The Two 50mm Heliar Lenses: Any Tests Done?

The Two 50mm Heliar Lenses: Any Tests Done?

  • I choose the 50/2.0

    Votes: 86 62.8%

  • I choose the 50/3.5

    Votes: 51 37.2%
  • Total voters
    137
  • Poll closed .
Hi Doug,
The 50 2.0 Heliar appears to some users as sharp while others bash it as lacking sharpness. I find it to be a nice lens for general use without being too contrasty or "too sharp", with a wonderful bokeh (and again, some users hate its bokeh).

I don't have any modern fancy 25mm lenses, but the CV 25/4 is not bad at all. It is my only modern wide angle lens. I also use the SLR based vintage 19mm and 21mm lenses by Canon and Minolta, respectively. I have the adapters to go with these lenses so that I can use them on LTM cameras.

One day, I will have to buy a digital RF when film developing becomes a hassle and expensive. Even my wife acknowledges this fact. She loves the Leica/Zeiss look from RF lenses, so I will have her support.

I am going for the pre-asph 35mm 1.4 Lux. I have not experienced flare so far with it.
 
raid said:
Hello Doug,
I also love the bokeh of the [original black] Heliar 50 2.0 when used at 2.0-4.0.
Click to expand...

I wonder if the 50/2.0 Heliar could compare to a 50 Rigid as far as OOF smoothness, with its sharp center and soft corners.

A multicoated modern lense for color and performance like a Rigid with higher contrast for color would be a nice compliment to a 50 Rigid Cron for B&W.

Am I off base or is this the lens I've been waiting for because I love my Rigid.

Thanx in advance.

Calzone
 
Calzone,
In a recent RFF thread, I compared over 20 50mm lenses, which included both Heliars and the rigid Summicron. All three lenses mentioned above did remarkably well.
 
Its been a while. I couldn't make up my mind so I bought both the 50/2.0 Rigid Nickel Heliar and the 50/3.5 Collapsible Nickel Heliar. Since I bought both, I didn't vote in the poll. For me there should of been a third selection: Both.

So far it been over a month and there is no buyer's remorse. I was surprised that the multicoating only added a moderate increase in contrast, because I was expecting more. I like the combined look of vintage lens with modern coatings. IMHO CV did a good job of blending the old and the new and I was not disappointed. Under harsh lighting the Heliars seem to control flare and coma very well.

When compared to my 50 Rigid Cron, the 50/2.0 Nickel Heliar provides a similar but differant look with soft corners and center sharpness for the two most open f-stops, but with a pleasent diffused softness. To me it seems controlled in a beautiful way, but I can understand how some may say this lens is not sharp.

Another surprise with the 50/2.0 Heliar is the creamy negatives under adverse dim lighting. Some shots wide open at 1/15 second came out great and look like they were shot with high key lighting when they were not (they were shot in a bar in the shadows). Check out the thread involving the January NYC Meet-Up presented as a tease at the end of the December Meet-Up thread. There is a B&W picture of three drunk girls who crashed our meeting as an example.

I say the 50/2.0 has smoother OOF transition while the 50/3.5 Heliar has the edge on sharpness.

None of my testing is extensive and is limited to only Tri-X and HP5 box speed and also gently pushed at 500 and 650 for added contrast respectively. I have not shot any color through this glass.

Calzone
 
from the firs troll

from the firs troll

one of the shots in the first film taken with the F2 heliar, on fuji1600
rob
U3692I1268998141.SEQ.0.jpg
 
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Calzone said:
Its been a while. I couldn't make up my mind so I bought both the 50/2.0 Rigid Nickel Heliar and the 50/3.5 Collapsible Nickel Heliar. Since I bought both, I didn't vote in the poll. For me there should of been a third selection: Both.

So far it been over a month and there is no buyer's remorse. I was surprised that the multicoating only added a moderate increase in contrast, because I was expecting more. I like the combined look of vintage lens with modern coatings. IMHO CV did a good job of blending the old and the new and I was not disappointed. Under harsh lighting the Heliars seem to control flare and coma very well.

When compared to my 50 Rigid Cron, the 50/2.0 Nickel Heliar provides a similar but differant look with soft corners and center sharpness for the two most open f-stops, but with a pleasent diffused softness. To me it seems controlled in a beautiful way, but I can understand how some may say this lens is not sharp.

Another surprise with the 50/2.0 Heliar is the creamy negatives under adverse dim lighting. Some shots wide open at 1/15 second came out great and look like they were shot with high key lighting when they were not (they were shot in a bar in the shadows). Check out the thread involving the January NYC Meet-Up presented as a tease at the end of the December Meet-Up thread. There is a B&W picture of three drunk girls who crashed our meeting as an example.

