Som Berthiot Flor 50mm F1.5 Lens

Som Berthiot was one of the most famous French lens manufacturer in the 20th Century and it competed with Angenieux in making Cine lenses. In 1964, SOM Berthiot merged with OPL and became SOPELEM.

Som Berthiot made series of famous lenses named:

• Flor
• Angulor
• Olor
• Cinor 

The Som Berthiot Flor 50mm F1.5 produces extraordinary colours with excellent sharpness and renders with oil painting brush style for its out of focus areas. The Lens offers Som Berthiot signature look with strong French romantic mood. It is a Legend among Cine Lenses and rarely seen or found, even more so than it’s already extremely rare little brother the Som Berthiot Flor 55mm F1.5 Lens. 

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Som Berthiot 50mm F0.95 Rank Taylor Hobson Monital

Som Berthiot was one of the most famous French lens manufacturer in the 20th Century and it competed with Angenieux in making Cine lenses. In 1964, SOM Berthiot merged with OPL and became SOPELEM.

The Som Berthiot 50mm F0.95 is one of the most mysterious and anticipated cine lens. They were finished in either Chrome or Black Chrome and produced under series named Cinor, Rank Taylor Hobson and Monital. Som Berthiot named their lens “Cinor” and made the same lens for Taylor Hobson named “Sopelem Monital” 

The Som Berthiot 50mm F0.95 produces extremely creamy bokeh when shooting wide open with high sharpness at the same time. The Lens is a myth and a legend, which is extremely rarely seen and fetches astonishing prices at auctions.

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Dallmeyer Speed Anastigmat 2inch 50mm F1.5 Lens

Dallmeyer is an English Lens Company made by J.H. Dallmeyer. Their cinematic lenses are famous for its out of focus rendering and oil-painting quality bokeh. Dallmeyer can be graded from Kinematogrph, Super-Six, Dallac, Speed and Septac. This is Speed, which falls between Dallmeyer most well known Super-Six and Highest graded Septac.

The Speed is in fact even rarely seen than both and it is a mix of characteristics from the Super-Six and Septac. The Lens renders with oil painting style but integrated with swirl bokeh background, which makes the rendering truly unique and one of a kind.

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Angenieux P2 100mm F2.5 Lens

The extremely rare Angenieux P2 100mm F2.5, the little brother to the ultra rare Angenieux S3 100mm F2 and even less frequently available on the market. If you don’t have the big budget of $50,000+ for the Angenieux S3, then the Angenieux P2 is a great alternative at one third of the price.

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Nikkor-O CRT 55mm F1.2

The Nikkor-O 55mm f/1.2 CRT lens was produced in the early 1970's by Nikon to take photos of oscilloscope screens. This very rare speciality lens was made for industrial use to record faint cathode-screen traces and came with a long Leica Thread mount. It can be mounted on any Nikon camera with the LF adapter and a restricted focusing range is achieved by rotating it in the adapter. Alternatively, it can be modified by a master technician and converted to Leica M mount to be used on Leica Rangefinders.

The uniqueness of Nikkor-O CRT 55mm f/1.2 lens is not because of its curvature as used in monitoring CRTs but how incredibly sharp and good it is at resolving images. Once converted to Leica M Mount, the unique character is completely presented through its motion-like bokeh provides a sense of movement for still images.

Specifications

Lens Mount: M39

Production Year: 1970s

Construction: 8 Elements / 6 Groups

Diaphragm: 13 Aperture Blades

Maximum / Minimum Aperture:  F1.2 - F11

Closet Focusing Distance: ~1m

Filter Size: 52mm

Weight: 260g

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Doo3 

Doo3

Doo3

Nikkor P.C 8.5cm F2 LTM

The Nikkor-P.C 8.5cm f/2 was a significant lens introduced by Nikon. The medium telephoto lens was introduced in 1953 as Nikon’s first attempt at this focal length. The lens is based on the popular Zeiss Sonnar design and It was one of their best selling lens. The Nikkor 8.5cm f/2 was competing against likes of Leica and Canon with similar focal length offerings. The size advantage and smooth rendering makes the Nikkor stands out from the rest of the competition.  

