Will you buy the new 15mm lens?

[Mark Norton]

I'm interested in how many film users out there are going to be interested in the expected new wide-angle lens from Leica to allow the M8 to go as wide as a 21 with film.

Leica have said this lens will be suitable for film use but if it's anything like the Zeiss Distagon, it will be expensive, lets say, €3500, $4000.

The question in my mind is that if it is of limited appeal to film users, especially at the price, there might have actually been a case for restricting it to a 1.33 crop to reduce the weight, size, cost of the lens.

Which category do you fall into?

 

[Stephan]

That price is just insane to me, even the most obsessed rangefinder purists would have a hard time justifying a piece of glass that costs more than a pro level SLR with a couple of fast zooms.

 

[x-ray]

I'm quite happy with my 15 CV, performance is excellent. It's not exactly one of my most used lenses and the slower speed is of no issue.

http://www.photo.net/photos/X-Ray

 

[Avotius]

yeah, im gona have to say that a lot of people are gona wander over to the CV circle if Leica comes out with a 15 that costs as much as Zeiss's 15, and it probably will cost a hell of a lot more knowing leica.

ps. has anyone bought one of those new zeiss 15mm lenses?

 

[santino]

I use the CV 15mm Heliar on my M6 and I'm quite happy. the price is too high for me, such a wide lens isn't really for everyday use so it's not worth the price for me.

 

[Nikon Bob]

I have a 21mm VC for my M4 and if I wish to go wider it will be a 15mm VC for me. I just cannot afford a new M8 and the new 15 to get a 21mm point of view on a digital. For those who do not find the price of either a problem it maybe a good solution. You may have a point in that if it is of limited interest to film users then a lens designed for the crop factor would have been a better idea to keep the size/weight down. I don't think doing so would reduce the price by much and would cut out altogether any film user market to boot.

Nikon Bob

 

[Mark Norton]

I think this is pretty much as expected. It's not a mainstream lens for film guys and there are other options like CV. That suggests maybe this is a lens to compensate for the 1.33 crop in the M8 rather than something for everyone. Besides, the Zeiss is huge, too big, too expensive.

 

[peter_n]

I'm quite happy with my 15 CV, performance is excellent. It's not exactly one of my most used lenses and the slower speed is of no issue.

http://www.photo.net/photos/X-Ray

What Don said, a great CV lens, infrequent use, I think I'll be heeping my Heliar.

 

[J. Borger]

No ..... 21mm translates to 28m and is more than wide enough for me!

 

[Todd.Hanz]

The 15mm Heliar is a great lens, for what it's used for I don't see the need for a faster 15mm. The aux viewfinder on the CV is actually closer to the 21mm angle of view (cropped from the L and R sides) so it almost seems like a custom fit for the M8.

Todd

 

[MP/CLE]

I have liked the idea of the CV 12 and 15 mm lenses. I haven't purchased them, but I can see the value from a film standpoint... most of my better shots come from wide angle perspectives. When Leica actually produces an ultra wide lens I would give some very serious thought to buying it. A 15 would not become a regularly used focal length, but neither is a noctilux or my 75 lux. I haven't yet considered the ZI 15 because at that price I would prefer a leica, while I could buy a stack of CV ultra wides for the cost of the ZI.

With the upcoming M8 the ultra wide will become a necessary part of kit for my shooting so I will be looking hard at all the choices at that time. Right now I'll sit back and wait to see how everything turns out. Let the GAS build...

 

[harmsr]

I have no interest in this lens for film or digital.

I don't shoot wider than 35mm on my rangefinder. I struggled with 28 and the .72 viewfinder, due to my glasses. The .58 finder makes the frame lines too small for my 50 & 75 lenses. I absolutely hate external viewfinders. If I want to go wider than 35, I grab my D200 and the 17-55/2.8 zoom.

The rangefinder concept to me is really for 35-90mm lenses, with a possible stretch to 28mm if you don't wear glasses. Wider or more Telephoto is for the SLR.

Just my $.02.

