Voigtlander ULTRA WIDE HELIAR VM 12mm

VM mount 12mm wide-angle lens

A review and photo examples of the Voigtlander ULTRA WIDE HELIAR VM 12mm F5.6.

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Gallery

The sample photos were taken with the LEICA M8.2.

1．Overview

The Voigtlander Ultra Wide Heliar 12mm F5.6 is an ultra-wide-angle lens with a focal length of 12mm.

The lens consists of 10 elements in 8 groups, and the minimum shooting distance is 0.5m.
The lens mount is a Leica M-compatible VM mount, and it works with the rangefinder of a rangefinder camera up to 0.7m.

The total length of the lens is 42.5mm from the mount surface to the tip of the hood, and a 67mm filter can be attached without any options.

2．Usage

This lens was only used with the M8.2, so it was not used with a 35mm full-frame sensor. When used with the M8.2 APS-H sensor, the shooting range is 12*1.33=16mm.

As you can see from the sample images, there is no peripheral vignetting or lack of resolution.

The front of the lens is wide open like a petal in order to screw the 67mm filter directly onto the lens. It is a much larger lens than the previous model, the 12mm L39 screw-mount version, which has the same lens configuration.

The viewfinder was the CONTAX G HOLOGAN 16mm and COSINA ZEISS 15mm viewfinders to match the shooting range. The viewfinder of the HOLOGAN 16mm is not very good, but it has a spirit level built into it, which is useful when taking pictures with a level.

The lens is linked to the M8.2 rangefinder, so when shooting a subject at about 0.7m to 2m wide open, if you properly align the double image, the image at the focal point will be properly resolved. With the addition of this rangefinder linkage mechanism, the minimum shooting distance was limited to 0.5m. The lens barrel has 0.3m and 0.4m notations1, but these are guides for the position where the focus is achieved when using depth of field, and the focus ring on the lens itself can only move up to 0.5m.

The original Ultra Wide Heliar 12mm L39 screw mount version (hereinafter referred to as the original) can physically get as close as 0.3m, so it is more convenient when used with a mirrorless camera.

3．Add info.

The first 12mm was an L39 screw mount, but in the second generation it was changed to an M mount, and it has been released up to the third generation. From the third generation, a SONY E mount version was also released, which has been improved to meet the digital age, such as shortening the minimum shooting distance and transmitting lens information to the camera.

As mentioned above, the minimum shooting distance for the L39 screw mount version is 0.3m, and for the VM version it is 0.5m.

The VM mount version is positioned as a general-purpose lens, and is a lens to be used via a mount adapter for minor mirrorless cameras that are not expected to sell well enough to create a dedicated mount.

Decades ago, it was unimaginable that the M mount, which was a solitary mount in the SLR era, would establish itself as a universal mount.

As of 2024, the Heliar Hyper Wide 10mm, which was initially sold alongside the 10mm focal length, is still on sale, but the 12mm focal length lens has been discontinued.

Specification

Items	Ultra Wide Heliar 12mm 1st Generation	2nd Generation	3rd Generation	Heliar Hyper Wide 10mm
Focal length(mm)	12	12	12	10
Max aperture	5.6	5.6	5.6	5.6
Min aperture	22	22	22	22
Aperture blade	9	9	10	10
Lens Construction	10 elements in 8 groups, 1 aspherical lens	10 elements in 8 groups, 1 aspherical lens	12 elements in 10 groups	13 elements in 10 groups
Min distance(m)	0.3 (non-rangefinder coupled)	0.5 (rangefinder coupled 0.7m)	0.5(VM) 0.3(E)	0.5(VM) 0.3(E)
Lens mount	L39 screw	VM	VM	VM
Lens length(mm)	38.2	42.5	58.4	58.7
Lens Max diameter(mm)	50.5	74.6	64.8	67.8
Filter Size(mm)	77mm when using optional filter adapter	67	Cannot be installed	Cannot be installed
Lens hood	Dedicated flower-shaped hood	Lens built-in	Lens built-in	Lens built-in
Weight(g)	162	230	283 350(E)	312 375(E)
Release date	2000.9	2010.3	2016.9	2016.7
Price(Yen/No-tax)	105,000 (silver) 108,000 (black)	89,250	115,000	135,000