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On the Cameraquest page about the earlier 101 year version there is reference to a review written in 2002 by popular photography magazine claiming it to be the sharpest lens they’d tested, and indeed that they doubted it could be bettered. On top of this, as mentioned there are a few references out there to previously published reviews that are very positive indeed. It is also close to unique in small format lenses, and indeed entirely unique in m-mount lenses. But, what I simply wanted to highlight was that this lens – as a true Heliar formula lens – is based on a design that comes with a bit of built in credibility. The above is a much abridged version of of what the World Wide Web will provide you with if you choose to do your own digging about. I also discovered references to the fact that prior to the Voigtlander 101 year Heliar, the only smaller format Heliar formula based lens was a 58mm f/2.4 Pentax lens from the middle of last century – a lens that also seems to have a positive reputation of its own, all be not necessarily for its sharpness. Looking around in forums led me to comments about how nice the transition to the out of focus rendering is, and how this was one of the main desirable features of the lens even in a time before that damned Bokeh word was coined. In its more common larger format guise, it seems they demand somewhat of a premium on the used market. None of this is particularly unusual or even interesting until you start digging around in forums and reading people’s various views about these lenses.įor one reason or another this lens formula seems to have a bit of a mystique surrounding it. The lens formula itself is a 5 element in 3 group formula that went on to be adopted by a few other manufacturers with various different names. The Heliar lens design dates back to 1900 when it was designed by Hans Harting of Voigtlander hence the 101 year anniversary. In 2001 Voigtlander released a 101 year anniversary 50mm f/3.5 thread mount collapsible lens. The Voigtlander 50mm 3.5 VM Heliar is, as I’ve alluded to, a remake of a previous Voigtlander lens. 5.3 A hazy day at Elan Valley with Portra 400.5.1 Some London street shots with Ilford HP5+.3.4 The 50mm VM Heliar’s Organic Character.3.3 Theres more to sharpness than sharpness.1 A bit of background on the Heliar formula.Actually, the conversation with Hardy unraveled into a few more interesting opportunities, but more on that later… A bit of background on the Heliar formula I enquired about borrowing a lens, and sure enough Hardy got back to me saying he’d be very happy to loan me a lens for a couple of weeks for review. This planted a seed in my head that eventually saw me getting in touch with the UK Voigtlander distributor, Flaghead photographic. What did was being contacted on Instagram by someone with one of the older f/2 versions suggesting that if I was a fan of the 3D rendering I get from my Zeiss 50mm ZM Sonnar, I should also try a Voigtlander Heliar. There isn’t a huge amount written about this lens online, nor in fact its collapsible predecessors, but what is out there talks of an optic that’s up there with the highest quality lenses ever produced in Leica ltm or m-mount.įunnily enough, this wasn’t what encouraged me to try one. The Voigtlander f/3.5 50mm VM Heliar is a unusual lens that appears to me to have a fairly quiet, but almost invariably positive reputation.