Yep, you didn’t need to add any more test than “Look”. What a gorgeous looking fellow and a priceless picture of him.
Thank you Guy.
Beauty! Howd’ya get the black background?
Dark room, shaft of window light on him, progressive vignetting applied in post-processing.
Beautiful, beautiful portrait Peter!
So what’s the verdict on the Noct?
Thanks Mark.
Short answer to your question –
It’s an extravagance that can be supplanted 99% of the time (for my needs, anyway) by the 50 ‘lux ASPH, but — and this is a big BUT — when all the stars align it renders in a very pleasant way.
…so are you going to keep it, or resist it’s Siren Song? 🙂
Not to be coy, but I really don’t know. I’m still not done evaluating it, so I’m keeping it for now.
Dear Peter,
I would say that your post processing is just one of the most beautiful I know for color files. (Of course your are gorgeous black and white) but I think it is more difficult to achieve a beautiful color interpretation …
To return to your image and the Beast (Nocti 🙂 ) This portrait is just impeccable! I would think seeing a beautiful painting …
And that to me is the result of three criteria … The subject is majestic, your incredible talent and sensitivity and finally … In France we say “the icing on the cake,” the 50 Noctilux 0.95 mm in the right hands that perhaps gives the image the more Natural I know. 3 or 4 pictures I have seen with mine! Currently, he is in germany with my 35 Lux and my new MM for setting … Like you, I do not know if I would keep it Noctilux! But for images Magic there is often not much better I guess …
In any case I hope you keep this little gem … Because I take great pleasure in watching your pictures … by doing the “master and his wand” …
Your friend.
Hugues.
PS: Hello Guy and Mark!
Dear Hugues,
You are such a gentleman, mon ami. I’ve been following some of your comments in the various fora and you are always very kind to me in your discussions and in your references to my work… I really appreciate it.
To address your remarks about this image…
It’s funny, in many ways I preferred the M8 colours to the M9, but I converted most of my M8 images to B&W whereas most of my M9 ones are processed in colour!
Anyway, the Noctilux 0.95 is indeed a beast and goes against the ethos of light-and-portable rangefinder shooting, but it’s such an interesting optic and difficult to resist. If Leica had managed to engineer a 0.7m minimum focus distance into it, it would have been almost perfect (excluding the size!).
Prosophos 
Yep, you didn’t need to add any more test than “Look”. What a gorgeous looking fellow and a priceless picture of him.
Thank you Guy.
Beauty! Howd’ya get the black background?
Dark room, shaft of window light on him, progressive vignetting applied in post-processing.
Beautiful, beautiful portrait Peter!
So what’s the verdict on the Noct?
Thanks Mark.
Short answer to your question –
It’s an extravagance that can be supplanted 99% of the time (for my needs, anyway) by the 50 ‘lux ASPH, but — and this is a big BUT — when all the stars align it renders in a very pleasant way.
…so are you going to keep it, or resist it’s Siren Song? 🙂
Not to be coy, but I really don’t know. I’m still not done evaluating it, so I’m keeping it for now.
Dear Peter,
I would say that your post processing is just one of the most beautiful I know for color files. (Of course your are gorgeous black and white) but I think it is more difficult to achieve a beautiful color interpretation …
To return to your image and the Beast (Nocti 🙂 ) This portrait is just impeccable! I would think seeing a beautiful painting …
And that to me is the result of three criteria … The subject is majestic, your incredible talent and sensitivity and finally … In France we say “the icing on the cake,” the 50 Noctilux 0.95 mm in the right hands that perhaps gives the image the more Natural I know. 3 or 4 pictures I have seen with mine! Currently, he is in germany with my 35 Lux and my new MM for setting … Like you, I do not know if I would keep it Noctilux! But for images Magic there is often not much better I guess …
In any case I hope you keep this little gem … Because I take great pleasure in watching your pictures … by doing the “master and his wand” …
Your friend.
Hugues.
PS: Hello Guy and Mark!
Dear Hugues,
You are such a gentleman, mon ami. I’ve been following some of your comments in the various fora and you are always very kind to me in your discussions and in your references to my work… I really appreciate it.
To address your remarks about this image…
It’s funny, in many ways I preferred the M8 colours to the M9, but I converted most of my M8 images to B&W whereas most of my M9 ones are processed in colour!
Anyway, the Noctilux 0.95 is indeed a beast and goes against the ethos of light-and-portable rangefinder shooting, but it’s such an interesting optic and difficult to resist. If Leica had managed to engineer a 0.7m minimum focus distance into it, it would have been almost perfect (excluding the size!).
—Peter.
Really beautiful portrait of your son:-)!
Not my son :). But thank you Jeroen.