This is an important release for Leica, it’s the first new Noctilux since the 75 f/1.25 was announced in November 2017. In fact, it is only the fifth Noctilux Leica has made since 1966. A big deal indeed!
It is also the first 35mm Noctilux, something which has been rumoured ever since the f/0.95 was announced in 2008. I think some people will be upset that this lens isn’t also f/0.95. It was clearly a difficult decision for Leica, and something I will address in this article.
I’ve been lucky enough to have this lens for nearly a year now in three different iterations, I’ve had a full production lens since just after Christmas. I have shot it on the M11, the M EV1, the SL3, and SL3-S; it’s been a lot of fun!
First of all, it’s worth having a look at the history of the Leica Noctilux Lenses
History
The history of the Noctilux is fascinating — in the early days, film was slow and shooting in low light was quite a different experience from current day cameras with their perfectly usable 100,000 ISO (and more).
The Nikkor 5cm f/1.1
Nikon had brought out the 5cm f/1.1 rangefinder lens in February 1956, developed by Murakami Saburo after years of design work, allegedly using only an abacus. It featured nine elements in seven groups, but although very fast it suffered from serious coma and field curvature and was relatively soft wide open: it was in production only until about 1959 but remained the fastest lens in Nikon’s range for many years.
The pursuit of light
In the 1950s and 1960s, Leica rangefinder cameras were very much the equipment of choice for photojournalists and documentary photographers. Better low light performance was always welcomed, and fast lenses therefore became increasingly important for Leica to keep their dominance in the market.
In 1957 Leica started work on aspherical elements in an attempt to solve the problems associated with spherical aberration in fast lenses. (Causing blurring, reduced contrast and coma). In 1958, they produced their first prototype which was a 35mm Summaron f/2.8 ASPH., which had two aspherical elements, but which never came to production.
In 1959, they made a prototype of a 52mm f/1.0 ASPH. also with two aspherical elements, but this was never produced due to poor image quality wide open.
The Noctilux 50mm f/1.2 ASPH.
In 1964, the first prototype of the Noctilux 50mm f/1.2 ASPH. was produced. This lens was designed by Helmut Marx and Paul Sindel. Helmut Marx was generally considered to be the successor to Professor Max Bereck at Leica (Max Bereck died in service in 1949).
The Noctilux 50mm f/1.2 ASPH. was finally released in 1966 at Photokina where it was the star of the show. It had two aspherical elements which had to be ground by hand, which was an extremely difficult procedure. The story has it that Gerd Bergman was the only Leica employee who could actually do it, and even then, there was a high failure rate.
Despite the manufacturing difficulties, the lens stayed in production until 1975, with a total production of some 2,450 units.
In January 2021, Leica announced a reissue of the f/1.2 Noctilux using modern manufacturing techniques and tolerances. I reviewed this lens on its release, you can read about it here (The Leica Noctilux f/1.2). I must say, this is one of my favourite and most used lenses (I have the black paint version). It is relatively small and light, wonderfully dreamy wide open, but very sharp when stopped down a bit.
The Noctilux 50mm f/1.0
Dr Walter Mandler was working at the Leitz factory in Midland, Canada and was tasked with producing a fast lens which would be easier and cheaper to manufacture than the double aspherical f/1.2. He used highly refractive lanthanum glass instead of aspherical elements and created a slightly larger but even faster lens, but one which was easier to produce.
The lens had seven elements in six groups, and was in production from 1976 until 2008, There were four different versions, but all of them were principally manufactured in Canada. This lens is still very popular today and might be considered to be responsible for the ‘Mandler Glow’.
The Noctilux-M 50mm f/0.95 ASPH.
Introduced at Photokina in 2008, the replacement for Mandler’s Noctilux was designed by Peter Karbe in Wetzlar. It has eight elements in five groups, including an aspherical element and elements with anomalous partial dispersion (to reduce chromatic aberration).