Lens Version

Chrome Barrel

1. Nikon S
2. Contax
3. Leica Screw Mount

Black Barrel

1. Nikon S
2. Leica Screw Mount (Rare)

Specifications

Lens Mount: Nikon S | Contax | LTM

Production Year: 1953

LTM Mount

Construction: 5 Elements / 3 Groups

Diaphragm: 10 Aperture Blades

Maximum / Minimum Aperture:  F2 - F32

Closet Focusing Distance: 1m

Filter Size: 48mm

Weight: 425g

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Futura Freiburg BR. Frilon 50mm F1.5 Lens

The Frilon Freiburg BR. Frilon 50mm F1.5 Lens was produced briefly in the Freiburg Factory Germany during the 1950s and it was the Fastest of all the Standard FL Lenses available for Futura 35mm Cameras.

The Futura 50mm F1.5 lenses have a unique M34 mount with the focussing mechanism part of the camera body rather than on the lens. There were a few examples available in Leica M39 Screw Mount and the rest could be modified to be used on Leica M Cameras.

It is a Rare Cine Lens due to its short production run and Seldomly Seen on the Market. 

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Dallmeyer Septac Anastigmat 2inch 50mm F1.5 Lens

Dallmeyer Pre-Septac Anastigmat 50mm f/1.5

Dallmeyer is an English Lens Company made by J.H. Dallmeyer. Their cinematic lenses are famous for its out of focus rendering and oil-painting quality bokeh. The Septac Lens composition is Seven elements in Four groups with Double Gauss Type Glass Design. Due to its extremely limited numbers that generally demands astronomical prices on the market.

Dallmeyer can be graded from Kinematogrph, Super-Six, Dallac, Speed and Septac. This belongs to the “Pre-Series,” which is before everything and the earliest Septac. This is much rarer than Septac and offers better rendering with oil-painting style bokeh. The lens been uncoated, making it perhaps the Rarest Dallmeyer Lens.

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Dallmeyer Super-Six 2inch 50mm F1.9 Lens

Dallmeyer is an English Lens Company made by J.H. Dallmeyer. Their cinematic lenses are famous for its out of focus rendering and oil-painting quality bokeh.

Due to its limited production numbers that demands very high prices on the market. It’s cine lenses can be graded from the following series: Kinematogrph, Super-Six, Dallac, Speed and Septac, which is the ultimate and the rarest. However, Dallmeyer is most well-known for its Super-Six series, which offers strong 3D image quality, unique colour rendering, swirly and oil-painting like bokeh.

Although Dallmeyer Super-Six 50mm f1.9 is famous as the standard lens of Witness Camera which has been manufactured by the British Ilford Corporation, the Lens shown here is very early production lens that is later converted to Leica mount. The Lens composition is Six elements in Four groups with Double Gauss Type Glass Design. They were made with extremely expensive rare earth elements that earned them the name “Super Six.”

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Dallmeyer Super-Six 3inch 76mm F1.9 Lens

Dallmeyer is an English Lens Company made by J.H. Dallmeyer. Their cinematic lenses are famous for its out of focus rendering and oil-painting quality bokeh.

Due to its limited production numbers that demands very high prices on the market. It’s cine lenses can be graded from the following series: Kinematogrph, Super-Six, Dallac, Speed and Septac, which is the ultimate and the rarest. However, Dallmeyer is most well-known for its Super-Six series, which offers strong 3D image quality, unique colour rendering, swirly and oil-painting like bokeh.

There are significant differences in image quality and price between each series. Also within each series there are both coated and uncoated versions, with the recognisable “DC” Dallmeyer Coating but uncoated versions are generally more rare and collectible.

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Angenieux Type P1 90mm F1.8 Lens

Angenieux Type P1 90mm f/1.8

Angénieux is a French optics company in Paris founded by Pierre Angenieux in 1935. It has manufactured lenses for still and movie cameras, and also for military applications.

