Although too slow for hand held shots in real dim light, with my M9 either in my studio or outside even on cloudy days it's performance is excellent corner to corner. My 90 Apo might have a slight edge at f4.0 over the Macro wide open but only off a tripod. I can't see any difference at F8.0 in performance. For my last trip to Alaska and Germany and France, I took the Macro leaving the 90 Apo behind because of the size and weight and was not the least bit disappointed. Shooting in DNG, converting to Tiff with minimal tweaks, this lens goes to needle sharp 17 x 22 inch Epson print images with ease right to the corners.

Sharp lens. Small and light weight. It's an excellent travel companion. For the most part, the lens shade is not necessary. At f/4, there is just enough blur to the background to create separation in my subject shots, but the background still contain enough information to show time and place.

No hyperbole... definitely one of Leica’s finest lenses, and as we know that’s saying a lot. Compact, superbly designed and built, sharp enough to cut yourself. Works stunningly on M and SL bodies, with an incredible amount of detail and clarity without distortion - to the corners. I’ve actually used this lens on Sony’s A7R/S with a Novoflex adapter and the results were outstanding. If you like this ultra-wide focal length, you’ll thank yourself for buying this lens. A real keeper.

I don't know if this comes standard with the Noctilux now, but it didn't come with mine several years ago. It should come standard now if it doesn't, because it is absolutely perfect to protect that massive front element. Every Noctilux owner NEEDS one of these.

Bought used circa 2014 Noctilux-M f/.95 50mm. Found this metal cap missing. I do not know whether Leica included this metal cap with the original 2014 lens but they do include this cap in the latest Noctilux in addition to the plastic lens cap for daily use.

Bought it for completeness and fits perfectly on my 2014 lens. As usual B&H ordering and delivery was excellent, no complaints.

Put this collapsed lens in your pocket as your alternative to a 35mm on the camera and you are good to go. In 2021 on an M10 with higher ISO, the f/4 is plenty fast. It is super sharp. No, even with the macro adapter it is not a true 1:1 macro, but it does close focus. Why is it so expensive? Because it has no collapsible competition from other makes. I have had other 90's that I was unwilling to haul along, so they were unused. A cheaper unused lens is not a bargain. If you are using a Leica M, you appreciate small compact lenses. This is small and compact.

Stuff I like: Great sharpness, contrast, color for landscape, ditto for close-up, great small size/weight and great click-on lens hood (ALL OF LEICA'S LENS HOODS SHOULD BE DESIGNED EXACTLY LIKE THE 90MM MACRO ELMAR'S). Not so good: I get that this is a rangefinder lens, but it has a poor native macro focusing ratio of 1:6:7, which only improves to 1:2 with the Leica Macro-Adapter-M. (I bought the somewhat-more-versatile Novoflex Adapter Kit for Leica M-Mount, Visoflex Lens to Leica M-Mount Camera, but I'm still not near 1:1.) Conclusion: I primarily bought the lens for landscape, and it's a swell, compact lens for landscape and casual close focus, but is not for hardcore macro shooters imaging stamps and coins and other tiny stuff.

This lens is small, very sharp and truly a macro.

The lens is well known for exceptional sharpness and that really came home when I paired it with a M10 Monochrome. The tonal qualities rendered are extraordinary too.

It’s a $100 metal lens cap. What else do you put on a $12,000 lens?
I suppose you don’t go with Leica if you don’t want to pay the price. It looks good, offers great protection, and covers the lens with the hood extended.

But darn...$100