Recommended purchase: The Light Lens Lab 1.4x viewfinder magnifier
Of course, you always have to decide for yourself what suits you. Another aspect of the Light Lens Lab optics that should not be neglected is the price, which in the case of the original mentioned above, if it is still available in acceptable quality, is only a tenth of the Leica price for the Light Lens Lab replica of the Leica price: depending on the version - aluminum body black paint: €1856, brass body chrome/black paint: €2134 or titanium body grey: €2320 (excluding import duties).
This makes you wonder, even though Leica has been manufacturing the Noctilux again for a few years and sells it for €7,390.00, but not with the "classic" invoice from 1966 or the imitated glass types, etc. Various reputable tests, such as those by Ed Schwartzreich or Richard Clompus, confirm that the LLL 1966 also has the mechanical and optical quality mentioned above, which is produced in hand-made individual production.
In my opinion, the main arguments against buying are the fact that copies will of course not have the same resale value as the original classic or the current model. In addition, there is no European distributor, which means that you have to become an importer yourself. Likewise, the claim of any guarantees is of course problematic insofar as you have to send the lens to China yourself. In any case, the customs office is happy to charge up to 19% in import sales tax and other customs fees. If that doesn't bother you, you will receive your ordered treasure in just under 14 days via a trackable DHL shipment. The same logistics company also collects the import costs due plus "expenses", so that you usually don't have to go to the customs office in person.
Personally, I can only speak for the viewfinder, which has been doing its job "to my complete satisfaction" for a few days now: focusing with 90mm or 135mm lenses is much easier, and for wide-angle to normal focal lengths, the pupil distance should be taken into account for people wearing glasses: it is possible that not all viewfinder frames are recognizable.
I have a little goodie for you: If you order something from Light Lens Lab via this link, you will receive a 5% discount.
While in my short report from May 6 this year I still said that I still had to save up a bit to buy the 1966, I can now report that I was lucky enough to get hold of another lens. I imported it myself directly from China, and I was lucky because the customs didn't take much interest in the package. ;-)
Anyway, a report on the 1966 will be online soon. Stay tuned.
Transparency: I purchased the viewfinder magnifier and the 1966 at my own expense. I do not receive any money from Light Lens Lab (LLL) for the review. Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. If you buy one of the linked products, you will be supporting me. The product itself will not cost you any more than usual. Thank you very much for that.
