[Nicolas06]

Hi, Brandon... I love your shots with the 15mm. I'm currently vexed over whether to get the 15mm or the 21mm. The 21's proprietary lens hood and not being able to throw a UV protective filter onto it is problematic for me but, which lens do you feel provides the best results? I've been drawn to the 15mm's images I've seen in this Forum more so than the 21 but, in the reviews here, the 21mm is rated as a sharper, better rated lens. ???

DA15 & DA21 do not have the same focal length. DA15 shoot tend to look more dramatic but a part of that comes from the different focal length. The view is wider, the perspectives more distorted so this show more in the picture. The use is quite different DA21 can be used for most WA shoots and can manage various things pretty well. This is a quite common focal length that match roughly what smartphones tend to have for their field of view... Very easy to frame and get interresting photos. The DA15 is much more difficult to frame to get interresting shoots. If you don't compose carefully, you can end up with an un-interresting foreground and empty background. People are distorted as well as building so this work for some photos but not for all. The rendering is then quite graphical and to get nice picture out of it, you have to embrace that. The counter part is when this is done properly this is less common field of view and this make the picture standout a bit more.

The othe aspect of the DA15, is it's fantastic handling of colors, contrast, micro contrast and flare. You can shoot in the light, in the sun and get no flare most of the time. Many lenses struggle at that mean some picture that other photographers tend to avoid are quite sucessfull with the DA15 so again that's less usual picture again that stand out a bit more.

The question for choice between DA15 and DA21 is if you are more after the perspective distorsion, the graphical effect it provide and you know how to frame theses things welln if you want to shoot with the sun or strong light source in the picture and make them part of the composition or if you prefer a more classical shoot. Classical doesn't mean bad. It mean easier to compose but yes it will stand out a bit less by itself so you have to work on the picture anyway to make it interresting.

I would say if you are not after the UWA and extreme perspective look the DA21 will do the job for most cases. Some building will not fit entirely, sure but many don't even fit entirely at 10mm and when you manage to fit it, the composition might be quite boring too or with strongly distorsted perspective. it work in some case, not always.

Now you spoke of sharpness. The DA15 yes can have sharpness problem on border, depending of the sample. The lens is not a sharpness monster. The DA21 has this issue too, let's face it, but far less. But this is not really relevant. If you want DA15 framing and the associated rendering, knowing the DA21 is sharper doesn't really solve the issue. Pano stiching can help in some case, but this is no silver bullet. If sharpness was all I would say, keep only the DA35 ltd, it is far sharper than the other 2, and take everything with that. But that not really the point. The lens doesn't serve the same purpose.


Take a look at the pictures in attachement. The first one is the picture as taken by the camera with DA15. It doesn't look that great. Because the goal was to get everything in the frame and it didn't fit so DA15 was necessary. Because there not enough distance anyway, you see the heavy perspectives. Because I'am not perfectly aligned with the subject, the dirstorsion is quite non simetric neither.

The second one is the same picture but with perspective processed. it look much better but the no more that much space available around the building.

The third one show a picture where the distorsion is quite acceptable (I think) and render well but there no way to remove it if you wanted. The minaret would not fit in the image. For that, what worked much better was to take the picture from much futher away. Still with DA15, quite cropped. This is the next shot.

The last one is what I would call a terrible shot. I had not enough room to back up enough, I wanted the whole building. But the composition is weak and there dirstorsion. The picture is far from great. Difficult to get something nice from it. So while the DA15 managed to get the while building in the frame, and this would have been more complicated with DA21 or impossible, this doesn't mean the picture actually look good. You have to go with a different approach to get something nice out of that monument.

Last one is the mosquee of delhi, not enou

---

Last edited by Nicolas06; 01-31-2017 at 02:03 PM.

[SlamDesiAK]

DA15 & DA21 do not have the same focal length. DA15 shoot tend to look more dramatic but a part of that comes from the different focal length. The view is wider, the perspectives more distorted so this show more in the picture. The use is quite different DA21 can be used for most WA shoots and can manage various things pretty well. This is a quite common focal length that match roughly what smartphones tend to have for their field of view... Very easy to frame and get interresting photos. The DA15 is much more difficult to frame to get interresting shoots. If you don't compose carefully, you can end up with an un-interresting foreground and empty background. People are distorted as well as building so this work for some photos but not for all. The rendering is then quite graphical and to get nice picture out of it, you have to embrace that. The counter part is when this is done properly this is less common field of view and this make the picture standout a bit more.

The othe aspect of the DA15, is it's fantastic handling of colors, contrast, micro contrast and flare. You can shoot in the light, in the sun and get no flare most of the time. Many lenses struggle at that mean some picture that other photographers tend to avoid are quite sucessfull with the DA15 so again that's less usual picture again that stand out a bit more.

