Mitakon 50mm f/0.95

für LEICA M & all mirrorless cameras

Sample Images   Intro   Format

Compatibility   Specifications

Performance   Compared   Recommendations

Mitakon 50mm f/0.95

Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 für LEICA M und all mirrorless cameras (metal 67mm filter thread, 23.7 oz./673 g, 3.3'/1.0m close focus, also comes in silver, $799). bigger. I'd get mine at B&H, at Amazon, or at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.

This all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to approved sources when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. Thanks for helping me help you! Ken.

 

January 2021   Better Pictures   LEICA   LEICA Lenses   Zeiss   Canon   Sony   Nikon   Fuji   Hasselblad   All Reviews

LEICA NOCTILUX-M 50mm f/0.95 (2008 ~ today)

Sony vs. Nikon vs. Canon Full-Frame

Why Fixed Lenses Take Better Pictures

How to Shoot Film

 

Sample Images       top

Sample Images   Intro   Format

Compatibility   Specifications

Performance   Compared   Recommendations

More samples at Bokeh, Macro, Spherochromatism and Sunstars.

These are just snapshots; my real work is in my Gallery.

 

At f/0.95

Mitakons 50mm f/0.95 Sample Image File

Eucalyptus Tree & Ratbush, 9:44 AM, 07 January 2021. Nikon Z6 II, Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 with Tiffen 0.9 (8x or 3-stop) neutral-density filter on passive adapter at f/0.95 at 1/3,200 at ISO 100, Perfectly Clear. bigger, full-resolution or camera-original © BASIC ★ JPG file.

 

At f/8

Mitakons 50mm f/0.95 Sample Image File

Eucalyptus Tree & Ratbush, 9:44 AM, 07 January 2021. Nikon Z6 II, Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 on passive adapter at f/8 at 1/400 at ISO 100, Perfectly Clear. bigger, full-resolution or camera-original © BASIC ★ JPG file.

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Introduction       top

Sample Images   Intro   Format

Compatibility   Specifications

Performance   Compared   Recommendations

New   Good   Bad   Missing

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This Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 is a special-purpose bokeh lens for LEICA M or any mirrrorless camera. It is an inexpensive copy of the LEICA NOCTILUX-M 50mm f/0.95.

It is a completely mechanical, all-metal manual-focus-only lens.

It's sharp enough at large apertures in the center, but softer in the corners, all of which which improve as stopped down. It's not for astronomy or scientific use; it's an effects lens for lovers of great bokeh. Things can get very far out of focus at f/0.95, which is why people buy this lens..

Like many classic LEICA rangefinder lenses it cannot focus closely. It only can focus as close as 3.3 feet or 1 meter.

I'd get my Mitakon 50/0.95 M at B&H, at Amazon, or at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.

 

Mitakon 50mm f/0.95

Mitakon 50mm f/0.95. bigger.

 

Good       intro       top

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com 6-bit coded for automatic identification as a 50/0.95 on digital LEICA M kameras.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com All-metal construction.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com Same-colored engraving and similar cosmetics as a real LEICA lens.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com Same obvious red mounting-index ball as a real LEICA lens.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com 9-blade diaphragm.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com Built-in telescoping hood (which is too short to do much).

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com Keys the proper 50mm viewfinder frame on LEICA M cameras.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com Reasonably accurate opto-mechanical rangefinder focus, especially at f/0.95, on LEICA M cameras.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com $11,750 less expensive — or less than 1/16 the price — compared to the LEICA NOCTILUX-M 50mm f/0.95!

 

Bad       intro       top

red ball icon © KenRockwell.com Not really a LEICA lens, with almost none of the precision or optical quality.

red ball icon © KenRockwell.com Apertures crowded close together.

red ball icon © KenRockwell.com Aperture ring is too damped which tends to hide the clicks.

 

Missing       intro       top

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com Keine Stammbaum (no heritage, no pedigree and no bloodline).

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No aspherical elements.

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com Unit focussing (no floating elements seen).

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No half-stop clicks like a real LEICA lens.

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No image stabilization. (Real men don't need image stabilization.)

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No case included.

 

Format       top

Sample Images   Intro   Format

Compatibility   Specifications

Performance   Compared   Recommendations

I'd get my Mitakon 50/0.95 M at B&H, at Amazon, or at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.

This is a full frame lens and I'm reviewing it as such.

It also works on APS-C cameras, on which you may make the usual inferences.

