(Please understand that this represents my opinion only, it was written in a playful mood and I am waiting answers in the same mood. I do not mean to insult anyone of course.)

Acceptable reasons to buy a Noctilux:
1) Because I like to own, touch and admire such a beautiful piece of equipment and I have the money to buy it. (Me too, but I don’t have the money :o( )
2) Because I like to show it to my friends and make them jealous. (I don’t like to make my friends jealous)
3) Because I have everything else and I need to spend my easy-earned money to feel happy for a couple of days. ( I don’t have everything else )

Unacceptable reasons to buy a Noctilux:
1) Because I really need that extra stop. (Buy 1 stop faster film instead. You will save some thousands of $ and get equal or better results.)
2) Because it delivers sharper images. (It doesn’t! Summi’s are sharper!)
3) Because it has much better bokeh. (99.99% of the photographers –including me- are not able to master bokeh, more than 95% don’t even know what it is!)
4) Because it’s definitely better from Summicron and Summilux at f:1 (Ha! funny!)

Kisses,
Jordan

-- Jordan Koussis (jordan@koussis.com), November 30, 2001

Answers

I would ad to "acceptable":

4, Because i NEED very shallow depth of field. Everybody in my family has deformed ears and when i take pictures of them, i only want their eyes in focus... and their ears out of focus. Likewise, i don't like the tips of people's noses.

I personally don't have one, but the main reason would be number 1 on the positives for me.

-- Matthew Geddert (geddert@yahoo.com), November 30, 2001.

>>Acceptable reasons to buy a Noctilux:

My wife is off for the week visiting a congress out of town. So a Noctilux might be a good substitute here. At least it'd be cheaper.

-- Michael Kastner (kastner@zedat.fu-berlin.de), November 30, 2001.

I really find the lower right hand corner distracting when composing a shot. I find the Nocti's blocking capability of that area very useful.

-- Bas Wip (bas@baswip.com), November 30, 2001.

Acceptable reason to buy a Noct: I no longer do cocaine.

-- Tony Rowlett (rowlett@mail.com), November 30, 2001.

I love the comment about the lower right corner of the finder being a "distraction" that's cured by Noctilux use. Acceptable reason: Leica glass should never ever have a filter mounted in front of it, and I will prove my point by shooting with a mega expensive 50mm F1.0 with its huge front element "bare to the winds". For sale: 50mm Noctilux, current version, slight cleaning marks (no affect) make offer.

-- Andrew Schank (aschank@flash.net), November 30, 2001.

Another couple of reasons: (1) you suffer from extreme astigmatism and you've found the Noctilux to be the only lens which approximates your deteriorating eye-sight; (2) you desparately wish to impress your serial-poster heroes on the LUG.

;?)

-- Andrew Nemeth (azn@nemeng.com), November 30, 2001.

It's patriotic to buy a Noctilux. The president wants us all to spend money.

It would stimulate the German economy, too.

The Noctilux should be left on the camera at all times for readiness: it will make it much easier to see where you laid your Leica down. You'll find the camera faster (just like I can find my pickup truck fast because the camper shell sticks up so high) so you'll be ready for that quick photo op.

-- Bob Fleischman (RFXMAIL@prodigy.net), November 30, 2001.