This lens is a favourite of many of my photographer friends. I was lucky enough to test it, and used it extensively for a few years. As Peter Karbe says:
“The shallow depth of field made possible by the high lens speed — combined with incomparable colour rendering, rich contrast and exceptional detail, gives rise to images with truly unique aesthetics”
The Noctilux-M 75mm f/1.25 ASPH.
In 2017 Leica announced the new 75mm Noctilux. I had been testing various iterations of this lens over the previous 18 months. When it was released I bought one, and it was a mainstay of preparation photography for weddings and much else. I wrote about it here: (Review: Leica NOCTILUX-M 75)
This lens was also designed by Peter Karbe who said, “We pulled out all the stops we had at our disposal for this lens”. It has nine elements in six groups, including two aspherical elements and lenses with anomalous partial dispersion.
It has an extremely shallow depth of field and combines wonderful detail with lovely bokeh. Not only that, but it even reduced the minimum focusing distance (one meter with previous Noctiluxes) to 0.85 meters — so it is also excellent for close up photography as well as portraits.
The Noctilux-M 35mm f/1.2 ASPH.
So, now we come to the new lens which is made from ten elements in five groups, of which three are aspherical. The lens is a compact 50.2 mm and a chunky 64.6 mm wide, but it weighs only 416g, just ten grams more than the 50mm f/1.2 Noctilux reissue. For reference, the 75mm Noctilux weighs 1,055g and the f/0.95 700g. Better than that, it focuses down to 0.5m, perfect for those close up shots.
New technical developments include a revised floating element mechanism to keep consistency through apertures and to ensure there is no focus shift, and three aspherical elements which are made by a new in-house PGM (Precision Glass Moulding) technique.
The mould inserts are made from ultrapure tungsten carbide, which is one of the hardest materials in the world. The elements are pressed at temperatures up to 700 C and with tolerances of no more than three nanometers per millimetre of diameter.
So, despite being faithful to the dreamy history of the Noctilux lenses, at heart this is a thoroughly modern lens, and the MTF figures certainly bear this out: As Peter Karbe famously said, “Stop Down for What”
The lens feels beautifully made and very solid. Indeed, looking at this cutaway lens you can see that, like its big brother (the 75 Noctilux), it is mostly made of glass.
Although the lens is quite wide, it is also short, so it doesn’t occlude much of the frame when used with a classic rangefinder camera; the compact slide-out lens hood is absolutely functional, but also helps to keep the rangefinder clear.
In common with many recent M lenses, it has a close focus option, and will focus down to 50cm. Although the focus throw is quite long, and the lens is missing a focus tab, handling is lovely. The aperture ring has definite clicks and no play, and the focusing ring is wonderfully smooth with just the right amount of firmness.
Comparisons
Anybody considering buying this lens will be thinking about what it has to offer in comparison with the other Noctiluxes. Perhaps even more relevantly, in comparison with the other current 35mm options.
I was talking to one photographer about this, and he asked, “Is it worth the extra money for just over 1/3 stop advantage?” I suppose that if that were all there was to it, then it wouldn’t be worth it. But as we will see, that is not the whole story.
Time to make Jam. Leica M EV1 1/6400s Sec @f/1.2 ISO64 and Peugeot Pepper. Leica M EV1 1/1000s @f/4 ISO 64 ©Jono Slack
Comparisons with the other Noctiluxes
Here is a comparison between the MTF figures of the different Noctilux lenses wide open (and the sizes as well).
This comparison shows clearly how the Noctilux lenses have improved over the years since 1966, but also how they have become bigger — until the 35mm f/1.2 that is!
Comparisons with the other 35mm lenses
Particularly interesting is the comparison between the MTF figures of the three current 35mm lenses:
We can see that the new Noctilux is clearly better at f/1.2 than the current Summilux is at f/1.4, and although it isn’t quite a match for the APO Summicron it comes pretty close when stopped down slightly.
