Voigtlander 50mm lenses

[lkgroup]

I recently got a CV 50 2.5 and it is also one of my favorites. Mine is silver and It looks good on M2 and my IIIf.

The pictures are very sharp and my sample show none of the lack of sharpness that others are seeing.

Very well built and easy to use. Very recommended.

Leo

 

[KEH]

Another one from my gallery with the CV 50 / 2 Heliar. Handles harsh light pretty well, but I find the focus is a bit hit or miss on my M8.

ISO 160, probably f5.6.

Cheers,
Kirk

 

[Doug]

I recently got a CV 50 2.5 and it is also one of my favorites. Mine is silver and It looks good on M2 and my IIIf.
The pictures are very sharp and my sample show none of the lack of sharpness that others are seeing.
Very well built and easy to use. Very recommended.

Hi Leo... Like FrankS, I consider my 50 Skopar a favorite 50. It's surpisingly compact compared with most other 50's too, and especially considering it's a 7-element lens.

I bought mine in June 04, when it was already "well known" that the lens was unsharp, yet was also reported to the the most popular CV lens in the Japan market. At the time there was a CVUG member using one for a pic of the week project without expressing any complaints, and his pics looked excellent. I reduced my risk by buying used, and came to my own conclusions after running a couple rolls.

The lens has a nice look, pleasant bokeh, and it's plenty sharp... but gently so. It's not the wire-hard sharpness seen in some other modern lenses. It may not be quite as sharp as the 50 Nokton, for example. I figure this is what some early users reported, and it got blown out of proportion. It's a fine lens. In my RFF Gallery I have several samples accompanied by 100% crops showing its performance. Search for either "50mm Skopar" or "040726". (Fuji 800 NPZ)

 

[kalokeri]

Seems like everyone says that the bokeh from Heliar is good.. well, as far as I saw from picture posted by other people (I don't have it) it seems to produce a "swirly" bokeh.. Do you really like it?
Rob

Ok, look here:


http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=48420&page=2

"I love Heliar OOF Rendition (SOFA? Bokeh? as you wish...)
I'm having a really bad GAS crisis..
Rob."

Never mind, please. To answer your question: yes, I really do like the OOF rendition of the Heliar and I do like that it´s a little bit soft at 2.0 and a bit sharp at 2.8 and 4.0.

Thomas

 

[Graham Line]

.... I bought mine in June 04, when it was already "well known" that the lens was unsharp ... At the time there was a CVUG member using one for a pic of the week project without expressing any complaints, and his pics looked excellent. I reduced my risk by buying used, and came to my own conclusions after running a couple rolls.

The lens has a nice look, pleasant bokeh, and it's plenty sharp... but gently so. It's not the wire-hard sharpness seen in some other modern lenses.

Shows the value of relying on "internet wisdom." The few published tests I could find showed good resolution numbers and there are some attractive photos posted here and there . . . mine has been well worth the price.

Any more I discount posted opinions unless people back them up with posted images, or it's someone I've been reading for a while. Too many "experts" never touch the gear they talk about.

 

[BillP]

Any more I discount posted opinions unless people back them up with posted images, or it's someone I've been reading for a while. Too many "experts" never touch the gear they talk about.

Hear, hear!

Here's a couple from Sunday, IID, Kodak 400CN, Skopar 50.





Regards,

Bill

 

[maggieo]

I just got a CV Heliar Classic for my birthday and was wondering what size filter does it use? (Have to have that UV-IR cut.)

It seems to play well with my M8:

 

[Doug]

I just got a CV Heliar Classic for my birthday and was wondering what size filter does it use?

Hi Maggie -- Congratulations on your fine gift! Seems to work ok too...

Here's some specs from http://www.cameraquest.com/

Voigtlander 50/2 Heliar (Discontinued limited run)
M bayonet mount
Available finishes Silver or Black
Collapsible, Very Compact
Historic Heliar lens formula with elements/groups 5/3
Rangefinder coupled to 1m min focus
F/stop range 2 - 16 Half Click Stops
Aperture has 11 Blades
Angle of view 46 deg
Filter size 39mm, snap on lens cap
Std Bayonet Hood w/lens, 39mm Snap On Cap
Optional LH-4 Vented Bayonet Hood
Weight & size 10.4oz; L/W 40(57) 30(50) x 51mm

 

[maggieo]

Fantastic! Thanks, Doug!

 

[BillP]

Lovely shot, Maggie!

Regards,

Bill

 

[zuikologist]

Maggie - nice shot and great light. The lens seems to work well on the M8.

 

[maggieo]

Thanks, guys!

I'm really happy with the interaction between camera and lens.

 

[BigSteveG]

It is a quick focusing, well-made lens. I do miss that about my traded Heliar.

 

[maggieo]

The love affair with the 50/2 Heliar Classic continues. This might just become my favorite lens.

Last of the phone booths, Greenwood, Nebraska:

 

[gavinlg]

maggieo, i LOVE the rendering of that heliar!!!!

 

[maggieo]

Me too, Gavin!

It's a delight to handle, too.

 

[lawrence]

what i like "best" about it, is the inverted barrel distortion... , -)
a refreshing take on lens distortion these days, though my uneducated mind did think that with symmetrical design like this, it should have been quite possible to practically eliminate distortions altogether...

Interesting that you and I seem to be the only ones who are bothered by the distortion. I think I'm right in saying this is known as "pincushion" distortion and is very evident in some photos -- so much so that I've just ordered a 50mm Color-Skopar to see if it is an improvement. Apart from this aspect, I like the Classic.

 

[Doug]

..."pincushion" distortion and is very evident in some photos -- so much so that I've just ordered a 50mm Color-Skopar to see if it is an improvement. Apart from this aspect, I like the Classic.

This is the first comment I've seen on the Heliar Classic having any distortion at all. I've just gone back to look at some of my shots with it and I'm hard-pressed to see any... maybe with one shot that has a railing running along near one edge of the frame, might be just a touch of pincushion but the wood railing might not be straight either.

The 50mm Color Skopar definitely has some pincushion distortion, test sample below. I'll have to run a similar test with the Heliar...

 

[maggieo]

Doug, where is it in the photo you posted that the distortion manifests and what is "pincushion" distortion?

 

[Doug]

Doug, where is it in the photo you posted that the distortion manifests and what is "pincushion" distortion?

Hi Maggie -- Look along the door and door frame at the right, where there are supposedly straight lines running vertically near the right edge of the picture. Notice how these lines curve slightly inward at the middle and outward at top and bottom? Not very much, but noticeable if you look for it. If the lines curved the other way, bowing slightly outward at the middle, that would be "barrel" distortion.

BTW, something odd about my post, preventing my usual browser from fully opening the thread. Using a different browser for this reply, I've also replaced the photo with a smaller version, not sure if that will fix it.