Unofficial PetaPixel BotKipon Launches Cinespeed65 Medium Format Cine Lens Series With Speedy 68mm T1.4 Prime https://petapixel.com/2025/04/09/kipon-launches-cinespeed65-medium-format-cine-lens-series-with-speedy-68mm-t1-4-prime/ #mediumformat #cinespeed65 #Equipment #cinespeed #nab2025 #kipon #News #65mm #cine #lens #nab
Kipon and Module 8 Team Up to Create Focal Reducers to Adapt 6×7 Lenses to Medium Format Cine Cameras https://petapixel.com/2024/12/05/kipon-and-module-8-team-up-to-create-focal-reducers-to-adapt-6x7-lenses-to-medium-format-cine-cameras/ #focallengthreducer #mediumformat #Equipment #pentax67 #adapter #module8 #cinema #kipon #News
diyphotography (unofficial)
Kipon launches super-fast IBELUX 40mm/f0.85 Mark III lens in seven different mounts
If you’re into ultra-fast, unordinary lenses, Kipon has something that might have you interested. The company has just announced IBELUX 40mm/f0.85 Mark III, the third generation of its fast prime lens for APS-C cameras. You can get it in seven different mounts, and Kipon also promises some improvements over the old models. So, let’s see […]
petapixel (unofficial)Kipon’s Third-Gen 40mm f/0.85 Lens is Available for Six Camera Mounts
#equipment #news #40mm #apsc #ibelux #kipon #kiponibelux #kiponibelux40mmf85mkiii #lenses #primelens
I Found My Own Stolen Lens for Sale Online and There’s Nothing I Can Do
One night two years ago, someone stole $10,000 of my camera equipment. Just recently, I found one of my more iconic lenses -- a pink Handevision 40mm f/0.85 Mark II -- for sale online. The police are slow to respond, and eBay won't help until law enforcement is involved.
My name is Nathan Cowlishaw, but my business and brand as a professional tour guide are Nathan Arizona, LLC and Talking Tree Photo. I’m a professional Southwestern Interpretive Tour Guide of 17 years, a landscape photographer, and an avid traveler of the American Desert Southwest. I run a small Instagram account where I post recent images of some of these travels.
On December 31st, 2019 -- New Year’s Eve -- I was just wrapping up a commercial tour I had conducted to Antelope Canyon, in Page, Arizona -- which is one of the most popular photography destinations in Arizona on the Navajo Nation -- when I went into the office to clock out for the evening and head home. As a creature of habit, I never leave my expensive gear in my vehicle and it was routine to take it into work.
That night though, for some strange reason I can't explain and still regret, I left my camera gear in my Jeep Cherokee 4×4 on the front seat of the passenger side just long enough to clock out. In that short time frame, someone came along, smashed the window of my SUV, and stole $10,000 in camera equipment.
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One lens that I lost that night was very close and dear to me. It was what I consider to be a deeply underrated Ibelux lens made by Kipon that sports a deep reddish-pink exterior: the Handevision 40mm f/0.85 Mark II.
I affectionally dubbed it the "Pink Lady."
The very special lens was mine for only a few months before it was robbed. The reason I say it's deeply underrated is that it is! It was one of my favorite fast lenses and is not meant to used during a bright sunny day because it will produce horrible results under those conditions. It is a specialty lens for only low-light photography and it is truly a unique experience. I have captured Southwestern Landscapes with several fast lenses with the f-stop ranges of f/0.95 through f/1.4 apertures and this lens was especially great because it gets even faster: f/0.85. Not only that, it had good sharpness wide open, in my opinion. The construction on it was perfectly immaculate but the color, pinkish-red, is not the shade I would have chosen but I was happy to have a copy of the Ibelux.
Below are some examples I captured of the Sonoran Desert around the Phoenix Metro Area, along with other places around the American Southwest with the Pink Lady:
I consider myself a non-conforming photographer, and I like to break the rules of photography and challenge notions of two-dimensional design. When photography dictates that I shoot landscapes photographs stopped way down for a wide depth of field, I like to do the exact opposite, like I did in this image captured with a vintage Porst 55mm f/1.2 in Pentax-K Mount:
This burglary took place just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit and for weeks, even months, I scoured the internet searching for my stolen gear with no luck.
