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!