The Leica Nocticron 42,5mm f/1.2 is now finally shipping and in Stock in European stores too! In Germany you can get it now at Technikdirekt (Click here).
Our reader Christoph got the lens in Germany and sent me the picture you see on top. He writes:
the Nocticron 1,2/42,5 is now shipping in germany – I picked up my copy at the local dealer. The make of the lens is absolute first rate – surely superior to former Panasonic/Leica lenses and close if not equal to (real) Leica M glas.
As a funny coincidence I today received also a lomography “new [shoplink 44897 ebay]Petzval Portrait Lens” 2,2/85[/shoplink] (in EF-mount for FF-EOS) which reflects the original optical formula of the very first portrait lens from 1840.
I’ m quiet keen on exploring the IQ and rendering of these so different portrait-lenses – one the surely most vintage and the other the probably most advanced optical design:)
In US the lens is in Stock at [shoplink 44898 ebay]KenmoreCamera (Click here)[/shoplink].
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dCap sent me an email to wanr me the E-M10 is in Stock at Wex UK:
Just the black version with new kit zoom
http://www.wexphotographic.com/buy-olympus-om-d-e-m10-digital-camera-with-14-42mm-ez-lens-black/p1548220
the other three options (silver kit) (body only x2 colors) are stsill pre-order
http://www.wexphotographic.com/compact-system-cameras-olympus-e-m10/b3189-m173-r4132?showall=1&sortby=2
23 Responses
Funny no one seems to get the name of the lens right) The German store mentioned here calls it NocTRIcon
Unfortunately the Nocticron has a high IQ, but a low IQ. 😀
That is, the high Image Quality is achived by a low Intelligence Quantity: if this lens benefited from the advantages of software correction it would be either smaller and cheaper, with essentially the same performance, or brighter (F1.0).
But no way, Leica snobs wouldn’t accept such satanic things like relying on software correction…
Software correction is a way to keep prices reasonable… I almost said lower 😉
The only problem relying on it when designing lenses is that M4/3 is a system with two camera makers, so inevitably, unless both Olympus and Panasonic decided to cooperate and include ALL lens correction solutions in ALL camera models… inevitably there will be instances where there are problems. Think of the purple flare problems that Oly users often experience with the 7-14mm. That’s not a good solution for the system.
The good solution for the system is exactly wat you said: to decide to cooperate and include ALL lens correction solutions in ALL camera models.
It’s still not too late, may be just a simple firmware issue. Moreover, if the system is heavily based on software-corrected lenses (ideal for CSCs, as DSLRs cannot correct e.g. the distorsion unless you use all-time live view).
The point is it seems like they are cooperate, but they are also a rival at the same time. so, you can’t expect that much from them.
Anyway, software correction will work only jpeg file, or raw that open from their own software. It will show lots of ugly things when you shoot raw and use 3rd party software.
PS. I think that why they have entry level lenses and Pro level lenses, and this Leica is just one of the Pro grade. That’s all.
‘Anyway, software correction will work only jpeg file, or raw that open from their own software. It will show lots of ugly things when you shoot raw and use 3rd party software.’
Not true, e.g. you should work hard to find a RAW conversion software which doesn’t correct Pana lens’ distorsion automatically and by default.
“which doesn’t correct Pana lens’” Did you mean does correct pana….”
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Your solution is not wrong. But it’s just base on your thinking.
The fact is that lots of people don’t use that kind of software, and in the short time they will blame and spread those issues all over the place. and Leica will lose their name about their product quality (almost a hundred year for their optic business, if i’m not wrong).
If it was me, I won’t risk my name on that.
No work hard: Raw Photo Processor not correct distortion or anything else.
There is something that software can’t do, and that is a characteristic of leica lenses.
If Leica choose that way, Leica won’t be the same Leica. They will lose their niche market.
Another point is lots of people misunderstand that Pana-Leica will not use software correction, in fact they also use it too. However, Panasonic need to design the optic that good enough for Leica need, and there is no problem if pana also apply some software correction.
If Leica do as you wish, There will be lots of problems with Oympus cameras, since the olympus cameras will not correct those things.
you know I an very happy that there are some good lenses with good optics, that don’t use too much software correction in this digital era.
