Image Courtesy of Jeremy Lebled
As we all know Leica is world renowned for making some of the best lenses on the planet. One lens in particular that they are known for is the so called “Holy Grail,” the 50mm 0.95 Noctilux ASPH lens. A flagship lens for them. It has been one of if not the most desirable lenses for photographers across globe. The ultimate lens for bokeh as smooth as butter that have many of us dreaming to own. Up until now . . .
Leica has been able to come out and replicate the 50mm 0.95 in a different focal length with even better results, in my opinion. The New 75mm Noctilux-M F/1.25 lens. The new lens is basically an enlarged version of the 50mm Noctilux with the same beautiful build quality. It definitely is not a light lens by any means and as some heft to it. Just holding it, you realize you have something significant in your hands. I was lucky enough to be able to take it for a spin for a weekend. Here are some of the images I was able to capture with the lens. I want to warn you though . . . You might want to give your wallet or purse to your spouse and have them lock it up! After you see what this lens can do you will have some serious lens envy!
Image Courtesy of Jeremy Lebled
One of the first things I noticed right off the bat was how rich and smooth the bokeh of the images were. It separated my subjects effortlessly from the background and gave my photos a “painting” like quality. Something I would hope for from a lens of this stature. It surely did not let me down.
Image Courtesy of Jeremy Lebled
The second noticeable thing I saw. Was the incredible sharpness that the lens has even wide open at F/1.25! Which at that aperture is very hard to do for most lenses. Let’s take a look at the next two photos so you can see what I mean.
Okay, so the first shot here above is taken wide open at F/1.25. Straight out of the camera, no editing, no cropping. With some beautiful natural light coming through a window. Lets take a look at the same image but cropped in below.
Now, featured above is the same image cropped at 100%. Holy Cow! Notice the detail in his eyes. You can see if you look very closely the cars on the street right outside of the window where we were shooting. Once I saw this, I realized just how special this lens was. It really helps separate it from the rest of the herd.
Thirdly, I feel having the 75mm focal length rather than a 50mm lens is ideal if you love taking portraits like I do. The reason is, it’s going to give you a better compression to the background. Which in turn will give you a better bokeh. Another advantage is it will also allow you not to be right up on top of your subject. Let’s be honest, no one likes having a camera stuck right in their face. Having that extra focal length will put your subject more at ease and let them be more of themselves.
In conclusion, if you love taking portraits of people and you currently have a Leica M camera or even a SL camera. I think it would be the perfect addition to include in your toolbox. If you have a SL or SL2 you can easily adapt this lens with a Leica M to L adapter. It also is incredibly easy to focus on the SL or SL2 camera with the integration of focus peaking. Which allows you to nail focus more accurately and quickly for manual focus lenses. I believe the photos speak for themselves. There is definitely something very special about this lens. To further inquire about the Leica Noctilux 75mm F/1.25 lens feel free to call our store at 201-473-2050 and anyone one of us would be more than happy to help. Till next time..
All my best,
Jeremy Lebled– Leica Boutique Specialist at Bergen county Camera