Voigtlander 15mm f/4.5 Heliar with Viewfinder for Leica

The Super Heliar is quite the unique little lens. There you have the first part: its the only possible way to shoot ultra-wide on an M series camera with a physically small lens (2 inches and 6 ounces as compared to the fairly huge WATE or Zeiss 15mm f/2.8). The only real downside is that its f/4.5, but it is quite sharp wide open so that’s not an issue except in low lighting.

The new version is rangefinder coupled and will activate the 28/90 framelines, but we include the Voigtlander 15mm viewfinder with the rental of this lens. Most people tend to set it at f/5.6 and use zone focus to just snap away — everything from about 5 feet to infinity should be in focus at that setting.

Roger’s take: I find this a very practical lens for those of us who don’t shoot ultra-wide very often. Its small and light, particularly compared to the Zeiss 15 or the Leica Tri-Elmar, but still feels smooth and well made. At f/5.6 its nice and sharp with good contrast and at f/8 its just superb. It does vignette a bit wide open, but nothing that isn’t easily fixed in post process if you wish. Obviously its not a wide-aperture lens, but at these focal lengths long exposures aren’t too troublesome. But at this price and size, it allows me to have access to an ultra-wide “just in case” which I think is completely worthwhile.

Specs:

Filter Size

52mm (nonrotating front element)

Aperture

f4.5-22

Length

1.5”

Diameter

2.3”

Weight

0.3 lb

Hood