{"id":6986,"date":"2017-03-22T17:08:03","date_gmt":"2017-03-22T16:08:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/?p=6986"},"modified":"2024-04-21T14:30:13","modified_gmt":"2024-04-21T13:30:13","slug":"short-review-voigtlander-heliar-75mm-f1-8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/short-review-voigtlander-heliar-75mm-f1-8\/","title":{"rendered":"Short Review: Voigtlander Heliar 75mm F1.8"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Voigtlander Heliar 75mm F1.8 is a rare representative of the family of 75mm lenses. In this shorter review I give you my impressions on how it performs on the Sony a7ii.<\/p>\n

Specifications<\/h1>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Diameter<\/td>\n58 mm<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Length<\/td>\n74 mm<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Filter Thread<\/td>\n46 mm<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Weight<\/td>\n427 g<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Max. Magnification<\/td>\n0.12<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Close Focusing Distance from the sensor<\/td>\n0.9 m<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Number of aperture blades<\/td>\n10<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Elements\/ Groups<\/td>\n6\/3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/address>\n
The Voigtl\u00e4nder 1.8\/75\u00a0usually sells new for $599 at CameraQuest<\/a>\u00a0or for around $430<\/strong>\u00a0used at ebay.com<\/a>(affiliate links).\u00a0<\/em>
\nIn Germany\u00a0you can buy it used for around 400<\/strong><\/em>\u20ac<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>at ebay.de<\/a> (affiliate link).\u00a0<\/em><\/address>\n
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Image Samples<\/h1>\n

Just click on any image to get to the full resolution version.<\/p>\n

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What I like about it<\/h1>\n<\/address>\n

The Handling<\/h2>\n

The Voigtl\u00e4nder 1.8\/75 is very well built, rather small and it has a smooth focusing ring with a good transmission. So handling is very pleasant.<\/p>\n

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The sunstars<\/h2>\n

Thanks to 10 straight aperture blades you can get very well defined sunstars from f\/5.6.<\/p>\n

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Flare resistance is generally good but you can get veiling flare as well as minor ghosting in critical situations. I didn’t use a hood though which might improve performance in this regard.<\/p>\n

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What I didn\u2019t like<\/h1>\n
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The Sharpness<\/h2>\n<\/address>\n

The 1.8\/75 is part of the Voigtlander’s\u00a0classic <\/em>line and it is indeed closer to classic portrait lenses which are usually a bit soft wide open though the Voigtlander has good contrast from f\/1.8.\u00a0At f\/2.8 it is sharp in the center but it takes until f\/4 until the center reaches an excellent level.\u00a0For very good corners you should stop down to f\/8.<\/p>\n

I wasn’t too happy with the sharpness: I used it wide open most of the time and found the results a bit lacking. It is sharp enough for web sized images but doesn’t hold up well for bigger enlargements.<\/p>\n

Click here<\/a> to check my sharpness test.<\/p>\n

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f\/1.8 is a bit softer than I would have liked<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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At f\/8 there is nothing to complain about.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Chromatic aberrations<\/h2>\n

I had quite a few images which suffered from axial CA. The issue is very obvious especially wide open. Almost every other 85mm lens suffers from thi issue but I found it very obvious in the Heliar.<\/p>\n

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The Bokeh<\/h2>\n

The bokeh can be very smooth as in this image with an undemanding background:<\/p>\n

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But in more challenging situations bokeh is a bit more nervous than I like:<\/p>\n

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Alternatives<\/h1>\n