Using the CV 15 Heliar

T

Todd.Hanz

Guest
I just bought a CV 15mm Heliar from a member here, great lens and like the 75/2.5 and 28/1.9 I have... great quality.

First, this lens is really, really wide. When it first came in I looked through the finder and thought whoa! It turns out the lens is even wider than the finder, the finder shows a 93 deg. angle while the lens is 110 deg., which means for "street" photography your gonna have to be really, really close to your subject (so close you'll probably being sharing a smoke afterwards :) ).

I ran a roll through it today, most shots were too far away, but at f11 everything was in focus. Flare was very minimal even with the sun in the corner of the frame. This is going to be a fun lens to use.

Here are a few samples from today, I'll have to get closer next time...this means I'll need breath mints I guess :)


Todd
 
Somehow I find the 15mm view a little disconcerting. Kind of like an experience I had in the 70's.

Ahem... I mean the images are quite crisp.

Is that your shadow?

Bob H
 
yeah, my shadow in the second pic and my hand and leg in the third, did I mention it's really wide :).
 
Very cool. It's on my want list, too. While getting closer to your subject than you are in these pictures would produce a differrent effect--and perhaps a more interesting picture--these shots stand pretty well on their own. Nice tones. Thanks for sharing. Bill
 
Looks like a great lens, but I wouldnt be able to get so close to people on the street. Even with the 50 mm I am usually too far away. On the other hand with 15 mm you can probably shoot from the hip with no problems, and have everything you wanted and more in the shot.
 
Todd, beware to keep it vertical unless you want tilting lines. I have a tiny bubble level glued to the side of my finder. Almost for free and very effective!

Rob.
 
For carefully composed shots I'll bet the level works great.

But the "hip shots" are pretty neat in that they "involve" me more as a result of the distortions.
 
I wouldn't say you have to get closer, though you may prefer to. I actually like the scale in the first shot. Sometimes we are large, sometimes we are small. That one works for me.
 
Memphis,
I live in Houston but I'm in Austin 2-3 times a month, I'll have to get down to 6th street with this lens. I'm thinking the stockyards in Ft. Worth might prove to be an interesting place as well! Thanks for the tip.

Todd
 
This is one of my favorite lenses.
With the 15mm/4.5 in the city every building gets falling lines except if a level is used.
shots from hip-level brings some crude perspetive to near objects (making people potbellied and stuff like that)
With landscapes - this lens is sharp enough for it! - a high standpoint is usefull in most conditions. And as I said earlier, blue sky landscape panorama pictures shows uneven illumination (a "feature" of the 110deg. view, not a bug of the lens)
cheers, Frank
 
It is a great lens - I use it much more than I expected to. More than the 25/4 really, when I look at the shots I have posted.
 
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