Sadly, I don’t have a current 35mm Summilux or I would have done a thorough comparison, but I did spend a long time with it before its launch in September 2022 (my report is here review: The 2022 Leica 35mm f/1.4 Summilux ASPH close focus). But my feeling is that the new lens is both better wide open, and considerably better when stopped down.
The 35mm APO Summicron, however, is one of my most used lenses. I love its calm precision and lovely bokeh, that is better than the Noctilux at f/2, but when stopped down to f/2.8 they are comparable (except at the corners where the APO shines). However, the APO cannot do the dreamy look that the Noctilux manages wide open. Of course, the Noctilux is bigger than the current Summilux, but not so much!
Image Quality
Well, MTF curves aren’t everything! Over the last year, I’ve been shooting everything with the lens, from still life to landscape, portraits and urban. I’ve shot it wide open, and I’ve stopped it right down.
As with the other Noctiluxes, it is possible to get chromatic aberration in very high contrast situations. In addition, the lens is slightly prone to flare; vices to which the APO Summicron is less subject (but flare is still possible). Stopping down quickly reduces the problem with CA (it’s almost gone by f/2.8).
Wide open it is every bit a Noctilux, with dreamy bokeh, but also with excellent detail where it’s in focus. Stop down a little and the detail is incredible — it doesn’t feel ‘crunchy’, but simply exceptionally precise (indeed, very reminiscent of the APO Summicron).
Which camera?
I’ve shot the new Noctilux with the M11, the M EV1, the SL3, and the M9. There is an argument for using the cameras with an EVF when shooting wide open, especially using the close focus range.
However, I’ve found the focusing extremely good, using a traditional rangefinder: Leica have improved the floating element, and I couldn’t detect any focus shift. Of course, you need to use the display on the back of the camera (or the Visoflex) if you want to focus closer than 70cm.
Winter Morning at Dead Swan Lake Leica M EV1 1/1,250s @f/8 ISO 64 and Spring Posy. Leica M 11-D 1/640s @f/1.2 ISO 64 ©Jono Slack
On the other hand, I’ve had a lot of fun shooting with the SL3 and the EV1. It might have been good to release this lens together with the EV1, and while I wouldn’t suggest buying an M EV1 just for this lens, they do go together extremely well. It’s perhaps worth mentioning that I was equivocal about actually buying an M EV1, but this lens was probably what pushed me over the edge.
Conclusion
I was speaking with an American photographer friend, and he said that under normal circumstances he went shooting with an M body, the 35 APO Summicron, the remake of the Noctilux 50 f/1.2 and the 75mm APO Summicron. This setup has, coincidentally (or not) been my favourite setup for the last couple of years. It gives you absolute precision and detail, the dreamy Noctilux option and (to my mind) the perfect portrait lens, all in three small and easily managed lenses.
The 50 and 75 Noctiluxes, brilliant as they are, are speciality lenses, and are too heavy to carry around with you on the off-chance you might need them. If the 35mm Noctilux had been f/0.95, then it too would be a specialist lens (and at a specialist price as well). Leica’s decision to sacrifice aperture bragging rights in favour of usability must have been a difficult one, but to my mind it has paid off magnificently.
Not only is the 35mm Noctilux f/1.2 a worthy new member of the select band of Noctilux lenses, it is also an eminently usable ‘do anything’ lens which could arguably replace our trinity of the 35 APO, the 50 f/1.2, and the 75 APO. This is especially so with the 60mp sensors of the M11 and the M EV1.
It is equally capable of dreamy still life, sparkling landscapes and characterful portraits; it would also be a fine lens for street photography, reportage, and documentary. One lens to rule them all!
Acknowledgments and thanks to:
- Christoph Mueller at Leica for all his help and support in writing this article and supplying the MTF slides (where credited).
- Stefan Daniel for his continued support.
- Rock n Roll straps for the lovely Black Milan strap in the camera porn.
- Elmar Streyl who is always good to talk to, and who always has great ideas — do read his article at the Leica User Forum.
- Finally, and always, to Emma, who puts up with my spending time taking photos and writing!
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