KOWA PROMINAR 8.5mm F2.8 MFT

[Zoom] Wide-zoom | Standard-zoom | Tele-zoom | High-zoom  
[Fixed-focal] Wide angle | Standard | Telephoto | Macro

"Kowa" is a drug company and famous for "Colgen Kowa" (cold remedy in Japan). But, this company had also been a manufacturer of optical equipment for more than 60 years and they had also been making cameras for consumers as well. And, the camera they sold for the first time had a lens called "Prominar" and it was 1954. So, this lens has a long history. Even though they had withdrawn from the camera business, they continued to use the name "Prominar" for their spotting scopes and binoculars. And now, the name is back for the three prime MF lenses for the micro four-thirds mount: the 8.5mm F2.8, the 12mm F1.8, and the 25mm F1.8. And, this article reports the widest 8.5mm F2.8.

( Photography / Text : NB )

What surprised me is the number of the elements which is as many as 17. Two of them are XD (extra low dispersion) glasses and one of the rear group is aspherical. The lens feels pretty heavy and this isn't just because of the number of elements but also of the sturdy metal barrel made with special care. The torque of the focus ring is so smooth and just right. In other words, all you need is a touch of finger to feel the high precision of this product.

The key feature of this lens is its extremely low distortion (0.12%) even though it's an ultra wide 17mm (angle of view; 106 degrees) in 35mm format. Another strengths of this lens are the fast F2.8 speed and the 20cm minimum focus distance. The image above shows the shallow depth of field at wide open and the minimum focus distance. I focused on the rear end of the car which is just 5cm long, but the rear wheel is already out of focus. The bokeh is very natural and grows beautifully from the foreground to the background.

The 0.12% distortion value isn't just for show and it's simply stunning. And, this naturally leads the viewer's eye to the central vanishing point. Remember that this is a true MF lens with no electric contacts with the body. And, this means the extra low level of distortion is realized only by its optics.

The lines are straight even though I shot from an extreme angle.

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There's a great luminance gap in this shot. The indoor is shadow because of the bright outdoor, but I'd like you to take a close look at the top left of the frame. There're blue and white ribbons hung from the ceiling, and the reproduction of the blue color is great even though it's dark. And, the image quality of dark corners is one of the important factors determining the optical performance. Of course, we also need a good camera for high image quality. However, I don't think we can get this image quality without the lens making the best use of the sensor's dynamic range. So, I was not only impressed by the low distortion, but also by the solid color reproduction even in the low light condition.

I metered the outside view on this image, too. Again, the color reproduction of the polka-dot pattern is great. It looks like this lens works in close cooperation with the body because it's neither too quiet nor too vivid. In other words, it's realistic.

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Encompassing angle of view

The angle of view is equivalent to 17mm in 35mm format. Because I use lenses from 24mm to 50mm regularly, it took me a while until I got used to this wide angle of view. The big gap between I imagined and the one I see in the viewfinder made me realize that this lens is not designed to crop the same but to encompass it. Once I understood this, all I did was trying to encompass the subjects. And, interestingly, this approach was completely opposite to my preconception that shooting photography means cropping.

At this moment, the Prominar 8.5mm F2.8 MFT is the widest prime lens for the micro four-thirds mount (except for the fisheye). This uniqueness by itself makes a good excuse for getting this lens, but I'm sure that photographers are also fascinated by its straightforward approach of dropping the electronic connection with the body.
* This lens can't be used with the Panasonic LUMIX DMC-G1.

( 17.04.2015 )