Voigtlander Ultra-Wide-Heliar 12mm f/5.6 Aspherical Lens

[bono0272]

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Would any members can advise the experiences or comments on this lens?

 

Thanks a lot.

[offshore]

Would any members can advise the experiences or comments on this lens?

 

Thanks a lot.

I bought one to use on my M8. I typically use black and white mode and photograph scenics and landscapes. The lens is very well made, easy to operate and certainly a bargain compared to other ultra-wides. For me the tonal range, particularly the gray range, was flat as were the shadows. Detail in highlight and shadow was not captured as well as my Leitz lenses and I just did not like the perspective. Sharpness also fell off in the background compared to my 21 Elmarit and overall contrast was missing. I have since sold the lens and gone back to my 21 mm F2.8 Elmarit as my primary wide. Yes, I know all the problems I stated here can be corrected in processing but for travel and hiking I want as few lenses as possible to carry and be able to get what I want with as little processing as possible. On my recent trip to Mexico I left the 12 behind, did not miss it and used my 21 for 90% of my photographs.

There are many users of Voigtlander lenses on this forum who swear by them and it might boil down to inconsistent quality control issues but I've used the Voigtlander 12, 15, 25, 35, 50 and 75 in the past and always come back to the Leitz lenses which for me give better overall image quality.

Perhaps you should purchase one for yourself from someone who has a liberal return policy and see if it meets your needs. If anyone wants the 77 mm filter adapter I have a new one in box that I'll sell below the going price so contact me by email.

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[wstotler]

Would any members can advise the experiences or comments on this lens?

 

Thanks a lot.

 

Know you asked about the 12mm. I can't comment on the 12mm, but as an owner of a 15mm I can say I've found it to be a great value and it's almost universally appreciated/liked on the forum by its many owners. Tiny size, price, and performance are leading factors. Thanks, Will.

[earleygallery]

You should find plenty of images if you search the photo forums.

 

I don't own one but wish I did - the photo's I've seen with it are of excellent quality, the skill is in using such a wide lens to its best advantage.

 

The finder is really nice too!

[JHAG]

There's a fine piece here :

Leica User Forum Classifieds - Voigtlander Heliar 12 mm - Powered by PhotoPost Classifieds

[johnastovall]

Great lens on the M8. I have and the 15 and use it far more than the 15. Here's just one example of what it will do.

 

[Guest volkerm]

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I use it with film, and enjoy the wide angle of view for "surprising" views.

 

The mechnical quality of the lens is just fine, and the center sharpness is very good even wide open. Corner sharpness is "good enough" for me. The only (minor) issue to me is the strong barrel distortion of the 12mm viewfinder, which makes it difficult to align the camera based on what I see in the viewfinder.

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[mike_j]

Great little lens. Buy a used one and if you don't like it sell it for what you paid. You have nothing to loose.