories Cheers
Of all of the Noctilux versions, this is my favourite in terms of rendering. For most scenes I want to shoot at F1, the character matters much more than the absolute sharpness. The modern f/0.95 gives a look rather similar to the 50 mm Summilux ASPH, just slightly more blown out; while that is an attractive rendering, by comparison it is a little sterile, and it's a lot of weight to justify such a similar aesthetic to a much smaller/lighter lens with less finder blockage. The original Noctilux is an even more questionable performer, but the collectors are pretty wild for them at the moment..!
I just got one of these in 2 weeks ago. Not that I will ever need an f1 lens, especially in a focal length I rarely use, but it's still a pretty fun lens and nice to have in the collection. I started shooting Leica 2 years ago with an M3 and 7artisans 50mm f1.1. Was all I could really afford back then as a 22yo. That lens was also an amazing performer for it's price. Sold it because I never used it but will be keeping the Noctilux in the collection for sure. Great review as always!
My first lens was the 50mm f/1.1 Nokton, and although I shot it on an APS-C digital sensor, the quality of the light, colour and bokeh for the night shots here immediately recalled that lens to my mind. I understand that it doesn't have a great reputation, but at the time it was all I had, and I love the images it made. Unfortunately, I broke it. I would recommend it to anyone interested in the pre-contemporary Noctilux lenses - it is lighter, with a very similar rendering to this one (at least at night), and perhaps superior - though with a less attractive barrel.
Softness, vignetting, swirly malarkey... if we wanted perfection, we'd shoot with any modern digital camera with any modern lens and blur the background in pshop. This lens is all about the character. The performance isn't flawed, it's interesting, it's the reason we shoot film with this sort of lens.
Max I like your videos a lot. You do a great job on this channel. Like Andreas D a test between the noctilux, the nokton and the Canon dreamlens 0.95 would be fine. Go ahead and stay healthy
Awesome Review Max. You've got to get your hands on the 40 or 50mm Nokton 1.2 from CV and let us know what you think. In my opinion, these are really the only modern lenses that can truly be an alternative to the Noctilux and/or Summilux.
Awesome lens. I'll probably get my hands on one of those in the future at some point (when I can actually go out to use it lol) Awesome video as usual.
have got the nocti 1.0 the nocti 0.95 and the 50mm 7 artisans and even though the examples of the 1.0 can differ, I perfer the 7artisans above the 1.0 Nocti. My judgent is not based on sharpess, where you could think that a more modern manufactured lense might have some advantage but it is based on color rendndition and how natural the subtel effects of light are captured. People that think of the 1.0 Nocti might not see much of a difference to the much cheaper 7artisans, and in my view not infavour for the Leica produce. Additional advantag I see is that the 7artisans you can bang around without feeling guilty, so you probably make more use of it too. The new 0.95 is obviously in a class of its own and significantly differs in its character to the two other lenses but luckily it is also not perfect to still keep it versatil and use its flaws. "Perfect" lenses would be perfectly boring...
Wow I think this is the sharpest copy of the f1 I've ever seen, and I've own many, don't let go of it! The v2 and v3 are my favs, vingette and very old coating on the v1 is a bit worrysome and the insanely large useless square shade on the v4 is ridiculous through the viewfinder. I think you've got the king copy!
@@fygdjvxiokfdio Functionally, no difference at all except for the lens hood install mechanism, but the noct f1 is pretty flare resistant and i never use a hood anyways.
Thanks for your kind comment. There was no reverb added. This is just the room. I’ll try to add effects which make the room feel smaller in the future.
Max, Jules and Greg thank you. I stumbled across your channel some months ago and became interested in the nuances of analog photography. Since watching your Leica M-A video I have taken steps to get into the practice/hobby. I have just bought a Nikon S3 2000 Limited Edition set with a light meter. This is in mint condition. Along with the camera set, I have bought a year's supply of film from your video recommendations. Although the company didn't have any Portra 400, but I managed to get Ektar, HP5 plus, HP4, rollie, etc. Wished your channel had affiliate links so that at least for people buying based on your help, would get you a little kick back. And I do understand if your channel is not about that. I am all set to learn and grow. P.S. I will still be getting the Leica M-A with a lens in 2021, but for now, the Special Edition Nikon is all I can afford.
Good job bro. Great lens no doubt only issue is that the Lux Asph bokeh is not much difference but centre pin sharp. This version lives from its cult status. If you want a state of the art the.95 is the real deal since it completely acts different then the lux until f4. Mind you though I am talking digital. On film the f1 looks great on digital though I find it way to soft in comparison.
