12mm/f5.6 Voigtlaender Ultra-Wide Heliar for Bessa-L (M39)

[Willem-Jan Markerink <w.j.markerink@xxxxx>]

Some spec's are hard to believe at first....but this one is
true....a German friend mentioned a new 12mm rectilinear
(non-fisheye) Voigtlaender lens, according to the German
FotoMag....not having this magazine (yet), I was more than
suspicious, until he sent me a scan of the article....not just a
rumour, but a fat confident press-release....

To take away the first scare, it's 'only' slightly over US$1000, not 
cheap, but still remarkably low for what is essentially an extreme 
niche lens....
Cosina (the actual factory, Voigtlaender is just a brandname, owned 
by a chain of German shops (RingFoto)) has gone through great lengths 
to make this lens as high-end as possible....classical symmetrical 
(non-retrofocus) design, with a double-aspheric element (is that 
new??), overall optical quality at least on par with the 15mm Heliar.

121 degree angle of view, 10 elements, 8 groups, 0.3m minimum focus, 
length 38mm, 162 gramm, optional sun-shade with filterholder.
Separate viewfinder (just as the 15mm Heliar), which on itself might 
be a cute solution for those shooting with the Rodenstock 35mm on 
6x12....same angle of view (but of course a much larger view 
vertically!)

<grin>
Me thinks that some of you will have to fabricate new gears for their 
homebuild rotating cameras....:))


--                 
Bye,

Willem-Jan Markerink

      The desire to understand 
is sometimes far less intelligent than
     the inability to understand

<w.j.markerink@xxxxx>
[note: 'a-one' & 'en-el'!]