p.50 #1 · Official: Voigtlander 15mm f/4.5 III E-mount
WestTexas Sky wrote:
After a week of further testing and use in the real world I have reluctantly decided to send mine back. This lens is so right in so many ways but mine has soft/smeared corners on any distant subject. It's very sharp in the center and on the sides but after seeing that there are better copies for the corners decided to try again.
It's frustrating to have to do this but I am going to join the keep trying til you get a good copy crowd. I want one as good as Choppy.
I feel bad for folks with bad copies of the lens after multiple tries, but we know that there are good copies out there. Keep trying. I hope that you and others will get Choppy lenses.
p.50 #2 · Official: Voigtlander 15mm f/4.5 III E-mount
WestTexas Sky wrote:
After a week of further testing and use in the real world I have reluctantly decided to send mine back. This lens is so right in so many ways but mine has soft/smeared corners on any distant subject. It's very sharp in the center and on the sides but after seeing that there are better copies for the corners decided to try again.
It's frustrating to have to do this but I am going to join the keep trying til you get a good copy crowd. I want one as good as Choppy.
p.50 #5 · Official: Voigtlander 15mm f/4.5 III E-mount
k-h.a.w wrote:
I agree - I wonder though what the cost of testing would add?
That certainly would be better than the current situation in my mind.
K-H.
Unless you are Zeiss or Leica, optical testing at the end of assembly to weed out lenses that need adjustment/repair is not economical. You need to get your manufacturing and assembly processes accurate enough that the vast majority of assembled lenses will pass your internal quality standards with the statistically-likely range of lens performance resulting from the parts and assembly tolerances that you think you need.
I'd say it's likely that one or some of the optical elements is not meeting the required specifications out at the far far edges OR the assembly process is inconsistent. Center sharpness on non-Choppy-quality samples does not seem to be an issue.
They can't do a complete check on every part or check every sub-assembly as they build up a lens at this cost point to make sure they are within tolerance. Double or triple the price (i.e. Zeiss or Leica) and perhaps they could.
Hopefully word will get back to Voigtlander and they will fix the issue(s).
p.50 #6 · Official: Voigtlander 15mm f/4.5 III E-mount
Fixing cost money. Many returned lenses cost money. Time to raise prices to accomodate either end user, or manufacturer testing. The truth is, some of these return lenses and the nth degree of optical perfection demanded is unrealistic. There's no level testing that is economically feasible that would meet the demands of some of the people on this board. It just isn't possible at anything resembling a reasonable price. The lens business seems to be much like the insurance business. All of us are required to support the few.
p.50 #7 · Official: Voigtlander 15mm f/4.5 III E-mount
We all understand that exhaustive testing costs a lot of money for the manufacturer but the situation with this lens is almost surrealistic. The outcome so far seems to be: one Choppy, three passable, five plain bad.
As Cosina had improved QC last years, my bet is that the optical design of this CV15 requires an unusually extreme accuracy when installing the glass elements if we want a Choppy. The slightest deviation and we're in 'smearland'.
It isn't that other reputed manufacturers are free from trouble lately. See Zeiss and the issues with some copies of the Loxia 21 or Sony with the FE 35/1.4
p.50 #8 · Official: Voigtlander 15mm f/4.5 III E-mount
Seeing how many copies here have been bad vs good almost led me to just stick with what I have since it might be that I have to go through several to get a good one. But I like the good parts and view of this lens so much I will try.
Of course if Zeiss announces a Loxia 15 I will just pony up for that instead.
p.50 #9 · Official: Voigtlander 15mm f/4.5 III E-mount
Right now I have both my 4th and 5th (didn't mean to have two at once, just sort of happened!). Would love to get opinions on them. I'll call the first five images Copy #4, the second set Copy #5. Just posting one corner from each since they all look roughly the same at each f-stop. They both look way better than my previous copies. I'm a little worried, though, that my mind is trying to trick me into seeing improvements so I can give up the exchange game.
p.50 #14 · Official: Voigtlander 15mm f/4.5 III E-mount
BoneCounter wrote:
Thanks for taking a look! Now I need to decide if I want to roll the dice on a sixth, or try out the 10mm instead. This is getting pretty old.
I thought of getting the 10mm and cropping out a bit the corners to get rid of vignetting. However, there is no filter thread on the 10mm, that means you will not be able to use any filter even if you want to cut off the hood. Since the lens is so new, I do not think there is such a modified adapter and holder so you could use the 100mm or 150mm filters.
p.50 #15 · Official: Voigtlander 15mm f/4.5 III E-mount
Feel your pain. 5 is not bad best of your lot. Can you return 4 get 6 and hold onto 5 until you test 6.
Can't believe I just said that your going on your 6th one I admire your determination . I gave up after my 4th 35 1.4 and I just met a forum member for coffee and checked his 35 1.4 out and was perfect. He bought it used here on the forum too. Just makes me mad. Not for him but the hell I went through.
p.50 #16 · Official: Voigtlander 15mm f/4.5 III E-mount
rongwam wrote:
I thought of getting the 10mm and cropping out a bit the corners to get rid of vignetting. However, there is no filter thread on the 10mm, that means you will not be able to use any filter even if you want to cut off the hood. Since the lens is so new, I do not think there is such a modified adapter and holder so you could use the 100mm or 150mm filters.
Maybe it would have to be a slip on over the hood and it's possible . But some inventive person has to do it. Why I have no desire to sell my VC 15 with it being a Choppy now I can do any filtering I want.
p.50 #18 · Official: Voigtlander 15mm f/4.5 III E-mount
rongwam wrote:
I thought of getting the 10mm and cropping out a bit the corners to get rid of vignetting. However, there is no filter thread on the 10mm, that means you will not be able to use any filter even if you want to cut off the hood. Since the lens is so new, I do not think there is such a modified adapter and holder so you could use the 100mm or 150mm filters.
Yeah, I'm back-and-forth on the filters with these. I'm most interested in using an ND on it, I think, in which case I could probably get away with using the smooth reflections app instead.
p.50 #19 · Official: Voigtlander 15mm f/4.5 III E-mount
GMPhotography wrote:
What you could have is a slip on , drill three holes in the petals and have 3 screws on like a Lee filter foundation kit type setup
Good idea, but don't you still have empty space between two consecutive petals. it could cause some light leak?
p.50 #20 · Official: Voigtlander 15mm f/4.5 III E-mount
Yea it would not be a easy design as you need to fill space between the two bigger petals for stability. Unless it was a flexible clamp type gizmo. Hmmm