I had to find some sort of closure to move beyond feeling like a victim. I had to keep my chin up and do a complete reset. I decided to chalk the experience up as a major loss and decided to start completely over from scratch and began the journey of saving up to buy new gear. Even my community of supporters came together and chipped in, with the help of my brother, Toy Photographer, Joseph Cowlishaw (@JoeCow on Instagram), I was able to find a fresh start.
Here I am at the other end of this tunnel, at the end of the coronavirus pandemic, and just this week I decided to check eBay one last time. I searched for some of the vintage lenses that were stolen in my kit like the Yashica Yashinon 50mm f/1.4 in M42 Screw Mount. A lens came up in the result that looked like the one that was stolen in the burglary. The auction even had the same Fotodiox M42-Fujifilm X adaptor that I had purchased to use with the lens. This particular auction was being offered in a neighboring metro area of Las Vegas, Nevada. I contacted the seller asking for a serial number for the lens to see if I could match it up to the one that was stolen.
Immediately after that, I decided to look at the eBay seller's online store. I went and checked out his other items and guess what popped up? The Pink Lady!
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There have been very limited numbers of these pink/red versions of the Ibelux made by Kipon and to make matters even more obvious, I had painted the built-in lens hood of the “Pink Lady” so I could make it custom and very obviously my own.
Several years ago, PetaPixel ran a story on my custom pain jobs on camera lenses. I did a similar custom job to the Pink Lady and coated the lens hood with a black rock-chip resistant, instead of rubberized undercoating, and this specific expensive paint that was usually reserved for the metal rock bumpers on rock-climbing SUVs.
After seeing the photos, I knew right away, that this lens was mine because not only is the lens rare and unusual, how many of those who own one would paint such an expensive and limited edition Ibelux? That, and the serial numbers are identical between what is shown on the eBay page and the photos I have of it.
Left: My reference photo. Right: eBay listing.
At the time of this writing, I have yet to hear back from Tempe, Arizona Police, or eBay, for that matter. Tempe PD Dispatch informed me that it will take one to two days to get a follow-up from a police officer. eBay also stated that they will not take action on this auction or against the seller until they are contacted by a law enforcement agency through their specialized channel and system in the form of a subpoena. This is still the case after submitting my copy of the police report regarding this Felony Automotive Burglary. The seller is fully aware that they are selling a stolen camera lens because I got a response from them and informed them of the situation before this article was published.
I’m not giving up hope that I will get my Pink Lady and my other lenses back. It’s not every day a victim of theft can locate their stolen gear in the vast place known as cyberspace but it does give me a sense of closure. It's bittersweet though, and feels like the wounds re-opening as well. It’s a weird feeling to try and move beyond. At the end of the day, I’m grateful for any challenging opportunity to grow and overcome adversity.
There’s also a hard lesson to be learned for you from my experience: under no circumstance should you ever leave expensive gear in a locked vehicle where it can be readily seen, no matter how safe you may assume it to be. Do not ever take that risk. Also, while you have an opportunity to do so, catalog all of your gear with a list of serial numbers just in case. Never have an attitude of "This will never happen to me" because it can, trust me on that!
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.
About the author: Nathan Cowlishaw -- who goes by Nathan Arizona -- is a 39-year old professional networker, interpreter, and photographic artist living in Southern Arizona. He conducts tours around the American Southwest as a non-conforming tour guide and storyteller who is interested in fringe topics like the paranormal and UFOs, all of which, are a part of Southwestern pop culture and folklore. As a photographer, he likes to hunt for abandoned places with a lot of history.
#editorial #opinion #burglary #customlens #ebay #handevision40mmf085markii #kipon #law #nathanarizona #rarelens #stolen #stolengear #stolenlens
johnny martyr rss (unofficial)An Odd Length; Voigtländer 75mm 2.5 Heliar
Most prime lens SLR kits are a 28-50-85 or 135. Most rangefinder kits are a 28 or 35-50-90. 75mm is an odd focal length. I don't think it's even available for SLR's and most rangefinder shooters fall on the side of either 50 or 90 - the distinction between normal and portrait focal lengths. 75. What is it? Is it a short portrait lens or a long normal lens? Is it for capturing details, documenting events or posed portraits?
Lately it seems that most shooters who are daring or confused enough to hazard this question are using a Cosina Voigtländer 75mm 1.8 Heliar. Reviews generally concede that this popular lens is quite fine. A buddy of mine, photographer John Nelson lent me his for a few weeks and I honestly didn't take a single frame behind it. Optically, I'm sure it's great but the Heliar 1.8 is just too long, particularly with a hood. I didn't find that it balanced well on any of my cameras.