The question for choice between DA15 and DA21 is if you are more after the perspective distorsion, the graphical effect it provide and you know how to frame theses things welln if you want to shoot with the sun or strong light source in the picture and make them part of the composition or if you prefer a more classical shoot. Classical doesn't mean bad. It mean easier to compose but yes it will stand out a bit less by itself so you have to work on the picture anyway to make it interresting.

I would say if you are not after the UWA and extreme perspective look the DA21 will do the job for most cases. Some building will not fit entirely, sure but many don't even fit entirely at 10mm and when you manage to fit it, the composition might be quite boring too or with strongly distorsted perspective. it work in some case, not always.

Now you spoke of sharpness. The DA15 yes can have sharpness problem on border, depending of the sample. The lens is not a sharpness monster. The DA21 has this issue too, let's face it, but far less. But this is not really relevant. If you want DA15 framing and the associated rendering, knowing the DA21 is sharper doesn't really solve the issue. Pano stiching can help in some case, but this is no silver bullet. If sharpness was all I would say, keep only the DA35 ltd, it is far sharper than the other 2, and take everything with that. But that not really the point. The lens doesn't serve the same purpose.


Take a look at the pictures in attachement. The first one is the picture as taken by the camera with DA15. It doesn't look that great. Because the goal was to get everything in the frame and it didn't fit so DA15 was necessary. Because there not enough distance anyway, you see the heavy perspectives. Because I'am not perfectly aligned with the subject, the dirstorsion is quite non simetric neither.

The second one is the same picture but with perspective processed. it look much better but the no more that much space available around the building.

The third one show a picture where the distorsion is quite acceptable (I think) and render well but there no way to remove it if you wanted. The minaret would not fit in the image. For that, what worked much better was to take the picture from much futher away. Still with DA15, quite cropped. This is the next shot.

The last one is what I would call a terrible shot. I had not enough room to back up enough, I wanted the whole building. But the composition is weak and there dirstorsion. The picture is far from great. Difficult to get something nice from it. So while the DA15 managed to get the while building in the frame, and this would have been more complicated with DA21 or impossible, this doesn't mean the picture actually look good. You have to go with a different approach to get something nice out of that monument.

Last one is the mosquee of delhi, not enou

Thanks again, Nicolas. You do a great job of working that 15mm to get the most out of your images. I think I was attracted to that lens by the rich colors I've seen in the Forum. Reminded me of Kodachrome film. I realize some of that could have been applied during post-processing but, all the same, it's pleasing to the eye. I'm assuming that 21 could hold its own without as much distortion.

[mattt]

This has been corrected for perspective distortion in post (somewhat).

[SlamDesiAK]

This has been corrected for perspective distortion in post (somewhat).

Holy smokes, Matt. That image is really nice. Thanks for posting that.

[bpv_UW]

Hi, Brandon... I love your shots with the 15mm. I'm currently vexed over whether to get the 15mm or the 21mm. The 21's proprietary lens hood and not being able to throw a UV protective filter onto it is problematic for me but, which lens do you feel provides the best results? I've been drawn to the 15mm's images I've seen in this Forum more so than the 21 but, in the reviews here, the 21mm is rated as a sharper, better rated lens. ???

Others have answered your question pretty well. i've only used the 15, never the 21, so can't comment on comparison. Each have their followers. I'd think it would primarily come down to FOV and focal length, and which lens would fit your style and intended uses best from that standpoint.

Brandon

[kh1234567890]

I'll look into the reverse filter at B&H.

Any thin 43mm filter will do. You just screw it to the inside of the hood so it ends up reversed. Or use a 49mm filter without the hood.

[SlamDesiAK]

Any thin 43mm filter will do. You just screw it to the inside of the hood so it ends up reversed. Or use a 49mm filter without the hood.

Thanks, KH... I think that's a good plan.

[Hattifnatt]

Sunrise at Mariero.

[acoufap]

Helicopter



Do you see that little spot near the middle of the image?

That's the helicopter at 100% pixel view:

[lukulele]

Grayson Highlands State Park (Virginia/USA) The Pinnacle and Cabin Creek Waterfalls Trails today after the storms roared through the last two days. Wild ponies were roaming at will and unconcerned with the few folks there.

[Hattifnatt]

Do you see that little spot near the middle of the image?

That's the helicopter at 100% pixel view:

Nice. One thing that I will have to try at some point is birding with the DA15

[UncleVanya]

Helicopter



Do you see that little spot near the middle of the image?

That's the helicopter at 100% pixel view:

WOW that's surprisingly detailed.

[gazonk]

From today's commuter boat trip:

[turkiye2turkiye]

K5IIs+15mm ltd, Karaman Castle,Turkiye



Karaman



Meke Crater Lake

[acoufap]

Nice. One thing that I will have to try at some point is birding with the DA15

great idea

---------- Post added 2016-03-17 at 19:23 ----------

WOW that's surprisingly detailed.

I was really surprised too. When I developed the raw image my son stood behind me and asked where this spot comes from. I zoomed in. We saw and I remembered this helicopter. I had totally forgotten about it.