p.45 #1 · Official: Voigtlander 15mm f/4.5 III E-mount
So wrap the lens where I don't want to cut first with gaffers tape to get a nice line. Than get a metal hose clamp and make that the straight edge to cut against. Now I do put a couple empty filters on like 2 or three so I protect the threads that way and also the glass so I just cut through to them as my hard stop. I'll leave the clamp on do my grinding to even it out than remove clamp and paint the cut with car model flat black paint . Than I will use my 58-67 step up and it should cover it nicely. The clamp for the straight edge is the key. First time I did it free hand. A stop would ensure a straight cut
p.45 #6 · Official: Voigtlander 15mm f/4.5 III E-mount
Gosh very impressive - got mine finally the other day - horrid corners - sent back for another and also have one more coming that I'd pre ordered elsewhere. Hoping one of them will be good. Seems we have the same problems with those supplied here in the UK...
p.45 #7 · Official: Voigtlander 15mm f/4.5 III E-mount
As I follow this thread I can't help wondering if instead of considering the VC a 15mm lens with (mostly) horrid corners we should instead treat it as an exceptional 16? 17? 18? mm lens with outstanding sharpness all over the frame - and a real deal at the price.
So my question to all those who tested several "bad" (or should I say "normal"?) samples of this lens is: when closely looking at the worst image from your test session(s), imagine to crop it at the point where the quality starts to decrease and give us your estimate of the "real" focal length.
This way, from the most conservative value provided we may rest assured to always be getting an exceptional 1?mm instead of a somewhat disappointing 15mm lens.
A 15mm lens is difficult to use effectively, most people (me included) may be better served by a slightly longer, but outstanding wideangle in such a compact package.
Besides, the high pixel count of the current crop of Sony sensors guarantees plenty of room to crop without compromising final image size significantly.
p.45 #8 · Official: Voigtlander 15mm f/4.5 III E-mount
I say after seeing many of the bad copies it acts more like a 17 if you start getting rid of the smearing. Now I should point out we don't normal shoot walls or turn our cameras on a 45 degree angle either . So if we put it into perspective most upper left and right corners will be sky. Bottom left and right might be only a few feet in front of you. So you have to ask the question do the corners really matter. If I was purely a architect shooter the answer would be heck yes. Landscape yea sometimes it will matter but a lot of times it may not. Better to have a good one than not though. We have 2 other choices the WATE and the 16-35. I love this lens though as its small and takes very little space. We certainly are being very picky here. But we should be
p.45 #9 · Official: Voigtlander 15mm f/4.5 III E-mount
GMPhotography wrote:
I say after seeing many of the bad copies it acts more like a 17 if you start getting rid of the smearing. Now I should point out we don't normal shoot walls or turn our cameras on a 45 degree angle either . So if we put it into perspective most upper left and right corners will be sky. Bottom left and right might be only a few feet in front of you. So you have to ask the question do the corners really matter. If I was purely a architect shooter the answer would be heck yes. Landscape yea sometimes it will matter but a lot of times it may not. Better to have a good one than not though. We have 2 other choices the WATE and the 16-35. I love this lens though as its small and takes very little space. We certainly are being very picky here. But we should be...Show more →
Unfortunately for me many times there IS something of interest in those borders or corners, so I tend to be on the picky side.
I've decided to wait until I get back from vacation in July to find a good E-mount copy.
p.45 #11 · Official: Voigtlander 15mm f/4.5 III E-mount
It's easy for me to say as I have Choppy. I will try again with CameraQuest's new shipment in a few weeks to get an excellent E version. I sent the one I had with bad corners back. No regrets. And I will keep doing that until I get a good one. The only question in my mind is how often to try before calling it quits. Or how many to buy at a time? I think I will ask Stephen Gandy for a suggestion what he is comfortable with. There really seems no risk if one gets more than one good copy and has that documented in this thread. There will be takers or CameraQuest will get back a known good copy.
But if I kept a copy with bad corners I would always wonder what could have been and would not enjoy using that lens. So, for me keeping a bad copy is not going to happen. After the full refund for the bad copy I was out of $21. Without me asking Stephen Gandy sent me via email a $50 voucher for my next larger purchase from him. So, I certainly will try again. A good E version with its Exif data is certainly a very desirable lens to have for my FE and even E cameras.
p.45 #12 · Official: Voigtlander 15mm f/4.5 III E-mount
Luvwine wrote:
Choppy seems to have higher contrast--more Zeiss like than I would have expected from CV. Too bad there is not more detail in the upper left and right corners as I sometimes wonder about field curvature/depth of field and plane of focus when comparing near ground corners. Still, it does look like there is likely a bit more detail (not just contrast) in the extreme corners on choppy. Would like to see something like this comparison at infinity. The tests on the kolari mod do indicate a slight improvement in corner sharpness over a stock A7r2, so does not surprise me to see choppy win in the extreme corner especially given that it is a prime lens. ...Show more → k-h.a.w wrote:
Thanks Luvwine. As far as I can tell at this moment, Choppy has the following advantages over my WATE:
* Higher contrast, micro- contrast across the entire image, sharper detail.
* Quite useable corners, (even at f/4.5) and particularly at f/5.6. WATE best be used at f/8.
* Significantly smaller geometrical distortion than the large mustache distortion of the WATE at 16-21mm.
* A factor of 6x lower new purchase price.
If others can add to this list, please be my guest, including advantages of the WATE.
Thanks again, K-H.
K-H, thanks for posting the comparison images.
Just my 2¢ that I somewhat prefer the overall look of the WATE example better for color and tonality. The CV15 image feels heavy in comparison. Maybe there was an exposure and processing difference? WB and tint too might be throwing things off a bit to my eyes in favor of the WATE. That said, I see cyan/blue color shift into the corners of the CV15 image.
