15mm vs 21mm Voigtlander lens

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CCRR152

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I have a Bessa R3A camera and want a wide angle lens but do not know which to choose. I am considering the 15/4.5 ASPH Super Wide Heliar or the 21mm/4 P Color-Skopar. Which has the better performance, usage, and practicality for landscape photography?
 
The 21 Vignettes less. Both are very sharp stopped down. I've owned and used both extensively and preferred the 21mm. 15mm is VERY wide, perhaps too wide for most landscape shots.
The 21mm M Mount I had is a lovely handling lens too, with a big focus tab
 
Both are great lenses.

But: you might rethink the requirement for landscape photography. I find longer lenses much more useful.
 
Thanks for the replies. I think the 21mm is the one I will buy; it does not requie a separate view finder and is what I have in my Nikon SLR system. I will look at the 75mm and 90mm lenses for the tele application.
 
I think the 21mm is the one I will buy; it does not require a separate view finder ...

With the R3A I believe you will need a separate 21mm VF. With the R4* you don't.
 
I find that the 15 is more fun. But in a novelty manner. It's a *lot* of fun though. I don't get *that* many great shots with it, but I do get a few nice ones. However, I think I ultimately get a larger number of better shots with a 21. But I also get a larger number of crappy shots with the 21. With the 15 I'm consistently mediocre 🙂
 
Tim Gray said:
I find that the 15 is more fun. But in a novelty manner. It's a *lot* of fun though. I don't get *that* many great shots with it, but I do get a few nice ones. However, I think I ultimately get a larger number of better shots with a 21. But I also get a larger number of crappy shots with the 21. With the 15 I'm consistently mediocre 🙂
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interesting...some of my favourite shots were done with the 15 on my rd1 and some of my worst as well.
 
A 21mm is more useful on a day to day basis, especially if it's your only WA lens. A 15mm adds drama, especially for near-far compositions. If I were you, I'd get the 21mm first, and if you later think that you need wider, then get a 15mm.
 
Try the 15 for at least two rolls of film before you buy it.

I got the 21 instead, it's still very, very wide and is much more practical on a day-to-day basis.
 
giangio said:
Does the CV 15mm mount properly on your FED 2? I really like the lens but I read about some problems mounting it on the FED 2.
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It may sit minimally diagonally, depending on where the thread exit sits. This problem can arise with LTM cameras in general, not just FEDs - it's one of the advantages of the M bayonet that there is a well-defined rotational orientation.

In practice, it's unlikely to be a problem. On all Soviet LTM cameras that I own, the offset is less than a millimeters off the center mark.
If it sat 30° off or something, the built-in "hood" would intrude into the frame, but I haven't yet seen a camera where that happens (it would happen with any lens on such a camera).
 
mnmleung said:
I had trouble on FED 2 and Zorki 1. Sorry I don't have a photo to show the problem with FED 2, and I do not have the lens anymore.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mnmleung/3014557881/in/set-72157594496068171
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The plastic VF that comes with the lens was very close to the speed control on the IIIf, so I got the metal one, which is taller and took care of the problem.

The mount 'timing' should not matter - the focusing cam is not used with the 15mm. It's not rangefinder coupled. 21mm is coupled.

.
 
I had a problem on my FSU FED 3 with the 21mm when I set the lens to the nearest focus while changing lenses (normal practice with FSU cameras as it makes it easier to install a lens). The "notch" in the 21mm lens mount (allows rangefinder to follow at less than 0.9m) caught the pie shaped rangefinder follower and disturbed the adjustment. So, contrary to normal practice of racking the lens out to nearest focus, you should not with this lens or other lenses with a similar cutout.
 
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