Voigtländer 15mm F4.5 Super Wide Heliar E-mount lens review by Michael Johansson

Michael Johansson#26575 date: May-4-2016
sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 4 flare control: 5 overall: 4.8	tested on: film camera: APS-C: 6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP; 16MP; 20MP; 24MP full frame: 12MP; 24MP; 36MP; 42MP; 61MP
ownership:	I own this lens
compared to:	Voigtländer Super Wide Heliar Aspherical 15mm F4,5 VM Samyang 14mm F2,8
price paid:	799 Euro
positive:	Very wide for full frame in a compact format. Well corrected for straigth lines. Electric contacts for EXIF and focus assist. As on the M-mount version III of this lens the problem with magenta misscolouring of the short sides of the frame is removed compared with the original and second version of this lens. For filmmakers this lens has a declickable apperture ring.
negative:	Non-detachable lens hood makes it impossible to mount square filters like graduated.
comment:	A beautiful lens in small housing giving a tremendous wide angle effect on full frame cameras. Built like a small tank. I changed to this lens from it´s M-mount version to get focusing aid and EXIF data. As optics are the same I feel that this is a very good lens giving good value for money and a perfect choice for landscape, architecture and interior photography. Update: I have lately obtained a square filter holder from Vietnam that works with this lens. It takes 100 mm filters and makes it possible to use ND and grad filters without vignetting. It is also possible to slightly tilt the filters for horizons that is not totaly horizontal.