For sure it's picking the compromises that best suit you whichever way you go.
All this talk about the WATE is making me reevaluate my impressions about it, but considering that wider than 21mm is low volume for my kind of shooting (unlike some here), the money saved with the CV could be spent on something else...
A WATE, MATE and 90/4 Macro kit also has some appeal (maybe more as an M shooter)... but still over 10 grand!
p.45 #13 · Official: Voigtlander 15mm f/4.5 III E-mount
rscheffler wrote:
K-H, thanks for posting the comparison images.
Just my 2¢ that I somewhat prefer the overall look of the WATE example better for color and tonality. The CV15 image feels heavy in comparison. Maybe there was an exposure and processing difference? WB and tint too might be throwing things off a bit to my eyes in favor of the WATE. That said, I see cyan/blue color shift into the corners of the CV15 image.
For sure it's picking the compromises that best suit you whichever way you go.
All this talk about the WATE is making me reevaluate my impressions about it, but considering that wider than 21mm is low volume for my kind of shooting (unlike some here), the money saved with the CV could be spent on something else...
A WATE, MATE and 90/4 Macro kit also has some appeal (maybe more as an M shooter)... but still over 10 grand!...Show more →
Hi Ron,
The MATE though convenient is not supposed to live up to the performance of the WATE from everything that I have been able to read online. By the way, look at the new price of an M240 or an SL.
p.45 #14 · Official: Voigtlander 15mm f/4.5 III E-mount
I shot the Zeiss Distagon T* 2,8/15 ZE today with an updated MC-11. No lights(0n MC-11), no auto magnification, but it got the focal length right, and you can adjust the aperture in camera. Works for me.
Very nice! A little pricy! Big! 95mm filter thread!
Called Cameraquest, Stephen was uninterested in trying to locate a lens with a different serial number prefix then the 3 previous I have tried. May wait until they get in a new batch also.
If any one happens to obtain an extra excellent copy, please PM me.
p.45 #15 · Official: Voigtlander 15mm f/4.5 III E-mount
It also has mechanical failures. Extremely complicated lens design. I saw a cut away view at the Leica factory in Solms .
naturephoto1 wrote:
Hi Ron,
The MATE though convenient is not supposed to live up to the performance of the WATE from everything that I have been able to read online. By the way, look at the new price of an M240 or an SL.
p.45 #16 · Official: Voigtlander 15mm f/4.5 III E-mount
GMPhotography wrote:
I say after seeing many of the bad copies it acts more like a 17 if you start getting rid of the smearing. Now I should point out we don't normal shoot walls or turn our cameras on a 45 degree angle either . So if we put it into perspective most upper left and right corners will be sky. Bottom left and right might be only a few feet in front of you. So you have to ask the question do the corners really matter. If I was purely a architect shooter the answer would be heck yes. Landscape yea sometimes it will matter but a lot of times it may not. Better to have a good one than not though. We have 2 other choices the WATE and the 16-35. I love this lens though as its small and takes very little space. We certainly are being very picky here. But we should be...Show more →
Pretty reasonable, and as a landscape shooter in line with my own thinking. I have a 16-35 and while normally get very good results up to 24mm I've had it fail miserably at around 18mm, where the whole left side was out of focus for at least 1/5 of the frame, the rest being tack sharp ... and I was shooting the Kolob Canyons from the scenic route, therefore focusing at / near infinity. Would love to get a WATE and stop worrying about wideangles but cannot justify its price.
p.45 #17 · Official: Voigtlander 15mm f/4.5 III E-mount
k-h.a.w wrote:
It's easy for me to say as I have Choppy. I will try again with CameraQuest's new shipment in a few weeks to get an excellent E version. I sent the one I had with bad corners back. No regrets. And I will keep doing that until I get a good one. The only question in my mind is how often to try before calling it quits. Or how many to buy at a time? I think I will ask Stephen Gandy for a suggestion what he is comfortable with. There really seems no risk if one gets more than one good copy and has that documented in this thread. There will be takers or CameraQuest will get back a known good copy.
But if I kept a copy with bad corners I would always wonder what could have been and would not enjoy using that lens. So, for me keeping a bad copy is not going to happen. After the full refund for the bad copy I was out of $21. Without me asking Stephen Gandy sent me via email a $50 voucher for my next larger purchase from him. So, I certainly will try again. A good E version with its Exif data is certainly a very desirable lens to have for my FE and even E cameras.
Would do as you advice but here in Italy it's not so easy to play the buy/test/return game ... time and expense involved would be simply too much compared to the expected returns - if I succeded at all, and it's not a given from what I see here. To play it safe maybe I'd better get a Zeiss Distagon 2.8/15mm in Nikon mount, accepting its bulk and price ... I am not aware of significant QC issues with that lens.
p.45 #19 · Official: Voigtlander 15mm f/4.5 III E-mount
I would not recommend the Mate though. Not a great performer for the money IMHO opinion but it's mechanical construction gives Leica fits in repair. That's from the horses mouth when I toured Solms
p.45 #20 · Official: Voigtlander 15mm f/4.5 III E-mount
Today I did some further testing with my sample #5. It is indeed much better than the other 4 samples I've tested, but still not great in the corners.
A direct comparision with the Batis 18mm and Loxia 21mm showed that both Zeiss lenses have a much better corner sharpness (both wide open and stopped down) and a slightly better center sharpness.
I will therefore return sample #5 and give up the idea of getting the CV15.
Here is a 100% corner crop of sample #5 at f/8 with the same LR sharpening as above:
