Sydney Trades Hall with the Voigtländer Nokton 17.5mm/1:0.95 and Panasonic GX9

This is the fourth of a series of articles showcasing pictures taken on the Voigtländer Nokton 17.5mm/1:0.95. These pictures were taken at the heritage-listed Sydney Trades Hall, and showcases the lens ability to capture murals and indoor details, often at relatively low light.

According to Wikipedia, the Sydney Trades Hall is a heritage-listed trade union building designed by John Smedley, with later additions Spain and Cosh and Minnett and built from 1888 to 1916. The building was built and owned by the Trades Hall Association, the original trade union affiliates who built the hall in 1888, and is now owned by Unions NSW. The property was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

This building has a lot of historical significance as the birthplace of the Union movement in Australia as well as the NSW branch of the Australian Labor Party. It’s only partially open to the public, which meant I was restricted to a few staircases and corridors as well as the central atrium (the result of a 2003 renovation).

I found that although there were no issues using the lens for capturing indoor murals and art, there wasn’t sufficient colour saturation or contrast to make me feel completely happy with the results.

For more information on the Heliar 17.5mm lens, check out my initial impressions article and other articles in the series: