THE NEW LEICA 75 NOCTILUX f/1.25 LENS
WOWzers! This lens has been rumored for quite a while, and it has been announced today by Leica with a delivery date of early 2018. THIS lens will deliver an even more shallow DOF than the famed 50mm f/0.95 and have a close focus distance of 0.85m. This lens will be GORGEOUS for portraits and has me drooling already. I love Leica glass, and have owned the 50 Noctilux three times. Buy, get buyers remorse, sell, then regret. It’s a cycle many go through with Leica products, especially the lenses. This new lens, I predict, will be lusted after by many a Leica shooter. M10, M9, M240, SL… this lens should shine on these cameras and offer a unique style and rendering much like the 50 Noctilux still does today. I feel it would also perform amazing on the new Sony A7RIII as longer M lenses really do not have issues on the new Sony cameras when converted.
Are you ready? Are you sitting down? The 50 Noctilux is around $11k today and the cost of the new 75 Noctilux will be $12, 795. Yes, nearly $13000 (or the cost of a Smart Car with money left over for a Disneyland vacation road trip for two). Whoever gets to buy this lens will have a beauty, and probably a future legendary lens. I look forward to samples and hopefully a review sample as it gets closer to release. The thought of this lens with an SL and that EVF? Ahhhhhhh makes me want an SL again but I must restrain myself. Besides it will also work well on a new Sony ; ) So we have choices if we decide to splurge this kind of cash on what is sure to be a beautiful lens.
Press release from Leica below with details on this new lens release.
PRESS RELEASE BELOW
November 29, 2017– For more than 50 years, the name ‘Noctilux’ has been synonymous with exceptional speed and outstanding optical design. Today, Leica Camera announces the newest addition to their lens portfolio – the Leica Noctilux-M 75 mm f/1.25 ASPH. Coupled with exceptional imaging performance and unique bokeh, its hair-thin depth of focus isolates subjects with extreme precision, ideal for portraits with an unmistakable “Leica look”.
A legacy of excellence
The first lens of the Noctilux family, the Leica Noctilux 50 mm f/1.2, was announced at photokina in 1966. While the original lens innovated with revolutionary optical properties, ongoing developments led to the launch of two additional generations of the Noctilux in 1975 and 2008. The additional lenses were developed under the premise of further pushing the envelope for imaging performance, each with a faster aperture than its predecessor. All Noctilux-M lenses to this day are special for their rendering and aesthetic when shot wide-open, yielding a three-dimensional “pop” that separates its subjects from the background like no other lenses. The out-of-focus areas behind the subject is smooth and pleasing to the eye, giving a lovely soft background even in the darkest of lighting scenarios.
Together with the Leica Noctilux-M 50 mm f/0.95 ASPH., the Leica Noctilux-M 75 mm f/1.25 ASPH is the co-founder of a new family of lenses. The two current members of this family are both distinguished by their extreme maximum aperture and exceptionally high performance at all apertures, even wide open, and lend themselves to the creation of timeless images marked by a distinctive and revered Leica aesthetic.
Superior imaging performance
The upgraded features of the Noctilux-M 75 mm f/1.25 ASPH. open up entirely new opportunities in portrait and close-up photography, including a shallower depth of focus than that of the Noctilux-M 50 mm f/0.95 APSH. and a close focusing distance of 0.85m, making for a reproduction ratio of 1:8.8 for even more precise isolation of subjects. Additionally, the eleven blades of its iris ensure a soft and harmonious bokeh in out-of-focus areas.
To guarantee this extraordinary imaging performance, the nine elements in six groups that make up its optical design are manufactured from glasses with high anomalous partial dispersion and low chromatic dispersion. Two of the elements are aspherical, and reduce other potential aberrations to a hardly detectable minimum. The use of a floating element within the complex focusing mechanism guarantees a constantly high level of imaging performance throughout the entire focusing range of the lens – from its minimum focus distance to infinity.