The Angenieux 90mm F1.8 Type P1 is a famous portrait lens made by Angénieux between 1950 to 1961 and available in A1 or A2 models. The lens is well-known for its extreme high resolution, exceptional smooth bokeh and romantic colour rendering.

Specifications

Lens Mount:

M39 | M42 | Exakta | Rectaflex

Production Year: 1950

Construction:

5 Elements / 4 Groups

Diaphragm: 12 Blades

Maximum Aperture: F1.8

Minimum Aperture: F22

Closet Focusing Distance: 1m

Filter Size: 56mm

Weight: 380g

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Konica Hexanon 60mm F1.2 Lens (Compared with Konica 50mm F1.2)

Konica Hexanon 60mm F1.2 LTM 

The Konica Hexanon 60mm F1.2 has always been one of my dream lenses. It is a very rare lens with a limited production number of only 800 units worldwide. The unique focal length of 60mm with a large aperture of f/1.2 making this lens very special, which is the only 60mm f/1.2 lens ever made for any rangefinder cameras.

The Konica Hexanon 60mm F1.2 lens is offered in the original version with L-Mount back in 1955 or the revised modern version with LTM Mount in 1999. Both versions can be easily adapted to Leica M or other mounts using the right adapter.

Build Quality

The build quality of the Konica Hexanon 60mm f/1.2 lens is excellent and on par with some of Leica lenses. The build quality is very similar to its little brother, the Konica Hexanon 50mm F1.2 lens but it is finished in matte black paint barrel with a chrome front rim.

The Konica Hexanon 60mm f/1.2 lens is relatively smaller size and light weight compared to other similar ultra fast lenses. The lens weights almost the same as the Konica Hexanon 50mm F1.2 at just over 400 grams for such large aperture lens. The focus ring feels buttery smooth when turning and the aperture ring clicks solidly in place with half stop increments.

Image Quality

The Image Quality of Konica Hexanon 60mm f/1.2 is nothing short of amazing. The lens produces medium to high contrast, excellent colour saturation with very smooth and pleasant bokeh. When shooting wide open, it is extremely sharp with great three dimensional image pop.

This Lens has Dual Characters

1) Under Normal or Not Ideal Lighting Conditions: It renders just like the Konica Hexanon 50mm F1.2 Lens with similar signature especially in low light or cloudy environment.

2) Under Great or Ideal Lighting Conditions: It renders like Oil Painting with vivid colours and extremely pleasant background under sunny or well-lit environment.

Specifications

Lens Mount: L39 | LTM

Production Year: 1955 | 1999

LTM Mount

Construction: 7 Elements / 6 Groups

Diaphragm: 10 Aperture Blades

Maximum / Minimum Aperture:  F1.2 - F16

Closet Focusing Distance: 0.8m

Filter Size: 58mm

Weight: 410g

The Full Set Includes:

• Konica Hexanon 60mm F/1.2 LTM
• Chrome Auxiliary Viewfinder (KONICA 60)
• Chrome Konica UV Filter
• Black Vented Lens Hood (KONICA HEXANON 1.2/60 JAPAN)
• Black Front Cap and Rear Cap (HEXANON)

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Angenieux Type S5 50mm f/1.5 Lens

Angenieux Type S5 50mm F1.5 

This is the Overview of the rarer version of the Angenieux S5 50mm f/1.5 Lens named the Kodak Cine Ekton 50mm f/1.5 Lens made by Angénieux, which essentially has very similar optical qualities to the regular Angenieux S5.

Angénieux Paris are famous for their still and cine lenses and some of them are traded at extremely high prices. The Type S5 tends to be most popular in the Angenieux Type S lineup, which it is crowned with the Double Gauss Optical configuration. That is the reason why the Angenieux 50mm f/1.5 Type S5 lens is so expensive and very difficult to obtain.

The Angenieux 50mm f/1.5 Type S5 Lens comes in different versions and all can be modified to Leica M mount to cover full frame. Once converted, the lens can be used on Leica Rangefinders as a all-purpose 50mm lens, which is capable of handling strong glare or shoot in low-light conditions. The Angenieux S5 50mm f/1.5 lens produces extremely high resolution and saturated colour images.

