NyctaLux launches compact 50mm f/1.0 full-frame lens
The DJ-Optical NyctaLux 50mm f/1.0 full-frame lens was announced last fall, and it is now available for purchase. The K&F Concept store on AliExpress still has one unit in stock for €785, while QYCamera has more inventory but charges €927 for the lens. Both retailers ship to Europe but not the US.
These prices include VAT, but additional import fees may apply. At 65mm in diameter, a length of 66.8mm and a weight of 485 grams, the DJ-Optical NyctaLux 50mm f/1.0 is significantly more compact than the Leica Noctilux 50mm f/0.95, which is also far more expensive with a list price of €12,350.
As DJ-Optical’s MTF curves show, the NyctaLux is also nowhere near as sharp as the Noctilux. At wide open, even the center of the image is only moderately sharp, and at f/1.0 the lens renders hardly any detail in the corners. That makes it best suited for portraits, where the subject is placed in the center of the frame and the background is rendered out of focus.
A review by Philip Reeve shows that despite the moderate sharpness, the lens can capture good-looking portraits. Both the build quality and bokeh are impressive as well. However, the lens struggles with purple fringing along high-contrast edges and with visible flare when shooting into backlight.
The DJ-Optical NyctaLux uses a metal housing, an 11-blade aperture, and supports manual focus only with a minimum focusing distance of 0.7 meters The lens is offered exclusively with a Leica M mount, but with a corresponding adapter it can also be used on current full-frame mirrorless cameras from Sony, Canon and Nikon.
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