Carl Zeiss Hologon - history, versions, knowledge, links, pictures

Thank you, Highway!

The table isn't Art-Deco by the way, but early 19th century mahogany. The chairs are ordinary copies of Thonet-furniture.

Erik.
 
Yes Erik, the portrait especially is surprising!

Here are a few vertical shots, something fresh to me but great fun with a super wide angle:

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These were all shot with Contax Hologon 16/8 + 4x centre filter on a Leica M Monochrom. I used also the menu coding as WATE @16mm to further reduce light falloff from the digital sensor.
 
Thank you, Dirk. Your shots are very nice!

If your shots are taken trough the filter, it is clear that the digital sensor is very sensitive for the cos4-vignetting.

Erik.
 
I have mine converted to Leica-M, but the conversion is reversible. I have it mounted on a Leica MDa, but guess what: I've never made a single shot with it.

Erik.
 
Erik, if you can, try out the LEICA Universal wide angle finder (aka Frankenfinder) with the Hologon. It allows for more precise framing, has a nicer bubble level and it is really not that much larger than the Contax finder (having to remove it to rewind the film beging it’s only downside).
 
I wonder why some conversions are permanent and others are reversible. Is there anything special about the conversions that are permanent?
Don Goldberg wrote me that his conversion to M mount must be permanent and that he only does 2-3 such conversions per year.
 
raid said:
I wonder why some conversions are permanent and others are reversible. Is there anything special about the conversions that are permanent?
Don Goldberg wrote me that his conversion to M mount must be permanent and that he only does 2-3 such conversions per year.
Click to expand...

Mine is a conversion that is in fact an adapter. It was available only for a short time. On the front of the lens there are four screws visible. When you take them out, the optical head of the lens comes loose. The adapter is in fact another focusing mount, but with a Leica M fitting instead of a Contax G fitting. You can simply fix the lenshead on it with the same four screws.

To mount the lens on a normal M Leica the back of the focusing lever must be filed off, if not it will be blocked by the frame selector lever of the M Leica. If you do not want to do this, you can mount the lens on an M Leica without a frame selector lever, such as a very early M3 or an MDa.

Erik.
 
Thanks for the explanation, Erik. I have already sent DAG my lens, so it will be a Permanent M lens for me. The challenge will be taking color images on a digital Leica so that the color problems will be minimal (hopefully). If I don't manage to get acceptable results with color, I will (for a while) practice using this lens with B&W where things seem to look fine in the images that are posted online with this lens.
 
I've never seen pictures made with a digital Leica and the Hologon. I hope that you'll post them here.

On film Leicas the lens is great (from what I've seen).

Erik.
 
I can always use the lens on my M3 and M6 cameras! I am excited to be able very soon to use such a lens. Many have suggested that I should not get this lens and buy instead a CV lens that has been corrected for digital sensors, but I have been intrigued by what I have read about the Hologon.
 
Yes, the Hologon is evolved from the Hypergon from Goerz (1900), in fact a very simple lens: two meniscus lenses with on all the four surfaces the same curvature and the Topogon and Hologon lenses in the 1950's and 1970's.

The Hologon 16mm f/8 is the best of them all because of the multicoating. The pictures have a very fine tonal quality in my opinion, are beautifully sharp, and without any distortion.

Erik.
 
I agree with you on the lens being special. This is what has intrigued me so much. I have in my mind each day some vision of how I want to use this lens. I want (for example) to sit on the beach and at the edge of the Gulf of Mexico water, and then I want to frame the shades of blue in the sky and in the water, with the sand in the foreground. I wonder if using this lens can help me get some creative images out.
 
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The Hypergon had an f/stop in the form of a wheel with small blades that had to turn around during exposure. This had the same purpose as the graduated filter that is delivered with the modern Hologon.

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This is very interesting information, Erik. It makes me wish to see some images that were taken by such lenses.
 
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