It might be an option to test the Voigtländer VM Nokton 50 1.2 ASPH ... nearly the same aperture, no finder blockage at 0.72 and in my eyes very sharp in the center at 1.2 ... for a fifth of the price.
The legend Noctilux! Much better than the new f/0.95 or any other lens with that aperture...maybe except the Canon 50/1.0L which was something amazing as well.
I have both the Noctilux 0.95 and the Nokton 1.1. The Nokton is close to the Noctilux 1.0, in build and in character. I like it a lot. I bought it new 10 years ago I think, maybe 700-800 Euro? Good value for money. The Noctilux 0.95 is technically better, but it doesn't matter.
If i recall it correctly, you posted an instagram story of a TLR at the Reichsparteitagsgelände in Nuremberg, like 2 months ago. Did you film a youtube video about it?
Yes, we filmed there. But our productions often take a lot of care and time. So please be a bit more patient. We have a lot of great stuff in the making. :)
@@AnalogInsights no apologies needed. I don’t mind reverb, for some reason it didn’t seem to match the room, which makes it sound like an effect. I used to be an audio engineer, so clearly I’m put of practice because it wasn’t added in post! Getting rusty. 😎
All Noctilux lenses are highly specialized and make almost exclusively sense for portrait photographers. And to be honest, personally, I would only consider using one with a Leica SL or SL2. On these big cameras with their pronounced grip a Noctilux is far better to handle and the dimensions of the lens match the dimensions of the camera. But on a Leica M mount camera? I would always prefer the much smaller and lighter Summilux or the Cron or even the 2.4 Summarit. Depth of field and Bokeh are not the only relevant parameters in photography😉👋.
well said. i think the noctilux makes sense only if you have to take hand held photos in very low light and cannot use flash. not so much portraiture. portrait photographers always use additional lighting and medium format. I cannot think of a single good reason why one would need a noctilux by daylight, considering its size and weight.
Couldn't you just replicate the bokeh in post processing? I see no reason to buy F1 over 0.95. Either way no real photographer shoots at F0.95 lol but I can understand the appeal. APO Summicron F2 50mm is the best 50mm lens in the world. I would love to see a side by side comparison against Voigtlander APO Lanthar F2 which is probably just as good.
Softness, vignetting, and weird bokeh ... I also look for and shoot with lenses that exhibit these traits. What I don't like is how other lenses are looked down upon for this but any maker with pedigree that produces this type of product is deemed full of "character". No one dares make any direct comparisons with other makes... even Max has cautiously suggested within Leica for alternatives for this lens. Considering the price, this is a unicorn - there are many other lenses today that can deliver a similar result but that is not the point . It is about maintaining prestige... often called "elitist" behaviour. If admitted, I don't have an issue with it (I also am a car enthusiast - I especially like old, "character filled" Alfa Romeos) but if we bring it down to earth and start evaluating it with criteria for ""ordinary" lens then for this reason alone such a review should not exist...
@@tjbwhitehea1 I disagree, I think that photo, in particular, is just not framed very well. The subject is pushed over to the left, and the bright spot in the top right subconciously draws your eye away from the subject. I think you crop in closer, coming in a bit from the top, and significantly on the right side, with more of a 6x7-esq cropfactor, the background loses a lot of the distracting feeling and becomes painterly.
@@tjbwhitehea1 no :) Your point was that "the out of focus area is distracting...", my point is that it's not the out of focus area that's distracting, but rather the poor framing.
this lens is 1 stop faster than most vintage 50mm 1.4 lenses. it is also FIFTY times more expensive. if i absolutely needed a lens for hand held low light photography i would pick a 24 1.4 over this lens any day - cheaper, can be hand held at 1/30 and decent depth of field even at 1.4. what is the point of a lens that has no dof? For portraiture? Nope. you need a decent lighting rig and a 6x6 or 6x7. professionals do not use 35mm for portraiture. this is the most overrated and overpriced lens ever made
Again boring pictures travel to India is my advice no sense to take concrete buildings or empty bars dont be afraid ask people if you can photograph them stop making empty concrete look like pictures
I very much enjoyed your review. I bought my f1 Noctilux new for £1550 20 years ago when Leica were having an end-of-year sale - one of the few items of camera equipment I own that have gone up in value! I have used it on my Leica M6 TTLs and my Leica M 240, as well as my Panasonic M4/3 - giving me the 'equivalent' of a 100mm f1!. The first accessory I bought shortly after I purchased my Canon EOS R was a Leica M to Canon EOS R adapter and now I can focus accurately!! I can also take advantage of the 1/8000s to be able to shoot wide open in normal daylight. Very distinctive images at f1. Best Wishes to you all.
beautiful pictures to showcase this special lens, well done
Thank you. Glad you enjoyed it.
