The Noctilux 50mm is not a lens, it’s a myth. But is it really that good? New Photozone, EosHD tests.

Image courtesy: Photozone.

The Leica Noctilux 50mm f/0.95 is a mythical lens. Also because the price of $11,000 makes it impossible to own for “normal” people. But let’s keep our feet on ground. Does the lens deliver a $11,000 optical performance? The answer seems to be “no” if you read the latest two reviews posted in these days:

Photozone reports:

To those who either simply need the speed or really care about the rendering characteristic, the Noctilux may well be worth its price. One should be aware, though, that the most expensive Leica lens is not necessarily the best one, but no doubt one of the most special ones.

The lens earns only 2,5 stars out of five.

EosHD compared the Noctilux with the SLR Magic 50mmf /0.95 Hyperprime:

Price – $10,000 (Leica) vs $3000 (SLR Magic)
Centre sharpness (wide open) – higher resolution on the SLR Magic
Corner sharpness (wide open) – higher resolution on the SLR Magic
Vignetting (wide open) – furthest corners are darker on the Leica
Minimum focus – 0.7m on the SLR Magic vs 1.0m on the Leica
Contrast (wide open) – higher contrast on the Leica
Purple fringing (wide open) – due to design both have high purple fringing at F0.95 but this can be muted in post using digital correction on raw files

Yes, the Noctilux is a great lens, but do not expect to get a $11,000 Image Quality. If you do not need that extreme speed you may buy the Zeiss Otus 55mm f/1.4 lens which I am sure will give you a higher performance. But you have to use an adapter and take into considertaion that the lens size is huge!

Comparing the Fuji X-E2 and the Canon 5D Mark III

Why not make a comparison between the Fuji X-E2 and the Canon 5D Mark III?. This might seem like a crazy comparison to make but with the wish that many photographers have to lighten their load, this seemed like a logical idea to investigate. I am a professional photographer living in Ottawa, Canada and have shot with 5Ds since they first came out. It’s hard to believe that these tiny cameras can do what they do… 

Have a look at my thoughts and conclusions here:

http://andrewvanbeek.com/comparing-fuji-x-e2-canon-5d-mark-iii/

Now we know it: Sony A7r has a worse corner performance compared with the Leica M.

So, is the Sony A7r a Leica killer? Or does the Leica M still have some advantages over the Sony?

 

Obviously we are comparing apple and oranges. Shooting with a rangefinder camera is quite a different thing! That said on the pure Image Quality front we can report a small surprise. While the A7r beats the Leica M in many aspects (overall resolution, dynamic range, color rendition) the Leica M still shows a clear advantage over the A7r: The corner performance of the Leica is considerably better!

Lensrentals reports:

In the center, the A7R has much higher resolution than the Leica 240; it’s 36 megapixels versus 24, after all. But the corner numbers are more interesting. Here the Leica camera has resolution slightly higher than the A7R.

And if you want to “see” the difference watch this test made by Stilgar:

Center crop and corner crop too: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stilgarnaib/sets/72157638447272734/

This means that the Leica M still shows a much better performance particularly with wide angle lenses. Something you have to take into consideration if you shoot mostly with that kind of lenses!

The benefits (or otherwise) of legacy and adapted lenses for Mirrorless Cameras. Part 1 – m4/3.

I’m currently in possession of three different format sensor camera systems and a selection of Nikon and Voigtlander lenses plus three Metabones ‘passive’ adapters and two Speed Boosters. As ever I’m looking to ‘rationalise’ what I have, to avoid duplication and to decide exactly what fits with how I work and the best quality / price / ease of use equation I can manage to get from the least amount of kit………………..I’ve decided the have a look at what lenses work best with each format – m4/3, APS-C (Fuji X) and 35mm / ‘Full Frame’ (Sony A7r)…..also looking to see which lenses give the most options and which are the most useful. At the same time I’ll be sharing some thoughts about how the native system lenses compare with the legacy / adapted lenses I have and what advantage each would have over the other. I’ll also be writing about how I see the lenses I have owned but have sold fit into this.

Part 1 – m4/3 – http://soundimageplus.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/the-benefits-or-otherwise-of-legacy-and.html

Parts 2 & 3 APS-S (Fuji X) and ‘Full-Frame’ Sony A7r to follow.