View Full Version : Indecision over a super wide for the M8?
I am very close to clicking the buy button with Mainline Photographics here in Oz for a new CV lens ... they have a package deal going for a 15mm Heliar and 21mm finder for the M8 at the moment. I am worried however that it may be too wide for me ... I realise the corrected focal length is 21 mm but the widest lens I have used so far is a 28mm Ultron on an M film body. Does using a lens this wide require a different mental approach to your shooting? I am very comfortable with a 35mm focal length but am worried that given my limited experience I may be biting off a little more than I can chew!
I guess the bottom line is I can always sell it if I don't like it or can't come to terms with it ... but I would appreciate some tips from others about shooting with a lens this wide and what curcumstances it will excel in. :)
I am not a very good wide shooter.... Tele is more my line. So I have learnt to get really close up when using the wideangles.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e32/jaapv/stone2.jpg
madsolitaire
07-16-2007, 04:29
Here are some sample pictures taken with the 15mm:
http://www.chiifcameras.com/content/view/57/75/
Hope this helps.
oftheherd
07-16-2007, 05:38
The widest I have in rf is the equivalent of a 24mm in 35mm photography. In 35mm photography, I have 18mm and a fisheye adapter. But then I tend to like wide. I think that is the key. I think some people tend towards telephoto, others toward normal, and still others towards wide. I first got to liking wide in Korea many years ago when I found the photo I wanted with my widest, a 28mm, reqired that I "walk" past the edge of a cliff. I don't fly, much less hover steadily.
I got an 18mm lens and it was love at first sight. It is rectilinear but at that focal length you can still easily get distortion if you want it for creative use. I think you should want that lens for both reasons. That is, to get photos you don't have the room to get otherwise, and for creative purposes. I have read that the difference between 18mm and 21mm is not a lot, but still noticable. So I would guess you won't be getting extreme wide unless you have another camera the lens will fit on and be usable at 15mm. That could be a blast.
It isn't that I see everything in wide mind you. But I like it a little more. It can get shots you would not get otherwise, and it can be used creatively in very interesting ways.
I don't know that I have helped, since I am sort of putting it back on you. I can only say that for my part, I like wide. I don't think you will want to weld it on your camera, but I bet you will learn to like it. It isn't the lens I reach for all the time, but there are a lot of photos that I just "know" it is the correct lens to grab for.
Good luck in your decision.
I had absolutely no experience with very wide angle lenses before acquiring the CV 15mm. I haven't used it much yet, but have already gottten some interesting and very pleasing results (such as the image below). I'd advise you to go for it, and I'll bet that you end up keeping it!
Regards,
Tony C.
http://mtanga.com/cv4.jpg
(http://mtanga.com/singleimage4.htm)
Keith, I highly recommend either the 15 or the 12mm CV. Here is a shot with the 12mm - http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=54938&ppuser=1012
The CV 15 is an excellent lens for landscapes, particularly where you have strong foreground elements that add depth to the scene.
http://www.pbase.com/scho/image/81827301/large.jpg
I am very close to clicking the buy button with Mainline Photographics here in Oz for a new CV lens ... they have a package deal going for a 15mm Heliar and 21mm finder for the M8 at the moment. I am worried however that it may be too wide for me ... I realise the corrected focal length is 21 mm but the widest lens I have used so far is a 28mm Ultron on an M film body. Does using a lens this wide require a different mental approach to your shooting? I am very comfortable with a 35mm focal length but am worried that given my limited experience I may be biting off a little more than I can chew!
I guess the bottom line is I can always sell it if I don't like it or can't come to terms with it ... but I would appreciate some tips from others about shooting with a lens this wide and what curcumstances it will excel in. :)
Thanks everyone for the sample pics ... I like!
It will also be very interesting to use the lens on my film M bodies ... guess I better get a 15mm finder as well! :)
Thanks everyone for the sample pics ... I like!
It will also be very interesting to use the lens on my film M bodies ... guess I better get a 15mm finder as well! :)
The CV 12 and 15mm come with their respective finders, so unless that package for some reason is missing one, you should be fine.
Enjoy!
Best,
-Jason
Thanks everyone for the sample pics ... I like!
It will also be very interesting to use the lens on my film M bodies ... guess I better get a 15mm finder as well! :)
Get a 21mm finder to use with the CV 15mm on an M8. You could also use the 15mm finder that comes with the CV 15mm lens, but you would have to paint on your own framelines.
Get a 21mm finder to use with the CV 15mm on an M8. You could also use the 15mm finder that comes with the CV 15mm lens, but you would have to paint on your own framelines.
This lens is actually a package deal released by Cosina for the M8 and a 21mm finder is supplied with the 15mm lens! :)
http://www.mainlinephoto.com.au/prod114.htm
Anothre Heliar 15 shot...
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e32/jaapv/IMG_20070705_0159.jpg
Hi Jaap,
That's a very nice example of the capabilities of the CV 15mm. It also buttresses what Carl mentioned earlier, which is that a strong foreground presence is key to showing the CV 15's full potential.
Regards,
Tony C.
Buy the 15mm CV Heliar + a Milich LTM adapter + 39mm IR filter and use all three together after you hand code the adapter.
After shooting for a day or two, then tell us that wasn't the best investment you every made in a superwide lens, OK?
(Hey while you'e at it, buy a sturdy table tripod too. I use the M8's self-timer a lot.)
-g
sepiareverb
07-23-2007, 16:33
Keith- the very wides are very different- exposure wise as well. You'll be getting a lot more sky influencing the meter, that exposure hold feature becomes more important if you're shooting Aperture Priority.
I find that I work with the 25 & 21 for a while, then swing out of the wides, but I always come back. They really do take some getting used to, but there is nothing quite as satisfying as being able to get all that on film when you want to.
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