Classic Leica style,I’ve been using it for over 7 years
Very nice video's here! The f/1.0 Noctilux is an artistic lens with a very special character. I sold mine 10 years ago because it had a complete different drawing compared to my other Leica lenses. Now I can value the character more and am looking into buying it back. The video says there are 3 versions, but actually there are 4 of the F/1.0 lenses. The first batch had a E58 filtersize, the other 3 types had E60.
Connoisseur lens ! A favorite from the 80"s my elder brothers preferred lens for night photography with time lapse open shutter! Thank you for the memories Cheers
That 6:46 portrait on the stairs is stunning ! As always, great video :)
I have just ordered my 3rd F1. I always come back to this lens.
Of all of the Noctilux versions, this is my favourite in terms of rendering. For most scenes I want to shoot at F1, the character matters much more than the absolute sharpness. The modern f/0.95 gives a look rather similar to the 50 mm Summilux ASPH, just slightly more blown out; while that is an attractive rendering, by comparison it is a little sterile, and it's a lot of weight to justify such a similar aesthetic to a much smaller/lighter lens with less finder blockage. The original Noctilux is an even more questionable performer, but the collectors are pretty wild for them at the moment..!
the f1 is an amazing lens, i prefer the rendering over the 0.95. great video max
Those are good pictures.
I just got one of these in 2 weeks ago. Not that I will ever need an f1 lens, especially in a focal length I rarely use, but it's still a pretty fun lens and nice to have in the collection. I started shooting Leica 2 years ago with an M3 and 7artisans 50mm f1.1. Was all I could really afford back then as a 22yo. That lens was also an amazing performer for it's price. Sold it because I never used it but will be keeping the Noctilux in the collection for sure. Great review as always!
I live the 1980s inspired background music in the video! ❤️
What are you kidding? This music sucks.
@@DonBryantPhotography that your opinion.
@Alan Graham ????
My first lens was the 50mm f/1.1 Nokton, and although I shot it on an APS-C digital sensor, the quality of the light, colour and bokeh for the night shots here immediately recalled that lens to my mind.
I understand that it doesn't have a great reputation, but at the time it was all I had, and I love the images it made. Unfortunately, I broke it. I would recommend it to anyone interested in the pre-contemporary Noctilux lenses - it is lighter, with a very similar rendering to this one (at least at night), and perhaps superior - though with a less attractive barrel.
Softness, vignetting, swirly malarkey... if we wanted perfection, we'd shoot with any modern digital camera with any modern lens and blur the background in pshop. This lens is all about the character. The performance isn't flawed, it's interesting, it's the reason we shoot film with this sort of lens.
Word. Thanks for your comment! :)
Another super video guys. I’ve been watching the videos on Gregs books and this popped up. Superb 👍
So glad to hear that you enjoy our little channel. Thanks for your kind comment.
Max I like your videos a lot. You do a great job on this channel. Like Andreas D a test between the noctilux, the nokton and the Canon dreamlens 0.95 would be fine.
Go ahead and stay healthy
Wonderful lens and great video.
Thanks a lot for your kind feedback.
Chiara makes a lovely model, not only for a Noctilux.
I agree, she looks stunning
Awesome Review Max. You've got to get your hands on the 40 or 50mm Nokton 1.2 from CV and let us know what you think. In my opinion, these are really the only modern lenses that can truly be an alternative to the Noctilux and/or Summilux.
Cool lens. I love the out of focus area :)
Awesome lens. I'll probably get my hands on one of those in the future at some point (when I can actually go out to use it lol)
Awesome video as usual.
A unique lens an artwork of Leica.
Superb music btw!
Thank you! Reminded me a bit of the "Drive" OST and I wanted something which fits a positive night time mood. :)
@@AnalogInsights tasteful decisions going on here.
Good job Max.
Nice review!
I'd love to see the Noct put up against the TTArtisans 50mm 0.95!
Steve Huff has a pretty good comparison video on both!
have got the nocti 1.0 the nocti 0.95 and the 50mm 7 artisans and even though the examples of the 1.0 can differ, I perfer the 7artisans above the 1.0 Nocti. My judgent is not based on sharpess, where you could think that a more modern manufactured lense might have some advantage but it is based on color rendndition and how natural the subtel effects of light are captured. People that think of the 1.0 Nocti might not see much of a difference to the much cheaper 7artisans, and in my view not infavour for the Leica produce. Additional advantag I see is that the 7artisans you can bang around without feeling guilty, so you probably make more use of it too.
