LEICA S with HC f3.5 35mm

Standard wide-angle lens for use with Leica S

A review of using the HASSELBLAD HC35mm with the LEICA S typ 007.

Gallery

Review

The HC 35mm is a huge lens that is different from the 35mm focal length lenses of typical SLR cameras, and it truly has the feel of a medium format wide-angle lens.
The HC35mm I own is a FUJIFILM brand with SUPER EBC FUJINON, and the lens firmware is old, so I cannot use autofocus with the HASSELBLAD X2D.
However, I can use autofocus with the LEICA S typ007, and I am satisfied with both the focus speed and focus accuracy.

Among the medium format lenses I own with a focal length of 35mm, I have this HASSELBLAD HC35, the CONTAX DISTAGON 35, and the HASSELBLAD HCD35-90. Comparing the shooting results, I feel that the image quality is HC35 > DISTAGON35 = HCD35-90. The 35mm range of the DISTAGON 35mm and HCD 35-90 gives a slight distortion at the periphery of the shot, but the HC 35mm shot has a pleasant depiction with no distortion even at the periphery, showing that the size of the HC 35mm is not just for show.

LEICA S has the latest design SUMMARIT-S 35mm ASPH. As of 2023, there are quite a few used ones available, so I am interested in the depiction of the latest 35mm lenses, but 35mm is saturated, so I have not yet decided to purchase one.

However, this size is a problem and there are few opportunities to take it out. In terms of frequency of carrying it out, if you want to cover everything with one lens, you will want the zoom HCD 35-90, if you want lightness, the DISTAGON 35mm, and if you want width, you will want the HCD 28mm or HCD 24mm. And it is true that people want 35mm lenses to be light and portable.

If the HCD35mm had been released, I think it would have increased the presence of the HCD lenses as the wide-angle brothers if it had had the same size lens barrel as the HCD28mm. The HCD35mm was never made, and was swept away by the wave of zoom lenses as the HCD35-90. If the HCD35mm had existed, the HC35mm would never have been purchased, and it’s an interesting coincidence.

35mm is a focal length that does not exist in XCD lenses, and it is interesting to see whether 35mm is the ultimate or forgotten focal length for Hasselblad. This lens has many features, such as a large barrel like a big ship, a large front lens that does not sacrifice peripheral light, and a high-speed drive with rear focus, but the old HC35mm model is quite cheap on the used market.
It was not renewed to 2 type, and it is an inconspicuous lens, but it has a definite presence when you use it. I hope that FUJIFILM G users will also use it without being intimidated by the size of the lens.