Leica LTM 50mm Heliar - anyone?

Leica M39 screw mount bodies/lenses
Dave Wilkinson

Dave Wilkinson

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The 50mm collapsible Heliar has every reason to be the best screw-mount standard lens ever? (yes - I know we all have different criteria for this) - I would love to have one permanantly attached to my treasured old Leica 111. That UK price tag of £445 (USD-697?) exc. VAT just keeps holding me back!. Although I am nearly all digital these days, I like to still go out with a Barnack and 50mm, and those Heliars are really tempting!. Anyone taken the plunge?, or tried one out?.
Dave.
 
Yes, I have one, used it both on Ms and a 1936 III. Nice lens, not what I'd call pretty but the photos come out all right. The hood screws on to the aperture control ring, which makes it a bit too easy to change aperture without actually wanting to, that is the only beef I have with it.

Some photos in this B/W gallery on pbase (Heliar and 35/1.2 Nokton) were taken with the Heliar on an M5. Here are some in colour (Heliar and DR Cron).
 
I own both the 50/2.0 Nickel Heliar and the 50/3.5 Nickel Heliar. They both looked awesome on the IIIG that I no longer have.

The 50/2.0 has a very diffused OOF that is very differant than my 50 Rigid Cron, but both have soft corners wide open. The 50/2.0 some people say is not a sharp lens, but I strongly disagree. Its the diffused OOF that causes some to mistakenly say that this lens is soft. If you don't like the signature well thats another story, but this lens is great for portraits.

THe 50/3.5 is a very sharp lens. The aperature/hood ergonomics keeps photography interesting. I found that adding an O-ring to the collapsible section gave me a nice focusing ring that aided ergonomics. Because of the small diameter of the lens the focus is very fast, making it a fast shooter for street. I would buy this lens for just this purpose all over again.

CV did a great job of mixing old school and new. The contrast I find to be only moderate (I shoot mostly B&W), and both are very resistant to flare. I love the signatures.

Cal
 
I failed to mention that having half stop detents on the aperture is a thoughtful feature, and the 50/2.0 has an 11 blade aperture that provides very pretty bokeh, especially wide open. In comparison: my 50 Rigid Cron is more like a center punch as far as sharpness wide open, while the 50/2.0 has a buttery smooth transition to the corners. Both lenses are great for portaits but because of their differences I own both.

IMHO get the 50/2.0 Nickel Heliar for shooting people, or get the 50/3.5 for shooting street, or better yet get both because they have distinct signatures. I wonder why more shooters haven't embraced the opportunity to obtain part of a limited production (600 peices each). I'm even more surprised that more Leica owners aren't looking for retro styled glass that isn't too modern, especially when problems like soft coatings and flare are issues on most of all the old glass.

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Cal
 
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I have the classic 50/2 and the 50/3.5 Heliar lenses. Both lenses are excellent overall. I find them to add to what the Summicron or other Leica 50m lenses can offer. The 50/3.5 has that 3D capability that is usually given to vintage Leica lenses. It is also razor sharp.
 
Calzone said:
I wonder why more shooters haven't embraced the opportunity to obtain part of a limited production (600 peices each). I'm even more surprised that more Leica owners aren't looking for retro styled glass that isn't too modern, especially when problems like soft coatings and flare are issues on most of all the old glass.

???????????????????

Cal
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I did the same, and got both. I agree on the different renderings. I also had the 50 f/2 col Heliar. Sold it and kept a 50 cron col. Now down to 4 50's. I like how I can switch lenses between my M's(3 & 8) and a pair of IIIc's.
 
meven said:
I second that, my Heliar Classic is very sharp and a lot better than the Collapsible Summicron I once had.
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Yes, well, I've had bad old Summicrons too, especially collapsible ones -- and I can't really see why even good 50 Summicrons are worshipped in quite the way they are by some people. On the other hand, the 50/2 Heliar is definitely a 'character' lens wide open, and I just happen to prefer the 'character' (and the extra stop) of the C-Sonnar. At f/2 the Heliar is simply overstretched for my taste, and it's certainly nothing like as sharp edge-to-edge as a (good) Summicron.

Actually, an f/2 I liked was the Taylor, Taylor Hobson (TTH) that came on a Reid I had many years ago.

Cheers,

R.
 
Roger Hicks said:
Yes, well, I've had bad old Summicrons too, especially collapsible ones -- and I can't really see why even good 50 Summicrons are worshipped in quite the way they are by some people. On the other hand, the 50/2 Heliar is definitely a 'character' lens wide open, and I just happen to prefer the 'character' (and the extra stop) of the C-Sonnar. At f/2 the Heliar is simply overstretched for my taste, and it's certainly nothing like as sharp edge-to-edge as a (good) Summicron.

Actually, an f/2 I liked was the Taylor, Taylor Hobson (TTH) that came on a Reid I had many years ago.

Cheers,

R.
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I am not saying that the Heliar Classic is better than a Summicron (I am not that dumb...), I am just saying that the 2 copies I owned were a lot better than the Collapsible Summicron I briefly had in my possession. The Heliar is a character lens wide open but in my opinion as good as any other lens from f5.6.

BTW, I do own the C-Sonnar and it is my favorite lens but it is not the topic of this discussion...
 
What I most like this lens (2.0 in my case) is the 3D look it gets sometimes. Take for example my photo at 1/15 and F2:

 
Has anyone done a lens test using a summar and heliar f2? I would love to see a test of them side by side. The heliar looks like it would be a great lens.
 
both lens i have and use before. Summar is one soft and special glass that draws like no others.. Heliar is somehow too modern and lack much character not because its a bad lens but if compare to the latest cron which i own too , still not quite as good.

but the heliar f3.5 which i used before is one amazing lens . the resolution , sharpness and color is just amazing.

summar



heliar 50mm f2



heliar 50mm f3.5

 
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