You may be wrong here.
Please make a clear difference between problems which can be fixed in a ‘lossless’ manner by software correction and those which cannot.
The CA is a typical example for the first group: assuming you know exaclty the particular lens’ CA profile you can correct the color shift without any decrease in resolution. This has to do nothing with the so-called Leica-feeling, like pleasant bokeh and so on.
Even the distortion correction doesn’t lower the resolution (as opposite to the popular myth) but it may affect the bokeh characteristics so it may be understandable that Leica would avoid it. But there are many other things which would make Leica lenses smaller and more affordable if Leica considered to apply a software correction for.
And making an agreement with Olympus to reciprocally correct each other’s lenses would be a welcomed step for all 3 players (Panaleica, Olympus and the customer).
I just want to show some examples. Well, lets explain this way, Leica is famous from their optic qualities and leica characteristic. To abandon those policy and lower their optic qualities may lead to disaster for their brand and business.
Leica feeling is not something only bokeh and tone, but it’s also a feeling that you have the real great items in your hand.
Normally, their target is in niche market and their policy is to make a good lenses with real good optics, and don’t care about the price.
And the last thing is, these lenses are designed and made by Panasonic. Do you think Leica will give Panasonic lower their name in lens quality easily.
PS. I don’t know much about lens design but I guess to get a Leica-like may need to consider lots of things at the beginning. Let the CA occurs may lead to quality drop in the other point (of course have CA, it means the light is not perfect, if the light is not perfect enough, how can you get the good image quality, right? this is just my own opinion)
No, no and no.
Let me show you a – though simplistic and far-from-real-word, but still – very good example:
Assume that a particular lens has a very simple CA profile, that is, all red pixels are just simply shifted by a certain number of pixel position. In this case the lens correction should be merely a trivial shifting back which can restore the right image WITHOUT ANY LOSS.
If somebody wasn’t happy with this really small issue and would pay $1000 more for a lens with same resolution and bokeh but without this perfectly corrigible flaw, I wouldn’t call him a perfectionist.
RATHER A SNOB.
It seems you do not understand what I am trying to say. I just “guess” that to get a leica-like may be need to control the CA from the begining.
You may use a lots of software correction to solve CA issues. and CA will be correct, but the leica like will not exist anymore.
Because if it’s that easy to do leica-like style, why don’t Panasonic just do that in their lumix X lenses? They must have something that they can’t do that easily.
Those is just my opinion. I’m not a lens designer. I don’t really know what they think. So, it’s just my guess in the engineer point of view.
PS. good to discuss with you : )
This is the point which may be far beyond my knowledge, I’m not a lens designer either.
I just also ‘guess’ that – based on elementary logic – there are weak chances that exaclty the software correction would kill the „Leica-like”. I take it that if Leica engineers really wanted to rely on software correction they would preserve the quality and the leica-feeling even taking advantage of software correction.
But really no sure…
PS. good to discuss with you : )
“Even the distortion correction doesn’t lower the resolution (as opposite to the popular myth)”
Squeezing and stretching pixel require interpolation. Interpolation lower resolution. So you dead wrong.
envy here…:-(
Looks IMPRESSIVE! (I am referring to the Petzval, of course 🙂 )
Dammit! A brass lens won’t match my camera!
😉
…but you DO like the manual focus aspect!!!!!! 🙂
Great lens, indeed
what we are lacking is a mid-level lineup
Where is a decent 14-60 mm at f 2.8-4.0 priced inbetween the 12-50 Kitlens and 12-40 Pro ?
That’s what entry level enthusiasts are looking for upgrade
If you’re just starting to explore the ILC world, you’re hesitating to spend 1000 Euros on one lens
Just my 2 pence
+100 as far as a mid-range 12-60mm lens!
That seems like the perfect compromise range and aperture between the 12-35/40mm lenses and the 14-140/150mm superzooms. As far as zooms go, they’re either too limited range and too much money, or too much zoom and not that good.
I vote for a happy medium!
Damn that petzval looks gorgeous!
Is that lens look like fell off C3P0?