Voigtländer 40mm f2.8 Heliar lens (VM & LTM) - Images

cboy · May 11, 2023

I do hope voigtlander makes more high quality compact lens similar to 40 f2.8. The trend towards 'big and fast' isn't always great, and smaller low element count primes are imo the most underrated lens that give high fidelity I look for in a lens
I do street photography so having fast glass isn't a priority especially given the high iso cameras these days

mothertrucker · May 11, 2023

splitimageview said:
What are owners of this lens using for filters? 34mm is rather uncommon especially for black and white filters...

I found a heliopan 34mm-39mm adapter as well as a heliopan 34mm sunlight filter which i am using for lens protection. 34mm stuff is pretty scarce on ebay though.

hap · May 11, 2023

splitimageview said:
Big fan of the Summicron-C! But it's M mount, whereas the Heliar fits all my screw mount cameras too.

Great point.

splitimageview · May 11, 2023

ordered this 34 --> 43 step ring for $1.95 (!) from B&H. They mailed it for free. (!!)

Figured for two bucks, why not?

Not all *that* oversized...almost exactly the same diameter as the Voigt hood. Voigt cap will not fit over it.

Also ordered the Heliopan 34 --> 40.5 but that will take 2-4 weeks.

Coldkennels · May 12, 2023

...all this talk of struggling to find filters confuses me. Why not just use A36 filters? Seems like the obvious solution - they're pretty easy to get hold of, and if you've got a Summar, 50mm Elmar, early Summaron, 90mm Elmar etc. you could probably do with some anyway...

splitimageview · May 12, 2023

Interestingly...A36 actually do *not* fit. I had assumed they would, but the front diameter of the lens is a bit too large, I tried it with several A36.

Coldkennels · May 12, 2023

In that case, ignore my last comment!

That's a horrendously stupid move by Voigtlander. It seemed like such an obvious thing to do as well.

Dguebey · May 13, 2023

Leica iiiF, VC Heliar 40/2.8, film Kodak TMX (TMax 100), 1/40s f/2.8

I removed the yellow filter because of heavily cloudy weather but nevertheless got underexposure.

Dguebey · May 13, 2023

I am happy with the 34mm filter on my Heliar 40, and 39mm or 46mm on an alternative lens : dont waste time moving the filter from one to other.

raid · May 13, 2023

Has anyone here compared the CV 40/2.8 to the (old) Rollei Sonnar 40/2.8? Is the CV much more modern?

pyeh · May 13, 2023

Raid, I don't know if I'd say it's more modern but it's definitely sharper. I think though if you have a good copy of the Rollei (no haze, to which they are prone) then you won't need the CV. For me I am fixated with 40s so I get every one I can find.

raid · May 13, 2023

My Rollei 40/2.8 looks like a new lens to me. No haze in it.

Bingley · May 14, 2023

Raid, it sounds like your Rollei 40/2.8 is in excellent shape, so you might not “need” the CV Heliar 40/2.8. The Heliar 40 is tiny (and works great on a Barnack Leica), exceptionally sharp, and has impressive resolving power. I’m not bothered by the 34mm filter size. I think Cosina hit a home run with this lens, and it’s great that it’s offered in both Leica m-mount and LTM versions. I’m thinking of taking it as my main lens in September on a trip to Croatia and Slovenia; my experience in 2021 (shooting Rollei 35 as my only film camera) was that the 40mm focal length is a great all-round size for travel.

Yokosuka Mike · May 17, 2023