High Quality Copied with Leica NOCTILUX-M 50 1.2 ASPH (1966 First Version). Light Lens Lab NOCTILUX-M 50 1.2 ASPH. A recreation of the mythical and highly sought-after 50mm f/1.2 ASPH from 1966. E49 filter Thread.

Rare extremely early Noctilux 1.2/50mm, the 48th from the very first batch of 200 lenses starting with no.2176701. The 1966 Noctilux 1.2/50mm was the first 50mm lens in the world containing an aspheric element. Leitz Wetzlar optical designers Helmut Frank and Dr Paul Sindel were responsible for optical computation. The lens was introduced in 1966 and was received by the market as a sensation. It is almost entirely free of spherical aberration and coma while producing an exceptionally high contrast. Forty-five years ago, however, even for Leitz, it was quite a challenge to create such a lens, a fact reflected in its price: the lens was almost twice as expensive as the body of a Leica M4. It was replaced by the 50mm Noctilux f/1 in 1976, which – using optical glasses new at that time – could be calculated without aspherical elements and was even cheaper than its predecessor. In ten years of its production, only about 2500 units of the 50mm Noctilux f/1.2 were produced in total, representing one unit per business day. The Noctilux f/1.2 lens can truly be called a legend in the technical development of the Leica lenses. It is sought-after by collectors and still a favourite of some photographers. The offered example is in very good condition, with normal signs of use on the barrels, very good optics only showing a couple of hair thin cleaning marks, with both caps, delivered on 01.11.1966.

Unused boxed Leica 50mm f1.2 Noctilux-M ASPH in Black finish. The Leica 50mm f1.2 Noctilux-M ASPH is made in silver and in black. Product Code: 11686. Leica tried to retain the original characteristics in the new Leica 50mm f1.2 Noctilux-M ASPH lens.

black, serial no. 2254427, body, VG, elements, F/G-VG/E, internal haze/coating-like marks to 2nd element from the rear, complete with maker's lens

High Quality Copied with Leica NOCTILUX-M 50 1.2 ASPH (1966 First Version). Light Lens Lab NOCTILUX-M 50 1.2 ASPH. A recreation of the mythical and highly sought-after 50mm f/1.2 ASPH from 1966. E49 filter Thread.

The Noctilux 1.2/50mm was the world’s first serially produced 35mm lens to incorporate aspherical elements. Leitz Wetzlar optical designers Helmut Marx and Paul Sindel were responsible for its optical computation. Professor Helmut Marx used an Elliott 402F computer to assist in the design process and significantly reduce the time required for ray tracing.When the lens was introduced in 1966, it represented the pinnacle of lens design and technological achievement. It is virtually free of spherical aberration and coma while delivering exceptionally high contrast. However, fifty years ago—even for Leitz—manufacturing such a lens posed a considerable challenge. This is reflected in its original price: it cost nearly twice as much as the Leica M4 camera body. In 1976, the lens was succeeded by the 50mm Noctilux f/1, which used new optical glass that allowed for a design without aspherical elements. This made it less expensive and far less labour-intensive to produce than its predecessor.Over its ten-year production span, only around 1,800 units of the 50mm Noctilux f/1.2 were made—approximately one lens per business day. The Noctilux f/1.2 is rightfully considered a legend in the technical evolution of Leica lenses. It is highly coveted by collectors and remains a favorite among many photographers.In this auction, we are pleased to offer the "white unicorn" of Leica M lenses: the original chrome prototype of the Noctilux f/1.2. The lens is in excellent cosmetic condition, with only minimal internal haze. Prototype no. 0000663 was previously sold in our 41st auction in November 2022. This is an exceptionally rare opportunity for Leica collectors.

The Noctilux 50 f/1.2 was one of the first serially produced Leica lenses to feature a black finish. During the transition phase of moving from silver to black-paint lenses, Leica made a very small number of Noctilux 50 f/1.2 prototypes with a silver finish. Today, they count among the most coveted and highly-priced M lenses that there are. As a homage to the ultra-rare Noctilux in silver, Leica released a special edition of the Noctilux-M 50 f/1.2 ASPH. with a silver chrome finish. Its packaging has been designed to emulate the original box of 1966. The lens barrel is made of brass rather than aluminium. Instead of the customary Leica engraving, the front ring is marked with the letters LEITZ WETZLAR – just like the original Noctilux 50 f/1.2. Only 100 units of this special-edition model were available worldwide. The offered example bears the serial number 4785237, special edition number 055/100 and is in perfect, unused condition.