I say the 50/2.0 has smoother OOF transition while the 50/3.5 Heliar has the edge on sharpness.

None of my testing is extensive and is limited to only Tri-X and HP5 box speed and also gently pushed at 500 and 650 for added contrast respectively. I have not shot any color through this glass.

Calzone
Click to expand...

Congrats on getting both lenses. Both are excellent lenses as you have seen yourself. I have the "classic" versions, and Nickel lenses are out of my reach now.
 
I like the look of my heliar F2 both on the Bessa and on the m7. I cannot yet evaluate the result becuase only shot a 1600 iso fuji mostly in dificult light situatio and it is not my usal film. I will try it in a short time with my usal film (delta 100-400) and will comment. I'm late but woking hard ona project which requires more hte use of a srl !
robert
PS but for what I have seen I like this lens...
 
Here are a few with the Heliar f/2.0 wide open or close to it, on the M8.

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I guess it gains a bit of "M8 look" too, along with the narrow field of view. Otherwise, I don't know... 🙂

Here are a few Heliar f/2 shots with Kodak Ultra Color 100UC in a ZI body, shot mid-2007. There's a story about the first one... Scores of titanium "seeds" containing a radioactive Iodine isotope had just been inserted in me to kill off a cancer. This dental assistant prepared to make tooth X-Rays, draping the protective lead-lined apron over me... I suggested that since I was already radioactive, it might be better for HER to wear the lead apron... and for the duration of my visit, she did! 😀

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Thanks, Raid... Coming up on three years, and it looks like I'm a "cancer survivor"; even the treatment side effects have mostly gone. And, the Iodine isotope has a 60-day half-life, so I don't even glow in the dark any more. 😉
 
raid said:
Congrats on getting both lenses. Both are excellent lenses as you have seen yourself. I have the "classic" versions, and Nickel lenses are out of my reach now.
Click to expand...

I'm spent out for a while, but I'm still happy I bought both. The icing on the cake is a Leica IIIG to go screw mount. The nickel Heliars on a IIIG are a nice small package. I also find the small diameters of the lenses to povide fast focusing and handling.

Doug, I work at Sloan-Kettering in New York. I'm in the Department of Radiology, but I am a Cyclotron Engineer who makes the raw nuclides that are further processed into Radiopharmacueticals for Pet imaging.

Three years of being Cancer free sounds very positive. Its also good that you won't fog your film anymore.

Perhaps the M8 crops out the soft corners when shot wide-open.

Calzone
 
Calzone said:
Doug, I work at Sloan-Kettering in New York. I'm in the Department of Radiology, but I am a Cyclotron Engineer who makes the raw nuclides that are further processed into Radiopharmacueticals for Pet imaging.

Three years of being Cancer free sounds very positive. Its also good that you won't fog your film anymore.
Click to expand...
🙂 Cool! Thanks for your expertise; I have been very impressed with advances in medical/dental technology, and have thankfully benefited.

Yes, fogging film was a concern, and I diligently followed instructions not to let pregnant ladies sit on my lap for an extended time. 😀

Perhaps the M8 crops out the soft corners when shot wide-open.
Click to expand...
Perhaps... but note the most recent three (post #94) were full-frame using film in a Zeiss Ikon. Of course it's hard to judge sharpness at this small size, but the 6Mp scan of the dental asst looks pretty sharp in the fabric belt at bottom and plastic wrap seams at lower right. Not a definitive test, but no obvious softening.

I have a feeling the "plane of focus" for this lens is slightly concave. So flat-surface tests focused at center would then be soft at the corners, while in "real" 3D subjects there could well be corner subject matter in correct focus showing better sharpness.

No fogged film there either, but the pretty dental assistant showed a healthy concern for ionizing radiation; maybe she was pregnant or wishing to be...
 
Doug said:
🙂 Cool! Thanks for your expertise; I have been very impressed with advances in medical/dental technology, and have thankfully benefited.

Yes, fogging film was a concern, and I diligently followed instructions not to let pregnant ladies sit on my lap for an extended time. 😀

No fogged film there either, but the pretty dental assistant showed a healthy concern for ionizing radiation; maybe she was pregnant or wishing to be...
Click to expand...

Doug, I have to say your display of respect reminds me of what I saw being taught to the Cadets at West Point. Even under stress and struggling with your health you put others first.

Also want to mention when they train Navy SEALS they say "Ninely-five percent of survival is maintaining a positive mental attitude."

Science can only go so far. Attitude effects outcomes.

Calzone
 
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