The new 0.95 is obviously in a class of its own and significantly differs in its character to the two other lenses but luckily it is also not perfect to still keep it versatil and use its flaws. "Perfect" lenses would be perfectly boring...
Fascinating thank you. You have to wonder, with all its flaws, what it would be worth without the Leica name on it
Wow I think this is the sharpest copy of the f1 I've ever seen, and I've own many, don't let go of it! The v2 and v3 are my favs, vingette and very old coating on the v1 is a bit worrysome and the insanely large useless square shade on the v4 is ridiculous through the viewfinder. I think you've got the king copy!
What’s the difference between v2 and v3? Thank you guys
@@fygdjvxiokfdio Functionally, no difference at all except for the lens hood install mechanism, but the noct f1 is pretty flare resistant and i never use a hood anyways.
Your voice is soothing
Great reviews and educational contributions. Really enjoyable but the excessive use of reverb is disturbing to the ear.
Thanks for your kind comment. There was no reverb added. This is just the room. I’ll try to add effects which make the room feel smaller in the future.
@@AnalogInsights maybe a hidden body mic or an over head mic will be the fix,..dunno. Anyway, great channel. Keep up the good work (Y)
Max, Jules and Greg thank you.
I stumbled across your channel some months ago and became interested in the nuances of analog photography. Since watching your Leica M-A video I have taken steps to get into the practice/hobby.
I have just bought a Nikon S3 2000 Limited Edition set with a light meter. This is in mint condition. Along with the camera set, I have bought a year's supply of film from your video recommendations. Although the company didn't have any Portra 400, but I managed to get Ektar, HP5 plus, HP4, rollie, etc.
Wished your channel had affiliate links so that at least for people buying based on your help, would get you a little kick back. And I do understand if your channel is not about that.
I am all set to learn and grow.
P.S. I will still be getting the Leica M-A with a lens in 2021, but for now, the Special Edition Nikon is all I can afford.
Good job bro. Great lens no doubt only issue is that the Lux Asph bokeh is not much difference but centre pin sharp.
This version lives from its cult status. If you want a state of the art the.95 is the real deal since it completely acts different then the lux until f4.
Mind you though I am talking digital. On film the f1 looks great on digital though I find it way to soft in comparison.
It might be an option to test the Voigtländer VM Nokton 50 1.2 ASPH ... nearly the same aperture, no finder blockage at 0.72 and in my eyes very sharp in the center at 1.2 ... for a fifth of the price.
Thanks for your comment and great idea. I'll look into that. :)
Thx, pics remind me of the Summar...
The legend Noctilux! Much better than the new f/0.95 or any other lens with that aperture...maybe except the Canon 50/1.0L which was something amazing as well.
I have both the Noctilux 0.95 and the Nokton 1.1. The Nokton is close to the Noctilux 1.0, in build and in character. I like it a lot. I bought it new 10 years ago I think, maybe 700-800 Euro? Good value for money. The Noctilux 0.95 is technically better, but it doesn't matter.
Great photographer
What’s the name of the musical track of I can ask? Love the video! Always superb!
The main song is called "Sunset Drive" by Future Joust. It is available via Epidemicsound.com where we get all our music for this channel.
If i recall it correctly, you posted an instagram story of a TLR at the Reichsparteitagsgelände in Nuremberg, like 2 months ago. Did you film a youtube video about it?
Yes, we filmed there. But our productions often take a lot of care and time. So please be a bit more patient. We have a lot of great stuff in the making. :)
I wonder how that lens behaves wide opened with HP5 plus shot at box speed at night.
Hey, could you tell something about the great music in the intro and the outrow?
What kind of ND Filter do you use in this Video and what kind of ND Filter would you recommend?
What kind of developer are you using for the Ilford 50?
58mm nikkor noct 1.2 vs noctilux would be good to see
Why did you use Portra 400 instead of 160 in daylight?
Because it has a different look and it is what was left in my fridge. :)
Max.. can you do a film review of Ilford Ortho Plus? Apparently an interesting film
Already did together with Jules a while back. You can find it on the channel.
Analog Insights I missed it then!
What’s with the reverb on your voice? It sounds like a hall which doesn’t match the room you’re in.
My living room is fairly large and contains very few pieces of furniture. That's where the echo comes from. Sorry about that.
@@AnalogInsights no apologies needed. I don’t mind reverb, for some reason it didn’t seem to match the room, which makes it sound like an effect. I used to be an audio engineer, so clearly I’m put of practice because it wasn’t added in post! Getting rusty. 😎
It is not interesting to compare Noctilux vs, vs, vs , but to have your own hand on the
lens with such a beautiful bokeh.
