p.4 #1 · voigtlander 15 super wide heliar 2014 plus the other lenses.
Has there been any word about a shipping date or price for the 35? Google search gave me nothing. If the price is decent I think it could be a good walkaround for me.
He claims it "has not issues at all" , but I see significant smearing in the top and bottom left corners in the shot of the foliage (image 4 out of 7).
Anyone else see this, or is it just me/my monitor? (iMac)
formula4speed wrote:
Has there been any word about a shipping date or price for the 35? Google search gave me nothing. If the price is decent I think it could be a good walkaround for me.
He claims it "has not issues at all" , but I see significant smearing in the top and bottom left corners in the shot of the foliage (image 4 out of 7).
Anyone else see this, or is it just me/my monitor? (iMac)
Whatever it is, v3 looks better than his v2, which is quite soft or misfocused. v3 has better contrast, though fringing/CA also seems quite strong in the tree branches. I wouldn't read too much into corner performance at the moment since it was on an unmodded a7II and I have yet to see an UWA in this range that doesn't have some weirdness in the corners. I would be surprised if the lens is fully optimized for the standard Sony sensor stack.
1) Fotocommunity unveiled the pricing/shipment of the new Ultron 35mm f/1.7 lens. It will cost 1.000 Euro and ship in May. The lens is M-mount but has been “optimized” to be used on digital cameras.
p.4 #7 · voigtlander 15 super wide heliar 2014 plus the other lenses.
rscheffler wrote:
Serhan, I think he's referring to the new 35/1.7...
Whatever it is, v3 looks better than his v2, which is quite soft or misfocused. v3 has better contrast, though fringing/CA also seems quite strong in the tree branches. I wouldn't read too much into corner performance at the moment since it was on an unmodded a7II and I have yet to see an UWA in this range that doesn't have some weirdness in the corners. I would be surprised if the lens is fully optimized for the standard Sony sensor stack.
p.4 #8 · voigtlander 15 super wide heliar 2014 plus the other lenses.
I just received my CV 15/4.5 Heliar III today and put it on the A7II. Lot's of testing to do but I love the size compared to the Zeiss 15/2.8 ZE. I didn't expect it to be so small!
p.4 #11 · voigtlander 15 super wide heliar 2014 plus the other lenses.
A cross-post to the sony thread but I put the Voigtlander 15/4.5 III on a VM-E adapter. I was surprised at how close I could get to the subject when the helicoid is expanded. While I need to test more the VM-E adapter reduces MFD from about 18 inches to literally 1-2 inches!
p.4 #13 · voigtlander 15 super wide heliar 2014 plus the other lenses.
Bob, I am looking forward to your impression on the Heliar Vs the Sony-Zeiss zoom and your Zeiss 15. I feel that, somewhere out there there is a 15mm Heliar with my name on it, and it is calling home...
p.4 #14 · voigtlander 15 super wide heliar 2014 plus the other lenses.
Philippe - I have to say I'm thoroughly enjoying this lens! The image quality is certainly high and the lens is sharp. The colors from this lens appear to be more vibrant than what I've come to know of other CV lenses. Vignetting is evident when wide open but I love the look. When Voigtlander said they were coming out with this version III lens to address the A7 series issues, I was hopeful that that the vignetting wide open didn't disappear! Overall, I am more than happy with the results! One of the surprising findings to me is the close focusing ability when the Voigtlander is combined with the VM-E adapter. I've only shot a few images with the helicoid open but MFD gets down to around 10cm whereas normal MFD is ~0.5m!
Relative to the Zeiss Distagon 15/2.8 ZE, the first and foremost issue is size! The Voigtlander is tiny in comparison . . . much smaller that I was expecting. To give some perspective, the Voigtlander is about the same size as the Loxia 35/2 if you take the hood off the Loxia! Combining its size with the high image quality the Voigtlander hits it out of the park on the reason we all shifted from DSLR to mirrorless in the first place . . . a high quality system in a smaller package. The Zeiss Distagon 15/2.8 is a spectacular lens and while I need to do more testing, I feel like the Voigtlander holds its own comparatively. This is especially true in use. Both lenses are easy to use whether handheld or on a tripod. Achieving critical focus is quick and easy handheld and on tripod . . . whether this is easy because of the DOF of WA in general or these two lenses, the Voigtlander is a pleasure to use.
Versus the FE16-35/4, again, size is the first thing that comes to mind. I now have a small UWA lens that fits in my smaller 'prime' bag where I can easily carry up to five primes + camera is a very small bag. The image quality appear to be overall more pleasing to me on the Voigtlander but I can't say exactly why just yet. I it has to do more overall lens signature, sharpness and color. I love the zoom for its flexibility but I really think the Voigtlander simply blows it away.
So there are some initial thoughts. I tend not to do a lot of side by side testing, nor do I do a lot of pixel peeping. Instead, these are my impressions of the lens in hand and the images I can produce with it. I believe this lens to be quite sharp with good color and rendition. I happen to like the wide open vignetting and character for the type of shooting I typically do. More to come as I get to know this lens better!
Sony A7 II + Voigtlander Heliar 15/4.5 III + VM-E adapter
p.4 #15 · voigtlander 15 super wide heliar 2014 plus the other lenses.
formula4speed wrote:
Has there been any word about a shipping date or price for the 35? Google search gave me nothing. If the price is decent I think it could be a good walkaround for me.
Spoke to the UK importer on Monday last at the big photo show here, and they hadn't seen one yet although its in the new catalogue.
p.4 #19 · voigtlander 15 super wide heliar 2014 plus the other lenses.
rscheffler wrote:
Serhan, I think he's referring to the new 35/1.7...
Whatever it is, v3 looks better than his v2, which is quite soft or misfocused. v3 has better contrast, though fringing/CA also seems quite strong in the tree branches. I wouldn't read too much into corner performance at the moment since it was on an unmodded a7II and I have yet to see an UWA in this range that doesn't have some weirdness in the corners. I would be surprised if the lens is fully optimized for the standard Sony sensor stack.
My five cents on this is that if it's a M mount lens, logically it must be optimized for Leica-M cameras ( i.e. a very thin sensor cover).
What Voigtlander must have done is recomputing the optic in order to get a more retrofocal design and therefore more friendly angles of incidence. That will help the performances on digital Ms; less color cast on the corners and the residual amount of smearing on Leica sensors will be improved furthermore.
As a side bonus though, the friendlier angles of incidence will improve also clearly the corner performances on the Sony A7 series, even if that design isn't computed for a thick cover. ( I bet that a Kolari mod. would put this lens on a superior league, compared to the performances on the regular stock A7x models ).
It's very understandable that Cosina addresses primarily their message to Sony customers, because they must be 50 or 100 times more than the small -in comparison- Leica M users base..
