Leica to Sell Last 100 Noctilux-M 50mm f/1 Lenses

Leica has announced that it will offer the last 100 Noctilux-M 50mm f/1 rangefinder lenses in a limited-edition package. The extraordinarily fast Noctilux was first introduced in 1976 and has now been discontinued. The limited-edition Noctilux lenses will come in a hand-crafted lacquered wooden box, accompanied by a leather-bound book on Leica history and lens design.

The noctilux has been one of the famous trademarks for Leica for more than 4 decades. The Noctilux 1,2/50 was introduced at the Photokina camera fair 1966 as a high-end lens. The introduction price was more than twice an M body (still is), and were only made on special demand. No production figurea are available from Leica - but looking at how few are up for sale on the secondhand market, it is very rare. 2 lens surfaces where aspherical and very expensive to make.

In 1976 Leica succeeded in speeding up the noct to a staggering f/1,0 - one of the fastest 24x36 lenses to reach the market (beside the Canon 0.95/50mm introduced in 1961).

The limited-edition Noctilux lenses will come in a hand-crafted lacquered wooden box, accompanied by a leather-bound book on Leica history and lens design. The lacquered boxes are made by Elie Bleu, and have a Guarea body, French cedarwood surfaces, a cushioned Italian Alcantara interior, and gold-plated exterior metal fittings. To protect the Noctilux from moisture, they incorporate a dehumidifying system and a hygrometer to gauge humidity.

The new design made it easier to manufacture due the dispense of the aspherical services. First the lens featuret E58 filters - this were later to change to the new standart E60 filters as the rest of the Leica lens program.

As of today (may 19th 2008) the Leica Noctilux 1,0/50mm has been discontinued. As with the last Leica M6 - the last 100 pcs Noctilux´s will be sold as a special item with certified authenticity.