New Voigtländer 15mm f/4.5 III optimised for digital cameras

http://www.sonyalpharu​mors.com …ized-lens-ships-march-10/

Might give a good companion to my 40mm 1.4 from Voigtländer

Samples and short review about the new lens. Looks like its relatively good

http://www.sonyalpharu​mors.com …view-on-the-a7r-and-a7ii/

Looks impressive and appealing; could become my first Voigtlander lens.

On second thought I popped open one of the full-sized 36 MP samples and am not quite as impressed. It's a CA machine for one thing. And it doesn't look amazingly sharp. Since I've got the excellent 16-35mm, I would struggle to be motivated to buy that one as well. Also, if they are going to optimize it for the a7 platform, why not just put the thing in an E mount already?

David Arbogast wrote in post #17463451
On second thought I popped open one of the full-sized 36 MP samples and am not quite as impressed. It's a CA machine for one thing. And it doesn't look amazingly sharp. Since I've got the excellent 16-35mm, I would struggle to be motivated to buy that one as well. Also, if they are going to optimize it for the a7 platform, why not just put the thing in an E mount already?

Jap am disappointed aswell...

Steve Huff got that lens and tested it a bit more. It looks like it is very good, in these samples:

vII vs. vIII:
http://www.stevehuffph​oto.com …quick-1st-test-vs-the-v2/

tested on a A7ii and m240:
http://www.stevehuffph​oto.com …m-240-and-sony-a7-series/

I've been secretly looking at this as well as the 12mm voigtlander, for their size. The 12 has issues, but I hope the lens compensation app can take care of it. Both 12 and 15 are TINY

Charlie wrote in post #17499229
I've been secretly looking at this as well as the 12mm voigtlander, for their size. The 12 has issues, but I hope the lens compensation app can take care of it. Both 12 and 15 are TINY

What lens compensation app is that? I do not have interest in the 15mm (because I have the FE 16-35mm), but the 12mm could be cool if there was an app to fix the bad color shift in the corners.

I have no idea if it works for raw, however here's the app:



EDIT: according to specs, it works for raw https://www.playmemori​escameraapps.com …S9104-NPIA09014_00-000008

Got that beauty. Its def a keeper!

davidfarina wrote in post #17562687
Got that beauty. Its def a keeper!

David, nice image! You're definitely getting good stuff with it. You already own the FE 16-35mm, right? What is your rationale/thought process behind owning this one too?

I am asking not to question your decision at all, but to see if you might have some insight that might be applicable to me as well.

For me (typically) a prime needs to be either (or both) sharper or faster than a zoom, or I'll just go with the zoom. My Zeiss 21mm, for instance is both sharper and a stop faster than the FE 16-35mm.

Nonetheless, the way this lens renders is captivatingly beautiful to me; that might be enough rationale to get it.

David Arbogast wrote in post #17562974
David, nice image! You're definitely getting good stuff with it. You already own the FE 16-35mm, right? What is your rationale/thought process behind owning this one too?

I am asking not to question your decision at all, but to see if you might have some insight that might be applicable to me as well.

For me (typically) a prime needs to be either (or both) sharper or faster than a zoom, or I'll just go with the zoom. My Zeiss 21mm, for instance is both sharper and a stop faster than the FE 16-35mm.

Nonetheless, the way this lens renders is captivatingly beautiful to me; that might be enough rationale to get it.

Well while i think the FE 16-35 is an outstanding lens, i find it to be a bit more difficult to get nice colors in most lights. It does an outstanding job but it has something im missing. I was primarily adding the 15mm because i really like how the CV40 renders, and was hoping to get that in a, from center to corner sharp UWA. Then it is a lot smaller and 1mm wider (its noticeable wider than 16mm).
The colors of greens and the sky are so good kept in the A7R files which is something i dont always have with the 16-35, they need a lot more PP to look great. Then the 16-35 is more of a travel FL and lens for me while the 15 can stay on the A7R while my A7S is packed with the CV40, making a great two camera setup which suits me for 99% of my casual work.

I must say this lens is so different but so a joy to use, and to look at the results!

I somehow always think about the shots i do or did with modern L lenses from canon and the native sony lenses. They are flawless in most aspects but the images look so clean, so perfect sharp overall and the colors are a little desaturated. I think the amount of elements in those newer lenses make everything a bit less saturated or sonething, but those classic design lenses have something that looks so vintage and beautiful. Hard to describe but sometimes when i shoot the 16-35 i find it to be not much different from an iphone picture. Its not everytime but from time to time it can look boring IMO

davidfarina wrote in post #17564700
Well while i think the FE 16-35 is an outstanding lens, i find it to be a bit more difficult to get nice colors in most lights. It does an outstanding job but it has something im missing. I was primarily adding the 15mm because i really like how the CV40 renders, and was hoping to get that in a, from center to corner sharp UWA. Then it is a lot smaller and 1mm wider (its noticeable wider than 16mm).
The colors of greens and the sky are so good kept in the A7R files which is something i dont always have with the 16-35, they need a lot more PP to look great. Then the 16-35 is more of a travel FL and lens for me while the 15 can stay on the A7R while my A7S is packed with the CV40, making a great two camera setup which suits me for 99% of my casual work.

I must say this lens is so different but so a joy to use, and to look at the results!

I somehow always think about the shots i do or did with modern L lenses from canon and the native sony lenses. They are flawless in most aspects but the images look so clean, so perfect sharp overall and the colors are a little desaturated. I think the amount of elements in those newer lenses make everything a bit less saturated or sonething, but those classic design lenses have something that looks so vintage and beautiful. Hard to describe but sometimes when i shoot the 16-35 i find it to be not much different from an iphone picture. Its not everytime but from time to time it can look boring IMO

Terrific answer David. I agree about the 16-35mm. Darn good lens, impressively sharp between 16-28mm (where it counts most), but lacks richness somehow. Well, perfect, I'm glad you see it the same. I don't know if I will get this 15mm (love the size and the rendering is very lovely, but I'm also thinking about getting the beast: the Canon-mount Zeiss 15mm.

Charlie wrote in post #17499737
I have no idea if it works for raw, however here's the app:



EDIT: according to specs, it works for raw https://www.playmemori​escameraapps.com …S9104-NPIA09014_00-000008

OK, that is very intriguing. Thanks!

How did I somehow manage to miss this thread entirely? LOL.

I think DavidFarina and I are the only people around here with the CV15 v.III.
You guys have seen some of the samples from it in the other thread. I'll add some in here too. But I pretty much agree with the above consensus: The rendering from this lens is awesome. And distortion is very low.
I own the Canon EF 16-35 (which is a keeper), but the CV 15 is sooooo tiny that it's worth adding to the arsenal in my opinion. It wins on rendering and size.