Noctulix 50mm F1.0 Lecia-M lens as Macro on my Digital Rebel. Sample shots!

[etan_lightstone]

After much frustration with not being able to touch my Leica M gear

(due to cost of film, etc.. etc..).

 

I decided to bite the bullet and try my Noctilux 50mm F1.0 lens as

Macro on my Canon digital rebel. I made an "adapter" by cutting a hole

in the body cap of my Rebel that was just big enough to stick the

leica lens into. The lens still has to be held in it by hand (I didn't

replicate the leica mount :() but at least it protects from dust.

 

At first I tried the elmarit? 135mm lens... but at 4.0 at the widest

it was hard to see through it in night-time room lighting. So here are

some samples with the Noctilux. Even stopped down to f4.0 the depth of

field is only a mm or two. You can see the difficulty in "eye-balling"

the focus.. I was able to get the tip of the eyelashes in focus.

 

Here are the samples:<div></div>

[etan_lightstone]

Here is the 100% crop<div></div>

[flaviosganzerla]

Etan,

 

Try some flower with a tripod at the maximum aperture. ;)

[etan_lightstone]

Well.. if I'm freezing the motion with a flash the tripod isn't really needed. But wide open at f1.0 is crazy :) I can't focus that accuratly.

 

What I would like to know is how I can avoid my make-shift adapter. Is there a REAL leica M to Canon EOS adapter out there? Since it would only work for macro... most places just disregard the idea. Cameraquest is the worst f#$%king website I've ever seen... completely disorganized, and completely overpriced, and downright ugly :)

[lee hamiel]

Etan:

 

One thought would be to get a Leica thread mount to M adaptor - drill a body cap for the 20D slightly larger & use a retaining ring for LF or an enlarger lens ring in the 39mm size. This way you can easily dismount the lens. Only feeling is that with the value of the Noctilux I would consider having SK Grimes make a metal one for me - should be fairly cheap.

 

See: http://www.skgrimes.com/

 

My son has a 20D & has used some Hasselblad & Nikon lenses via an adaptor & it can be interesting.

 

My last comment is that in your first sentence you complain about the cost of film, etc., etc. ... & yet you're sitting on a Noctilux & M gear - Doesn't add up - maybe sell some equipment.

 

I also agree that Steve Gandy's site could use some improvements - he does have a lot of good reference articles but it's a pain to navigate.

 

Good Luck

[al_kaplan1]

I have to agree with Lee. You could afford a lot of film for what a Noctilux cost. Bulk load some B&W film and learn to process it yourself. A Noctilux is useless if you can't afford to use it.

[etan_lightstone]

So you suggest I sell the Noctilux, and shoot film on my Leica with no lens at all? I like having the Noctilux :)

 

And since it was given to me along with all of my Leica stuff, I don't think its right to sell it... even if I don't use it.

 

Sure is temping though :)

 

Thanks for the suggestion about getting the custom mount.. I'll check it out

[tony_senzaorbi]

You could get about $400-500 for the digital Rebel, that'd buy you a bunch of Tri-X and D76 <grin>

[etan_lightstone]

I get waaaaaaaay more use out of the digital rebel than the Leica. Plus I find rangefinders a little annoying to use, and I know I'll never be able to afford the stupidly over-priced digital leica supporting rangefinders.

 

Since I can't sell it... I like to try and use the Leica lenses on my Canon EOS. Since I wouldn't use autofocus on real canon macro's anyways... seems just as easy to use the leicas instead.

 

Plus I just love the color rendition and sharpness of that Noctilux... even the 135 f4 elmarit is producing some nice images.

 

Oh well.. guess I'm just added to the long list of guys who whack-off to leica's... but stick to modern DSLRs.

 

The only scenario under which I switch to a film body is when I'm doing some semi-dangerous mountaineering or mountain biking. In which case I'll take the Canon Ae-1 and one or two FD lenses. If I fall of my bike and smash it to peice... no biggie. 100bucks gone instead of a few thousand.

 

I guess this is partically a thread/posting about when do you guys choose to use what gear... when you have access to perfectly conveinient digital equivs.

[Rob F.]

So . . . should I put my Noctilux on my Visoflex II and take a macro-closeup of something at f/1?

[fjords]

Rob, go for it! The boke is psyco. I did it with a SL/adpt.14127/leitz M 75 mm @1.4;

nocti 1.2 (nice boke by the way) and the infamous nocti 1.0. dead flies, cobwebz, beez,

and even a classic flower shot. :o))