1973, first version / last batch, black, serial no. 2556842, body, VG-E, complete with maker's lens caps

The Noctilux 50 f/1.2 was one of the first serially produced Leica lenses to feature a black finish. During the transition phase of moving from silver to black-paint lenses, Leica made a very small number of Noctilux 50 f/1.2 prototypes with a silver finish. Today, they count among the most coveted and highly-priced M lenses that there are. As a homage to the ultra-rare Noctilux in silver, Leica released a special edition of the Noctilux-M 50 f/1.2 ASPH. with a silver chrome finish. Its packaging has been designed to emulate the original box of 1966. The lens barrel is made of brass rather than aluminium. Instead of the customary Leica engraving, the front ring is marked with the letters LEITZ WETZLAR – just like the original Noctilux 50 f/1.2. Only 100 units of this special-edition model were available worldwide. The offered example bears the serial number 4785263, special edition number 058/100 and is in perfect, unused condition with all accessories, papers, warranty cards and maker's boxes

The Noctilux 1.2/50mm was the world's first serial production 35mm lens containing aspherical elements. Leitz Wetzlar optical designers Helmut Marx and Paul Sindel were responsible for optical computation. Professor Helmut Marx used an Elliott 402F computer to help design and save time on ray tracing. When the lens was introduced in 1966, it was the pinnacle of lens design and technological possibilities. It is almost entirely free of spherical aberration and coma while producing an exceptionally high degree of contrast. Fifty years ago, however, even for Leitz, it was quite a challenge to produce such a lens, a fact reflected in its price: the lens was almost twice as expensive as the body of a Leica M4. It was replaced by the 50 mm Noctilux f/1 in 1976, which, using new optical glasses, could be calculated without aspherical elements and was cheaper and much less labour-intensive in production than its predecessor. In ten years of production, only about 1800 units of the 50 mm Noctilux f/1.2 were produced in total, representing one unit per business day. The Noctilux f/1.2 lens can truly be called a legend within the technical development of the Leica lenses. It is not only sought-after by collectors but still also a favourite of many photographers. In the 41st Leitz Photographica Auction, we have the pleasure of offering the white unicorn of the Leica M lenses - the original chrome prototype of the Noctilux f/1.2. The lens is in excellent condition, optics show some blemishes on the front and rear element. The photographic test reveals that the lens still produces beautiful, dreamy images, the first version Noctilux is famous for. A small patch of milimeter paper is taped over the depth-of-field scale – it was used to mark the lens’ test results at the factory. At first glance, the front rim appears not to be engraved, but under a closer look, a small, blackened engraving can be seen: LEITZ WETZLAR GERMANY 1:1.2/50 B702 0000663 The Noctilux name is not engraved yet on this prototype.

1968, first version, black, serial no. 2254589, body, G-VG, elements, VG, some very light marks to second from the rear element Note: Lot imported

The Noctilux 50 f/1.2 was one of the first serially produced Leica lenses to feature a black finish. In the course of the transition phase of moving from silver to black-paint lenses, Leica made a very small number of Noctilux 50 f/1.2 prototypes with a silver finish. Today, they count among the most coveted and highly-priced M lenses that there are. As a homage to the ultra-rare Noctilux in silver, Leica released a special edition of the Noctilux-M 50 f/1.2 ASPH. with a silver chrome finish. Its packaging has been designed to emulate the original box of 1966. The lens barrel is made of brass, rather than aluminium. Instead of the customary LEICA engraving, the front ring is marked with the letters LEITZ WETZLAR – just like the original Noctilux 50 f/1.2. Only 100 units of this special-edition model were available worldwide. The offered example bears the serial number 4785204, special edition number 008/100 and is in perfect, unused condition.

The 1966 Noctilux 1.2/50mm was the first 50mm lens in the world containing an aspheric element. Leitz Wetzlar optical designers Helmut Frenk and Dr. Paul Sindel were responsible for the optical computation. The lens was introduced in 1966 and was received by the market as a sensation. It is almost entirely free of spherical aberration and coma while producing an exceptionally high degree of contrast. 45 years ago, however, even for Leitz it was quite a challenge to produce such a lens, a fact reflected in its price as well: the lens was almost twice as expensive as the body of a Leica M4. It was replaced by the 50 mm Noctilux f/1 in 1976, which – using optical glasses new at that time – could be calculated without aspherical elements and was even cheaper than its predecessor. In ten years of its production, only about 2,500 units of the 50 mm Noctilux f/1.2 were produced in total, which represents a proportion of one unit per business day. The Noctilux f/1.2 lens can truly be called a legend within the technical development of the Leica lenses. It is not only sought-after by collectors, but still also a favourite of some photographers. This particular example is in excellent cosmetic condition, with almost perfect optics, with an original 12503 hood, front cap and plastic keeper.

