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Product Review:
by Chris Groenhout
Recently,
when I was asked to name my choice for the best photographic product from the
year 2000, my immediate thought was to nominate one of the many super-wide
lenses released that year. Recent computer technology made the development of
these lenses not only possible, but also affordable to amateur as well as
professional photographers. Most recently, Nikon has produced an 18-35mm zoom as
a successor to their professional 17-35mm zoom. The Nikkor 14mm has reinvented
the term "super-wide." Although it was designed for use with the D1
digital camera, it produces excellent results on the 35mm format, as well. But
the most remarkable lens of all would have to be the Voigtländer Ultra Wide
Heliar 12 mm f5.6 Aspherical Lens.
In March 2000, Voigtländer announced what is the widest (121°) rectilinear (non-fisheye) lens ever made for 35mm. In contrast, the widest previous production lens was the (now-discontinued) manual focus 13mm f5.6 Nikkor, which sells second-hand for around $8,000 (U.S.)! At a list price of $959 (also U.S.), the Heliar 12mm isn't exactly cheap--just cheaper than some other options. (A few readers may be unfamiliar with the name Voigtländer, but this company's name has been synonymous with the production of fine range-finder cameras for the past hundred years.)
A
couple of years ago, Cosina (of Japan) commenced manufacturing the Voigtländer
Bessa-L camera, followed soon after by the Bessa-R, which incorporated range
finder focusing. Both camera bodies utilize the standard Leica screw mount,
although they have more in common with modern camera design than their historic
counterparts. It was not so much the Bessa-L but the simultaneous release of the
Heliar 15mm lens that really raised eyebrows. Who knows what reaction the 12mm
will invoke?
For me, this lens redefines the term "point-and-shoot." Like the Voigtländer 15mm, the Heliar 12mm has no range finder coupling, because its incredible depth of field doesn't require it. If focus is set to 1.5 meters and the aperture set to the maximum f5.6, everything from 0.8m to infinity will be in focus. This factor, coupled with the very short focal length of 12mm, permits true "shooting from the hip" street photography, which is where this lens really excels (see examples).
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One of the best selling points of the lens is its gun-metal dedicated viewfinder, which looks as much at home on a Leica as it does on the Voigtländer Bessa L or R. The only disturbing feature of the viewfinder is the fisheye distortion of the image, that leaves the determination of parallel lines to the spirit level. This aside, the viewfinder is a pleasure to use and completes the outfit in a very stylish manner.
Falloff and linear distortion were my major concerns when I first heard about this lens, although the latter is minimized through the use of aspherical design. Falloff, on the other hand, is a problem that limits the uses to which this lens can be put. I suspected that this was to be the case, so I loaded a roll of high contrast Fujichrome Velvia to emphasize the result. Bingo! A dramatic gradation towards the edges accompanied virtually every image regardless of the aperture.
Next time I decided to be a little kinder to the lens and loaded black-and-white film. The results were nothing short of stunning! A little falloff towards the edges in a black-and-white image is generally a good thing visually--sometimes a very desirable attribute introduced in the darkroom through the use of burning in. I set out on a rainy day through the streets of Melbourne, Australia, with a single roll of Ilford HP5 Plus. Starting in the tram on the way in, my shutter speeds were around ¼ to 1/8th second and, later, 1/30 in the laneways around the city. I was surprised with the sharpness possible at such low shutter speeds and, of course, the incredible depth of field took a bit of getting used to. To its credit, the lens appears sharp right to the corners at every aperture (something that can't be said of most super-wide SLR lenses).
Architectural shot with perspective distortion (Velvia) |
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There's no argument that this is not a lens for everyone, or for every application, either, for that matter. Rather, the Heliar 12mm creates images not possible with any other lens and inspires a totally different approach to street photography in which depth of field and shutter speeds are no longer critical. Just remember to keep your hands out of the shot and keep the shots interesting though the use of foreground placement and perspective. This is no ordinary lens, but would you like it as much if it were?
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Linear Distortion - Slight (especially considering focal
length)
Flare - Minimal (considering the angle of view)
Falloff - Medium to High (refer to text)
Corner/Overall Sharpness - Very Good
Quality of Construction - Very Good
Value for Money - Excellent
Focal Length: 12 mm
Maximum Aperture: f5.6
Minimum Aperture: f22
Lens Construction: 10 elements, 8 groups
Angle of View: 121°
Number of Aperture Blades: 9
Minimum Focusing Distance: 0.3m (11.8 in.)
Lens Width: 50.5 mm (2.0 in.) excluding focus lever
Length: 38.2 mm (1.5 in.)
Weight: 162 grams (5.7 oz.)
Mount: L screw mount (can also be used on Leica bayonet with adapter)
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