Glass Bodies a variant-level encyclopedia of vintage lenses and cameras by iwillpat

Hologon T* 16mm f/8 (Contax G)

Carl Zeiss · Contax G · 1994 · Hologon — three-group symmetrical, 5e/3g

Also known as: Contax G Hologon 16mm f/8 · Hologon 16mm f/8 · Hologon T* 8/16 · Contax Hologon 16mm · Zeiss Hologon 16mm G

Variants & identification

Variant Mount Years Serial ranges Production
Hologon T* 16mm f/8 (Contax G) Contax G 1994–2005 — Unpublished — Kyocera released no figures
  1. Weight: 120 g (Wikipedia) or 125 g plus a 45 g centre filter (BastianK's scale). Both are given.
  2. Whether an unmodified G1 takes the Hologon is stated both ways — camera-wiki lists the 21, 35 and zoom as needing the green-label update; Casual Photophile says the green label admits the 16 and 35. Unresolved here.
How to tell them apart (expand)

Hologon T* 16mm f/8 (Contax G):

  • Fixed f/8, no diaphragm; scale focus, no autofocus; centre filter bayonets to the front
  • Made in Germany — every other G lens says Japan

Specifications

Formula
Hologon — three-group symmetrical, 5e/3g
Construction
5 elements / 3 groups
Aperture range
f/8–f/8
Min. focus
0.3 m
Weight
120 g
Years manufactured
1994–2005
Country
Germany
Coating
Carl Zeiss T* multicoating
Original price
US$3,000 (1995, Popular Photography via Wikipedia) (today $6,170)

What reviewers say

History

The one Contax G lens Zeiss made in Germany, and the one that does not autofocus: a Hologon of five elements in three groups at a fixed f/8, focused by scale, with a bayonet-fitted two-stop centre filter to level the four stops of fall-off, a 106° diagonal, and 120 grams. Sold from 1994 at $3,000, the price of a G1 with two lenses. Its 1972 ancestor, the 15mm f/8 for the Leica M, is on its own page.

BastianK: “the Hologon is the Tardis of lenses, as it actually is bigger on the inside than outside” — near-zero distortion, good to very good sharpness across the frame on film and on thin-stack digital sensors, 3.9 stops of vignetting without the filter, a magenta cast on a Leica M10 and none on film. Converted to M mount by dealers at about $450 a time, it is what most examples now are.

Expand Collapse

This history is AI-written, from the sources listed at the foot of the page. Where the record is silent it says so rather than filling the gap — but no human wrote these sentences.

Example photos

Sample photo wanted — shot with a Hologon T* 16mm f/8 (Contax G)? We'd love to feature it (with credit).

Live listings

Asking price, USD: a median of $1,200 across 32 fixed-price listings on 2026-09-11 (middle half $1,000–$1,300). Tracked since 2026-09-10, 2 days: unchanged from $1,200.

By day
DateMedianMiddle halfListings
2026-09-11$1,200$1,000–$1,30032
2026-09-10$1,200$1,000–$1,30030

Asking prices from the listings scanned, not sales; junk-flagged rows and auction lots excluded; other currencies are not converted.

Show 42 more listings

Listings updated 2026-09-11. Links go to the shop or marketplace that carries the item.

Related: Biogon T* 21mm f/2.8 (Contax G) · Hologon 15mm f/8

Sources (4)

Every page here is assembled from public sources, and the gaps are real ones. If you own this lens, know a serial number I'm missing, or can see where I have it wrong, tell me — corrections, serials and sample photos are all worth having.