A useful review.

When I was a kid the first really wide lens for 35mm cameras was the Leitz 21mm f/4 Super Angulon, the optics computed by Schneider. It cost a lot, vignetted badly, had modest resolution, required a separate optical finder for use on the Leica M …. and was thrilling. Later versions saw the aperture increased to f/3.4, then f/2.8, aspherical glasses were added and Leica now even offers an f/1.4 version which will set you back $10,000 with the separate finder.

But there’s no need to spend that sort of money as a host of aftermarket makers now offers ultra wides for under $1,000 and you can find an excellent review of many of these at Phillip Reeve’s site:

Click the image for the Phillip Reeve site.

Not only is the review comprehensive and critical, the accompanying photography is excellent, something that cannot be said all that often about gear sites. The widest lens reviewed is the Laowa 5.6/9 FF-RL which sells for all of $800, with a mount that includes the EXIF coding recesses for use on recent Leica M bodies. Corner definition is reminiscent of that original 21mm F/4 Super Angulon, meaning ‘meh’, but what a spectacular effort. It’s actually wider than the wild 12mm lens found on recent iPhones, and promises many exciting photo opportunities.

Reeve’s site specializes in reviews of very wide and very fast lenses, and there is much to enjoy there.