Rendering

• Produces “Movie-Like” Images
• Original Cinematic Effects
• Smooth and Unique Bokeh
• High Contrast
• Rich Colour Saturation
• Film Grain Qualities (Night Scenes)
• One-of-Kind Cine Lens

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Kodak Cine Ekton 50mm f/1.5 Lens

Kodak Cine Ekton 50mm f/1.5 Lens Gallery

Kodak Ekton 50mm f/1.5 Lens

Kodak Cine Lens Made By Angenieux

My Pathway to Document this Incredibly Rare Cine Lens (Regular Update)

Kodak Cine Ekton 50mm f/1.5 lens is the ultra rare “Kodak” edition of the Angenieux Type S5 50mm f/1.5 lens. It is the Kodak Cine Lens Made By Angenieux Paris. This Cine Lens produces cinematic rendering with strong movie mood and rich colour saturation. It offers even better bokeh and colour tone than the normal Angenieux S5.

The Kodak Ekton produces incredibly sharp images when shooting wide open just like modern aspherical lenses and renders film like qualities under extreme low light conditions.

Rendering:

• Produces “Movie-Like” Images
• Original Cinematic Effects
• Smooth and Unique Bokeh
• High Contrast
• Rich Colour Saturation
• Film Grain Qualities (Night Scenes)
• One-of-Kind Cine Lens

Angenieux M1 50mm F0.95 Lens

Angenieux is a French cinematic optics manufacturer founded in 1936. It has made lenses for still and movie cameras, and for military applications.

The ultra fast Angenieux 50mm F0.95 movie camera lens has increasing popularity in the past decade through the adaptability of cine lenses onto new digital camera systems including conversion to use on Leica M.

Comparable Lenses

Canon 50mm F0.95 (1961)

Schneider Xenon 50mm F0.95 (1970)

Leica Noctilux 50mm F1 (1975)

Leica Noctilux 50mm F0.95 (2008)

Rendering

The Angenieux 50mm F0.95 was originally designed as a Cine lens and it does not fully cover the 35mm full frame. It offers signature Angenieux colour and bokeh, which is vividly romantic with a strong movie mood. It is sharp wide open as all other pre-aspherical ultra fast lenses without visible glow or prone to flares. The lens produces medium contrast with high cinematic rendering.

Modification

The Angenieux 50mm F0.95 can be adapted to be used on modern digital camera systems such as Micro Four Third and Sony NEX. It can also be physically converted to Leica M Mount through the additions of an aperture ring, diaphragm blades to control apertures, focusing barrel and a new heilcoid to allow full functionality on Leica Rangefinders.

Leica M Modifications can be done by the following skilled technicians:

-Miyazaki San (Japan)

-Traditional Master (Hong Kong)

-Hawks Factory (Taiwan)

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Kinoptik Apochromat 75mm F2 Lens

Kinoptik is a French cinematic optics manufacturer founded by Georges Grosset and Gerozes Perthuis in 1932. The Kinoptik Apochromat lens series has excellent apochromatic optical design and also benefits from the symmetrical Double Guass lens construction, which results extreme high resolution with rich colour saturation and unique bokeh.

Versions:

1. FOYER
2. FOCALE
3. APO

Specifications

Production Year: 1944 onwards

Construction: 6 Elements / 4 Groups

Diaphragm: 16 Blades

Design Features: 

• Double Gauss

Maximum / Minimum Aperture:  F2 - F16

Closet Focusing Distance: 1m

Weight: 490g

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Alpa Kern Macro Switar 50mm F1.8/F1.9 Lens

Introduction

The Alpa Kern Macro Switar 50mm was exclusively made for Alpa cameras by Kern Aurau in Switzerland. Alpa is a precision Swiss watchmaker combined forces with Kern who was famous for making optical glass at the time to produce this legendary lens. The Kern Switar 50mm F1.8 was firstly introduced in 1951 and replaced by Macro Switar in 1958 with close focusing capability of 28cm for macro photography. The Kern Macro Switar 50mm F1.9 was introduced in 1968 with revised lens design and newer coatings for improved optical performance.

