The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Voigtlander 15mm F4.5 and the Carl Zeiss Distagon T4/18 ZM for their suitability to various photography scenarios:
Size and Weight Comparison
Size of a lens is an important deciding factor when comparing two lenses.Carl Zeiss Distagon T4/18 ZM is the longer of the two lenses at 71mm. The Voigtlander 15mm F4.5 with a length of 38mm is 33mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Carl Zeiss Distagon T4/18 ZM also has a larger diameter of 65mm compared to Voigtlander 15mm F4.5's 59mm diameter.
Weight of a lens is as important as its external dimensions, especially if you are planning to hand hold your camera and lens combination for longer periods. Voigtlander 15mm F4.5 weighs 156g, which means it is 194g (55%) lighter than the Carl Zeiss Distagon T4/18 ZM which has a weight of 350g.
Below you can find the dimension and weight table of the 'Wideangle Prime Lenses in Leica M Mount for size comparison purposes.
Wideangle Prime Lenses in Leica M Mount for Size Comparison
Lens Mounts
Both Voigtlander 15mm F4.5 and Carl Zeiss Distagon T4/18 ZM has the same Leica M lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Leica M lenses are Leica M11, Leica M10 and Leica M Typ 262.
Focal Range
Voigtlander 15mm F4.5 is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 15mm. Carl Zeiss Distagon T4/18 ZM is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 18mm.