Canon 19mm f/3.5

Canon 19mm f/3.5

When Canon announced this lens in August 1964, it was the widest lens available for any 35mm camera, edging past the contemporary offerings from Leica, Contax and Nikon and covering a diagonal field of about 96 degrees [1]. Designed by Koyanagi, it uses a nine-element, seven-group formula in a flat, almost pancake-shaped barrel, and it is frequently described as the last screw-mount rangefinder lens Canon released. Despite the extreme angle of view, it is rectilinear rather than a fisheye, and it remains coupled to the rangefinder for focusing [2]. These traits, together with low production numbers, have made it one of the most sought-after lenses in the Canon rangefinder line [3].

Optically the lens is built around nine elements in seven groups with a six-bladed diaphragm stopping down to f/16, and it focuses to half a metre [4]. The barrel is rigid and finished in black and silver with a scalloped black focusing ring, taking 55mm filters. Because it is a true wide-angle for a mirrorless rangefinder, the rear group sits deep in the body and protrudes some way into the camera, so compatibility with certain bodies should be checked before mounting. The lens has no built-in viewfinder, so an accessory 19mm finder is fitted to the accessory shoe to frame the image. As a Leica Thread Mount lens it adapts to M-mount bodies with a standard adapter.

A closely related f/3.5 was also produced in Canon FL mount for SLRs, sharing the same optical design and a similar barrel; the original SLR version was not retrofocus and required the mirror to be locked up, with a viewfinder used for framing, and was followed in late 1965 by a redesigned retrofocus FL 19mm f/3.5R that allowed normal reflex viewing[5]. The rangefinder-coupled LTM lens is optically identical to the non-retrofocus FL version, which is why FL examples are sometimes rehoused or adapted for thread-mount use. Collectors have noted that some early rangefinder lenses were marked "FL" on the name ring, and that parts sharing between the lines can make originality harder to confirm [6].

Optical qualities

Rendering Documented impressions describe crisp imaging with a measure of vintage character, and the lens is noted for remarkably low distortion and only modest vignetting for a super-wide of its era. It performs strongly stopped down, with users finding it at its best around the middle apertures where depth of field is extensive enough that precise focusing is rarely critical.

Flare resistance Pointed toward strong light, the lens is prone to pronounced flare, a behaviour several users report and sometimes use deliberately.

Digital use On digital rangefinders the deeply recessed rear element can cause problems. One user trying the rangefinder 19mm on a Leica M9 reported severe colour shift with roughly half the frame rendered blank, attributed to the proximity of the rear element to the sensor. This kind of colour cast and corner falloff is common among older wide rangefinder lenses adapted to digital sensors.

History

Development and Launch Canon introduced the 19mm f/3.5 in August 1964 as the widest lens then made for a 35mm camera, a notable engineering statement late in the rangefinder era. The screw-mount version was rangefinder-coupled and supplied for use with a matching accessory finder. According to one bibliographic record the screw-mount lens remained catalogued into the mid-1970s, well after Canon had effectively moved on to its SLR systems.

Production Evolution The same 19mm optical design migrated between Canon's lines. Alongside the rangefinder lens, an FL-mount version for SLRs appeared in 1964 with a non-retrofocus design that demanded mirror lock-up, and in November 1965 Canon released the FL 19mm f/3.5R, an inverted-telephoto (retrofocus) redesign that restored normal reflex viewing. The rangefinder LTM lens and the early FL lens are reported to be optically identical.

Special editions No major factory special editions of the rangefinder 19mm are widely documented. The principal variations are between the rangefinder-coupled LTM lens and the two FL SLR lenses, rather than within the rangefinder line itself.

Collector Notes This is a high-value lens; complete rangefinder examples with the dedicated finder command strong prices, and the finder alone is hard to find, with Voigtländer and Zeiss wide finders used as substitutes. Because Canon rangefinder serial numbering is not as clearly tracked as Nikon's, and because parts from dead bodies and lenses circulate, post-repair hybrids and FL-to-LTM conversions exist and should be examined carefully. Some genuine early rangefinder lenses are marked "FL" on the name ring, which can cause confusion when assessing originality. Buyers should confirm rangefinder coupling, matching caps and the original case where present, and verify body compatibility given how far the rear element extends into the camera.