Build Quality

Alpa is known as the precision watchmaker thus no surprise that the Alpa Kern Switar 50mm lenses were extremely well engineered. The build quality is excellent and on par with well-known cinematic lens makers such as Angenieux or Schneider at the time. The Kern Switar 50mm lenses were hand assembled and finished in either chrome, black paint or combination of both. 

Image Quality

Image quality from the Alpa Kern Switar 50mm lenses are exceptional and the lens excels at macro photography. Images produced are extremely sharp with high contrast and vivid colour saturations. Alpa claimed that this is an apochromatically corrected lens of unequalled quality, which is found to be true in most situations.

The Kern Macro Switar 50mm Lenses have close focusing capability when used with liveview for macro photography. The details retained by this lens is incredible with extreme sharpness and pleasant rendering, which is an amazing achievement on modern rangefinders.

Practical Use

Unlike Modern lens design, when the aperture ring is turned that the yellow dots appeared indicating the visifocus depth-of-field scale for the selected aperture stops. The focus ring has an extremely long throw and takes several turns to reach the minimum focusing distance of 28cm equivalents to 1.8x magnification, which is extremely useful for close-up work.

Modern photography technological aids such as live-view or high resolution electronic viewfinder, which allows to maximise the ability of the Kern Macro Switar 50mm Lenses to reach its full potential for macro photography.  

Alpa Kern Macro Switar 50mm F1.8

VS

Alpa Kern Macro Switar 50mm F1.9

The Kern Switar 50mm F1.9 Lens was introduced later with revised lens design and newer optical coatings compared to the Kern Switar 50mm F1.8 Lens for improved performance. The Kern Switar 50mm F1.8 has golden yellow colour coating whereas the Kern Switar 50mm F1.9 has golden yellow with purple coloured coatings.

The Kern Switar 50mm F1.9 has updated lens design with an additional element with 8 elements in 5 groups compared to 7 elements in 5 groups of the Kern Switar 50mm F1.8 Lens. The Diaphragm blades also have been moved forward in position. The improved lens design resulted better optical performance for the newer Kern Switar 50mm F1.9 Lens.

Lens Versions

 Nekogahora Camera Collection (Clockwise)

1. Macro Switar 50/1.9 (Surgical 81)
2. Macro Switar 50/1.9
3. Macro Switar 50/1.9 (Gold Plated)
4. Kern Aarau Switar (Automatic Diaphragm)
5. Macro Switar 50/1.8 (Black Paint)
6. Macro Switar 50/1.8

Adapters

There are three popular Alpa to Leica M adapter options on the current market and the price is reflected in it’s materials & build quality. The finish of the adapters are mostly in either Chrome or Black and most adapters are Rangefinder Coupled. However, during actual use might require manual calibration to work perfectly on Rangefinders.

I will rank the adapter brands from most to the least expensive:

1. Shogun
2. Metabones
3. Kipon

Specifications

Lens Mount: Alpa

Production Year:  1951 (F1.8) | 1968 (F1.9)

Construction:

7 Elements / 5 Groups (F1.8) 

8 Elements / 5 Groups (F1.9)

Diaphragm:  9 Blades

Maximum Aperture:  F1.8 | F1.9

Minimum Aperture:  F22

Closet Focusing Distance:  0.28m

Filter Size:  48mm

Weight:  280g

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Voigtlander Nokton 50mm F1.5 Aspherical VM Lens

50mm is my favourite focal length as it best represents human eye perspective for street photography. The Leica 50mm F1.4 Summilux ASPH Lens is my favourite out of them all and I have tried similar fast 50mm lenses offered in Leica M mount, which includes the Zeiss 50mm F1.5 Sonnar ZM and Voigtlander Nokton 50mm F1.5 Aspherical VM Lens.