 

Compatibility       top

Sample Images   Intro   Format

Compatibility   Specifications

Performance   Compared   Recommendations

I'd get my Mitakon 50/0.95 M at B&H, at Amazon, or at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.

 

Mitakon 50mm f/0.95

Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 auf der LEICA M3. bigger.

This Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 has a LEICA M mount. Focus and metering work perfectly on every LEICA M camera, from 1954's LEICA M3 through today's newest LEICA M-A, LEICA MP, LEICA M10 Monochrom, LEICA M10-P and LEICA M10-R.

It cannot mount on any LEICA screw-mount camera.

This Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 is a completely manual lens, with manual focus and manual aperture setting. It has no electronic communication to anything.

It's easy to adapt to any mirrorless camera because LEICA invented the 35mm full-frame format over 100 years ago. As the Master Mount for all 35mm cameras, it's easy to get a passive $15 mechanical adapter to go from LEICA M to your mirrorless camera and you're good.

If you want autofocus on Nikon Z, the Megadap MTZ11 autofocusing adapter has its own built-in autofocus motor. Bravo!

 

Mitakon 50mm f/0.95

Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 auf der Nikon Z6 II mit Megadap MTZ 11 Autofocusing Adapter. bigger.

 

Specifications       top

Sample Images   Intro   Format

Compatibility   Specifications

Performance   Compared   Recommendations

 

I'd get my Mitakon 50/0.95 M at B&H, at Amazon, or at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.

 

Name       specifications       top

Zhong Yi Optics calls this the Mitakon SpeedMaster 50mm F0.95 M ∅67:

    M: LEICA M mount.

    ∅67: 67mm filter thread.

 

Colors

Black (as shown) and silver.

 

Optics       specifications       top

Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 Internal Optical Construction

Mitakon 50/0.95 internal optical construction. Ultra-High Refractive Index, Glass, ED and 特高透镜片 extra high lens elements.

11 elements in 8 groups.

1 ED element.

5 Ultra-High Refractive Index elements.

8 High refractive index elements.

1 特高透镜片 extra high lens element.

No aspherical elements.

Unit focussing (no floating elements seen).

Multicoated.

 

Filters       specifications       top

Metal 67mm filter thread.

 

Coverage       specifications       top

Full-Frame (24 × 36mm), 35mm film (24 × 36mm) and APS-C (16 × 24mm).

 

Diaphragm       specifications       top

Mitakon 50mm f/0.95

Mitakon 50mm f/0.95

At f/0.95. bigger.
At f/5.6. bigger.

9 blades.

Stops down to f/16 with full-stop clicks.

You may set any intermediate aperture.

 

Focal Length       specifications       top

50mm.

When used on an APS-C camera, it sees the same angle of view as a 75 mm lens sees when used on a full-frame or 35mm camera.

See also Crop Factor.

 

Angle of View       specifications       top

46.7º diagonal on full-frame.

 

Focus       specifications       top

Traditional unit focus.

 

Focus Scale       specifications       top

Yes.

 

Infinity Focus Stop       specifications       top

Yes.

 

Depth of Field Scale       specifications       top

Yes.

 

Close Focus       specifications       top

3.3 feet (1.0 meters)

 

Maximum Reproduction Ratio       specifications       top

1:20 (0.05×).

 

Reproduction Ratio Scale       specifications       top

No.

 

Image Stabilizer       specifications       top

None.

 

Caps       specifications       top

Plastic snap-in 67mm front and plastic rear LEICA M-style rear cap.

 

Hood       specifications       top

Very short telescoping built-in hood. It doesn't do much. It's stiff so it's not that easy to pull-out, but does tend to stay where you put it:

 

Mitakon 50mm f/0.95

Built-in Hood Extended, Mitakon 50mm f/0.95. bigger.

 

Case       specifications       top

None included.

 

Size       specifications       top

2.95" ø diameter × 3.46" extension from flange.

75 mm ø diameter × 88 mm extension from flange.

 

Weight       specifications       top

23.725 oz. (672.6 g) actual measured weight.

Rated 23.8 oz. (675g).

 

Quality       specifications       top

Made domestically in China.

 

Announced       specifications       top

Late 2020.

 

Packaging       specifications       top

Cardboard slipcase:

Mitakon 50mm f/0.95

Box, Mitakon 50mm f/0.95. bigger.

 

Mitakon 50mm f/0.95

What's in the Box, Mitakon 50mm f/0.95. bigger.