Admittedly, I am biased because I cut my rangefinder teeth on the older Voigtländer Heliar 2.5. Yes, obviously the 75 Heliar M is a good deal faster than it's LTM predecessor but what I really enjoyed about the 2.5 was it's size and handling, which seemed totally ignored in the speed-centric upgrade. Big apertures are wonderful, but they aren't everything!
A candid that I'd have never gotten with a wider or larger lens - Leica M6 TTL .85 | Voigtländer 75mm 2.8 MC Color-Heliar | Kodak TMAX P3200
You see, the CV 75/2.5 is about the size of most 50/2's, even with it's smart-looking circular hood screwed on. The lens balances very nicely on my Leica M6 TTL and also my Voigtländer Bessa R2, keeping the weight of the camera planted in the palms. The 75/2.5 even seems right at home on my Leica IIIc. A proper brightline finder is rare and costly but how cool to have a telephoto on a Barnack that is not front-heavy or blocks the finder?
So while the 75 is very short for a telephoto, I like that it gives you some reach while maintaining compactness and discreetness that not even a Pinocchio 90/4 Elmar or Elmarit can offer. This is great for preserving a casual approach while still getting in tight on a subject. Additionally, the 75/2.5 was one of the few lenses that that I also felt comfortable with shooting handheld below the reciprocal. I'd often use it a 1/60th or even 1/30th and was satisfied with the results.
This photo was featured in PhotoKlassik in a discussion about CV 75's. I believe I was at 1/60th. - Leica M6 TTL .85 | Voigtländer 75mm 2.8 MC Color-Heliar | Fuji Pro 400H
The 75/2.5 is one of those special lenses that really delivers the sharpness of in focus areas and the smoothness of out of focus areas in healthy amounts. The multi-coating and relatively complex 6 element/5 group design prevents veiling flare and highlight blooming too.
Leica M6 TTL .85 | Voigtländer 75mm 2.8 MC Color-Heliar | Kodak TMAX 100
This balance and precision makes it wonderful for detail shots as well as portraits. And with regards to portraits, it's stealthy enough to be as adept at candids as its performance is for posed work.
Leica M6 TTL .85 | Voigtländer 75mm 2.8 MC Color-Heliar | Kodak Ektar 100
But to answer the initial question, I may still be scratching my head as to what subject matter, exactly, the 75mm length is best suited for. As I look through my images with the 75/2.5, subject is rather all over the place!
Voigtlander Bessa R2 | Voigtländer 75mm 2.8 MC Color-Heliar | CVS 200
Leica M6 TTL .85 | Voigtländer 75mm 2.8 MC Color-Heliar | Kodak Portra 160
Leica M6 TTL .85 | Voigtländer 75mm 2.8 MC Color-Heliar | CVS 200
Leica M6 TTL .85 | Voigtländer 75mm 2.8 MC Color-Heliar | Fuji Superia 200
Sadly, I'm currently without this wonderful little lens. My copy seemed prone to the aperture assembly falling apart for no good reason. Twice, while minding its own business in my camera bag, I reached for it and happened to see that aperture blades had scattered around its insides. Once, I sent it back to Stephen Gandy for repair and then the second time, I decided to put more effort into my expensive, tough-as-nails 90mm f2 Summicron Pre-ASPH instead of labor over this cheap troublesome Cosina product. I sold my copy of the 75/2.5 as it was and wiped my hands of it for several years.
However, as I look through my photos taken with the Voigtländer 75 and remember how much I liked that lens, I have found myself scanning the interwebs for a replacement. As noted, I find the Voigtländer 75/1.8 Heliar too large. It's actually about the same physical length at my 90 Cron and that seems ridiculous. The 75/1.5 Nokton looks even more bloated and heavy. Bessa rangefinders probably don't have enough EBL to even focus these lenses and they're both M mount, so I could only use them on my M6, not my R2 or LTM's. The Leitz 75's are beautiful but crazy expensive. And while I like this odd length, I'm not sure I like it THAT much! There are some weird new 75 M lenses by Kipon, 7Artisans, and Meyer Optic. I don't know, I am just not taken with rendering I've seen with any of these. And honestly, I do like buying LTM lenses when possible because it's fun to use them on my knob-wind Leica's.