The Noctilux 1.2/50mm was the first 35mm lens in the world containing an aspheric element. Leitz Wetzlar optical designers Helmut Frenk and Dr. Paul Sindel were responsible for the optical computation. The lens was introduced in 1966 and was received by the market as a sensation. It is almost entirely free of spherical aberration and coma while producing an exceptionally high degree of contrast. 45 years ago, however, even for Leitz it was quite a challenge to produce such a lens, a fact reflected in its price as well: the lens was almost twice as expensive as the body of a Leica M4. It was replaced by the 50 mm Noctilux f/1 in 1976, which – using optical glasses new at that time – could be calculated without aspherical elements and was even cheaper than its predecessor. In ten years of its production, only about 2,500 units of the 50 mm Noctilux f/1.2 were produced in total, which represents a proportion of one unit per business day. The Noctilux f/1.2 lens can truly be called a legend within the technical development of the Leica lenses. It is not only sought-after by collectors, but still also a favourite of some photographers. This particular example is in near mint cosmetic condition, good lenses except cleaning marks on rear element (will not affect the image quality), with original 12503 hood and both caps

The Noctilux 1.2/50mm was the first 35mm lens in the world containing an aspheric element. Leitz Wetzlar optical designers Helmut Frenk and Dr. Paul Sindel were responsible for the optical computation. The lens was introduced in 1966 and was received by the market as a sensation. It is almost entirely free of spherical aberration and coma while producing an exceptionally high degree of contrast. 45 years ago, however, even for Leitz it was quite a challenge to produce such a lens, a fact reflected in its price as well: the lens was almost twice as expensive as the body of a Leica M4. It was replaced by the 50 mm Noctilux f/1 in 1976, which – using optical glasses new at that time – could be calculated without aspherical elements and was even cheaper than its predecessor. In ten years of its production, only about 2,500 units of the 50 mm Noctilux f/1.2 were produced in total, which represents a proportion of one unit per business day. The Noctilux f/1.2 lens can truly be called a legend within the technical development of the Leica lenses. It is not only sought-after by collectors, but still also a favourite of some photographers. This particular example is in near mint cosmetic condition, with good optics, with original 12503 hood and rear cap

The Noctilux 1.2/50mm was the first 35mm lens in the world containing an aspheric element. Leitz Wetzlar optical designers Helmut Frenk and Dr. Paul Sindel were responsible for the optical computation. The lens was introduced in 1966 and was received by the market as a sensation. It is almost entirely free of spherical aberration and coma while producing an exceptionally high degree of contrast. 45 years ago, however, even for Leitz it was quite a challenge to produce such a lens, a fact reflected in its price as well: the lens was almost twice as expensive as the body of the Leica M4. It was replaced by the 50 mm Noctilux f/1 in 1976, which – using optical glasses new at the time – could be calculated without aspherical elements and was even cheaper than its predecessor. In ten years of its production, only about 2,500 units of the 50 mm Noctilux f/1.2 were produced in total, which represents a proportion of one unit per business day. The Noctilux f/1.2 lens can truly be called a legend within the technical development of the Leica lenses. It is not only sought-after by collectors, but still also a favourite of some photographers. This particular example is in near mint cosmetic condition, with good optics (only minimal cleaning marks inside), with front cap and keeper.

50mm Noctilux f1,2 Nr. 2255059. Complete with lens shade and Leitz Uva filter in original box with matching papers. A rare lens in exceptionally fine condition.

very rare Noctilux in fine condition with clean lenses (front cap, keeper)

exceptional lens, in maker's box. The first ever commercially produced aspherical lens, introduced in 1966 - a huge optical feat at the time and an unmatched iconic lens today.

Noctilux f/1.2 50mm. no. 2255341
M-fit, in maker's keeper, with lenshood, in maker's box

Noctilux f/1.2 50mm. no. 2255341
M-fit, in maker's keeper, with lenshood, in maker's box

very rare Noctilux 1.2/50, mint with perfect, clean optics