Leica You need a wide!!! Is the VC 15/4.5 the way to go??

janrzm

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Excellent photo.

I've always been happy with mine--great build, great contrast, very compact. It's definitely a great lens for a wide. Have found it great for street as well. I started a sample archive elsewhere on this site.
 
Excellent shot and review. Welcome to Leicaplace. Earlier I posted your excellent Canon 50mm 1.4 ltm review also. Hope to see more of your photos and reviews.
 
The first shot on this thread proves how good the little CV 15/4.5 really is. I like my LTM-version on M8 very much, even for portraits. I bought my copy with a six bit coded Millich adapter and UV/IR cut filter, held in place by a rubber O-ring. No problem.

Street life I. Kopasker, Iceland. (Leica M8 + CV 15/4.5 LTM, coded as WATE.)

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6031-M8-CV-Heliar-15mm-4.5 Streetlife 1 by Count Basil, on Flickr
 
Very nice. I have been thinking about getting one... Still, I will have to justify how often I would be using it. I hardly ever even use my Zeiss 25, only when traveling for landscape shots. However, the unique perspective is definitely very enticing.
 
I love ultrawides, but I prefer an SLR or live-view mirror less for anything wider than 28mm, and even 28mm is pushing it for me on the rangefinder. I just haven't been able to warm-up to external finders and don't like the view on my M Monochrom's 28mm frame lines. Sold my 28 Elmarit-ASPH for that reason.
 
The CV 15/4.5 is awfully slow for lighting other than outdoor daylight shooting, IMHO. Still, it will fit the bill for many photographers and is very affordable.

As an alternative to the 15mm, take a look at the Super Elmar M 21mm f/3.4 ASPH. It is admittedly much more costly than the CV 15/4.5, but it is a magnificent little lens. I have had my copy for about three months now and am totally hooked on this little jewel.

The wider you go, the more specialized your lens is with a more narrow band of application; I have found that a 28mm is a good do it all wide lens, backed up by the 21/3.4 for scenarios that require a very wide lens. The Super Elmar 21 is pretty wide but does not distort around the frame edges in a heavy handed way. It is not an extreme wide angle so it has more all around usability. That has been my experience; YMMV.
 
I have the LTM version, I use it on both my LTM and M bodies with the adapter. I can't say enough about this lens and use it often, for interiors, landscapes, etc.

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Regards, Allan
 
It's hard to evaluate image quality on a screen. Still, the images posted in this thread offer us very little to complain about in terms of IQ.

It's too bad that there is no CV dealer close by - I would like to try this lens on my M240 for a couple of hours...
 
The Canon 19/3.5 and the Minolta Rokkor 21/4 have been my most used wide angle lenses on RF cameras even though both lenses are SLR lenses.
A very nice lens is also the Canon FD 17/4. It has hardly any distortion.
 
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