Leica M6 TTL .85 | Voigtländer 75mm 2.8 MC Color-Heliar | Kodak TMAX 100
This image of an abandoned house was picked up by 120 Clicks. - Leica M6 TTL .85 | Voigtländer 75mm 2.8 MC Color-Heliar | Ilford XP2
So where does all this leave me? Well, I think that if I found one at a low enough price to gamble my negative perception of its durability again, I'd still choose a Voigtländer 75/2.5 Heliar. I see from eBay listings that it's very common for these lenses to show some hazing, presumably from lubricant evaporation. I have yet to see any discussions of the aperture blades falling out like mine did though, so maybe I had a lemon. Haze is something that's easy enough to address with cleaning and re-lubricating, so maybe I should add the cost of a CLA to the purchase. But do I really need an unreliable lens with an odd length in my kit? Would it serve merely as a distraction from the 50 and 90? Or could it be that perfect hybrid of length, size and performance that would make it a daily carry, general purpose lens?
Leica M6 TTL .85 | Voigtländer 75mm 2.8 MC Color-Heliar | Kodak Tri-X - This was the last photo that I took with the Heliar 75/2.5 and was perhaps a great end to a meandering path.
Currently, with the pandemic largely shutting down my paid photography work, I have no good reason to buy another 75, or any photo gear at all really. But when I look at this last photo that I took of my daughter with the 75 Heliar, and remember how much I used to use this lens, I can't help but consider picking one up again!
Oh and by the way, I usually used my 75/2.5 with an LTM adapter on my M6 TTL. If you want to use this lens on a screw mount body, you'll need a brightline finder.
How about you? Do you use a 75mm lens? Which one? Would you consider using one if you don't currently?
Thanks for reading and happy shooting!
_Follow, Favorite, Like, Add, Insult, ContactJohnny Martyr _
#filmphotography #leica #lensreview #martyrmusings #portraits #reviews #voigtlander #35mm #35mmfilm #75mm #75mm15nokton #75mm18heliar #75mmlens #7artisans #aperture #apertureblades #bw #bessar2leicaiii #bokeh #cameralens #color #compact #cosina #cosinavoigtlander #detail #details #durability #film #flaring #generalpurpose #goto #haze #heliar #hood #kipon #leicaiiic #leicam6ttl #lemon #lens #lenshood #ltm #ltmlens #mlens #meyeroptic #performance #portrait #precise #rangefinder #rangefinderlens #rangefinderlensreview #recommendation #reliability #repair #sharp #sharpness #shorttelephoto #small #smooth #telephoto #thoughts #tiny #voigtlander75mm25heliar #voigtlanderbessa #voigtländer
An Odd Length; Voigtländer 75mm 2.5 Heliar
Most prime lens SLR kits are a 28-50-85 or 135. Most rangefinder kits are a 28 or 35-50-90. 75mm is an odd focal length. I don't think it's even available for SLR's and most rangefinder shooters fall on the side of either 50 or 90 - the distinction between normal and portrait focal lengths. 75. What is it? Is it a short portrait lens or a long normal lens? Is it for capturing details, documenting events or posed portraits?
Lately it seems that most shooters who are daring or confused enough to hazard this question are using a Cosina Voigtländer 75mm 1.8 Heliar. Reviews generally concede that this popular lens is quite fine. A buddy of mine, photographer John Nelson lent me his for a few weeks and I honestly didn't take a single frame behind it. Optically, I'm sure it's great but the Heliar 1.8 is just too long, particularly with a hood. I didn't find that it balanced well on any of my cameras.
Admittedly, I am biased because I cut my rangefinder teeth on the older Voigtländer Heliar 2.5. Yes, obviously the 75 Heliar M is a good deal faster than it's LTM predecessor but what I really enjoyed about the 2.5 was it's size and handling, which seemed totally ignored in the speed-centric upgrade. Big apertures are wonderful, but they aren't everything!
A candid that I'd have never gotten with a wider or larger lens - Leica M6 TTL .85 | Voigtländer 75mm 2.8 MC Color-Heliar | Kodak TMAX P3200
You see, the CV 75/2.5 is about the size of most 50/2's, even with it's smart-looking circular hood screwed on. The lens balances very nicely on my Leica M6 TTL and also my Voigtländer Bessa R2, keeping the weight of the camera planted in the palms. The 75/2.5 even seems right at home on my Leica IIIc. A proper brightline finder is rare and costly but how cool to have a telephoto on a Barnack that is not front-heavy or blocks the finder?