Toll heute erst meine M3 bekommen schon willst du mir neue Flausen in den Kopf setzen. 😅
Ja, so bin ich. ;) Viel Freude mit der M3!
All Noctilux lenses are highly specialized and make almost exclusively sense for portrait photographers. And to be honest, personally, I would only consider using one with a Leica SL or SL2. On these big cameras with their pronounced grip a Noctilux is far better to handle and the dimensions of the lens match the dimensions of the camera. But on a Leica M mount camera? I would always prefer the much smaller and lighter Summilux or the Cron or even the 2.4 Summarit. Depth of field and Bokeh are not the only relevant parameters in photography😉👋.
well said. i think the noctilux makes sense only if you have to take hand held photos in very low light and cannot use flash. not so much portraiture. portrait photographers always use additional lighting and medium format. I cannot think of a single good reason why one would need a noctilux by daylight, considering its size and weight.
@@matteovrizzi Watch Matt Osborne's review, he makes some good points th-cam.com/video/AJlmhdg8lks/w-d-xo.html 😁
Leica Lens 👍🌷👍 too costly total set M 10 and 50 mm lens 5/6 Lac it's too costly but results grt. Sharp and colors 👍🌷👍
If Van Gogh was a lens...
... he would cut off his lens hood. 😁
I thought I'd seen an F .95 version of it.
Of course. And it is mentioned in the video. :)
How that video quality is so poor🤔 1080 and poor 🤔🤷♂️
Was that your sister in the images?
No, Lukas’ partner as mentioned in the introduction.
Couldn't you just replicate the bokeh in post processing? I see no reason to buy F1 over 0.95. Either way no real photographer shoots at F0.95 lol but I can understand the appeal.
APO Summicron F2 50mm is the best 50mm lens in the world. I would love to see a side by side comparison against Voigtlander APO Lanthar F2 which is probably just as good.
The music sounds like it stems from the eighties like the lens.
Love the thick sexy German accent!
You're welcome.
Softness, vignetting, and weird bokeh ... I also look for and shoot with lenses that exhibit these traits. What I don't like is how other lenses are looked down upon for this but any maker with pedigree that produces this type of product is deemed full of "character". No one dares make any direct comparisons with other makes... even Max has cautiously suggested within Leica for alternatives for this lens. Considering the price, this is a unicorn - there are many other lenses today that can deliver a similar result but that is not the point . It is about maintaining prestige... often called "elitist" behaviour. If admitted, I don't have an issue with it (I also am a car enthusiast - I especially like old, "character filled" Alfa Romeos) but if we bring it down to earth and start evaluating it with criteria for ""ordinary" lens then for this reason alone such a review should not exist...
Боке немного жёсткое, возможно это недостаток высокого качества фотообъектива. У Minolta боке гораздо мягче, но и резкость хуже.
I don't understand it, honestly
Horrible barrel distortion, weirdly shaped aperture blades, heavy vignetting which looks unpleasant, and the price...
Wow I want to mortgage my home so I can get more bokeh and less depth of field!
😂😂😂😂
Poor quality at F1, lots of cyan bias wide open, not as good as the following models, basically made for B&W. Sorry mate.
the out of focus area in the photo at 5:45 is distracting to say the least too...
@@tjbwhitehea1 I disagree, I think that photo, in particular, is just not framed very well. The subject is pushed over to the left, and the bright spot in the top right subconciously draws your eye away from the subject. I think you crop in closer, coming in a bit from the top, and significantly on the right side, with more of a 6x7-esq cropfactor, the background loses a lot of the distracting feeling and becomes painterly.
@@BenMargolius So if it was a different photo, not that one, it might potentially be a little bit better? ;)
@@tjbwhitehea1 no :) Your point was that "the out of focus area is distracting...", my point is that it's not the out of focus area that's distracting, but rather the poor framing.
Try Matt Osborne for his review of this lens th-cam.com/video/AJlmhdg8lks/w-d-xo.html 😁
Lets face it.Its a very bad lens.You want the perfect bokeh????.Buy the Nikon AFS 200mm F 2.0 VR2
this lens is 1 stop faster than most vintage 50mm 1.4 lenses. it is also FIFTY times more expensive.
if i absolutely needed a lens for hand held low light photography i would pick a 24 1.4 over this lens any day - cheaper, can be hand held at 1/30 and decent depth of field even at 1.4.
what is the point of a lens that has no dof?
For portraiture? Nope. you need a decent lighting rig and a 6x6 or 6x7.
professionals do not use 35mm for portraiture.
this is the most overrated and overpriced lens ever made
Again boring pictures travel to India is my advice no sense to take concrete buildings or empty bars dont be afraid ask people if you can photograph them stop making empty concrete look like pictures