G.A.S. Corner: A Few Hours With the Leica Noctilux f0.95, by Ermanno
Heads Up! Here is another guest articles. Photoraphy nerds, you’re in luck! Because Ermano has been testing the very fancy Leica f0.95 Noctilux at the Herne Hill Velodrome in London. Got a story to share? Use the contact page to get in touch and submit your text!
What is this about?
The Noctilux is Leica’s super‑fast lens family, ranging from f/1.25 all the way to f/0.95. The most famous member of the family is undoubtedly the 50 mm, first introduced in 1966. Fast‑forward to 2025: it has grown in size, speed, and weight, and I was lucky enough to spend a couple of hours with one during a shoot at the Herne Hill Velodrome.
But how did I end up with a Noctilux?
Fair question — here’s a bit of context.
This summer, I was invited to work as a set photographer on the One Lifecycle promo video at Herne Hill Velodrome in south London. We started setting up and filming around midday and wrapped close to midnight.
It was a fantastic experience. I got to shoot from a cargo bike (which was as fun as it sounds) and, at some point during the day, I had the chance to play with Jamie’s Leica Noctilux.
Jamie Keith also made a video that day about his MP repaint, with some behind‑the‑scenes footage from the event.
So?
I’d read endlessly about this lens and looked at countless bodies of work by photographers who made the Noctilux part of their signature style. And let’s be honest — no one buys this 50 mm to shoot it at anything other than f/0.95.
My curiosity (and expectations) had grown to unreasonable levels.
Long focus throw, chunky shape, a lens that blocks a fair portion of your framelines if you’re using a rangefinder, and a noticeably lighter bank account — these are all things you have to come to terms with when thinking about this lens.
I probably used it the wrong way: shooting bikes at the velodrome, manually focusing with a depth of field as thin as paper. But that’s what I enjoy shooting anyway, so… why not.
On the lens itself
It’s a big lens, and quite heavy by rangefinder standards. That said, once mounted on the camera it actually feels fine. Handling is manageable, and the long focus throw really helps when trying to nail focus at full aperture.
One thing I didn’t expect was the amount of purple fringing. It decreases significantly when stopping the lens down, but it’s very present wide open. There’s also a noticeable colour shift when shooting at f/0.95 — a mix of vignetting and extreme out‑of‑focus areas that creates a kind of tunnel‑vision effect. It’s a very specific look, but also a beautiful and unique character.
Final thoughts
I’m genuinely glad I was able to use this lens in a real‑world situation, not just test it inside a camera shop.
I love 50 mm lenses, and I love fast ones — but maybe not that fast. The Noctilux is a very particular lens. It feels like something you’d commit to as your main (and maybe only) 50 mm, using and abusing it across its entire aperture range, with f/0.95 as an occasional treat rather than a default setting.
I’m happily going back to my beloved Nokton, which has served me incredibly well without ever making me feel like I need more speed.