 

Included       specifications       top

Lens, caps, warranty and inspection paperwork.

 

Price, U. S. A.       specifications       top

January 2021

About $745 if you know How to Win at eBay. (4,990 yuan in China.)

 

Performance       top

Sample Images   Intro   Format

Compatibility   Specifications

Performance   Compared   Recommendations

 

Overall   Focus   Breathing   Bokeh   Distortion

Ergonomics   Falloff   Finder Blockage   Flare & Ghosts

Lateral Color Fringes   Lens Corrections   Macro

Mechanics   Sharpness   Spherochromatism   Sunstars

 

I'd get my Mitakon 50/0.95 M at B&H, at Amazon, or at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.

 

Overall       performance       top

The Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 is an all-metal lens that looks just like the LEICA NOCTILUX-M 50mm f/0.95 with good-enough optics for people who don't actually shoot LEICA.

 

Focus       performance       top

Focus is completely manual. It's heavily damped and has just a little bit of mechanical play.

The infinity stop is perfectly calibrated.

Focus on my LEICA M9 at f/0.95 was always a bit in front of the subject. As rangefinder shooters know, rangefinders are mechanical and often require calibration for perfect results. With my sample of 50/0.95 I have to push focus just a bit out each time, or use the mechanical stop at infinity.

I'm unsure if there's an easy user adjustment on the lens. If there is, adjust it so your rangefinder indicates perfect focus when the lens is set to the infinity stop and you're focussing on something at least a couple of miles away.

This isn't new; I've been having to adjust all my 35mm cameras for this for many, many many decades. Like a 1950s carburetor and ignition points, these systems may require periodic adjustment if you want dead-on focus at f/0.95 on a LEICA.

On mirrorless there's nothing to adjust when you focus with live view; you're always good.

 

Focus Breathing       performance       top

Focus breathing is the image changing size as focused in and out. It's important to cinematographers that the image not breathe because it looks funny if the image changes size as focus gets pulled back and forth between actors. If the lens does this, the image "breathes" by growing and contracting slightly as the dialog goes back and forth.

As a conventional unit-focus lens, the image grows a bit as focussed more closely.

 

Bokeh       performance       top

Bokeh, the feel, character or quality of out-of-focus areas as opposed to how far out of focus they are, is very good. That's the whole point of this lens.

Here are photos from headshot distance wide-open. I'm focused on the DAVIS logo. Click any for a full-resolution 24 MP image:

Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 Bokeh

Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 Bokeh

Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 Bokeh

Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 Bokeh

Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 Bokeh

Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 Bokeh

Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 Bokeh

Made-in-U. S. A. Davis 6250 weather station, 07 January 2021. Nikon Z6 II, Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 with Tiffen 0.9 (8x or 3-stop) neutral-density filter on passive adapter at 1/4,000, 1/2,500, 1/1,250, 1/640, 1/320, 1/160 and 1/80 at ISO 100, Perfectly Clear.

Click any for a full resolution JPG image.

As always, if you want to throw the background as far out of focus as possible, shoot at f/0.95 and get as close as possible.

 

Distortion       performance       top

The Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 has moderate barrel distortion.

Use a correction factor of +2.10 in Photoshop's lens correction filter for shots made at 10 meters (30 feet), and even with this the distortion is sufficiently complex that there is some residual waviness left after this correction.

This is no macro lens.

 

Ergonomics       performance       top

Mitakon 50mm f/0.95

Mitakon 50mm f/0.95

Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 für LEICA M. bigger.
Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 für LEICA M. bigger.

This is a big, chunky lens with relatively stiff focus and aperture rings.

The aperture ring is much more damped than LEICA lenses. It's so damped that it's not as easy to feel the clicks. The apertures are close together and there are no half-stop clicks. It's almost as if they copied the click spacing of the LEICA NOCTILUX-M 50mm f/0.95 and then accidentally thought those were for full stops and calibrated accordingly. Oh well, the f/stops have twice the spacing on a LEICA lens.

The big focus ring is very damped and takes two fingers to turn. It takes a lot of turning; it's precise but not fast.

The red mounting-index ball is visible in low light, and easy to feel in total darkness. Every lens should be be like this, but too many others hide the index marks and don't make them feelable, as if they're deliberately trying to hide these very important marks.

 

Falloff       performance       top

Falloff can be strong at f/0.95 and mostly goes away as stopped down.