The Voigtlander Nokton 50mm F1.5 Aspherical has a classic barrel design  with all metal construction finished in either black aluminium or chrome brass. The lens is inspired by the original LTM version made in the 1950s and specifically manufactured the modern version with classic looks. It uses the same basic lens design as the classic version with modern performance by incorporating an aspherical element into the optical design to reduce aberration and distortion with improved sharpness. When shooting the lens wide open at its maximum aperture allows it to generate shallow depth of field with pleasant smooth bokeh. It is the best combination of modern and classic world.

Specifications

Lens Mount: VM | Leica M Mount

Construction: 6 Elements / 5 Groups

Diaphragm: 10 Blades

Maximum / Minimum Aperture:  F1.5 - F16

Closet Focusing Distance: 0.7m

Filter Size: 49mm

Weight: 220g / 293g (Black | Silver)

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Leica Noctilux-M 75mm F1.25 ASPH Lens Review (Compared with 50mm F0.95 Noctilux)

Leica is known to make some of the best lenses in the world with Noctilux been their flagship lens. The Leica Noctilux-M 75 mm f/1.25 ASPH Lens is a significant milestone for Leica Camera AG, as it is Leica’s first attempt to produce the Noctilux for another focal length apart from the world renowned Leica 50mm F0.95 Noctilux ASPH Lens. The Noctilux has always been the King of all Leica lenses and it symbolises an object of desire that will remains a dream for most photographers.

First Impressions

The Leica Noctilux-M 75mm F1.25 ASPH Lens is the most expensive on-going production lens by Leica with a staggering price of $12,795. I am lucky to be the first customer delivered with this amazing lens in Australia.

The Leica Noctilux-M 75mm F1.25 ASPH Lens is not as large or heavy as I would expect. It shares the same lens design as the Leica 50mm F0.95 Noctilux ASPH M Lens, it is basically the taller and bigger version of the 50mm Noctilux.

The 75mm Noctilux has similar black anodised finish but is larger in diameter and longer in length in comparison. It is only when you put the lenses together side by side that you can see the size and weight differences. The build quality is impeccable just like the 50mm Noctilux, which represents one of the most well made lens by Leica. The built in hood design is different, it has the twisting hood on the 50mm Summicron APO rather than the sliding hood on the 50mm Noctilux, which allows it to lock in position better.

Lens Design

The Leica Noctilux-M 75 mm f/1.25 ASPH Lens incorporates the latest optical design elements to maximise image performance. The complicated optical composition involves two aspherical elements to ensure maximum sharpness and low dispersion. The use of low dispersion glass along with anomalous partial dispersion helps with the reduction of chromatic aberration (CA), which has been a common issue with the Leica 50mm F0.95 Noctilux Lens. The floating lens element system also assists with maintaining consistent high image quality throughout the entire focus range. Lastly, the optical design consists of 11 diaphragm blades allows smooth and pleasant bokeh to be produced.

Build Quality  

The Leica Noctilux-M 75 mm f/1.25 ASPH Lens is an enlarged version of the Leica 50mm F0.95 Noctilux ASPH Lens with similar build quality. Both lenses are probably the best lenses ever made by Leica, with The 75mm Noctilux been the larger and heavier lens. The lens is longer in length and wider in diameter, which weights in at just over one kilogram that is exceptionally heavy for a rangefinder lens.

The Leica Noctilux-M 75 mm f/1.25 ASPH Lens is finished in black anodized with integrated hood that can be retracted or extended by twisting the hood. There is inner thread for a non rotating 67mm screw mount filter that can be applied.

Image Quality 

The Leica 75mm F1.25 Noctilux-M ASPH Lens has Modern Rendering similar to the The Leica 50mm F0.95 Noctilux-M ASPH Lens but with slightly less Contrast and Colour Saturation. Both lenses are Clinical Sharp but the the Leica 75mm F1.25 Noctilux-M ASPH has the edge in Sharpness when shooting wide open. The Leica 75mm F1.25 Noctilux-M ASPH produces shallower depth of field with exceptionally smooth and creamy bokeh, resulting stunning performance for portraits. 

