That same guy from the LUG that took those shots wide open in good light with his Noctilux is at it again. He won't quit until I buy one of these lenses ;-)

More good light, f/1.0 shots, this time of automobiles on Pan film.

http://www.shinozuka-family.com/bokars/

-- Al Smith (smith58@msn.com), August 13, 2001

Answers

Yeah, damnit. Ever since those color shots got posted a week or so ago, I've had noctilux on the brain. I had a chance to buy a user with nice glass for $1250 a year or so ago, but I passed it up in fovor of getting the Nikon AF-S 17-35. Now I'm not so sure I made the right choice.

-- Josh Root (rootj@att.net), August 13, 2001.

Some would say that the vignetting is an optical flaw with this lens, but I think it's cool. I also very much like the effect that kind of looks like a "circular blur" which shows up a little bit outward from the center. It has a spooky feel to it, kind of like a time warp or something. My problem is I keep forgetting to buy film slow enough to shoot wide open during the day. ISO 100 or less, I guess.

-- Tony Rowlett (rowlett@mail.com), August 13, 2001.

Yeah, the Noctilux is a beauty - a really big beauty, but still fun though! I'm not so sure photos one and two haven't been made up by photoshop... it looks like some kind of fake ring-like oof renderings in these images. Might just be my monitor...

-- Jack Flesher (jbflesher@msn.com), August 13, 2001.

Jack, I can attest to the authenticity of that "look," because my own results have it. Check out this image and also this one, both taken with the Noct at f/1.

-- Tony Rowlett (rowlett@mail.com), August 13, 2001.

By the way, I think it's noteworthy that those two photographs were taken right at midnight in Fairbanks, Alaska, June 21, 2000. Yep, that's the sun you see through the trees.

-- Tony Rowlett (rowlett@mail.com), August 13, 2001.

Tony:

Thanks! I find it interesting that my Noctilux never did that - at least not that I noticed (!), and I shot a lot of f1 shots with it... Curious. Mine was a second version f1 with the detachable hood. What version is yours? BTW, great shots!

-- Jack Flesher (jbflesher@msn.com), August 13, 2001.

Thanks. Mine's the latest with integral hood. Strangely, some of my Noctshots don't exhibit this. Very weird. I have others on my site that are totally different at f/1. Must be the lighting.

-- Tony Rowlett (rowlett@mail.com), August 13, 2001.

Maybe a curious relationship between the background distance and the focus point??? I find the "swirling" very unique...

-- Jack Flesher (jbflesher@msn.com), August 13, 2001.

I think the swirling that you're refering to is a result of off-axis coma. My first-version 50 Summilux (and, to an extent, older 90 Summicron) also show this clearly wide open.

As the following photos illustrate, it shows up most clearly in thoroughly out-of-focus highlights, but also influences the appearance of objects with lesser degrees of blur.

http://mikedixonphotography.com/farrahcol15.jpg

http://mikedixonphotography.com/lonelytree.jpg

-- Mike Dixon (mike@mikedixonphotography.com), August 13, 2001.

Gentlemen, save your money. I have access to a current model Noct. It's big, it's beautiful, its big, its great, its big, it's fast and oh, did I mention that it's big. It's a fantastic lens and I've found it useful at all apertures, but unless you need f=1, don't buy one.

By the way, you can eliminate the vignetting at f=1 if you digitize your prints (yes prints, not negatives as you can get higher resolution that way). Anyhow, you digitize the prints and then apply an astronomical imaging technique known as flat fielding. I've done this successfully with Noct prints and some from my 12mm Voigtlander.

-- mark (mramra@qwest.net), August 13, 2001.

I definitely need f/1. :-0

-- Tony Rowlett (rowlett@mail.com), August 14, 2001.

I did not think twice about the Noctilux even as a beginner. I ordered mine two weeks ago. There is some poetic nature about it. Following picture is from my second roll of slide with Leica M6.

http://www.fototime.com/D26EF5C7331C09E/orig.jpg

It was my first Leica lense. The next one is 75mm 'lux. which is very similar to Noct but has different taste to it. Still addictive.

-- Damond Lam (damond_lam@hotmail.com), August 14, 2001.

Al, Al, Al... probably I have to thank you :) Wonderful shots! And referenced in answers also.

-- Andrey Vorobyov (AndreyVorobyov@mail.ru), August 14, 2001.

I have never suffered from Noctilust. It's the one M lens I've never wanted. I can handhold a 35mm 1 speed slower than a 50mm, so in effect my 35/1.4ASPH *is* an f/1...with greater DOF, almost no vignetting, better contrast and corner sharpness, and it's a lot smaller.

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), August 14, 2001.