Voigtlander HELIAR Classic 50mm F2
Review and Photo example of the Heliar Classic 50mm F2 <limited>
Table of contents
Gallery
- Sample photo taken with theLEICA M8.
Review
Helier Classic 50mm F2 was released as an accessory lens for Bessa R2M/R3M film rangefinder cameras.
It has a sticky helicoid characteristic of MF lenses, and it has a convenient weight for use with a rangefinder camera, and the aperture has a click stop that makes it comfortable to operate.
The image quality wasn’t that impressive, and it ended up being lost among the many 50mm lenses I owned.I liked the beautiful lens barrel design, so I bought both the black and silver versions, but ended up selling them both. Ta.
Cosina/Voigtlander’s Heliar series, with the exception of the latest F1.5 model, have retractable barrels, but with modern cameras, I have never retracted them because I am afraid of bumping into obstacles in front of the sensor.
The Heliar series was sold in a special format, and the Heliar 50mm F2 was sold as an accessory to the Bessa R2M and R3M.
The Heliar 50mm F2 was released around the time I stopped using film cameras, so I didn’t purchase the Bessa body set and only got the lens secondhand. The camera and lens were sold as a set, but soon after their release, the body and lens were often sold separately at second-hand camera stores.
As of 2024, the used prices of the M-mount Bessa series are soaring regardless of the model, and I think it would have been a good idea to keep them on hand, but it’s already too late.
Many of Cosina’s limited edition products are later produced with additional designs or become regular lenses, so I feel there is no need to be in such a hurry to buy them.
After the release of this Heliar 50mm lens, the Heliar 50mm F2 (600 pieces) was released as a limited edition lens.
The HELIAR 50mm F3.5 that came with the Bessa T was released as a limited edition of 600 lenses, and then became a regular lens and became the HELIAR Vintage Line 50mm F3.5 VM.
In addition, HELIAR classic 50mm F1.5 VM have been released as larger aperture lenses, but the lens configuration is 6 elements in 3 groups, so it feels difficult to call it a Heliar.
The Heliar 50mm F2 is sometimes sold at a premium price on the used market, but it doesn’t have any great characteristics in terms of depiction, so I don’t think it’s a lens you should go out of your way to buy.
Lens configuration diagram taken from Cosina distributed PDF
Specification
| Items | Heliar 50mm F2 | Heliar 50mm F3.5 | Heliar 50mm F1.5 |
| Focal length(mm) | 50 | 50 | 50 |
| Max aperture | 2 | 3.5 | 1.5 |
| Min aperture | 16 | 22 | 16 |
| Leaf blade | 11 | 10 | 10 |
| Lens Construction | 5elements in 3groups | ← | 6elements in 3groups |
| Min distance(m) | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.7 |
| Lens length(mm) | 38.5(When Using) | 42.2 | 41.9 |
| Max diameter(mm) | 50.8 | 47 | 56.8 |
| Filter Size(mm) | 39 | 28 | 49 |
| Weight(g) | 260 | 150 | 255 |
| Release date | 2007.6 or 7(1st) 2009.11(2md) | 2001.11(1st) 2009.11.1(2nd) 2016.11.25(3rd) | 2021.9 |
| Price(Yen/No-tax) | 144,900-(with body) 73,000(2nd) | 1st price is unknown 68,000-(2nd) 65,000-(3rd) | 90,000- |
| その他 | The second generation is a fixed optical tube | The third generation has a fixed lens barrel with a new barrel design |
Reference links
Update history
- 2024.03.04
- 2023.09.28
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