Voigtlander Heliar 50 f/2 LTM

[Renato Tonelli]

I would be interested in your opinion on the collapsible Voigtlander Heliar 50mm f/2 in LTM - I am thinking of buying it for my Leica IIIf.

I am most concerned with sharpness and contrast but please feel free to expand beyond those.

Thank you in advance.

 

[haempe]

There are two versions of the lens, a collapsible in M mount and a rigid in LTM.
Optically identical.
Fine performer and a interesting lens, sharp and good contrast stopped down, a little bit dreamy wide open.
My favorite 50 at the moment.

 

[Doug Smith]

I have the collapsible version on a Leica CL. I shoot with this lens every day. Plenty sharp and plenty of contrast stopped down with excellent rendering. I don't care for it at F/2 but at F2.8 it's fine. Focusing is a bit of a pain as the collapsible version just has a thin knurled ring. If I could only keep one 50mm it would be this one.

 

[furcafe]

Per haempe's post, you may be confused if you think the LTM (nickel-finished "Anniversary") Heliar is collapsible. It is not, though it has the skinny lens barrel aesthetics of a collapsible.

I have both the LTM Anniversary version & the collapsible "Classic" in M mount. IMHO, they're rather unusual in that they're a bit soft & low-contrast wide-open for modern 50mm lenses, but as haempe & Doug Smith write, they sharpen up & get contrasty by f/3.5 or 4. This is probably because the Heliar design is a slow one, like the Tessar/Elmar, & optically really tops out @ f/3.5 or 4. In effect, when shooting @ f/2 or 2.8 you get a vintage-type look w/the benefits of modern coatings.

I would be interested in your opinion on the collapsible Voigtlander Heliar 50mm f/2 in LTM - I am thinking of buying it for my Leica IIIf.

I am most concerned with sharpness and contrast but please feel free to expand beyond those.

Thank you in advance.