Leica’s New Noctilux-M 50mm f/0.95 – World’s Fastest Lens
If you love shooting shallow depth-of-field photos or shooting in near darkness, then you are no doubt excited about Leica’s latest 50mm lens. The Leica Noctilux-M 50mm f/0.95 lens has no equal – at least not right now. Canon made a Leica rangefinder-compatible f/0.95 50mm lens in the early 60′s (CANON 50mm f/0.95). Those lenses now sell for quite a bit on the used market. Leica also makes a 50mm f/1.0 Noctilux lens. Very impressive – but not quite as exciting now that the f/0.95 lens has been announced.
F-numbers are confusing – at least they are to me. So for the other photographers out there who have a hard time understanding the significance of the f/0.95 aperture, let me let me break it down for you. It’s almost exactly the same as the Noctilux f/1.0 aperture lens. Math is not one of my strengths and aperture math ain’t simple. When I first started to write this I was thinking the f/0.95 aperture was something like 3 stops brighter than f/1.4. But after talking to physicist Photo-Dad, I learned that the difference is negligible. An f/0.7 aperture would be a full stop faster than f/1.0, but a 0.05 difference doesn’t appear to be enough to matter. It could be all about the bokeh (out-of-focus characteristics). And the Noctilux-M 50mm f/0.95 has a brand new optical design so it could have better image quality than the older lens. But without actually being able to shoot with it and compare to the f/1.0 Noctilux, the 50mm f/0.95 lens ends up seeming more like a marketing ploy. The faster aperture alone isn’t as big of a deal as you might first think.
For people who are really excited about the Leica Noctilux-M 50mm f/0.95 lens – as I was when I first heard about it – I counsel skepticism. We need to see a detailed comparison between both the Noctilux lenses to find out if the f/0.95 lens is really something special. It is the fastest aperture lens currently being made and that is an achievement. But unless you have unlimited funds or you’re a committed collector, the older f/1.0 lens is probably a much better investment.
Leica Noctilux-M 50mm f/0.95 Aspherical Lens Press Release
Leica Noctilux-M 50mm f/0.95 Aspherical Lens Specs
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before digital you had to chance to produce best photo…..but know if you want to produce the best you must have the best…..only if you have money…talent is in the second step……………..
Talent is the second step? I think most experienced, working photographers would disagree with that. You can’t buy your way into being a good photographer. Buying the best camera only means you have the best camera (or lens). No matter how good your equipment is, without proper technique and a good eye, you’ll still be taking bad pictures. They may have great image quality. But that won’t make them good.
I totally agree with John, It is not the camera that matter , but the person behind the camera.
Camera is just a tool, it is there to do the job , not there to show off how expensive the camera or lens is,
Yes, great tools makes the job a lot easier, but again, it is the eye and the person that counts.
I have seen people with 10k+ camera (Leica) and posting reviews about the camera when they don’t really even know what to shoot, it is like a guy driving Ferrari , and try to race… without knowledge , anybody can drive, anybody can take a photo with expensive gears, but are you going to benefit as much as a person who knows how to use it ?
Go to flickr.com search LOMO,, those are $40~80 dollar camera we are talking about here, but they produce amazing photos,,,, again. CAMERA , LENS, It is a tool, its the person behind the camera that matter.
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