Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/05/06

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Subject: Re: [Leica] 16 mm Hologon for M
From: Claes Bjerner <claes.bjerner@pi.se>
Date: Wed, 6 May 98 22:49:34 +0100

Gerd Hechtfischer wrote:

>Realize, that you can buy your dedicated G1 body, only for use with
>the Hologon, for much less money!!

That=B4s the same conclusion I reached when I until six months ago =
considered a 16mm Hologon conversion. Instead I bought a Contax G2 =
body with the Hologon. Both body and lens were demos in perfect =
condition and I got the package for just about US$2280. Mind you, =
this was in Tokyo! 

But what=B4s more important before one makes a firm decision is =
whether the Hologon lens really is what you need! Keep in mind that =
the Hologon is of very limited use. And it=B4s certainly not made for =
casual snapshots or for regular news photography. It=B4s even =
difficult to use handheld since it has to be perfectly leveled. And =
with its largest apperture of f8 it needs pretty long exposure times. =
One can forget about shooting moving objects with films slower than =
400ASA! 

On the other hand, if you - like me - need to photograph old =
buildings in narrow streets a super wide angle like the Hologon is =
the only lens that can do the job. 

Claes