Mr. Ding Noxlux DG 50mm f/1.1

Mr. Ding Noxlux DG 50mm f/1.1

The Noxlux DG 50mm f/1.1 is the refined, in-house version of a fast 50mm that first reached buyers in late 2021 under the Syoptic name, before Mr. Ding Studio released it as an official, improved product [1][2]. Its appeal rests on an unusual balance for an inexpensive ultra-fast 50mm: pleasing out-of-focus rendering combined with a compact body, which several reviewers single out as the lens's strongest trait [1][2]. The barrel styling deliberately echoes the Leica 50mm f/1.4 Summilux-M ASPH, though the engravings use white and red rather than Leica's white and orange, and the apparent retractable hood ring is decorative [1].

Optically the lens uses an eight-element, six-group double-Gauss layout with no aspherical elements, a design reviewers describe as inspired by the older Leica Noctilux f/1.0 and the Voigtländer 50mm Nokton family [1][2]. The all-spherical formula avoids onion-ring bokeh artifacts but brings a more classic level of aberration correction. The 11-blade aperture is rounded, focus is by unit (whole-group) movement to a 0.7 m minimum, and the front accepts 58 mm filters in an easy-to-reach thread, an ergonomic fix over the recessed thread of the earlier Syoptic version [1]. The mount is Leica M. Although the verified specification records the lens as not rangefinder coupled, the M-mount version reviewed on a Leica M10 did couple to the camera's rangefinder and could be user-adjusted for calibration; this is the one point where published reviews differ from the recorded specification [1].

The lens has gone through more than one revision. The original Syoptic release gave way to the branded Mr. Ding Noxlux, sometimes labeled E58 for its filter size, and later to a Mark II (also described as version 2.1) [1][2]. Compared with the first Mr. Ding version, the Mark II reverses the aperture ring so it turns in the same direction as Leica and Voigtländer lenses, adds a screw-in hood that can be reverse-mounted and is matte black inside, uses revised coatings, and refines the mechanics with no externally visible screws [1][2]. It has been offered in black and silver finishes [2]. Build quality is generally rated as good, with click-stopped, non-equidistant aperture detents and an evenly damped focus ring [1].

Optical qualities

Rendering Reviewers consistently praise the lens for its bokeh, calling the wide-open rendering smooth and a primary reason to own it, while noting that the aberration correction is deliberately not clinical, giving a clean but characterful look at portrait distances [1][2]. Sharpness is reported as good at longer distances and adequate for portrait use wide open, improving on stopping down [1][2].

Bokeh and transitions The out-of-focus rendering is described as creamy and among the most attractive in its class, which is the lens's most cited strength [1][2].

Sharpness Center sharpness is usable from f/1.1, with off-center performance improving as the lens is stopped down; the simple spherical design shows its limits in the corners wide open [1].

Distortion and vignetting Distortion is minimal and unlikely to matter even for architecture, while vignetting wide open is around 3.4 EV, easing markedly by f/2.8 and in line with other fast 50mm lenses [1].

Aberrations Noticeable coma is present from f/1.1 to f/2.0 and clears up by f/2.8 to f/4.0, where some corner astigmatism becomes visible before resolving around f/5.6; focus shift is noticeable when stopping down past f/1.4, which can affect rangefinder focusing [1].

Flare resistance Flare control is the weakest area; veiling flare with light sources outside the frame remains an issue, though the Mark II's revised coatings remove some colored artifacts [1].

History

Development and Launch Mr. Ding had worked in the lens market for some time on projects such as conversion kits before releasing this first all-original 50mm design [2]. The lens debuted late in 2021 under the Syoptic label, then was reissued as the official Mr. Ding Noxlux with mechanical and ergonomic improvements, including the move to a 58 mm filter thread that made the body slightly shorter and lighter than the Syoptic original [1][2].

Production Evolution A Mark II revision followed, reversing the aperture ring direction, adding a reversible screw-in hood, and changing the coatings; reviewers also refer to it as version 2.1 and note refined tooling and the removal of external screws [1][2]. Both black and silver finishes have been catalogued [2].

Special editions No major factory special editions of the Noxlux DG 50mm f/1.1 are widely documented beyond the standard black and silver finishes and the Mark I and Mark II generations.

Collector Notes Buyers should distinguish the early Syoptic-branded examples from the official Mr. Ding Noxlux, and the Mark I from the Mark II, since the later version corrects the reversed aperture ring and adds a hood [1][2]. Lenses sourced through general marketplaces may be OEM examples sold without the manufacturer's product support, a point reviewers flag [1]. Because the design uses unit focus, expect viewfinder blockage on rangefinder bodies that worsens at close focus, and verify rangefinder calibration, which is user-adjustable [1].

Sources

• [1] phillipreeve.net (Bastian Kratzke). Review: Mr. Ding Optics 50mm 1.1 Noxlux M. https://phillipreeve.net/blog/review-mr-ding-optics-50mm-1-1-noxlux-m/
• [2] 35mmc (Vincent Bihler). Mr.Ding Noxlux 50mm f1.1 review. https://www.35mmc.com/27/11/2023/mr-ding-noxlux-50mm-f1-1-review-by-vincent-bihler/