Hologon

[arthury]

What's so special about this lens? Isn't this an exaggerated version of a Biogon? They used gold for lens coating?


eBay: Leica M-Mount Lens 8/15mm Hologon for Leica-M Leitz + F (item 280072249029 end time Jan-25-07 14:40:33 PST)

[Canfred]

Hi Arthur , if you like to know more about hte "old" Hologon you can do so Dr. Erhard Glatzel was the designer for Zeiss. Use Google ,I thought
references to auctions are not encouraged here.

[lll]

The Hologon is a very special lens. In the very first beginning it was grounded out of one single piece of glass. Two "waists" formed a three lens-design. When it came out in the late sixties it represented the widest lens you could get for 35mm and convinced with superb quality: nearly no distortion and more than sufficient sharpness even in the corners. Of course there could be no diaphragm built in, you had to deal with f8 all the time and normally you should have used the supplied centrefilter as well. The lens was designed for a Contarex-style camera body without mirrorbox but with a WA-finder instead of a prism.

When Zeiss Ikon ceased camera production in 1971 or 72, a few pre produced Hologons remained. They were of the second design, traditionally built of three cemented lenses, as the first type got problems under rough climates. It simply cracked in one of the "Waists".

Leitz bought the left over lenses from Zeiss and fitted them into a M-mount, built a separate finder and an appropriate centrefilter for the new mount. Dont ask me for the exact production number, I have heard numbers from 200 to max 1000. The lens itself was a legend from the Zeiss beginnings, never built in big quantities, and the economical cooperation Zeiss - Leitz was a little sensation. So be glad even to have only a look at a complete set in the e-bay ad.

Zeiss tried a revitalisation of the Hologon for their Kyocera built Contax G. But they left the revolutionary design, went back to 16mm and could not get the reputation of the first type again. In spite of that some german camera workshops offered G-Hologons converted to M-mount. The Hologon-Hype was superseeded at least by the VC 15mm in LTM / M-adaptor. And, interesting too, Zeiss went back more to the Biogon design with their current 18 and 15mm M-lenses.

Friedhelm

BTW, Arthur, thank you for the link!

[arthury]

Friedhelm,

Thanks for your detailed descriptions. Very interesting to read and almost entertaining!
With Zeiss success in re-introducing Biogons back into the market for 35mm thru their ZM lenses, may be a revisit of the Hologon design may resume.

[svenning]

Dear Arthur Yeo (Sammamish, WA),

You have brought up a very interesting subject :-))

The Hologon lens is one of the things which could animate me to buy the Leica M8 camera (!)

However - I would first like to see the 16mm Hologon lens made in Leica-M mount and not adapted to the M-system (!).

All the best - Svenning, Denmark.

PS: The picture was bummed on the internet :-))

[svenning]

Just to follow-up:

Does any of your Leica 15mm F/8 owners have any pictures to share with the rest of us?

I have read that the Voitlaender 15mm lens is a better choise over the Hologon?

All the best - Svenning, Denmark.