Voigtlander Heliar-Hyper Wide 10mm F5.6 Aspherical

Testers agree that the centre is sharp from f/5.6 and that the edges and extreme corners need f/11 to f/16 to catch up, which is a fair result for a 10mm with almost no distortion. Flare and ghosting are well controlled even with the sun in frame, and sunstars are clean.

The recurring weaknesses are heavy vignetting, around 2.5 stops in the corners wide open, and visible lateral colour at the frame edges. Both correct well in software, at the cost of some corner noise when lifting the vignette.

Owners use it for interiors, architecture, tight cityscapes and dramatic foreground-heavy landscapes, and many say nothing else gives them this view without fisheye curvature. The small size compared with zoom alternatives that reach 12mm is a regular point of praise.

The usual complaints are the lack of filter support, the dark corners, and how easily the integrated hood and bulbous front element pick up fingers and smudges. Some users find the f/5.6 maximum aperture limiting indoors on older bodies.