I've greatly exaggerated the falloff by shooting a gray field and placing these on a gray background; it will not look this bad in actual photos of real things:

 

Falloff on full-frame mit 50/0.95 profile on LEICA M9.

f/0.95
f/1.4
Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 falloff
Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 falloff
Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 falloff
Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 falloff
f/2
f/2.8

© 2020 KenRockwell.com. All rights reserved.

 

 

Falloff on full-frame, no profile on LEICA M9.

f/0.95
f/1.4
Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 falloff
Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 falloff
Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 falloff
Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 falloff
f/2
f/2.8

© 2020 KenRockwell.com. All rights reserved.

 

Finder Blockage       performance       top

This is a big, fat lens that blocks much of the viewfinder, just as with the genuine LEICA NOCTILUX-M 50mm f/0.95. You can't see most of the lower right part of the finder. The 50mm framelines are the long lines below:

Mitakon 50 0.95 finder blockage

Actual view through LEICA M9 finder. bigger.

 

Flare & Ghosts       performance       top

See examples at Sunstars.

 

Lateral Color Fringes       performance       top

I see none.

There is a lot of spherochromatism and other aberrations, which are different aberrations in different dimensions.

 

Lens Corrections       performance       top

LEICA digital cameras may have a lens profile, which do some minor corrections for falloff and corner color shading for LEICA's lenses, and that's it. I use the automatically invoked 6-bit coded NOCTILUX-M 50mm f/0.95 profile on my LEICA M9.

No camera corrects for distortion or other aspects of this lens.

 

Macro Performance       performance       top

This lens does not focus closely. It has no macro ability. For macro, use the LEICA SUMMICRON 50mm f/2 mit near-focussing range or the LEICA MACRO-ELMAR-M 90mm f/4.

Here's as close as it gets on full-frame:

 

At f/0.95     macro      performance       top

Not only does it not get close, at f/0.95 it's soft because its loaded with spherical aberration. The strong falloff may be useful for effects:

Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 macro sample image file

Casio G-Shock Solar Atomic Watch at close-focus distance, 07 January 2021. Nikon Z6 II, Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 with Tiffen 0.9 (8x or 3-stop) neutral-density filter on passive adapter at f/0.95 at 1/4,000 at ISO 100, Perfectly Clear. bigger or camera-original © JPG image.

 

Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 macro sample image file

1,200 × 900 pixel (5× magnification) crop from above. bigger or camera-original © JPG image.

If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 3" (7.5cm) wide on your screen, then the complete image printed at this same large magnification would be about 10 × 15" (25 × 38cm).

If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 6" (15cm) wide on your screen, then the complete image printed at this same extreme magnification would be about 20 × 30" (50 × 75cm).

If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 12" (30cm) wide on your screen, then the complete image printed at this same insanely high magnification would be about 40 × 60" (1 × 1.5 meters).

 

At f/8     macro      performance       top

It gets much sharper as stopped down:

Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 macro sample image file

Casio G-Shock Solar Atomic Watch at close-focus distance, 07 January 2021. Nikon Z6 II, Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 on passive adapter at f/8 at 1/640 at ISO 100, Perfectly Clear. bigger or camera-original © JPG image.

 

Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 macro sample image file

1,200 × 900 pixel (5× magnification) crop from above. bigger or camera-original © JPG image.

 

Mechanical Quality       performance       top

Mitakon 50mm f/0.95

Mitakon 50mm f/0.95. bigger.

This Chinese lens feels just like a third-party Japanese lens from 50 years ago.

It's all metal with engraved markings.

Focus turns smoothly but it's heavily damped and has some play.

 

Finish

Black anodized aluminum.

 

Front Bumper

None.

 

Filter Threads

Metal.

 

Telescoping Hood

Metal.

 

Front Barrel Exterior

Metal.

 

Aperture Ring

Metal.

 

Focus Ring

Metal.

 

Rear Barrel Exterior

Metal.

 

Identity

Laser engraved on ring between front element and filter threads.

 

Red Mounting Index Ball

Plastic.

 

Internals

All metal!

 

Dust Gasket at Mount

No.

 

Mount

Chromed metal.

It's not that precisely made, there is some marring on my sample.

 

Markings

All engraved and filled with paint.

 

Serial Number

Laser engraved on ring between front element and filter threads.

 

Date Code

None found.

 

Noises When Shaken

A little clicking from the diaphragm blades.

 

Made in

Made domestically in China.

