Jun 11, 2018

Irix 15mm F2.4 Firefly & Blackstone Review

Introduction

Irix is a relatively new player in the photography market, announcing their first rpoduct, the 15mm F2.4 rectilinear lens in Spring 2016. Proudly claiming that their lenses are "Swiss designed" (although they are made in Korea), the company positions itself as a higher-tier manufacturer.

Af of 2018, Irix proposes two lenses as well as a few accessories. The lenses are the 15mm F2.4, subject of this review, and the 11mm F4. Both are rectilinear (as opposed to fisheye) ultra-wide-angle full-frame lenses. In an interesting move, Irix offers two versions for each lens. The Firefly is the cheapest, with a lighter plastic body and partial weather sealing (the front is not sealed). The Blackstone version sports a metal body, full weather sealing, and fluorescent paint which can "glow" in the right conditions.

Both versions are manual focus and offer automatic aperture with exposure controls via the camera (i.e. no aperture ring).  They use the standard Pentax KA mount.

A fast rectilinear 15mm lens is certainly a welcome addition to any mount, as long as it is optically good. Opinions in our user database are generally favorable, even though reviews are scarce: the Firefly is rated at 8.3/10 while the Blackstone reaches 9.5. Forum threads indicate that users like the optical results and the company's support when needed.

As is our custom, in this review we will dig deeper and see just how well the Irix 15mm performs. Is it a lens worthy of interest? Read our review to find out!


facebook.com/PentaxForums PentaxForums @PentaxForums News | Reviews | Forum

Support Pentax Forums Donate to Pentax Forums Support Pentax Forums