Cosina has just released a new, Voigtländer branded ultra-wide lens for the M mount. The Heliar 12mm f5.6 Aspherical II is a rectilinear lens that has an angle of view of 121° when mounted on an M series Leica - except for the cropped-sensor M8 and M8.2 - or any other rangefinder camera that uses the M mount (except for the Epson R-D1xG and its predecessors sporting APS-C sized imagers). The new version offers more precise focusing and accepts filters without a filter adapter. Consturcted of 10 elements in 8 groups, the Heliar 12mm f5.6 Aspherical II will retail for 85,000 yen without taxes. The separately sold 12mm auxiliary viewfinder will set you back another 34,500 yen. There is no word on international availability just yet.

Via 1001 Noisy Cameras

Update: Photoscala reports that the new lens shall be available in the German market in the early summer, for about €1,000. The external finder will cost approximately €450.

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