Voigtlander 15mm f4.5 LTM - brass or ally?

[nomad_.]

<p>I'm becoming very tempted to get a Voigtlander 15mm f4.5 in LTM. There's just one thing that eludes me - what is the silver finish one made of? Is it chrome plated brass, anodised aluminium, something else? (Same for the black one, I guess - painted brass? Anodised ally?)</p>

<p>The reviews for this lens absolutely rave about the sharpness, low distortion and fall-off, control of flare, etc. Can users of this lens confirm that it's as good as the reviewers say? How does the build quality and finish hold up in the longer term?</p>

 

[paul_wheatland]

<p>I have the Bessa L in Black, Finder in black and the lens in black. I believe all components are aluminum annodized black, camera body, lens but finder may be polycarbonate and plastic optic. I've had the outfit for several years, purchased used from two different people. Camera was $100 with IB, lens and finder were $250 at auction. Best $350 superwide 35mm out there. I've even taken images at Christmas, LaSallete Shrine Christmas Display and Lights in Attleboro, MA USA shooting at f4.5 at 1/15th second with ISO 400 color print film and got great images. I highly recommend this lens and camera combo, although you could use Leica LTM or M series but would not have through the lens metering (unless later M or M8,9)</p>

[aplumpton]

<p>Nomad,</p>

<p>If your lens gets anything less than rigorous professional use I doubt if the specific alloys used are of much importance. My 50mm Leica Summicron from about 1989 had helical focussing assemblies made of brass and a white metal (alu?), but this didn't prevent this quite expensive lens from wearing out enough to cause a wobble in the focussing at a later date. I did have a similar problem with a VC lens at a later time, but less so than the Summicron. Both received extensive use so I am not complaining and the effect was not damaging to pictures and was amelioirated by a regreasing of the focussing assembly. Nothing similar occurred with any of the other Leica or VC lenses I have.</p>

<p>Consequently, I wouldn't be overly concerned about the build quality and finish. it is a tool in any case, and not usually a display item. The quality price ratio of the VC lenses are possibly the highest around. The only negative thing to watch out for is possible decentering during manufacture, which may occur a bit more often at Cosina than at Leica (in view of manufacturing cost considerations). Perhaps you could get a return or exchange option upon sale, so that you could run a few simple tests. Any decentering will likely show up in edge quality variations and uneven light fall-off at maximum apertures. Not that easy to test without an hour or so of effort, but you are seemingly quite concerned about quality.</p>

[Uhooru]

<p>35 mm summicrons 4th version have a plastic barrel, yes, plastic. Still a great lens. I wouldn't fret whether its brass ar al. I have a 90 mm CV and it's black paint or something over what looks to be brass because its flaked here and there.</p>

[brandon_serra]

<p>Barry is right. It's plastic. And brass will wear a little more than aluminum, however both are prone to being dented.</p>

[tom_higgins3]

<p>I have one, it's an extraordinary lens, more so given its price. </p>

[torben_daltoft]

<p>Re: given its price.<br>

Seems that you are on another planet!</p>

[nomad_.]

<p>I asked because chromed brass is what I prefer. It has no particular bearing on whether or not I buy the lens. However, if it were the case that the black one is ally and the chrome one brass, I'd buy the chrome. If they are both ally, then I might consider the black one, especially if one appeared used for a good price.</p>

<p>The reason I asked about wear in the longer term is because there have been a few, admittedly old, threads uncovered in my searches, which suggested that Cosina's quality control was a little lacking at times. So, I wondered how samples of this particular lens were holding up. To be clear, I have no particular concerns about the likely wear or reliability of either brass or ally.</p>

<p>Thanks for the responses so far.</p>

 

[floyd_waller]

<p>Ally is a friend, ALLOY is a combination of metals.</p>

[nomad_.]

<p>Ally is also slang for aluminium.</p>

[Uhooru]

<p>Nomad, check over at www.cameraquest.com you can look at all the reference material (as well as sales material) and if you emailed Steve Gandy, he should be able to answer your question.</p>

[Uhooru]

<p>.</p>

[nomad_.]

<p>Good thinking, Barry. I wrote to him, and to a dealer in the UK. Gandy says both are aluminium, with a brass helical, dealer says both are ally, and the screw lens mount is brass. Seems that all the used deals curently available to me are silver finish, so I dare say that's what I'll be getting.</p>

 

[nomad_.]

<p>Quick follow-up... Just bought a silver one with finder and M adapter, described as 'very nice condition'. Seller is upgrading to the M version to get the filter ring. Should arrive early next week. :)</p>