Back to the Future with the Voigtlander Heliar Classic 50mm f/1.5 S.C
First Soft Focus 50mm in M-mount normal lens captures that vintage look! Part 1
By Jason Schneider
The Voigtlander Heliar Classic 50mm f/1.5 S.C is the world’s first and only soft focus 50mm lens in VM mount, Voigtlander’s official designation for its manual focusing M-mount lenses that are designed and manufactured by Cosina in Japan. It’s a beauty, in terms of its elegant physical form factor, impressive build quality, and its unique ability to capture subjects with that much sought after “luminous, rounded, velvety” rendition reminiscent of the classic vintage lenses of the early-to-mid 20[SUP]th[/SUP] century. The Heliar Classic achieves that “distinctive glow” and “artistic bokeh” by deliberately under-correcting the lens for coma and spherical aberrations, in effect mimicking the signature defects of the legendary lenses of the past in a brand-new broad spectrum “vintage look” normal lens. These dreamy effects are most pronounced at the widest apertures, and by stopping down to f/4 or f/5.6, the lens is quite sharp overall, except in the extreme corners of the full frame field. The bokeh outlining effect is most noticeable at close focusing distances, but its overall bokeh is smooth and natural with seamless transitions even at greater distances and smaller apertures, thanks in part to its 10-bladed diaphragm. The S.C in its name refers to the fact that it’s single coated rather than multicoated, again to deliver vintage rendition with a touch less flare suppression.
The Voigtlander Heliar Classic 50mm f/1.5 S.C is physically stunning, with a striking retro vintage look that’s enhanced by its diamond pattern black aperture and focusing rings, the latter made of brass. It features all metal construction with a beautifully crafted chrome finished brass mount, and all its controls have a smooth, well damped action that imparts a quality feel. The aperture ring has legible white on black numerals and provides detents at half stop intervals except between f/1.5 and f/2, and the chrome finished distance scale has footage and metric numerals in black on chrome that are less visible in dim light. The lens can focus down to 0.5m (about 20 inches) but it’s rangefinder coupled only down to 0.7m with Leica M cameras. However, it’s easy to focus closer in Live View (or by using an accessory Visoflex EVF) on any digital Leica M or M-mount cameras. It also works brilliantly on virtually any mirrorless camera by using the appropriate M-mount adapter. The lens is very compact (41.5mm long, 56.8mm diameter), and though it feels quite hefty for its diminutive size it weighs in at portable 255g (9 ounces) and is very well balanced on the Leica M9 and Sigma fp cameras used for this review.
Voigtlander Heliar Classic 50mm f/1.5 Specifications
Nominal focal length: 50mm
Maximum aperture: f/1.5
Minimum aperture: f/16
Lens mount: VM (Voigtlander Leica M equivalent)
Format coverage: Full frame (24 x 36mm)
Angle of view: 45.9°
Minimum focus distance: 50cm (19.7 inches)
Optical design: 6 elements in 3 groups
Diaphragm blades: 10
Rangefinder coupling: infinity to 0.7m depending on camera
Focus type: Manual focus helical
Image stabilization: No
Front filter size: 49mm
Dimensions (maximum diameter x length): 56.8 x 41.9mm
Weight: 255g (9 oz.)
A Dynamic Duo: Voigtlander Heliar Classic 50mm f/1.5 S.C on Leica M10-R
Amelia, Age 8, Heliar Classic 50mm f/1.5 shot wide open at f/1.5, ISO 6400 with Sigma fp and M-to-R-mount adapter
The images posted here were all shot with the 50mm f/2 Heliar Classic at f/1.5 and f/2, the apertures most users will select to achieve maximal vintage effects. But this is a great general purpose normal lens, and I can heartily commend it to anyone who likes the perspective of the 50mm focal length and simply wants to capture beautiful looking images. Please see Part 2 of this article for more info and images.
First Soft Focus 50mm in M-mount normal lens captures that vintage look! Part 1
By Jason Schneider
The Voigtlander Heliar Classic 50mm f/1.5 S.C is the world’s first and only soft focus 50mm lens in VM mount, Voigtlander’s official designation for its manual focusing M-mount lenses that are designed and manufactured by Cosina in Japan. It’s a beauty, in terms of its elegant physical form factor, impressive build quality, and its unique ability to capture subjects with that much sought after “luminous, rounded, velvety” rendition reminiscent of the classic vintage lenses of the early-to-mid 20[SUP]th[/SUP] century. The Heliar Classic achieves that “distinctive glow” and “artistic bokeh” by deliberately under-correcting the lens for coma and spherical aberrations, in effect mimicking the signature defects of the legendary lenses of the past in a brand-new broad spectrum “vintage look” normal lens. These dreamy effects are most pronounced at the widest apertures, and by stopping down to f/4 or f/5.6, the lens is quite sharp overall, except in the extreme corners of the full frame field. The bokeh outlining effect is most noticeable at close focusing distances, but its overall bokeh is smooth and natural with seamless transitions even at greater distances and smaller apertures, thanks in part to its 10-bladed diaphragm. The S.C in its name refers to the fact that it’s single coated rather than multicoated, again to deliver vintage rendition with a touch less flare suppression.
The Voigtlander Heliar Classic 50mm f/1.5 S.C is physically stunning, with a striking retro vintage look that’s enhanced by its diamond pattern black aperture and focusing rings, the latter made of brass. It features all metal construction with a beautifully crafted chrome finished brass mount, and all its controls have a smooth, well damped action that imparts a quality feel. The aperture ring has legible white on black numerals and provides detents at half stop intervals except between f/1.5 and f/2, and the chrome finished distance scale has footage and metric numerals in black on chrome that are less visible in dim light. The lens can focus down to 0.5m (about 20 inches) but it’s rangefinder coupled only down to 0.7m with Leica M cameras. However, it’s easy to focus closer in Live View (or by using an accessory Visoflex EVF) on any digital Leica M or M-mount cameras. It also works brilliantly on virtually any mirrorless camera by using the appropriate M-mount adapter. The lens is very compact (41.5mm long, 56.8mm diameter), and though it feels quite hefty for its diminutive size it weighs in at portable 255g (9 ounces) and is very well balanced on the Leica M9 and Sigma fp cameras used for this review.
Voigtlander Heliar Classic 50mm f/1.5 Specifications
Nominal focal length: 50mm
Maximum aperture: f/1.5
Minimum aperture: f/16
Lens mount: VM (Voigtlander Leica M equivalent)
Format coverage: Full frame (24 x 36mm)
Angle of view: 45.9°
Minimum focus distance: 50cm (19.7 inches)
Optical design: 6 elements in 3 groups
Diaphragm blades: 10
Rangefinder coupling: infinity to 0.7m depending on camera
Focus type: Manual focus helical
Image stabilization: No
Front filter size: 49mm
Dimensions (maximum diameter x length): 56.8 x 41.9mm
Weight: 255g (9 oz.)
A Dynamic Duo: Voigtlander Heliar Classic 50mm f/1.5 S.C on Leica M10-R
Amelia, Age 8, Heliar Classic 50mm f/1.5 shot wide open at f/1.5, ISO 6400 with Sigma fp and M-to-R-mount adapter
The images posted here were all shot with the 50mm f/2 Heliar Classic at f/1.5 and f/2, the apertures most users will select to achieve maximal vintage effects. But this is a great general purpose normal lens, and I can heartily commend it to anyone who likes the perspective of the 50mm focal length and simply wants to capture beautiful looking images. Please see Part 2 of this article for more info and images.
