CONTAX HOLOGON T* 16mm(Ms-optics)

Review and photo examples of Kyocera / CONTAX G mount 16mm f/8.

Gallery

写真作例の撮影は、CONTAX G1 +FUJIFILM ASTIA 100

写真作例の撮影は、LEICA M9とEPSON R-D1

Review

The Logon 16mm is a manual focus lens released by Kyocera together with the Contax G1 in 1994. Here, we will introduce a lens that was modified to Leica M mount (rangefinder camera not coupled with distance meter) by Ms-optics (Miyazaki Optical).

The lens’s appearance is very eye-catching and unique in the camera section.
The CONTAX G series lenses include four prime lenses from 28mm to 90mm and one zoom lens of 35-70, all made in Japan, but this lens is the only one that is “Made in Germany by Carl Zeiss”.

The lens specifications are dark with a fixed aperture of F8, and there is a large amount of vignetting. Therefore, unless you attach a dedicated filter that darkens the F value to F16 to suppress this, you cannot obtain an image with a good amount of light even at the periphery.

In addition, this lens is a manual focus (MF) lens that does not support the autofocus (AF) of the CONTX G series. Therefore, it has a focus lever on the lens barrel. For this reason, you can often see lenses that have been modified to the Leica M mount, which has a close flange back.

Lens mount	Flange back
Contax G	29mm
LEICA M	27.8mm

The lens I own has a mount changed by Ms-optics (Miyazaki Optical), but since there is no space in the lens mount, it does not work with the rangefinder of a Leica M rangefinder camera.

As you can see in the gallery, the image is ultra-wide 16mm, but there is no distortion and draws very pleasant straight lines. The gallery is uploaded by scanning film photos, so I hope you can feel the depth of old film. At this time, 36 exposures were taken, and there were several photos with my fingers reflected in them. When shooting with film, even if you take the picture by eye, it will not be a bad photo unless you are very off.

Shooting with a digital camera is more strict about focus than with a film camera, so I think it is safe to use live view instead of eyeballing. Also, depending on the sensor installed in the camera, color casts may occur in the peripheral areas. However, this sharp image is also suitable for monochrome, so it is a lens that you should consider using in monochrome by ignoring the color.

Out of curiosity, I attached it to a HASSELBLAD X2D and took a few pictures, and I was surprised that although the image circle is overwhelmingly insufficient, there was no color cast. It seems like it would be quite practical under clear skies, so I’d like to take it out from time to time. Still, it looks beautiful when attached to the X2D.

Because the rear element of this lens protrudes, one would think it might get caught on the Leica shutter membrane, but in my experience with M-mount cameras, including the Hexar-RF, Leica M6, M8, M8.2, M9, and M, I had no problems.
However, because the lens guard is located right next to the shutter membrane, there is a risk that the membrane could bend or warp, which could lead to an accident. With a film camera, when you open the back and lift the curtain, the lens guard is right next to the membrane, which can be a bit scary.
When actually taking pictures, I think it’s safest to use a bottom grip on the camera; if you hold the camera body normally and take a picture, your fingers will be reflected in the edge of the photo if you’re not careful. I suffered from this a few times in the film era. In many ways, it’s a lens that you use at your own risk.

This lens has a very large and beautiful front element, and although it is not practical, it is satisfying to look at, and since I have a complete collection of modified G lenses, I keep it, although I use it very rarely.
As you can see from the lens construction diagram, the bonding of the front element is tricky, and I have seen some lenses that have peeled off, called balsam peeling, and air bubbles have appeared. It seems that it was repaired in the past, but I am not sure if it is now.
Repair Service Suwa, a repair company that specializes in CONTAX, says that lens repairs are on a case-by-case basis, so if you have a lens that concerns you, I think it is worth considering them.

The included viewfinder is a rare type with a spirit level, but the image appears distorted and it cannot be said to be a good external viewfinder. When I used it with a film camera, I decided the frame using a Zeiss 15mm viewfinder or a Voigtlander angle viewfinder (15mm attachment).
Since EVFs are in their heyday, this is unlikely to be used much, and it’s not particularly practical, so if it comes as a bonus you’re lucky, but if it doesn’t, there’s no need to go out of your way to get it.

On the second-hand market, you can see both the original G mount and modified M mount.

It is assumed that because it is not very practical, it doesn’t sell, or buyers quickly sell it.
I bought mine back in the film era, so I remember being able to get it second-hand for under 100,000 yen. Including the cost of modifying it to an M mount, it would be about 100,000 yen, but currently it is being sold for around 200,000 yen second-hand, so the price seems to be stable at a high level.

Chinese companies release homages to many lenses, but there is little market demand for this lens, and it is heavy and seems like it would be a pain to process, so it’s unlikely they’ll be interested in reproducing it.

Specification and Competitor

Name	HOLOGON	BIOGON	BIOGON	PLANAR	PLANAR	SONNAR	VARIO SONNAR
Focal length(mm)	16.5	21	28	35	45	90	35-70
Max aperture	8(fixed)	2.8	←	2	←	2.8	3.5-5.6
Min aperture	16(Attached filter)	22	←	16	←	22	←
Lens Construction	5elements in 3groups	9elements in 7groups	7elements in 5groups	←	6eleme0nts in 4group	5elements in 4groups	13elements in 8groups
Min distance(m)	0.3	0.5	0.5 0.8(*2)←	0.5	←	1.0	←
Lens length(mm)	11	35.5	30.5	31.5	38.5	63.0	54.0
Max diameter(mm)	57	59	56	56	56	56	60
Filter size(mm)	– Dedicated ND filters are available. Changes to f/8 > 16 to alleviate peripheral light attenuation.	55	46	46	46	46	46
Weight(g)	120	200	150	160	190	240	290
Weight(g) M-mount	124	151	194 (222)*1	115	161	219 (259)*1	–
Release date	1994	1996	1994	1996	1994	1994	1999