Comparing the Old LEICA 50MM F/1.2 NOCTILUX-M with its 2021 Reincarnation

As a renowned glamour photographer, I am fortunate to own an original Leica Noctilux 50mm f/1.2 lens, and have been using the new 2021 reincarnation in comparison with the original for several different shoots. Both versions have been used on the Leica M10-R rangefinder. Given the rarity and stratospheric prices commanded by the original Noctilux, is sometimes scary and intimidating to use, given it is now a rare and very valuable lens. I am probably one of the very few who actively uses it in the field, but now that Leica has released a new version, I am more likely to use the new one instead and leave the original safe at home in its box.

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What I like the most about the original Noctilux f/1.2 for my kind of photography is its soft rendering, the gentle skin tones and the “Leica glow”. I must say that Leica made an excellent choice by sticking to the original visual signature, striving to replicate the rendering of the old version with its 2021 reincarnation. The new version has similar bokeh, glow and rendering.

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Original and new re-issue of the 50 1/1.2 Nocitilux side by side, with the original Leitz, Wetzlar box. Original on the left with warmer toned lens coating. New re-issue on the right with modern, bluer lens coating.

The biggest difference between the old and new versions, from my perspective, is the slightly increased image contrast which is a function of newer and more effective lens coatings. In addition, the old version creates images with slightly warmer tones, while the new one generates more neutral colors, likely due to improved and modern glass chemistry. You can see the difference in the color of the old and new coatings in the lens comparison image. These color shifts can be easily corrected during post-processing if desired, to further mimic the legendary performance of the legacy 50mm f/1.2 Noctilux-M. Both lenses generate similar levels of sharpness. It is important to note that unlike the newly improved (over the original) 50mm f/0.95 Noctilux-M, the f/1.2 version is not that sharp wide open, but you do not buy this lens for its ability to deliver sharpness! This lens delivers a softer images which appeal to me personally over those delivered by the f/0.95 lens. Both f/1.2 versions use aspherical lens elements owing to which the lens sometimes creates busy bokeh, but I am a big fan. The old version of the lens exhibits more chromatic aberration, which has been better controlled in the new version, owing to better optical design.

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Ease of use has also been factored in; case in point, filters are easier to use in the new version, which uses a standard E49 filter in comparison with the original, which required a series filter held in place in the lens hood which screwed apart for that purpose. Otherwise, in all other respects, the old and new versions of the Noctilux lens and hood are identical.

While testing the new lens, I lit the scene only with candle- light, drawing inspiration from Stanley Kubrick who used a high speed Zeiss lens while shooting interior scenes for the film Barry Lyndon. While Leica’s Noctilux 50mm f/1.2 creates incredible color images because of its subtle tones, it also delivers very good black and whites. In the photos accompanying this article you can see the subtle glow in the eyes, creating a halo, which is very much the Noctilux 50mm f1.2 look.

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Milan Swolfs is a Belgium-based photographer best known for his burlesque and vintage-style fine art portraits that bring to mind the unforgettable Hollywood glamour of the 1920s and 1930s. Leica Camera AG used his photos for the official launch of the Leica Noctilux-M 50mm f/1.2 ASPH reissue.

www.milanswolfs.com