There are less Optical issues with the Leica 75mm F1.25 Noctilux-M ASPH lens due to the Newer lens design. Chromatic aberration or Purple fringing is non existent and Vignetting is non visible when shot wide open, which is a significant optical improvement over the previous generations of Noctilux.

Rendering

After extensive use of this lens, it can be notice that the rendering is dependent on a combination of factors including the subject, the background and lighting conditions.

Dual Character: The Leica 75mm Noctilux can produce natural, smooth and pleasant renderings similar to fast 75mm lenses such as 75mm Summilux or 75mm Summicron APO. The lens can also produce three dimensional high contrast and colour saturated renderings similar to 50mm Noctilux ASPH or even 50mm Summicron APO. The only way to achieve the photographers “desired look” is by keep shooting under different variations or conditions whether it is for portraiture or street photography.

Practical Use 

The Leica Noctilux-M 75 mm f/1.25 ASPH Lens is an ultra fast telephoto lens with ability to produce shallow depth of field and unique rendering to isolate the subject even in low light conditions. The short telephoto focal length is perfect for portraiture and allows to take street photography without disturbing the subject.

Focusing with this lens is relatively easy with modern camera technology aids such as live view with focus peaking and high resolution electronic viewfinder. Traditional method of focusing through the rangefinder is also precise with a highly calibrated lens copy. The focus ring is exceptionally smooth with short focus throw and the aperture ring clicks in place half or full stops.

The Leica Noctilux-M 75 mm f/1.25 ASPH Lens is too heavy to be handheld for prolonged use, as it is extremely front heavy when mounted on Leica M Rangefinders. For the first time, there is a tripod mount on the lens body and it comes with a tripod adapter for mounting the lens directly onto tripods for maximum stability.

Leica 75mm F1.25 Noctilux-M

VS

Leica 50mm F0.95 Noctilux-M

Physical

The physical differences is obvious with the Leica 75mm F1.25 Noctilux-M ASPH been the larger and heavier lens of the two. The Leica 75mm F1.25 Noctilux-M ASPH measured at H91mm x W74mm, which is taller and slightly wider than the Leica 50mm F0.95 Noctilux-M ASPH measured at H75mm x W73mm. The 75mm Noctilux is about 300 grams heavier at 1055g compared to 700g weight of the 50mm Noctilux. The build finish for both lenses is black anodized but the retractable hood design is different, as the 75mm Noctilux has twisting out hood compared to the 50mm Noctilux with sliding out hood design. 

Imaging

The Leica 75mm F1.25 Noctilux-M ASPH has a maximum aperture of F1.25 whereas the Leica 50mm F0.95 Noctilux-M ASPH has a maximum aperture of F0.95. However, due to the longer focal length of the Leica 75mm F1.25 Noctilux-M ASPH and shorter minimum focusing distance at 0.85m resulting both lenses with similar shallow depth of field. Bokeh produced by both lenses are exceptionally smooth and pleasant with the 75mm Noctilux offers even smoother bokeh due to the design with 11 diaphragm blades, as the number of diaphragm blades is not specified for the 50mm Noctilux.

The Leica 75mm F1.25 Noctilux-M ASPH Lens released in 2018 has the benefit of the latest optical technology compared to the Leica 50mm F0.95 Noctilux-M ASPH designed almost a decade ago back in 2008. The Lens design is very similar for both Noctilux incorporating complicated optical composition with two aspherical elements to ensure maximum sharpness and optimal performance. As a result, the sharpness is equivalent but the chromatic aberration is significantly reduced on the 75mm Noctilux. Chromatic aberration or purple fringing was a common issue for the 50mm Noctilux and this has been solved with the newer lens design consisting of low dispersion glass and anomalous partial dispersion.

Justification 

Since I have been a long time user of the Leica 50mm F1.4 Summilux ASPH Lens that shared many similarities with it’s bigger brother, the Leica 50mm F0.95 Noctilux ASPH Lens. Whereas the Leica 75mm F1.25 Noctilux ASPH Lens is an entirely different focal length with improved lens design.

