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| Introduced in | 1966 |
|---|---|
| Author | Erhard Glatzel |
| Construction | 3 elements in 3 groups |
| Aperture | ƒ/8 |
TheZeissHologon is an ultra wide-anglef=15mmf/8triplet lens, providing a 110° angle of view for35mm format cameras. The Hologon was originally fitted to a dedicated camera, theZeiss IkonContarex Hologon in the late 1960s; as sales of that camera were poor and the Zeiss Ikon company itself was going bankrupt, an additional 225 lenses were made inLeica M mount and released for sale in 1972 as the only Zeiss-branded lenses for Leicarangefinders until the ZM line was released in 2005. The Hologon name was revived in 1994 for a recomputed f=16mmf/8 lens fitted to theContax G series of rangefinder cameras.
The Hologon was designed byErhard Glatzel [de] and others at Zeiss in 1966[1][2] and patented in 1972. It is a largely symmetric triplet with a fixed aperture; the original German patent application describes a lens with 120° angle of coverage and af/8 maximum aperture, while the US patent expands this to three related designs with different coverage angles and apertures (120°f/8, 110°f/5.6, and 90°f/8). In each design, the first and third hemispherical elements are made of optical glass with the samerefractive index.[3] At least one prototype Hologon was built in 1964 or 1965 as a large-format lens with a focal length of 110 mm.[4] It has been shown via radiograph the large format Hologon 8/110mm uses aleaf shutter between the second and third elements, with adjustments to the first and third elements to accommodate it.[5] The prototype Hologon, internally known as the Bilagon, was sold at auction in 2010 for€28,800.[6]
The name "Hologon" is derived from the Greek wordsholos, meaning "everything" or "complete", andgonia, meaning "angle";gonia contributed the final syllable -gon, which had been used in preceding Zeisswide-angle lens designs such as theZeiss Distagon andBiogon.[2] As built, the symmetrical design for the Hologon 8/15mm by Glatzel provided excellent correction ofcoma,spherical andchromatic aberration,astigmatism, andcurvature of field; the main fault wasvignetting due to the cos4 law, which was corrected by supplying a graduatedneutral density filter to make the exposure more even across the film frame.[5][7] Although the lens consists of only three elements, manufacturing proved difficult.[5]
The original Hologon (Contarex Hologon 8/15mm) was first released in 1969 as a f=15 mmf/8 lens affixed to a dedicated camera, the Zeiss Ikon Contarex Hologon. In this version, the lens is fixed focus and aperture; the size of the aperture is set by the incised notch in the second element.[5]Depth of field ranged from 0.5 m (20 in) to infinity.[8] A bubble level is fitted to the top of the (non-reflex) viewfinder.[9] Typically, a pistol grip is affixed to the Hologon camera to avoid inadvertently taking pictures of the photographer's fingers.[8][10]
Approximately 1,400 Contarex Hologon cameras were made;[7][10] production continued through 1975 in small batches.[5] In 1971, thelist price for the Hologon wasUS$825 (equivalent to $6,405 in 2024), marked up from the wholesale cost ofUS$550 (equivalent to $4,270 in 2024).[11]
The Contarex Hologon 8/15mm lens was later released as part of a set including a finder (with bubble level) and center graduated neutral density filter for Leica M cameras in 1972 (M Hologon 8/15mm). Estimates of production for the M Hologon 8/15mm range from 225 to 1,000.[12][13] The M Hologon 8/15mm gained a focusing helicoid compared to the Contarex Hologon 8/15mm, and could now be focused down to 0.2 m (7.9 in).[12][13] Because of the low production numbers and unique focal length, some lenses have been separated from the Contarex Hologon and adapted to Leica mount.[14]
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TheG Hologon 8/16mm was announced with the Contax G1 in 1994;[15] the revised G Hologon 8/16mm retained the name from the earlier Contarex and M Hologon 8/15mm, but the construction was completely different, using 5 elements in 3 groups. Zeiss claimed that contrast had been improved by moving the rear element closer to thefilm plane. The new G Hologon 8/16mm was also provided with a graduated filter to provide a more even exposure.[16] The revised construction of the G Hologon 8/16mm also simplified assembly of the lens, as the cemented groups were easier to manufacture than the hemispherical front and rear elements of the Contarex and M Hologon 8/15mm.[2] Although nominally listed as a 16 mm lens, the focal length of the G Hologon 8/16mm is actually 16.5 mm and it provides coverage of 106° on the frame diagonal.[17] The G Hologon 8/16mm was the only lens for the Contax G that was manufactured in Germany.[18]
Like the earlier Contarex 8/15mm Hologon, the G Hologon 8/16mm also has been adapted unofficially to Leica M mount.[19]
The thickness of the central positive lens is a difficulty in that the aperture stop must be placed inside this lens, and it is clearly impossible for the stop diameter to be variable in the normal way.