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Explore the world of vintage lenses through repair notes, real test shots, and detailed archive threads packed with images.

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Voigtlander "Universal" Heliar 75mm f/3.5
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Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2025 11:57 am
Post subject: Voigtlander "Universal" Heliar 75mm f/3.5
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Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2025 11:57 am
Post subject: Voigtlander "Universal" Heliar 75mm f/3.5
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Set of max. softness (spherical under corected)


Set softness 0


Set of softness (spherical over corected)


Close up f/3,5 max. softness


Close up f/3,5 softness 0


Distance ca. 40m f/3,5 max. softness


Distance ca. 40m f/3,5 softness 0


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Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2025 1:17 pm
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Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2025 1:17 pm
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New samples,
the fist made at max. soft setting and the second soft setting 0





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Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2025 1:19 pm
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Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2025 1:19 pm
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The lens in the final finished version.
I made an extra long lens hood for it to avoid internal lens reflexions.




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Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2025 3:59 pm
Post subject: Re: Voigtlander "Universal" Heliar 75mm f/3.5
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Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2025 3:59 pm
Post subject: Re: Voigtlander "Universal" Heliar 75mm f/3.5
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arri wrote:


Close up f/3,5 max. softness


Close up f/3,5 softness 0



Very nice work and good samples to show the difference! I also like the look of the finished version - great work. Is the lens body from a Componon?

I think the Enna Correlar 8 cm f/2.9 works in a similar way (learned that from Toby Marshall, who took wonderful pictures with this lens: https://toby-marshall.com/galleries/bokeh-tales/enna-werk-correlar-80mm-f2-9-lens/). I'm not sure how the lenses compare in terms of optical quality, but the Correlar is of course slightly faster.

Set to infinity:


Set to close-focus:


Of course there's a lot of room inbetween, but for my personal taste both extremes can work pretty well in particular instances. The similar Schneider Kreuznach Radionar 8 cm f/2.9 doesn't share that ability to change the look in such a drastic way, but is of course a great lens on its own.

If you have some more samples with the Heliar I would certainly be very interested to see them.


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Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2025 6:07 pm
Post subject: Re: Voigtlander "Universal" Heliar 75mm f/3.5
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Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2025 6:07 pm
Post subject: Re: Voigtlander "Universal" Heliar 75mm f/3.5
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simple.joy wrote:
arri wrote:




Very nice work and good samples to show the difference! I also like the look of the finished version - great work. Is the lens body from a Componon?

I think the Enna Correlar 8 cm f/2.9 works in a similar way (learned that from Toby Marshall, who took wonderful pictures with this lens: https://toby-marshall.com/galleries/bokeh-tales/enna-werk-correlar-80mm-f2-9-lens/). I'm not sure how the lenses compare in terms of optical quality, but the Correlar is of course slightly faster.



Of course there's a lot of room inbetween, but for my personal taste both extremes can work pretty well in particular instances. The similar Schneider Kreuznach Radionar 8 cm f/2.9 doesn't share that ability to change the look in such a drastic way, but is of course a great lens on its own.

If you have some more samples with the Heliar I would certainly be very interested to see them.


The Heliar was the first lens I made in this kind, a Tessar and a three element lens will follow.
End of the day the results are similar but every lens has a unique character.
I just finished a Tesst 95mm f/4.8 but today it were too cloudy.

I see that lenses with front focus have more or less softness wenn the front cell is turned to the nearest close up position, it has less softness when the picture is taken in close up as well and higher when it is taken at infinity.
This is the way this kind of lenses work.
You can see it in my samples, the softness in the near infinity taken photo is larger that in the close up photo.

I never used the Correlar lens from Enna.
The outcome of this lenses is very pending to the light, it makes a big differents even when the lens gots CAs when it is turned to close up. A good corrected lens with front focus has no or only minimal CAs in the whole focus range but you can find others as well.

Please have a look to the post of the Tessar 95mm, I start it today or tomorrow.
There you can see what happens when the lens produces CAs.


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Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2025 6:44 am
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Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2025 6:44 am
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Like 1 small Like 1 small


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Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2025 7:26 pm
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Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2025 7:26 pm
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Very interesting! I appreciate your experimental series with these old lenses. Great!


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Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2025 12:43 pm
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Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2025 12:43 pm
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I want to show you how this lens works as a portrait lens.
The first photo ist made with softness 0 @f/2.8
The second with max. softness @f/2.8

For me a perfect max. softness, I prefer a lower rate of it but now I know how much it can be.
The Heliar is a great portrait lens with no softness as well when it is in used with full open aperture.
When stoped down it is a sharp lens with great color transmission, I guess it can´t be better for an uncoated lens.

A pretty little lens and absolutly unique in this kind.



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