During practical use, the Leica 50mm F0.95 Noctilux Lens provides marginal improvement in optical performance over the amazing Leica 50mm F1.4 Summilux Lens but at a significant increase in size and weight. In contrast, the Leica 75mm F1.25 Noctilux Lens not only provides a different focal length to the Leica 50mm F0.95 Noctilux Lens but with improved sharpness and bokeh quality especially when shooting wide open. 

Sample Testing

(Bokeh vs Sharpness) 

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Summary 

Extremely fast maximum aperture of F1.25 with incredible control over shallow depth of field and benefit using in extreme low light conditions.

The short telephoto focal length of 75mm is suitable for people images and portraiture with the manipulation of extreme depth of field when shooting wide open.  

The lens design features allow extreme sharpness with minimum chromatic aberration or purple fringing. Rare design incorporating two large aspherical elements for improved sharpness and reduce distortion. The diaphragm with 11 blades allows smooth and pleasant bokeh to be produced.

Practical design with twisting extendable lens hood to reduce lens flares. A tripod mount is inclusive within the lens to compensate for the heavy weight and stability when shooting from a tripod.

Specifications  

Lens Mount:  Leica M

Production Year:  2018

Construction:  9 Elements / 6 Groups

Diaphragm:  11 Blades

Design Features: 

• Two Aspherical Elements
• Anomalous Partial / Low Dispersion Glass
• Floating Elements System

Maximum / Minimum Aperture:   F1.25 - F16

Closet Focusing Distance:  0.85m

Filter Size:  67mm

Dimensions (Length x Width):

91mm x 74mm

Weight:  1055g

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STREET PHOTOGRAPHY

B&W PHOTOGRAPHY

NATURE

PORTRAIT

Zeiss 50mm F1.5 C-Sonnar T* ZM Lens

The Carl Zeiss 50mm F1.5 C-Sonnar T* ZM Lens is inspired by its predecessor from the 1930s with the Classic Sonnar lens design. It’s fast maximum aperture at F1.5 makes it suitable for portraiture and people especially in low light conditions. The C designation in the lens stands for compact lens design and classic optical performance with signature Zeiss colour rendering. The Classic Sonnar optical design produces high sharpness combined with modern Carl Zeiss T* anti-reflective coating to reduce flare and provides high contrast and clarity.

Build Quality

The Zeiss 50mm F1.5 Sonnar ZM has classic design that makes the lens compact in size. The Sonnar lens is relatively small and lightweight for its fast maximum aperture. The focus ring turns smoothly and the aperture clicks in place nicely. However, there presents focus shift with this lens design and it can be countered by keep the issue in mind when adjusting the focus or find a better lens copy less prone to focus shift.

Image Quality

The Zeiss 50mm F1.5 Sonnar ZM lens produces signature Zeiss colours with classic rendering. The separation between the subject and background manufactures that 3 dimensional pop effect to its rendering. In addition, the vintage sonnar lens design also offers unique soft glow and smooth creamy bokeh, which makes it perfect for portraits.

Comparison

The Leica 50mm F1.4 Summilux ASPH is bigger, heavier and more expensive than the Zeiss 50mm F1.5 Sonnar Lens. Both lenses produces amazing bokeh with shallow depth of field but the rendering is very different. The Leica 50mm Summilux is clinical sharp with modern rendering and the Zeiss 50mm Sonnar produces pleasant images with classic rendering. The Zeiss 50mm Sonnar is convenient to carry due to its compact size and weight with less viewfinder blockage than the Leica 50mm Summilux ASPH.

Specifications

Lens Mount: ZM | Leica M Mount

Production Year: 2004 - Present

Construction: 6 Elements / 4 Groups

Diaphragm: 10 Blades

Maximum / Minimum Aperture:  F1.5 - F16

Closet Focusing Distance: 0.9m

Filter Size: 46mm

Weight: 240g (Black | Silver)

Conclusion

The Zeiss 50mm F1.5 C-Sonnar T* ZM Lens is a great alternative to Leica 50mm lenses. It’s price to performance ratio is exceptional compared to similar lenses. The lens compact design and unique rendering is perfect for people portraits.