Ray

 

[rvaubel]

I agree that, for film users, the field is already covered with the inexpensive CV15 & 12mm. These are really wide rectilinar lenses that are not used often enough to justify a price tag any greater than what Voightlander is charging. They are a little slow but they are so wide that shutter speeds of 1/15 or less are quite practical. Anyway it would not be worth another 3K for another F stop or so.
However, with a crop camera, the equation shifts substantally. On my R-D1 the 15mm becomes a 22mm. That is a very useful focal length. In fact I use it a lot, both for landscapes and people photos. I Do wish it where faster, but the expense! It is very difficult to design a faster 15mm that also covers a full frame.
My next widest lens is a 21mm f2.8 Kobalux. I would prefer the Leica but not at 6 times the cost. The Kobalux is actually very good, but is nearly unatanable. Cosina, or someone needs to make a similar lens at the less than $1000 price point. There is a market for this both for film and digital users. I had to ply the internet for months in order to find my Kobalux. Thats crazy for a lens that has an effective focal length of 32mm on my Epson and 28mm on the M8. Once the M8 comes out , I would be very suprised if Mr K did not fill the breach.
There is only one big focal length gap that needs to be filled for crop factor digital users. The M8 people will need something around 21mm equivelent to reach the wider end of the spectrum. And it needs to be at least F2.8 Since this translates into 17-18mm, the design becomes extremely difficult if a FF format is also to be supported. As the only real market for the 17mm would be crop users, it doesnt seem to be necessary to design the lens, at a greatly increased price, to satisfy a market that does not exist.
However, no matter how logical, Leica will never design a lens that can not be used on their film cameras. The traditionalist would come out of their trees. It would send a very bad message with regards support of the older format. Plus it would impede further developement of a FF digital camera in the future. So thats not gonna happen.
That leaves third party developers to come up with something. Given the development cost, I don't think will will see anything until the upcoming M8 has been released and proven to be a viable product for third party developers to provide products for.
Meanwhile, Leica will release a wonderful 18mm F2.8 full frame Lens that will retail for about $4000 which I will start saving for but will not be able to afford..........Oh, well

Rex

 

[ezio gallino]

As far that I know Leitz has annonced a 17/2,8 elmarit firmare corrected, that will became a 22 after the crop factor; that might be really fine but the rule in super-wide is that quality costs; no way out. I've got a CV 12 that i've paid not really much more than $300 so if I need to go so extreme I can always Photoshop the central part maintaining a certain quality. We need always to divide the cost of a lens by the number of shoots we plain to do and evaluate the results; I know that some photographs use 20mm as "standard" but everythink but be strictly keep plain with I don't know the word "air bubble?" with the scope to avoid "converging lines" that gave an optical terrible effect...(!).
If you want this go on but if you're not sure think about it. The answer must come from you only. I say no costly adventures in unknown lands. wide-angles and digital don't marry in a easy way. that's for sure.

Bye.

Ezio.

 

[MP/CLE]

Ezio, I like your expression "no costly adventures in unknown lands"... well said.

 

[MP Guy]

I have been eying the zeiss 15 for a while. If leica introduces a rebranded zeiss, i will go with the zeiss.

 

[Ben Z]

I have been eying the zeiss 15 for a while. If leica introduces a rebranded zeiss, i will go with the zeiss.

But the Zeiss won't have the coding dots so the M8 won't auto-correct the vignetting, or whatever other mystery "improvements" those dots allegedly will do. Just think of all the time you'll have to spend Photoshopping, while everyone with Leica 15's will be pointing at you and laughing 😉


I've got the 21/4 Voitlander . I also have the 15 Voitlander and it'll be fine on the M8 for me at only a half stop slower. Most of the time I use the 21 stopped to 8-11 anyway. I also picked up a Voitlander 12 a while back for a good price because once the M8 comes out I think it will become very popular for those who've been using the 15 on film.

IMHO the prices of Leica lenses has gotten way, way out of the realm of sensibility of late, and I can't see myself ever buying another new one.

 

[sf]

I'd buy a Heliar. The Heliar is a magnificent performer for the price. I can't image a quality increase that would make up for $3000+ cost difference.

 

[pvdhaar]

What's up with these recent 'will you buy something insanely expensive that you have never held in your hands' threads? I would assume that parting with a couple of thousand dollars requires at least some gear fondling and some serious perusing test images..

Do you like how it handles? Is it too big/too small for your hands? Can you turn the focus/aperture/whatever without looking? Does it have the looks? Do you like the way the lens cap snaps on? Is the image fingerprint to your taste? Stuff to ponder first IMHO..

 

[jaapv]

I don't think there has been much difference in handling of the Leica M-series and lenses over the last 50 years.... We can safely assume that the M8 will be the same. The DMR has proved that the digital images from Leica are not too bad. I think these considerations are at least as reliable as reviews and forum posts. I guess the proof of the pudding is in the eating - but one has to buy the pudding in order to eat it. As to fondling.. Well I have found over the years that I need more than a quick grab over the shop counter to get to serious in-depth fondling.The period of time I need to get into the real stuff requires an aquisition.....