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

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Subject: Re: [Leica] 16 mm Hologon for M
From: "Patrick G. Sobalvarro" <pgs@sobalvarro.org>
Date: Wed, 06 May 1998 14:18:19 -0700

Claes Bjerner wrote:
> > But what=B4s more important before one makes a firm decision is wheth=
er the Hologon lens really is what you need! Keep in mind that the Hologo=
n is of very limited use. And it=B4s certainly not made for casual snapsh=
ots or for regular news photography. It=B4s even difficult to use handhel=
d 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 mo=
ving objects with films slower than 400ASA!
>=20
> 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 th=
at can do the job.

Also if you like to photograph industrial sites, or rockets.  I was in Or=
lando
recently for a conference and played hooky for a day to go out to the Ken=
nedy
Space Center.  Now there is a place worth going to.  They have a Saturn V=
 in a
building made to house it.  It is truly astounding.  Without a 21mm lens,=
 it
would be difficult to get even the bottom end in the frame.  I used a 21
Super-Angulon on an R6.2, and I kept a 28 on an R6 (B+W vs. color), and o=
ften
the 28 just couldn't encompass what I was trying to put in the frame.

Similarly with industrial landscapes, one is often unable to get sufficie=
ntly
far away to encompass the area of interest with anything but a very wide =
lens.

At the Kennedy Space Center I ran into a gentleman, apparently a tourist =
from
Scandinavia, although we didn't speak for long enough for me to be sure, =
who
was using an R4 with a Leica perspective control lens -- either the 28 or=
 the
35, I'm not sure which.  He was very nice and we exchanged a couple of re=
marks
about Leicas.  I find myself wondering whether he might be a list member.

- -Patrick