Thoughts on Heliar 15mm lens

[Krosya]

Hi All,
I was wondering if users of Heliar 15mm lens could give some feedback and photo samples from it. I'm thinking to try this lens, yet it seems a bit on a slow side. Pics I found on sites like flickr look pretty intereting though.
So, should I get one in your opinion?

 

[craygc]

This lens is great value with less distortion than its 12mm cousin. Certainly worth getting...

...and a week later

 

[Bob Michaels]

Yes, get one. You will have great fun with it. But be patient and get a good deal on a used one. Eventually you will realize that the novelty has worn off and you will be able to resell it and get your money back.

 

[dazedgonebye]

Yes, get one. You will have great fun with it. But be patient and get a good deal on a used one. Eventually you will realize that the novelty has worn off and you will be able to resell it and get your money back.

...or, sell it, regret it and buy another one.

I've been shooting at that fov on and off for years now and I think it is far more than just a "novelty."
Ultra-wide is certainly distinctive.
I think the tendancy is to either hate it or fall in love with it. Those that fall in love with it often use it till they're sick of it and then never go back to it. Others go through the same experience but find it a very worthwhile tool to keep and go to when the subject or their concept calls for it.

 

[Krosya]

Thanks for comments and pics. Looks very cool. But still one thing that bothers me - do you guys find this lens to be too slow?

 

[Colman]

I haven't found speed a problem. What are you expecting to use it for?

 

[Krosya]

Well, being such a wide angle lens, I was thinking - inside churches, museums - just different kinds of interiors. Maybe even caves (that are lit up for tourists).

 

[yanidel]

It is a bit slow for interior shooting and street photography once light is scarcer.
Yet I have taken some shots within churches and it worked out as usually there is enough light to at least shoot at 1/15, 800 ISO and you are not shooting moving objects. But of course, depends on the church or museum ...

 

[dan denmark]

heliar 15 with bessa L

heliar 15 with bessa L

here are some shots from this past weekend in melbourne, using the Bessa L and the Heliar 15. all around 4 in the afternoon on diff days and it is only a few days to winter here, very flat light for most images. these shots are on Kodak BW400CN, shot at 400, quick scanned by the corner kiosk for proofing. unaltered in photoshop other than cropping a bit. i swear by this lens. i dropped a fiver in front of the dige bloke in burke st mall and i got as many shots off as i could just by holding the camera down in front of him. i'm 61 so not as agile as i used to be, so hanging the camera down with my hand and estimating the framing got me pretty close with about 12 shots of him. bought his CD and it was crap. happens with buskers. i'll send him some images.
-dd

 

[dan denmark]

heliar 15 on a bessa L

heliar 15 on a bessa L

and a few more from the same shoot. most of the six were shot pretty much wide open at 1/125-ish. the shot in the loo was a bit slower. i have only cropped a bit for composition as i did not have a 15mm finder... definitely a lens to have if you like to shoot really wide. NO image manipulation at all in photoshop, otherwise.

-dd

 

[popobsd]

Hi Dan, nice shot, I was tempted to got one. Thanks for sharing...

 

[ZebGoesZeiss]

What do you normally shoot? ISO 400? From my experience, indoor shots with the Heliar may or may not work. Not very helpful, but I would say that you are stretching it. Also, I have had some serious vignetting with this lens when shot wide open, so you might want to close it down a stop to get the best out of it. But well worth the price.

 

[dan denmark]

i can say honestly the docklands loo (toilet) shot was wide open at 1/8 sec at ISO 400. i just braced myself and took four frames, each the same, the others just a bit angled with no VF. this one is not cropped and there is NO vignetting and it is as crisp and contrasty as i would want it to be, so i guess a lot depends on the situation. there was only, as you would expect, flouro tubes for lighting. and i pretty much only shoot with 400 @ 400. old school.

this lens is great when used carefully. but also great when used in the street with a bit of the fast action of a flailing hand...

-dd

 

[KEH]

M8, CV 15/4.5 from my gallery:

Compact, wide, sharp, have to pay attention to flare from time to time.

Cheers,
Kirk

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

This lens is great value with less distortion than its 12mm cousin. Certainly worth getting...

...and a week later

Gorgeous. Very well done.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Bear in mind that you can hand-hold ridiculously long exposures with ultra-wides. The old rule of thumb about 1/focal length is inclined to be too generous with longer lengths (1/50 with 50mm may well lose sharpness next to 1/125) but with 21mm and wider you can often hand-hold 1/15 and longer with astonishing success.

I've had one since they came out. I was far more impressed with it than I expected to be and I still use it quite a lot -- a few dozen pictures a year, or maybe even a few hundred, depending on the year. I completely disagree about the novelty wearing off. Sure, if you buy it as as novelty, that will happen. But if you buy it because you already use a 21mm and occasionally need something even wider, it's invaluable. It takes up next to no space in your camera bag; weighs next to nothing; and is a bargain.

Cheers,

Roger

 

[Mr Ho]

I've used this lens a lot over the past couple of years and it has become one of my favorites for capturing street scenes here in Hong Kong. Often, I can compose a shot with people in the field of view without them knowing they're there - they just don't think that from where I'm aiming the camera they'd be in the picture!

Another reason I like the lens is it gives a refreshing perspective.

As for the 4.5 limitation, I get around that by shooting 400 and holding my breath on occasion. Shooting wide open produces good results, but I've found the lens works better in the mid-range - around f8.

I've posted lots of other 15mm shots in the HK Photo Club section, as well as in some other threads, if anyone cares to dig.

 

[Leica All Day]

Hello everybody, I really can't add much to what has already been said about the lens, but I will say that I love my lens and that I like to use it...Sometimes, when I am shooting and I have another lens on my camera I like being able to pull the viewfinder out and look through it before I attach the lens to my camera to see what the photo will look like.....

cheers, michael

 

[ferider]

I've used it quite a bit, it's a great lens. But then I got rid of anything shorter than 28mm because I feel it distracts me from learning .... The one thing I can recommend is to buy a Bessa L with it and use it as a combo.

Roland.

 

[Krosya]

thank you for all the posts and photos - look so beautiful. I think I may try it. But before I do - what about the Zeiss one? Well, no not the 15mm 2.8 - i dont have 4k for that one. but 18mm/4? Anyone compared this one to CV 15mm?