When shooting at maximum aperture, the exceptionally shallow depth of field of the Noctilux-M 75 mm f/1.25 APSH. can be easily focused in when an electronic viewfinder such as the Leica Visoflex. Additionally, the Leica M-Adapter L transforms the Noctilux-M into an excellent lens to use in conjunction with the Leica SL. When the lens is mounted on the Leica SL, the 4.4 megapixel resolution of the camera’s EyeRes® electronic viewfinder enables particularly comfortable and extremely precise focusing.
The Noctilux-M 75mm f/1.25 ASPH. features the convenience of an integrated lens hood, which can be extended or retracted in one simple twist. The lens is complemented by a tripod adapter for safe and secure mounting of the lens on a tripod.
The Leica Noctilux-M 75 mm f/1.25 ASPH. will be available at Leica Stores, Boutiques and Dealers at the beginning of 2018.
I have a 75 Summarit and think it’s a great portrait lens . It’s. tiny and renders really well.
If I was shooting with an SL and had an excess of funds to spend -this would be my lens !
Remember that a Leica lens outfit is normally 2 or max 3 lenses . Not for a moment suggesting that you need a mega lens in your bag to do good work !
Look forward to seeing some images in the future posts .
I own the Noctilux 50mm f/.95 and use it with the SL. It is fantastic combination! I could see using the 75mm for portrait work if you are a professional photographer. The 50 is smaller and certainly more versatile – particularly with a rangefinder.
I’ve been using Leica rangefinders for 30 years, never had the slightest use for the 75mm focal length. Too long to be normal, too short to be useful.
I had the 75mm framelines removed from my M6s.
This lens is the answer to the question that nobody asked.
At $13,000 each, I hope they sell 6 of them and lose their shirts.
I backed the biotar 75 f/1.5 kickstarter, and it’s a good job I did because the kids need to go through college before I drop £10k on a lens.
I’d like both though, for the choice between vintage and modern renderings. Maybe when my pension comes in…
I agree Dirk, the Canon FD 85mm 1.2L is still magnificent even at 35+ years old (I have one too). Without question this new Noctilux would be better.. but an extra $12,500 better?!? From a purely pragmatic point of view, the answer has to be “no”. To create beautiful photographs, there are so many other variables to factor in, and personally I would rate the performance differentiation between the aforementioned two lenses to be among the least important considerations.
Cool lens for the SL, not so much for an M. The rf is not going to do well with it, the 75mm frame lines are kinda weird, and the EVF is low quality compared to the Q and SL.
Reminds me to use my Nikkor 105 1.8 some more. A cracker lens that cost about $300 used, and will have a shallower DOF wide open than a 75 1.25. The new Nikkor 105 1.4 would be handier too as AF will help nailing focus.
Not really relevant though, as those don’t work on Leicas. This lens would be fun on the new CL! 112mm 1.25 equivalent, with the EVF to focus it. Better get the grip!
Lol, yes indeed a grip would be needed for the CL!
Is it 10k plus better than a Fuji 56 1.2 (85mm Equivalent)?? I have my doubts but then I am not under the Leica spell!!!!!!
Spent quite a lot of time and money on Leica M cameras and lenses having fallen for all the hypo. Finally concluded the RF camera is too limited.
In addition I realised that Leica was not invincible with many quality control issues and snail speed servicing, so I cashed in the lot! My Fuji outfit is a dream, and the Fuji community a real pleasure. The Fuji 56mm is superb. 75mm on Leica M was never a nice combination. No doubt it will need frequent focus recalibration.
Hi,
I think that here, Leica admits that rangefinder focus is not accurate enough for this lens.
Ik have a Canon FD 85mm f/1.2, that’s a manual focus lens and I know how difficult 100% accurate focusing at f/1.2 is. On my Olympus PEN I need 7X viewfinder enlargement.
BTW I paid the Canon FD 500 dollars, it’s a magnificent lens.
Dirk Dom.
I think that here, Leica admits that rangefinder focus is not accurate enough for this lens.
Ik have a Canon FD 85mm f/1.2, that’s a manual focus lens and I know difficult 100% accurate focusing at f/1.2 is. On my Olympus PEN I need 7X viewfinder enlargement.
BTS I paid the Canon FD 500 dollars, it’s a magnificent lens.
Dirk.