Heliar lenses were overpriced junk until I actually used one

Always thought Voigtlander Heliar designs were just hype for people with more money than sense. Picked up a beat-up 50mm f3.5 at a estate sale for $40, cleaned it up, and the sharpness across the frame blew me away. Anyone else had a lens brand they dismissed that turned out to be secretly great?

2 comments

2 Comments

nathan_foster606d ago

My buddy Tom picked up a beat-to-hell Nikkor 50mm f1.4 at a flea market for five bucks and it turned out to be one of the sharpest lenses he owns. @lisa839 is right about thrift store finds, you never know what hidden gems are sitting around gathering dust.

lisa8398d ago

Ha! Yeah that's the thing about expensive glass - sometimes you gotta actually shoot with it before you realize it's not just a paperweight for rich folks. I did the same thing with some old Canon FD lenses I found in a thrift store. Thought I'd just use them as decoration but they're actually pretty solid. $40 for a Heliar that cleans up nice? That's a steal. Probably the previous owner thought it was junk too because they didn't clean the dust off the sensor. Typical. Now you're probably gonna have to go find a matching body to justify keeping it, so congrats on your new addiction.