wide angles for interior/architecture shots

[orc999]

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Hello

 

which wide angle lens is recommended on the SL below 20mm?

 

18mm 3.8 asph or 18mm ZM f4

 

Cool other options would be:

15mm ZM and Wade, but prices are to high.

 

Some say there are color problems with some wides on the SL.

Any other options?

 

VL is not an option, I believe they are not as sharp from what I have seen so far.

 

best regards

[Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS]

I like my 21mm SEM and I have also tried the Nikon 16mm Fisheye and it was soso

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[jrp]

The ZM Voigtlanders (15, 12, 10mm) are your main reasonably-priced choices below the 21mm, other than waiting for a year for the 16-35 SL lens.  The 18mm 3.8 is vg, almost as good as the 21mm.

[meerec]

I use Voigtländer 10 and 15 ... lovely lenses on SL

[scott kirkpatrick]

The Leica/Schneider R Super-Elmarit 15 really opens up an interior space, is sharp and relatively distortion free.  Here's an example (at 100%, so I'll just give a link):  https://www.flickr.com/gp/133969392@N05/8FSt9F  

Unfortunately it is expensive and hard to find.  I spent some time comparing the Super-Elmar M 18 and the older Elmarit-R 19, and concluded that the 18 was a better bet for detail across the frame.  It's easy to find.

 

The Voigtlaender latest models at 15 and 12 in the M mount are affordable but I haven't used them.  Avoid versions 1 and 2 of the 15, which have strong color shifts at the edges when used in a full frame camera.  Version 3 is said to have fixed this.

 

scott

[ramarren]

I've been using the Super-Elmar-R 15mm f/3.5, Elmarit-R 19mm f/2.8 v1, and Tri-Elmar-M 16-18-21mm f/4 ASPH (WATE). All three of these lenses perform nicely on the SL. The WATE is the best performer and the most compact, also the most expensive and the least ergonomic. The SER15 is the largest and most ergonomic, is just as sharp as the WATE on center, and has lovely bokeh, but its corner/edge resolution falls off a bit by comparison. The ER19v1 is a pure Mandler design in behavior with his signature "sharp within softness" look wide open and sharp/contrasty across the field once stopped down. It's huge front element but nice controls make it a bit of an ergonomic mix, and with the lens hood fitted it's most impressive looking  . It's corner/edge sharpness is between the WATE and the SER15. 

 

For interiors, of these three I'd likely stick with the WATE as it gives you more options. But for my more free form shooting in square format, I most often choose the SER15. One of these days I've got to try the Heliar 15-III and new 10mm from Voigtländer; my old Heliar 15-I was not good on FF digital format sensors. 

[steppenw0lf]

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WATE is great, well rather small.      

[steppenw0lf]

I found the results with the CV 10mm and 12mm mostly awful - a terrible lot of distortion. Funny at the first shot, but soon afterwards simply boring.

Anything below 15/16mm is simply not much fun for me.

If the scene is interesting, often a 28mm or 24mm is the best. (i know it is not below 20  , neither am I).

[thighslapper]

I found the results with the CV 10mm and 12mm mostly awful - a terrible lot of distortion. Funny at the first shot, but soon afterwards simply boring.

Anything below 15/16mm is simply not much fun for me.

If the scene is interesting, often a 28mm or 24mm is the best. (i know it is not below 20  , neither am I).

 

I think, like most of these speciality lenses, you have to be very specific and careful with their use. 

 

I've found the CV 10 & 12 really excellent on the SL (I'm sure Vieri will chip in and agree) ...... very sharp and less distortion than many others ..... and the WATE is always handy to have. The 21/3.4 is outstanding .....

 

WATE @ 16mm 

 

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CV 12mm

 

[jrp]

Although I do use the 15mm Voiglander and the 18mm f3.8 when I have a tripod and need to get everything in an atrium in, in reality, I find that the AF zoom, coupled with Summiluxes for indoor shots, is more generally useful.  Being able to isolate elements, including with the 21mm Summilux, tends to be more useful than trying to get everything in.

 

Edited January 14, 2017 by jrp

[FlashGordonPhotography]

The Canon 17 and 24mm TSE's are probably the best architecture lenses that work on the SL. They're big and expensive. For an ultra wide zoom you could also consider the expensive 11-24mm L. It has some barrel distortion but there's a good profile available in Lightroom that cleans them up. Almost any wide Nikkor, FD, R lens etc can be used with varying degrees of sharpness. Some people really enjoy the process of finding and testing these options. In the small and compact secrion the WATE works well. It's a true zoom as well so it's quite flexible with framing interiors.

 

Gordon

[orc999]

thanks so much! Great feedback and great pictures!

I recently got the 24-90 and found my 21sem to be a bit to close to this. I would not bring both along. but agree the 21 is a great fantastic lens. 

 

Sell of the 21 would not be enough to finance the WATE, which seems to be the best choice then considered all factors.

Its almost double the price. I have to check if the invest is really needed. 

 

Feedback on VG was better then expected.

Anybody did use this one?

Voigtlander Super Wide-Heliar 15mm f4.5 Aspherical III

[jrp]

See above. But you need to be sure that you need 15mm and can cope with the slow aperture.

[gpwhite]

thanks so much! Great feedback and great pictures!

I recently got the 24-90 and found my 21sem to be a bit to close to this. I would not bring both along. but agree the 21 is a great fantastic lens. 

 

Sell of the 21 would not be enough to finance the WATE, which seems to be the best choice then considered all factors.

Its almost double the price. I have to check if the invest is really needed. 

 

Feedback on VG was better then expected.

Anybody did use this one?

Voigtlander Super Wide-Heliar 15mm f4.5 Aspherical III

 

The Elmarit-R 19mm offers most natural rendering, IMHO, and best close focus. I have owned three of these, and the latest production is quite superior (ROM version), but the comment above re noticeably less micro-contrast towards the outer 25% of the image circle is certainly fair.

 

The 18mm SEM renders with much less distortion of organic shapes than the WATE and gives an even stronger illusion of 3D, but you need f/6.8 to get there. Close focus is OK.

 

The WATE is quite remarkable, and particularly so on the SL. The SL lens profile seems to do wonders! Versus the 18 SEM I had for a few years on an M, my WATE offers more saturated color, superior close focus sharpness corner-to-corner, and the 16mm FOV can be invaluable.

 

Because the WATE is more exotic in practice than some shooters expect, you will find many pristine used examples at very deep discounts off of retail price. Yet, the WATE is pricey...  and a unique package.

[jrp]

Here's a comparison of the Voigtlander and the WATE:

 

https://vieribottazzini.com/2016/07/leica-16-18-21mm-tri-elmar-vs-voigtlander-15mm-super-wide-heliar-iii-review-leica-sl.html

[ramarren]

Here's a comparison of the Voigtlander and the WATE:

 

https://vieribottazzini.com/2016/07/leica-16-18-21mm-tri-elmar-vs-voigtlander-15mm-super-wide-heliar-iii-review-leica-sl.html

 

 

Vieri and I talked about his results when he posted them, some time ago now. It seems that if you get a good copy of the Heliar 15 III like his, it has a small advantage at/near infinity (important to landscape work) and the WATE has a slight advantage in the mid-field (5 to 20 feet focus distance, where I tend to use it more). 

[jrp]

For close-ups / mid-field, the wider Summulixes give an attractive background rendering / separation.  They obviate the use of a tripod, and work well with the SL, because you can focus off-centre, an advantage as their field of focus is not flat.  But they are as expensive as the WATE (which is in demand because it works well on Sony bodies, unlike many wide angle Leica lenses).