 

Sharpness       performance       top

Lens sharpness has nothing to do with picture sharpness; every lens made in the past 100 years is more than sharp enough to make super-sharp pictures if you know what you're doing. The only limitation to picture sharpness is your skill as a photographer. It's the least talented who spend the most time worrying about lens sharpness and blame crummy pictures on their equipment rather than themselves. Skilled photographers make great images with whatever camera is in their hands; I've made some of my best images of all time with an irreparably broken camera! Most pixels are thrown away before you see them, but camera makers don't want you to know that.

This is a bokeh lens, not a lens for people who count their pixels.

It's sharp enough in the center at f/0.95 for its intended purpose, but if you count each pixel of course it's softer than other 50mm lenses due to spherical aberration, and spherochromatism if you're not in perfect focus. See the Sample Images.

This does not seem to be an aspherical lens, which is too bad as this is exactly the sort of lens that needs aspherical elements for sharpness—  but aspherical elements usually lead to poor bokeh. It gets much sharper as stopped down, but if you want to stop down, any other lens is sharper.

It's soft or softer in the sides and corners, getting sharper as stopped down, but never perfectly sharp there.

Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 MTF

Mitakon's MTF Curve.

 

Spherochromatism       performance       top

Spherochromatism, also called secondary spherical chromatic aberration or "color bokeh," is an advanced form of spherical and chromatic aberration in a different dimension than lateral chromatic aberration. It happens mostly in fast normal and tele lenses when spherical aberration at the ends of the color spectrum are corrected differently than in the middle of the spectrum. Spherochromatism can cause colored fringes on out-of-focus highlights, usually seen as green fringes on backgrounds and magenta fringes on foregrounds. Spherochromatism is common in fast lenses of moderate focal length when shooting contrasty items at full aperture. It goes away as stopped down.

It has a lot of spherochromatism.

Here's a shot wide-open at the closest focus distance:

Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 macro sample image file

Mondaine A132.30348.11SBB at close-focus distance, 07 January 2021. Nikon Z6 II, Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 with Tiffen 0.9 (8x or 3-stop) neutral-density filter on passive adapter at f/0.95 at 1/5,000 at ISO 100, Perfectly Clear. bigger or camera-original © JPG image.

 

Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 macro sample image file

1,200 × 900 pixel (5× magnification) crop from above. bigger or camera-original © JPG image.

If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 3" (7.5cm) wide on your screen, then the complete image printed at this same large magnification would be about 10 × 15" (25 × 38cm).

If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 6" (15cm) wide on your screen, then the complete image printed at this same extreme magnification would be about 20 × 30" (50 × 75cm).

If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 12" (30cm) wide on your screen, then the complete image printed at this same insanely high magnification would be about 40 × 60" (1 × 1.5 meters).

 

Sunstars       performance       top

Its 9-bladed diaphragm gives 18-pointed sunstars on brilliant points of light at moderate and small apertures.

The weird circular flare coming from the sun at f/0.95 seems common in other fast Chinese lenses like the TTArtisan 50/1.4M and 7Artsians 50/1.05.

Click any to enlarge:

Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 Sunstars

Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 Sunstars

Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 Sunstars

Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 Sunstars

Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 Sunstars

Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 Sunstars

Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 Sunstars

Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 Sunstars

Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 Sunstars

Click any to enlarge.

Compared       top

Sample Images   Intro   Format

Compatibility   Specifications

Performance   Compared   Recommendations

I'd get my Mitakon 50/0.95 M at B&H, at Amazon, or at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.

This is a special-effects lens for people who want the most out-of-focus backgrounds they can get at 50mm.

While it's trivially easy to adapt this to any mirrorless camera, even with autofocus on Nikon Z and the resulting all-metal combination feels rock-solid, other lenses work much better unless you specifically need the bokeh effect. Just about any other lens is sharper at large apertures — but not faster.

Nikon's AF-S 50mm f/1.4G on an FTZ adapter is sharper in the corners than this lens as shot on a Z camera, and autofocuses and handles so much better. Adapted lenses are kludgy at best, and the autofocus LEICA to Z adapter is more of a science experiment than anything for practical, serious shooting.

If you need the bokeh effect, great, but if you want sharper photos or a more practical general-purpose 50mm lens, for Nikon Z, get the AF-S 50mm f/1.4G or AF-S 50/1.8G on an FTZ adapter, or the Z 50/1.8 or Z 50/1.2. On Canon EOS R, get the spectacular RF 50/1.2L or the excellent RF 50/1.8, or any EF 1.8 or 1.2 lens on an EF to RF adapter. For big bucks on Canon, get the autofocus 50/1.0L. On Sony, stick with any of the Sony or ZEISS 50mm lenses. Adapted lenses never work as well as native ones on any of these brands.

