Re: [Leica] Heliar 4,5/15mm versus Super-Elmar-R 3,5/15mm

[TTAbrahams@aol.com]

Lucien,
 I have been shooting with the Heliar for close to two month now. At the 
moment I am trying to process the last 40-45 rolls from Europe and judging 
from the first 40 rolls done and checked with a 30x loupe on the light table 
- - it is a very good lens, and as for price/performance it is truly 
outstanding. There is a noticeable vignetting at f 4,5, but that is more a 
function of the extreme wide-angle than anything else (I checked this with 
Leica's top lens man - he just stated "You can't make a 15mm with incurring 
some vignetting". On
 the Heliar it is noticeable at 4,5 and at 5,6, but is reduced by the time 
you reach f 8. Contrast is remarkably high, most of my shooting has been with 
black/white, although I did shoot some interiors in Italy with color neg. 
Color (as far as I can judge from color neg - not a good base to judge from) 
is slightly warm and a couple of other users have said if there is a color 
cast, it is slightly yellow. The problem is of course that you can't mount 
filters on the lens so corrections at "camera-level" would be difficult.
 Ten rolls where shot with slow, 32 ASA, black/white and they look very sharp 
and tight. One of the endearing features of the lens is the lightweight as 
well as the superb finder. I don't miss the brightlines in it - to 
accommodate these, the finder would have to be made considerably larger and 
bulkier. It could use a spirit level though - not holding the camera 
absolutely level is punished by some rather distorted buildings and probably 
could induce seasickness at a slideshow!
Today I was carrying around the Heliar 15/4,5 with its finder on a Leica MDa  
and my latest acquisition, the Hexar 60/1,2 on my M6 TTL HM. The Hexar is BIG 
and the Heliar feels like toy - which it most definitely isn't. What struck 
me with these two lenses, apart from being very well designed is that the 
Japanese have created finders for both of these lenses that puts Leica to 
shame. The Heliar finder and the Hexanon finder are both extremely bright 
with an almost "brighter than reality" quality to them. 
 The Heliar is a lightweight lens and I assume that the focussing helicoil 
probably will not last as long as the old 50 DR Summicron steel and brass 
one, but considering its price, it is a bargain and certainly no slouch in 
performance. 
 I haven't had a chance to process anything from the 60/1,2 yet, but I will 
let you now as soon as I get something.
All the best,
Tom A