super wides: 15mm and 18mm M mount lens

[Tim Gray]

Sometimes I ask myself why I even have a 21/3.4 S.A. when it's the 15 that gets all the use. Sticking an 18 in my line-up? It makes no sense.

The 21/3.4 SA looks like a cool lens. But I've not really been that tempted by it since the CV 15/4.5 is so great. It's reassuring to hear things like what you just said.

Though I am tempted by a 21, I figure that there's not much room for it between my 15 and 28.

 

[Al Kaplan]

Exactly, Tim, and even less need between the 15 and 21. For about 35 years my wider-than-35 lens was a 19mm Canon, until it was stolen. I had a couple of 28's over the years and about never used them. I bought the 15. The ONLY reason that I got a 21/3.4 S.A. a few years ago was because it was in "a sack of old cameras" that I bought from an antique dealer friend for $500. I found out later that he'd bought the sack at an estate auction for twenty-five bucks! Long story short, I sold off most everything, made several thousand bucks, and kept the 21. When you're young and just getting into photography you want one of everything. That seems to be normal at that stage.

In real life, in the middle of a shoot, just how often do you think you'd switch lenses, 21 to 18, rather than just step backwards a couple of feet? A 15 is a fun lens but not many people "see 15mm" when they're shooting or they're too intimidated to work only two feet away from their subjects, or too worried about distortion that for the most part only other photographers notice anyway. If you have money to burn buy film, or keep it handy in case you run into another camera body. I keep my 15 CV on a beat up Bessa L and carry an M adapter "just in case".

http://thepriceofsilver.blogspot.com

 

[Tim Gray]

I've tried to hard to keep my lens selection down. I still have too many (4). I go by the (roughly) doubling of focal lengths philosophy. 15 -> 28 -> 50 -> 90. Seems to work for me. When I go out for the day its usually just 1 or 2 of those focal lengths.