Photographer Daran returns to the streets of downtown Toronto — this time shooting street photography exclusively with a 21mm ultra-wide. For a photographer accustomed to standard lenses, what sparks will fly with an unfamiliar focal length? Let's take a look!
By Daran Wu
Origins
I've owned the ZEISS C Biogon T* 21mm f/4.5 ZM for over a decade — bought when I first started with the M system. Back then I loved shooting with an external 21mm finder: the lens is light and easy to carry and shoot with, and for me it was a fun way to photograph. I especially loved using it when traveling abroad.
The Challenge
For street photography I habitually reach for the standard 50mm, so shooting exclusively ultra-wide is a fun challenge. The ultra-wide's broad view demands more thought in composing structure, and keeping things level is its own challenge. Ordinary shots are easy; interesting ones are not — they take some luck in encountering moments and the courage to get close to subjects.
Image Quality
The ZEISS C Biogon T* 21mm f/4.5 ZM uses a symmetrical Biogon optical design with superb distortion control — arguably the closest to a "zero-distortion" lens. Straight lines stay straight; distortion is nearly invisible. But the Biogon design places the rear element very close to the sensor/film, with steep light incidence angles that can soften peripheral imaging and darken corners. Fortunately, modern post-processing like Lightroom fixes these easily.
Adapting
The Leica SL2s is an excellent choice for adapting M lenses. The native adapter transmits lens identification (Leica M lenses only), and the large, tactile top dial defaults to magnified focus — a quick turn confirms focus intuitively.
The SL2s's in-body stabilization steadies shots with a slow lens like the ZEISS C Biogon T* 21mm f/4.5 ZM in low light — and stabilization works impressively well even in video mode.
Conclusion
The fun of ultra-wide is seeing the world through a different "view". The hard part: keeping such a broad view from turning chaotic while giving the photo a clear subject — a very different mindset from standard or telephoto shooting. It's difficult, but a rewarding self-challenge.
So let's see the ultra-wide ZEISS C Biogon T* 21mm f/4.5 ZM take on downtown Toronto once more!
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Further reading
ZM C Biogon 21mm F4.5 T*: A Near-"Zero-Distortion" Wide-Angle
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