So while the 75 is very short for a telephoto, I like that it gives you some reach while maintaining compactness and discreetness that not even a Pinocchio 90/4 Elmar or Elmarit can offer. This is great for preserving a casual approach while still getting in tight on a subject. Additionally, the 75/2.5 was one of the few lenses that that I also felt comfortable with shooting handheld below the reciprocal. I'd often use it a 1/60th or even 1/30th and was satisfied with the results.
This photo was featured in PhotoKlassik in a discussion about CV 75's. I believe I was at 1/60th. - Leica M6 TTL .85 | Voigtländer 75mm 2.8 MC Color-Heliar | Fuji Pro 400H
The 75/2.5 is one of those special lenses that really delivers the sharpness of in focus areas and the smoothness of out of focus areas in healthy amounts. The multi-coating and relatively complex 6 element/5 group design prevents veiling flare and highlight blooming too.
Leica M6 TTL .85 | Voigtländer 75mm 2.8 MC Color-Heliar | Kodak TMAX 100
This balance and precision makes it wonderful for detail shots as well as portraits. And with regards to portraits, it's stealthy enough to be as adept at candids as its performance is for posed work.
Leica M6 TTL .85 | Voigtländer 75mm 2.8 MC Color-Heliar | Kodak Ektar 100
But to answer the initial question, I may still be scratching my head as to what subject matter, exactly, the 75mm length is best suited for. As I look through my images with the 75/2.5, subject is rather all over the place!
Voigtlander Bessa R2 | Voigtländer 75mm 2.8 MC Color-Heliar | CVS 200
Leica M6 TTL .85 | Voigtländer 75mm 2.8 MC Color-Heliar | Kodak Portra 160
Leica M6 TTL .85 | Voigtländer 75mm 2.8 MC Color-Heliar | CVS 200
Leica M6 TTL .85 | Voigtländer 75mm 2.8 MC Color-Heliar | Fuji Superia 200
Sadly, I'm currently without this wonderful little lens. My copy seemed prone to the aperture assembly falling apart for no good reason. Twice, while minding its own business in my camera bag, I reached for it and happened to see that aperture blades had scattered around its insides. Once, I sent it back to Stephen Gandy for repair and then the second time, I decided to put more effort into my expensive, tough-as-nails 90mm f2 Summicron Pre-ASPH instead of labor over this cheap troublesome Cosina product. I sold my copy of the 75/2.5 as it was and wiped my hands of it for several years.
However, as I look through my photos taken with the Voigtländer 75 and remember how much I liked that lens, I have found myself scanning the interwebs for a replacement. As noted, I find the Voigtländer 75/1.8 Heliar too large. It's actually about the same physical length at my 90 Cron and that seems ridiculous. The 75/1.5 Nokton looks even more bloated and heavy. Bessa rangefinders probably don't have enough EBL to even focus these lenses and they're both M mount, so I could only use them on my M6, not my R2 or LTM's. The Leitz 75's are beautiful but crazy expensive. And while I like this odd length, I'm not sure I like it THAT much! There are some weird new 75 M lenses by Kipon, 7Artisans, and Meyer Optic. I don't know, I am just not taken with rendering I've seen with any of these. And honestly, I do like buying LTM lenses when possible because it's fun to use them on my knob-wind Leica's.
Leica M6 TTL .85 | Voigtländer 75mm 2.8 MC Color-Heliar | Kodak TMAX 100
This image of an abandoned house was picked up by 120 Clicks. - Leica M6 TTL .85 | Voigtländer 75mm 2.8 MC Color-Heliar | Ilford XP2
So where does all this leave me? Well, I think that if I found one at a low enough price to gamble my negative perception of its durability again, I'd still choose a Voigtländer 75/2.5 Heliar. I see from eBay listings that it's very common for these lenses to show some hazing, presumably from lubricant evaporation. I have yet to see any discussions of the aperture blades falling out like mine did though, so maybe I had a lemon. Haze is something that's easy enough to address with cleaning and re-lubricating, so maybe I should add the cost of a CLA to the purchase. But do I really need an unreliable lens with an odd length in my kit? Would it serve merely as a distraction from the 50 and 90? Or could it be that perfect hybrid of length, size and performance that would make it a daily carry, general purpose lens?
