The noctilux | f1 : Part II

Its been a week now with the noctilux f1 since i first published my initial shots with the “legendary lens”. You can read my first review here. Its not any kind of extensive review but one based on portraiture and my actual use and journey with it. So this week i had a chance finally do an outdoor shoot. Instead of trying to use the noctilux in dark and dim light situations, i just went outdoor with it.

I set myself a condition during this whole shoot, use only f1.0. I see no point of using this lens at any other aperture except for what its made and paid for. Forget about the name Leica or the  numerous marketing hype associated with paying for such a lens. This is me, Marcus, as a common portrait photographer, one model and one lens. Its like me telling the Noct, “Look here guy, lets see what you can do, i ain’t going to sell myself some bullshit about your heritage. Show me. F1 or nothing”.

We were late to the scene. Time is 9 am and we have got like only 30 minutes of shooting time before the sun goes up into a position that makes photography crap. Being in an equatorial country is really tough for any photographer. We have like the worse quality of light at the minimum window of opportunity. I digressed. As the shoot continues, i am often surprised by the results, i could shoot at f 1500 and f1000 outdoor without overexposure badly. The bokeh is beautiful and different in its own noctilux way. Images are not razor sharp but sharp enough. Love the colors.

You can find more of the images that i did in the outdoor forest here . I had to cut short the forest creature theme because there were just too many mosquitoes. We took a break at a cafe and we did some casual shots. The model name is Stephy. You can find her at facebook here : Stephy Yiwen.

 

In summary of this week’s sharing, i am really very happy with the noctilux f1. I have owned the Nokton 1.1 before and i have no idea how that lens could be compared with the noctilux | f1. The Noctilux’s contrast, color and subtle vintage bokeh makes a huge difference in the output. I guess one can always shoot some selective subjects and try to show how little the differences are. On a final note though, photography is the art of making images. You decide if the value a lens is what it is. I still think the Noctilux | f1 is overpriced, but if people are willing to fork out USD 4000 for a Zeiss Otus, the Noctilux gets u images that modern lens can’t. Its like a magic wand, that you wave over “good” images and it adds those little magic to it.