Irix 15mm f/2.4 Firefly Lens for Nikon

Tue Oct 16, 2018Camera Equipment

Prior to a recent trip to Europe I purchased the Irix 15mm f/2.4 Firefly lens for Nikon from Amazon. I was seeking an ultra-wide lens that was lightweight, at a reasonable cost, and a fast wide angle focal length for interior work.

There are two versions of this lens: the Firefly and Blackstone. Both lenses are identical in performance, and differ only in construction. The Blackstone version is the more premium version of the lens, with slightly more weather sealing and constructed in an aluminum-magnesium alloy, compared to the plastic construction of the Firefly. Both versions of the lens are manual focus only, but extremely sharp. The 15mm focal length is ultra-wide on a full frame body, taking in a 110° diagonal angle of view. The Irix lens is designed by Switzerland-based TH Swiss and manufactured in South Korea.

The lens takes a very wide 95mm filter. Due to this, any filters used need to be a thin variety, as filter stacking can create extreme vignetting. Irix provides an innovative rear drop in filter mount for this lens in case you need to use more that 1 filter; I purchased the Irix Edge Gelatin ND Filter Set 29x29mm, ND4, ND8, ND16, also from Amazon, and the Irix 95mm Edge Circular Polarizer from B+H Photo Video. Dustin Abbot has a great review of the Edge filter on his website.

Irix 15mm f/2.4 lens for Nikon

This is not an in-depth review, as I find no interest in pixel-peeking. The review is primarily related to the ease of use and handling of the lens.

I used this lens for the first time on a recent trip, using a Nikon D800. Even though this is a manual focus lens, I found it focuses quite easily (the Firefly version has a focusing ridge for you fingers to rest on). The lens has full electronic contacts on the mount so the camera properly controls the aperture, as well as allowing the camera to record the full EXIF data in the RAW image. The lens with its nine rounded blades, produced a buttery smooth, but sharp image. 

The lens comes in a metal box for shipping and a soft pouch for storage.

Bruges, Belgium taken with the Irix 15mm f/2.4 lens, at 1/125 sec and f5.0

Bruges, Belgium taken with the Irix 15mm f/2.4 lens, at 1/125 sec and f5.0 (no filtration) on the Nikon D800

Update: I have since used this lens on the mirrorless Nikon Z7 and found it works flawlessly [8/11/2019].


Jenny Lake, Grand Teton National Park taken with the Irix 15mm f/2.4 lens

Jenny Lake, Grand Teton National Park taken with the Nikon Z7 camera, Irix 15mm f/2.4 lens