CV 15mm with adapter or M-mount

[BillBingham2]

I owned the LTM version but if I was buying new today for a M mount camera and money was not an issue, the new version would get my nod for the filter size. You can find great filters in 52mm for next to nothing. If money was a concern I think the old version with the included finder would win for Total Cost of Ownership being lower.

I keep looking for a good Nikon F to Nikon S mount adapter so I can pick up an F version and use it on my S3.

Either way it's a way fun lens.

B2 (;->

 

[Tom A]

Tom, having been myself spoiled by the Zeiss 21 mm finder, I was wondering if you had any comparative experience of the Zeiss and CV 15 mm finders?

I dont have the Zeiss finder (nor the 15f2.8 ZM - too big, to pricey and it doesnt couple to the rangefinder). I have seen and "fondled" it and, yes, it is a better finder than the VC 15 finder - but at a price that is considerably more.
The Zeiss finders in general are the best there is - from anyone and at any price. I have the 18/21/25-28 by Zeiss and they are incredibly bright and "crisp".
For extreme wide angles like the 15 and 12mm you can save a lot of money with the VC finders and as you are dealing with extreme angles (110 degrees and 127 degrees respectively) - exact framing is not as critical - just be sure that you have what you need within the frame - you can always crop out edges if needed.

 

[swoop]

I have the old thread mount version and focusing is really no trouble with this lens. Even up close which is the way I like to use it most.

 

[briz]

Many thanks to everyone!
The inputs here say 50:50 or so.....
I just picked up an used LTM version on ebay ( viewfinder and adapter included). For occasional ultra wide angle shots the LTM will be fine I think ( I have the ZI Biogon 28 as standard wa lens). The smaller size is also a plus....will fit in my tiny bag with the other lenses.
Thanks again !

 

[Olsen]

I dont have the Zeiss finder (nor the 15f2.8 ZM - too big, to pricey and it doesnt couple to the rangefinder). I have seen and "fondled" it and, yes, it is a better finder than the VC 15 finder - but at a price that is considerably more.
The Zeiss finders in general are the best there is - from anyone and at any price. I have the 18/21/25-28 by Zeiss and they are incredibly bright and "crisp".
For extreme wide angles like the 15 and 12mm you can save a lot of money with the VC finders and as you are dealing with extreme angles (110 degrees and 127 degrees respectively) - exact framing is not as critical - just be sure that you have what you need within the frame - you can always crop out edges if needed.

I have had the Zeiss viewfinder along with my Zeiss Ikon and lenses which I have now sold. I also have the Voigtländer viewfinders, both for the 15 and 21 mm, which works fine with both my MP and M8. The Zeiss viewfinder is better, but then difference does not have any meaning since it is not a part of the optical system creating the image. You just look through these things to decide what to include in the picture. For this, the Voigtländer viewfinders work just as good. I see no purpose in spending a lot of money on a viewfinder. Better then to spend it on the optics.

 

[rbiemer]

The 15 CV is probably going to be my next lens purchase. I will be buying the LTM version and will pass on any with out the VF. I mainly have LTM bodies and this lens will spend most of its time on my L. For me, the LTM version just makes better sense.
Rob

 

[tajart]

thought i'd include an image from the ltm version 15/4.5
shot w/o viewfinder (though chimping helped with framing the composition), put the focus at closest distance, stopped down and shot a few. minor cropping in post proc.
image is from joe feddersen's exhibition at tesc, olympia, wa

edit: on an m8, lens detection off, no ir filter

 

[drewbarb]

These lenses both have the same optics, and the cheaper version comes with the finder. The lack of focus coupling has never been an issue for me; I pay careful attention to the D.O.F. scale when shooting up close, and in eight or nine years of using the thread mount version of this lens, I've think only had one or two out of focus frames from it.

Now- I also don't use filters very often (I should probably carry and use them more, but I don't). So the two main benefits of the M-mount version (filters and focus coupling) don't sway me much. Besides, thread mount cameras have been made for in the neighborhood of 80 years. There are a lot of them out there, from a great many manufacturers. I mostly use M mount bodies when shooting 35mm, but I do have a few thread mount cameras, (and sometimes nice little LTM bodies surface for prices too low to pass up); so I like to buy LTM lenses where I can for greatest versatility.

 

[Frankie]

I've just bought the older version myself for use on an M8. First impressions are very positive. With the DoF you get with this lens the rangefinder coupling is really unnecessary. As with all M-adaptors, though, go for a good one rather than a cheap one.

I presume you have not bothered to have the lens 6-bit encoded, thus the M8 firmware will not know what to correct.

I am curious how bad were the vignetting, colour fringing, and assorted ailments if indeed without the encoding/correction.

It is widely known that the celebrated 6-bit encoding only covers lenses up to 21mm wide and made [by Leica] since 1954.

A sample shot would be very nice.

 

[Doug]

Here are a couple shots with the original 15mm Heliar screw mount on the M8, no coding or IR/UV filter, no CornerFix. Indoor shot wide open. We were house-hunting...

 

[ampguy]

I've tried it coded as a WATE, and uncoded lens detection off. I prefer uncoded, and lens detection off, with no filter.

Examples are here

 

[Frankie]

Thanks Doug and Ampguy.

I have studied your examples carefully...

Your pictures prove that a super-wide CV 15mm works...even without the 6-bit magic...

What is this talk elsewhere in these forums then that: RF is bad for digital; that Leica is the only ones who can do it, that the M8/9 patented 6-bit is so special; that no one else should even tried...especially Zeiss?

See the Zeiss ZM threads.

 

[jpberger]

The one disadvantage of the new version verses the old is that the old one focuses all the way down to 30cm and the new one stops at 50 or something? If you stop down even a little hyperfocal focusing more than covers the distance, still the whole point of this lens is to get close in.

 

[LeicaMSeattle]

I prefer the latest version of the 15mm because it allows you to focus precisely as well as depend on DOF, however when shooting at f4.5 the ability to precisely focus assures a good image everytime. I use my Leica 21mm finder with this lens.

 

[Sustich]

Scan eBay regularly and you will find the 15mm/finder/Bessa-L combo on a regular basis. I got the whole kit about 2 years ago for less than the retail price of the lens.

For me, it really is the ultimate p&s.

 

[Ramersdorfer]

I wanted the VF so I bought the ltm version complete with M adapter and VF from an RFFer. It was still so much cheaper than the M-version (without VF) that it was worth sacrificing the option of using filters.