The Voigtländer 40mm f/2.8 Heliar lens is an interesting beast. A completely manual throwback to an older age, this Japanese-made lens is made of metal and lacks autofocus, electronics or anything you’d consider to be modern. Yet the folks at DPReivew.com took it for a spin on a Sony a7 body by connecting it with the expensive Voightländer VM-E Close Focus Adapter and ran it on an a7II. At least they got in-camera image stabilization as a result.
The focusing mechanism is slow at first, but starts to break-in and become easier to turn with use. I like break-in periods, it makes things feel more mechanical, like an old vehicle where everything can be repaired (or ruined) by curiosity and a proper set of tools.
The results on their image samples are impressive, though we’re not sure that they stand out above the Sony 35mm f/2.8 ZA, which has autofocus and electronic controls, though DPReview seemed to like the look.
This setup might seem a bit silly compared to something more modern and similarly priced, like the Sony 35mm f/2.8 ZA for example. The Sony is going to be sharper, and it has autofocus, right? Well, I don’t think anyone is going to be left wanting for sharpness after using the 40 Heliar. As you’ll see in our sample gallery below, it can make some lovely sharp photographs.
You can view their complete gallery of images from the Voigtländer 40mm f/2.8 lens here.
…My daily shooter is Sony A1 with a vertical grip and various Sony lenses attached like the FE 20mm F1.8. Find more gear recommendations in our shop. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.