Leica M FullFrame & Fisheye: Experiences With The Fisheye Lense MC-Zenitar-M 16/2.8

To play and experiment with my fullframe Leica M is a big pleasure for me. Therefor, the range of my focuslengths is large. One of my lenses is the fisheye lense MC-Zenitar-M 16/2.8 (with M mount adapter).

This lense has an angle of view in the diagonal of 180°. the full effect of the fisheye is reached when it is mounted on a small film camera with an image size of 36 x24 mm or a digital camera with the same size of the image sensor. From the Rangefinder Cameras of the series Leica M, the film cameras (M1-M7, MP) or the newer digital cameras Leica M9, Leica M Monochrome, Leica M (Typ 240), Leica M10 and others match the small film size (fullframe). Only the Leica M8 has a cropped sensor.

The Equipment

The equipment consists of

lense MC Zenitar 16/2.8
2 lense caps
M mount adapter
3 filters (yellow, green, red)
nylon carrying case

Specification

focal lenght: 16mm
lens fitting: M42x1
relative aperture; F/2.8-22
angle of view (diagonal): 180°
minimum distance when photographing: 0,3m
weight: 0,31kg

The Leica M Full Frame and the Fisheye

The lense MC Zenitar 16/2.8 is usable for the full frame Leica Ms with the reference small format (36 x 24 mm) of e.g. the film based Leica M6 or the newer digital Leica M9, Leica M Monochrom, Leica M (Type 24) or Leica M10. The following discurs is about these Leica M’s.
Only the Leica M8 is cropped (sensor 27 x 18 mm) and thereby has a limited fisheyeffect (Read about the [MC Zenitar 16/2.8 on Leica M8] or about the [Leica M8 Crop Factor].

Viewfinder

Due to the large angle of view, it need an additional viewfinder. I use the Universal Leica Viewfinder with its water level and the 16mm setting, but of course, it is only a approximative solution. For those who have the newest generations of digital Leica M’s (Type 240 and M10) , using the liveview would be the best solution.