Impressed with VC 15mm Heliar II

[a_summarita]

I just got back from Orchid Island (remote island on the east side of Taiwan). It's amazing how well this super-wide can take portrait photos, as well as duh... landscape.

Even Leica purist can't ignore VC 15 as there's no such focal length in Leica offerings

 

[deepdiver]

Nice Pics

Are u using it on M9 or M8?
how about the red corner?

 

[a_summarita]

m8. vignetting isn't really a big issue (maybe it's the 6 bits coding?). I actually have to amplify the red corner in the first pic during post processing because I like the vignetting effect on it.

here's another one without red vignetting:

 

[khiromu]

Even Leica purist can't ignore VC 15 as there's no such focal length in Leica offerings

Agreed. WATE has 16mm but it's very large lens and also expensive. I enjoy mine when I want something WIDE.

Hiromu

 

[Jark89]

Agreed. WATE has 16mm but it's very large lens and also expensive. I enjoy mine when I want something WIDE.

Hiromu

Agreed. One of the reasons I'm using a Leica M is for portability, and the Voigtlander 15 is a perfect fit for wide and small/light. Its IQ is also top notch IMO.

 

[Double Negative]

Can't complain about the IQ, seems like (sorry, small images).

I would imagine there's also a certain "fun" factor in setting this lens to f/8 and hyperfocal and just P&S'ing...

 

[C_R]

This lens is great on M9 - red corner work-up aside

(moonlight, 32 sec)

(larger: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2798/4191052804_ec5480b41e_o.jpg )

more CV15 shots: http://www.flickr.com/photos/38068178@N08/tags/heliar/

 

[leica007]

Can you please tell us more about the attenuator type grad ND you have used on this lens [as you mention on Flickr]? How did you customise it, etc? Any link would be helpful, too.

 

[C_R]

This "wedge type" grad ND is available only in large sizes, I have one for my Fujica GSW690 from Formatt, a HiTech 77 mm ND0.6 Blender (with 67 to 77 step-up ring).

They have a super soft transition over the whole diameter, nice for rangefinder cameras because you dont have to care about correct placement of the transition zone. "Blender" or "wedge type" grad NDs are used in the movie industry, for still imaging they are hard to find, as mentioned.

My custom made wedge filter is made from a Singh-Ray Galen Rowell 2 f-stop soft grad ND Filter ND-2G-SS (gathered dust) and a cheapo 52 mm Tama U-Slim Digital UV Filter. I asked my optician to cut out a 52 mm disk from the transition zone of the Singh Ray (transition from bright to dark was about 5 cm), and change the UV glass into the ND disk. Cost me the UV filter plus 5 Euro for the optician.

This filter sits on my CV15/4.5II 80% of the time, very useful IMO.

screwed in

 

[a_summarita]

@C_R: Awesome!