Leica M6 TTL .85 | Voigtländer 75mm 2.8 MC Color-Heliar | Kodak Tri-X - This was the last photo that I took with the Heliar 75/2.5 and was perhaps a great end to a meandering path.
Currently, with the pandemic largely shutting down my paid photography work, I have no good reason to buy another 75, or any photo gear at all really. But when I look at this last photo that I took of my daughter with the 75 Heliar, and remember how much I used to use this lens, I can't help but consider picking one up again!
Oh and by the way, I usually used my 75/2.5 with an LTM adapter on my M6 TTL. If you want to use this lens on a screw mount body, you'll need a brightline finder.
How about you? Do you use a 75mm lens? Which one? Would you consider using one if you don't currently?
Thanks for reading and happy shooting!
_Follow, Favorite, Like, Add, Insult, ContactJohnny Martyr _
#filmphotography #leica #lensreview #martyrmusings #portraits #reviews #voigtlander #35mm #35mmfilm #75mm #75mm15nokton #75mm18heliar #75mmlens #7artisans #aperture #apertureblades #bw #bessar2leicaiii #bokeh #cameralens #color #compact #cosina #cosinavoigtlander #detail #details #durability #film #flaring #generalpurpose #goto #haze #heliar #hood #kipon #leicaiiic #leicam6ttl #lemon #lens #lenshood #ltm #ltmlens #mlens #meyeroptic #performance #portrait #precise #rangefinder #rangefinderlens #rangefinderlensreview #recommendation #reliability #repair #sharp #sharpness #shorttelephoto #small #smooth #telephoto #thoughts #tiny #voigtlander75mm25heliar #voigtlanderbessa #voigtländer
An Odd Length; Voigtländer 75mm 2.5 Heliar
Most prime lens SLR kits are a 28-50-85 or 135. Most rangefinder kits are a 28 or 35-50-90. 75mm is an odd focal length. I don't think it's even available for SLR's and most rangefinder shooters fall on the side of either 50 or 90 - the distinction between normal and portrait focal lengths. 75. What is it? Is it a short portrait lens or a long normal lens? Is it for capturing details, documenting events or posed portraits?
Lately it seems that most shooters who are daring or confused enough to hazard this question are using a Cosina Voigtländer 75mm 1.8 Heliar. Reviews generally concede that this popular lens is quite fine. A buddy of mine, photographer John Nelson lent me his for a few weeks and I honestly didn't take a single frame behind it. Optically, I'm sure it's great but the Heliar 1.8 is just too long, particularly with a hood. I didn't find that it balanced well on any of my cameras.
Admittedly, I am biased because I cut my rangefinder teeth on the older Voigtländer Heliar 2.5. Yes, obviously the 75 Heliar M is a good deal faster than it's LTM predecessor but what I really enjoyed about the 2.5 was it's size and handling, which seemed totally ignored in the speed-centric upgrade. Big apertures are wonderful, but they aren't everything!
A candid that I'd have never gotten with a wider or larger lens - Leica M6 TTL .85 | Voigtländer 75mm 2.8 MC Color-Heliar | Kodak TMAX P3200
You see, the CV 75/2.5 is about the size of most 50/2's, even with it's smart-looking circular hood screwed on. The lens balances very nicely on my Leica M6 TTL and also my Voigtländer Bessa R2, keeping the weight of the camera planted in the palms. The 75/2.5 even seems right at home on my Leica IIIc. A proper brightline finder is rare and costly but how cool to have a telephoto on a Barnack that is not front-heavy or blocks the finder?
So while the 75 is very short for a telephoto, I like that it gives you some reach while maintaining compactness and discreetness that not even a Pinocchio 90/4 Elmar or Elmarit can offer. This is great for preserving a casual approach while still getting in tight on a subject. Additionally, the 75/2.5 was one of the few lenses that that I also felt comfortable with shooting handheld below the reciprocal. I'd often use it a 1/60th or even 1/30th and was satisfied with the results.
This photo was featured in PhotoKlassik in a discussion about CV 75's. I believe I was at 1/60th. - Leica M6 TTL .85 | Voigtländer 75mm 2.8 MC Color-Heliar | Fuji Pro 400H
The 75/2.5 is one of those special lenses that really delivers the sharpness of in focus areas and the smoothness of out of focus areas in healthy amounts. The multi-coating and relatively complex 6 element/5 group design prevents veiling flare and highlight blooming too.
