Difference between 21mm and 15 mm CV?

[Spider67]

Hi,

Unexpectedly I am able to afford a new lens.
I am thinking about buying a 15mm lens......but I already have a 21mm/Color Skopar.
What is your opinion on this matter: Is the difference big enough or are they too close together performancewise?

Your comments are appreciated as I am very interested in this lens but don't knoe how it compares to the 21mm that I like very much 😕

 

[Rob-F]

I have the 21, and used to have the 15. I would not fault either for their performance. The performance-to-price is great for both. I wouldn't buy the 15 looking for a performance improvement over the 21, but I would buy it again if I needed that focal length. I will just add that 15mm is really wide! I have learned I'd rather shoot a 15 on my SLR/DSLR to be better able to judge (and exploit) its unique perspective!

 

[BillBingham2]

I can't speak to the 21, but 25 was my standard carry everywhere lens for a long time. I found that the jump from 25 to 15 was perfect for me (I like long jumps). There are some shots that are just FUN with that lens. Made me think in a different way, perspective, perspective, perspective rather than SCUFI (Shoot Close Up For Impact).

I don't see used 15s here too often so my read is that they should hold their value so if you decide to sell (perhaps a 12 is more your style) you should not loose too much. Think of it as a rental fee.

While I did own a leica 21/2.8 it didn't see too much use when I found the 25/4 Snap-Shot.

B2 (;->

 

[mdarnton]

I have the 21 and the 15. The difference is huge. I'm comfy with 21, but have a hard time making the 15 work in any way that isn't grotesque. Sometimes that's fine, but not as a habit, so while my 21 gets lots of use, not the 15. Which is not to say I would get rid of it--sometimes it is the right lens for the job.

If you can afford it, knowing that you might now use it a lot, I'd say do it.

15mm:


Julian, practicing, 2013
by Michael Darnton, on Flickr

 

[Spider67]

Thanks for your replies!
That's a great photograph Michael! I wish I could take at least one that is comparable to it.
I am leaving for Rhodes on Thursday and would be eager to visit some of the places again and try to capture them differently this time.
The last time I used the 21mm in Rhodes

img435 by //flic.kr/p/

img441 by Dessislaw Pajakoff, auf Flickr

 

[f16sunshine]

To use the 15mm effectively takes a bit of experiencing it.
If I'm honest, my best image using it came from the RD1 where it was effectively a 23mm 🙂
I would suggest you do try the 15mm.

When I was a young photographer using the Contax/Yashica SLR system, the 15mm sat behind a financial barrier that I could not climb... they were expensive, big, and exotic.
The CV lens was quite a breakthrough in that it's good, small, and affordable.
It offers unique image making abilities in the right hands.
There's really only one way to know.

 

[Bob Michaels]

Our equipment choices are heavily influenced by our photo styles. A 28mm FOV is normal for me. Some photo styles permit analysis of a scene and changing to the most appropriate lens while others demand use of the lens currently on the camera before the photo op changes or disappears. I need to use what I have and most often do not even carry two lenses. I am comfortable setting out for the day with only a 21mm lens and simply making it work for what I find.

I had a CV 15mm lens but found it to be too specialized for my style. Thus I used it very little and eventually sold it after I realized that it was so unique that I never had it when I could have used it.

But the 15mm FOV may be great for someone who carries around a bag full of lenses and always has time to change to the one ideal for the scene at hand. That is just not me.

 

[AJShepherd]

I've got the old uncoupled 15mm, and while it's a good lens I found it hard to get to grips with. I find you really need to have something up close in the foreground to kind of tie the picture together or the shot can end up looking a bit vacant.
Really need to use it some more.

 

[Yokosuka Mike]

I have the Voigtlander VM 15mm f4.5 Super Wide Heliar aspherical III (that's a mouth full)... and, what I can say is: when it's hot it's hot when it's not it's not.

Hot

Not so hot

 

[rbiemer]

I think the 15 is worth trying, at least. I have had both (screw mount )21 and 15 and ended up selling the 15mm.
It was not a bad lens in any way, I just couldn't make very good use of it.
The one mechanical "thing" I found difficult with the LTM 15mm was using filters. The M-mount version addresses this concern. If the 15 turns out to not fit your work, you aren't likely to lose much, if any thing, if you sell it on.


There are two other wides I've wanted to try: the 12mm--an even more difficult lens to use well, I think--and the 18mm that CV talked about making back when but, apparently, didn't put into regular production. I think Tom A had one--I think we either talked about it here or corresponded about it a long time ago.

Rob

 

[valdas]

15mm:

 

[Spider67]

....I bought it! It's the uncoupled LTM Version in silver including a no name adapter (50/75).....The VF is something I have to get used to....Off to Rhodes it is then
Thanks a lot for your Input and the pics you posted!

 

[BillBingham2]

EXCELLENT!!!

Looking forward to your shots!

B2 (;->

 

[kxl]

I had the first version of the CV 15mm but just could not get on with it. I decided to try a similar wide FL on a DSLR and liked it for occasional use, but sold that lens for some forgotten reason. Here are a couple of images from that 10mm lens on a DX body (same AOV as a 15mm lens). I have to admit that I somewhat missed the FL for occasional use so I've recently bought a replacement 10mm lens (10-20mm) for a DX body.

 

[kxl]

BTW, here's a focal length simulator so you can see the difference in AOV between a 15mm lens and a 21mm lens. No need to select a lens. Just click on FX for full frame and use the slider to simulate the focal length.

http://imaging.nikon.com/lineup/lens/simulator/index.htm

 

[Bob Michaels]

BTW, here's a focal length simulator so you can see the difference in AOV between a 15mm lens and a 21mm lens................

Even more informative would be examples of the difference in perspective between lenses when using the ever present foot zoom to include the same scene in the frame.

I find that attribute of wider lenses is the different perspective rather than how much is included in the frame. I can control what is in the frame simply by stepping forward or backward but the perspective is constant.