Cosina Unveils New Voigtlander Heliar 40mm f/2.8 for L39 and VM-Mount Systems
Cosina has announced the details of its new Voigtlander Heliar 40mm f/2.8 Aspherical lens for Leica Screw Mount Thread (L39) and VM-mounts. The lens is designed to be lightweight, small, and compact with a semi-wide angle and crisp sharpness. The company says the lens is designed in a retro style and made to compliment a rangefinder camera.
The compact manual prime has an angle of view of 57-degrees and is constructed of five elements in three groups, including a single aspherical element in the middle. Cosina says that by using an aspherical lens, the 40mm f/2.8 is able to achieve excellent optical performance even wide open. The lens features an aperture range of f/2.8 through f/22 via a 10-bladed aperture diaphragm and supports the image circle of a full-frame 35mm camera.
The lens is designed to be compact and is only 21.2mm long from the mount surface and the filter diameter is just 34mm. Cosina says that rangefinders will identify the lens via a mechanical connection. Additionally, the VM-mount does include a rangefinder interlocking mechanism to enable severe close focusing near the maximum aperture of 0.7 meters.
The exterior of the lens is made of brass and comes in two color options: silver and black paint. The black paint edition has a nickel-plated focus lock, focus liver, and infinite/short-distance stoppers as an accent to the design. The lens ships with an aluminum screw-on hood and aluminum front cap that match the color of the selected lens (the black edition ships with a black painted hood and front cap).
Below are a set of sample images by Mitsuro Kano:
The Heliar 40mm f/2.8 Aspherical will be available in March of 2022. The silver edition will retail for $590 while the black paint edition will retail for $620.
More info on Cosina’s website.