 

Recommendations       top

Sample Images   Intro   Format

Compatibility   Specifications

Performance   Compared   Recommendations

I'd get my Mitakon 50/0.95 M at B&H, at Amazon, or at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.

This is a special effects lens for people who want their backgrounds really out of focus at f/0.95. It's not that sharp at f/0.95, so it's not for astronomy, science or people who want the sharpest images in low light. If you want sharp, stick with a slower camera-brand lens and use a higher ISO.

Men buy LEICA, and especially the NOCTILUX, to establish dominance. Owning LEICA is tangible proof of a man's superior vision, inimitable taste and superior level of accomplishment. LEICAs, instruments of the immortal, are a plaything for the talented. We own LEICA because it is who we are, not because we need to take pictures. LEICAs haven't been about taking pictures since they went obsolete back in the 1960s. LEICA lenses cost what they do because they are well made and use very high grades of glass (for instance, you have to pay a lot for better homogeneity grades as LEICA does), but most of the price is paying for intangibles like bloodline and heritage. Oskar Barnack's martyrdom isn't free. LEICA is about the lifestyle, never the price.

While this Mitakon lens works on a LEICA camera, it doesn't deserve to be mounted on a LEICA because it lacks bloodline and has no heritage, and certainly doesn't confer any sort of prestige. It just takes pictures. If you have to worry about price, you should not be playing with LEICA. Sit down and let the big boys play if you can't afford genuine LEICA lenses for your LEICA camera. The guys I know who own NOCTILUX own an average of three of them, not just one.

To shoot at f/0.95 in direct sunlight you may need a neutral-density filter. I use my Made-in-USA Tiffen 0.9 (8x or 3-stop) neutral-density filter. Not only are Tiffens among the least expensive ND filters, they are the best because they are the most neutral and made of glass. Too many other brands cost more, are made overseas, are made of plastic and add color casts.

I use a clear (UV) protective filter instead of a cap so I'm always ready to shoot instantly. I only use a cap when I throw this in a bag with other gear without padding — which is never. The UV filter never gets in the way, and never gets lost, either.

The very best protective filter is the Hoya multicoated HD3 67mm UV which uses hardened glass and repels dirt and fingerprints.

For less money, the B+W 67mm 010 is an excellent filter, as are the multicoated version and the basic multicoated Hoya filters, but the Hoya HD3 is the toughest and the best.

If I was working in nasty, dirty areas, I'd forget the cap, and use an uncoated 67mm Tiffen UV filter instead. Uncoated filters are much easier to clean, but more prone to ghosting.

For color slides like Fuji Velvia 50, I use a 67mm Hoya HMC 81A outdoors.

For B&W film outdoors to make clouds look natural in the sky I use a 67mm Hoya HMC K2 Yellow, or usually a 67mm Hoya HMC Orange for a stronger effect, or a 67mm Hoya HMC Red for the most dramatic skies or to hide pimples on skin.

Filters last a lifetime, so you may as well get the best. The Hoya HD3 stays cleaner than the others since it repels oil and dirt.

All these filters are just as sharp and take the same pictures, the difference is how much abuse they'll take and stay clean and stay in one piece.

I'd get my Mitakon 50/0.95 M at B&H, at Amazon, or at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.

This all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to approved sources when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. Thanks for helping me help you! Ken.

Thanks for helping me help you!

Ken, Mrs. Rockwell, Ryan and Katie.

 

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The biggest help is when you use any of these links when you get anything. It costs you nothing, and is this site's, and thus my family's, biggest source of support. These places always have the best prices and service, which is why I've used them since before this website existed. I recommend them all personally.

If you find this page as helpful as a book you might have had to buy or a workshop you may have had to take, feel free to help me continue helping everyone.

If you've gotten your gear through one of my links or helped otherwise, you're family. It's great people like you who allow me to keep adding to this site full-time. Thanks!

If you haven't helped yet, please do, and consider helping me with a gift of $5.00.

As this page is copyrighted and formally registered, it is unlawful to make copies, especially in the form of printouts for personal use. If you wish to make a printout for personal use, you are granted one-time permission only if you PayPal me $5.00 per printout or part thereof. Thank you!

 

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Mr. & Mrs. Ken Rockwell, Ryan and Katie.

 

 

 

07-08 January 2021