Leica M6 TTL .85 | Voigtländer 75mm 2.8 MC Color-Heliar | Kodak TMAX 100
This balance and precision makes it wonderful for detail shots as well as portraits. And with regards to portraits, it's stealthy enough to be as adept at candids as its performance is for posed work.
Leica M6 TTL .85 | Voigtländer 75mm 2.8 MC Color-Heliar | Kodak Ektar 100
But to answer the initial question, I may still be scratching my head as to what subject matter, exactly, the 75mm length is best suited for. As I look through my images with the 75/2.5, subject is rather all over the place!
Voigtlander Bessa R2 | Voigtländer 75mm 2.8 MC Color-Heliar | CVS 200
Leica M6 TTL .85 | Voigtländer 75mm 2.8 MC Color-Heliar | Kodak Portra 160
Leica M6 TTL .85 | Voigtländer 75mm 2.8 MC Color-Heliar | CVS 200
Leica M6 TTL .85 | Voigtländer 75mm 2.8 MC Color-Heliar | Fuji Superia 200
Sadly, I'm currently without this wonderful little lens. My copy seemed prone to the aperture assembly falling apart for no good reason. Twice, while minding its own business in my camera bag, I reached for it and happened to see that aperture blades had scattered around its insides. Once, I sent it back to Stephen Gandy for repair and then the second time, I decided to put more effort into my expensive, tough-as-nails 90mm f2 Summicron Pre-ASPH instead of labor over this cheap troublesome Cosina product. I sold my copy of the 75/2.5 as it was and wiped my hands of it for several years.
However, as I look through my photos taken with the Voigtländer 75 and remember how much I liked that lens, I have found myself scanning the interwebs for a replacement. As noted, I find the Voigtländer 75/1.8 Heliar too large. It's actually about the same physical length at my 90 Cron and that seems ridiculous. The 75/1.5 Nokton looks even more bloated and heavy. Bessa rangefinders probably don't have enough EBL to even focus these lenses and they're both M mount, so I could only use them on my M6, not my R2 or LTM's. The Leitz 75's are beautiful but crazy expensive. And while I like this odd length, I'm not sure I like it THAT much! There are some weird new 75 M lenses by Kipon, 7Artisans, and Meyer Optic. I don't know, I am just not taken with rendering I've seen with any of these. And honestly, I do like buying LTM lenses when possible because it's fun to use them on my knob-wind Leica's.
Leica M6 TTL .85 | Voigtländer 75mm 2.8 MC Color-Heliar | Kodak TMAX 100
This image of an abandoned house was picked up by 120 Clicks. - Leica M6 TTL .85 | Voigtländer 75mm 2.8 MC Color-Heliar | Ilford XP2
So where does all this leave me? Well, I think that if I found one at a low enough price to gamble my negative perception of its durability again, I'd still choose a Voigtländer 75/2.5 Heliar. I see from eBay listings that it's very common for these lenses to show some hazing, presumably from lubricant evaporation. I have yet to see any discussions of the aperture blades falling out like mine did though, so maybe I had a lemon. Haze is something that's easy enough to address with cleaning and re-lubricating, so maybe I should add the cost of a CLA to the purchase. But do I really need an unreliable lens with an odd length in my kit? Would it serve merely as a distraction from the 50 and 90? Or could it be that perfect hybrid of length, size and performance that would make it a daily carry, general purpose lens?
Leica M6 TTL .85 | Voigtländer 75mm 2.8 MC Color-Heliar | Kodak Tri-X - This was the last photo that I took with the Heliar 75/2.5 and was perhaps a great end to a meandering path.
Currently, with the pandemic largely shutting down my paid photography work, I have no good reason to buy another 75, or any photo gear at all really. But when I look at this last photo that I took of my daughter with the 75 Heliar, and remember how much I used to use this lens, I can't help but consider picking one up again!
Oh and by the way, I usually used my 75/2.5 with an LTM adapter on my M6 TTL. If you want to use this lens on a screw mount body, you'll need a brightline finder.
How about you? Do you use a 75mm lens? Which one? Would you consider using one if you don't currently?
Thanks for reading and happy shooting!
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