15/4.5 Asph v. 21/4 P Color Skopar M Mount?

[steve_bellayr]

<p>I have been considering both the new 15/4.5 Asph & 21/4 P Color Skopar Voigtlander for future use. Are these two lenses primarily used for landscapes/cityscapes? Are there other uses that you have found for them? Is there a difference between the two on an M system? and in their utilization in photography? I have read reviews of them and both get high marks but I can not discern any difference in their utilization. </p>

[astral]

<p>I don't think it is possible to characterise any lens as primarily of use for this or that (except true portrait & specialist lenses).</p>

<p>For wide vistas, these lenses may <em>appear to be </em> rather close in their angles of view, but in more confined places, cities for example, the 15mm starts to reveal just how much wider it really is. However, both lenses can render distant landscape features very small indeed, so I usually try to have good foreground interest in any vistas which also helps to emphasise the perspective: this is particularly important with the 15mm.</p>

<p>While it is not always easy to tell, afterwards, whether a particular photograph was taken with a 15mm or 21mm, at the time of making the photo there is usually a very clear difference which will determine the optimal lens choice in a given situation. Both lenses have roles they can fulfill - sometimes side-by side, and sometimes as alternatives. While I often use both side-by-side, the 21mm suits my style more than the 15mm.</p>

<p><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2538/3687031123_75193896a8_m.jpg" alt="" width="180" height="240" /> <img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2665/3687834656_71e4357564_m.jpg" alt="" width="168" height="240" /> <img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2421/3687833572_6df05ef74b_m.jpg" alt="" width="158" height="240" /><br>

<strong>21mm f4 Skopar P <br /> </strong></p>

[bms]

<p>I do not have any experience with the 15mm but I like my 21/4 which I can recommend. It is wide enough for me, even on the M8, certainly my M4..... in fact, I have a hard time keeping my fingers out of the way....</p><div></div>

[35mmdelux]

<p>FWIW the 21mm is called the "people" lens, especially good for tight quarters.</p>

[tim gray]

<p>The 15 is great for self portraits. </p>

[alan_strevens2]

<p>I too was having this dilemma. In the end I thought If I'm gonna go wide, I'll go wide and I just got the 15mm last month. I have no regrets and I have a smile on my face whenever I look through the viewfinder. <br>

You can see some pics I've taken with it <a href=" </p>

[davidc1]

<p>I recently bough a well priced second hand previous version of the 15/4.5 Asph (HK$2,000 mint in box with VF & M Adapter)... I've only taken a few pictures with it and really still trying to get to grips with when to use it...I'm very impressed by the build quality and the brightness of the viewfinder etc...the one thing I have noticed however is it's very different portrait vrs landscape, a couple of examples to illustrate</p><div></div>

[davidc1]

<p>a second this one seems to have even more "distortion" leading to some very long looking legs in the foreground</p><div></div>

[davidc1]

<p>a landscape one to show just how much you can get in...the landscape ones certainly don't look as "distorted"</p>

[davidc1]

<p>The square infront of the Temple of Heaven beijing</p>

[davidc1]

<p>Beijing</p><div></div>

[bobmichaels]

<p>Lens choice is a very personal thing. I have and use the CV 21mm. I used to have the 15mm but found it so wide that it became a very special purpose lens after a few months. It is one of the few lenses I sold. And I sold it to a friend with the provision that I could borrow it back if I wanted (Have not borrowed it back in 9 months)<br>

My normal lens with a 35mm film camera is a 35 or 28mm. So the 21mm is just a wide angle for my eye. I can shoot all day with the 21mm. But the 15mm was just too wide for me.<br>

But then I have a friend who shoots with nothing but the 15mm.</p>

[Robin Smith]

<p>It depends quite a lot on what lenses you have already. If you have a 28mm, for example, then I always found that a 21mm was less useful as although wider - it was never so much wider that I really needed it. On the other hand it pairs well with a 35mm.</p>

<p>The 15mm on the other hand is really wide and is unlikely to be used a great deal, but when you need wide - it really fits the bill. The great thing about either of these lenses is that they are really small and light so you can easily carry them around in case you need them, unlike their equivalent SLR versions which are big and heavy (especially a rectilinear 15mm).</p>

[john_gellings]

<p>On the M8, the 21mm is a 28mm... so, if you want a really wide lens on the M8, you need to get the 15mm (20mm) IMHO. </p>