EXCERPT page containing first few paragraphs. 2024-04-25 10:16:08
UA_SEARCH_BOT_compatible_botmozilla/5.0 applewebkit/537.36 (khtml, like gecko; compatible; claudebot/1.0; +claudebot@anthropic.com) @ 3.16.212.99
For full access, subscribe here. Or click title to login. 
Noctilux vs Summilux vs Nikon 50/1.2 (M240, DeChambeau Barn)
At about $700, the Nikon 50mm f/1.2 AIS becomes a viable lens option via lens adapter on the Leica M Typ 240, thanks to the Live View and/or EVF capability
Can the Nikon 50mm f/1.2 serve as an entry level superspeed lens for the M240?
And/or does the Nikon 50/1.2 offer a rendering style that might appeal in its own right for a stylistic difference?
What about stopped down?
The Nikon 50mm f/1.2 is a classic spherical design, subject to pronounced spherical aberration wide open with the attendant veiling haze: sharpness smeared over a deep zone, heavily veiled. Stopping down one stop cuts the aberration in half, stopping down two stops cuts it by 75%. By comparison, the Leica designs use aspherical elements that minimize the spherical aberration (and other aberrations) to relatively low levels wide open.
Article continues for subscribers...
Diglloyd Guide to Leica is by yearly subscription. Subscribe now for about 25 cents a day ($90/year).
BEST DEAL: get full access to ALL 8 PUBLICATIONS for about 75 cents a day!
Diglloyd Guide to LEICA contains in-depth coverage of Leica M system cameras and lenses, with additional coverage of Leica M Monochrom, Leica Q.
Special emphasis is placed on Leica M lenses and certain Zeiss ZM lenses.
- Make better images by learning how to get the best results right away.
- Save money by choosing the right lens for your needs the first time, particularly the Summilux/Summicron/Elmarit choice and/or Zeiss ZM.
- Make better images, a sort of “cheat sheet” saving yourself months or years of ad-hoc learning. Processing parameters are discussed and shown.
- Jaw-dropping image quality found nowhere else utilizing Retina-grade images up to full camera resolution, plus large crops [past 2 years or so].
- Real world examples with insights found nowhere else. Make sharper images just by understanding lens behavior you won’t read about elsewhere.
- Aperture series from wide open through stopped down, showing the full range of lens performance and bokeh.
- Optical quality analysis of field curvature, focus shift, sharpness, flare, distortion, and performance in the field.
Want a preview? Click on any page below to see an excerpt as well as extensive blog coverage, for example on Leica.
Leica 50mm f/0.95 Noctilux-M ASPH
Nikon 50mm f/1.2 AIS
(not to scale)
