Voigtländer Heliar Classic 50mm f/1.5 VM

The Heliar Classic 50mm f/1.5 VM is a deliberate counterpoint to the high-performance lenses of today. It is designed to provide a creative, classic image at wide open apertures, showcasing intentionally retained aberrations. The lens configuration consists of six elements in three groups and interprets the original Heliar type. Particularly at the aperture of f/1.5, a bokeh effect emerges, where spherical and comatic aberrations appear at the edges of the image, which are difficult to replicate through digital editing. This effect diminishes with increasingly smaller apertures, and from f/4 onwards, the Heliar behaves largely distortion-free. Overall, the image effect can be described as painterly and velvety.

This intentionally induced imaging representation offers an extremely wide range of creative possibilities, and the absence of multi-coating results in atmospheric outcomes, especially in backlight situations (the lens features a single coating). The lens barrel is made of aluminum, while the focus ring is crafted from brass and features a fine diamond pattern, just like the aperture ring. It is an absolute eye-catcher. The minimum focusing distance is 50 cm, and it includes a highly precise rangefinder coupling, along with a lens hood. The Heliar Classic 50mm f/1.5 VM is a true creative tool developed exclusively for the Leica M mount. It confidently embraces its "imperfections" and delivers a unique look. It is particularly interesting for photographers and artists who work outside of perfectionism and the mainstream, and who appreciate a warm, soft, and analog image effect.