Voigtlander 75mm f/1.8 Portrait Heliar Sony E Mount Lens

Voigtlander 75mm f/1.8 Portrait Heliar Sony E Mount Lens Summary

The Voigtlander 75mm f/1.8 Portrait Heliar Sony E Mount Lens is a manual focus, full-frame prime lens for Sony E-mount cameras, which provides a high level of creative control over spherical aberration. This medium telephoto lens allows photographers to customise the look of bokeh and focus rendering by adjusting an integrated control ring, which delivers unique imaging characteristics not typically found in modern lens design.

Whether under-correcting for a soft-focus glow or over-correcting for crisp focus and bubbly backgrounds, this lens gives users expressive versatility when shooting portraits, nature, or fine art photography.

The optical design includes 6 elements in 3 groups, with a fast f/1.8 maximum aperture, 9-blade diaphragm, and robust all-metal construction, for which Voigtlander lenses are known. Focus is achieved with a damped helicoid ring with a diamond-pattern grip for precise manual control and pin sharp results. The lens also incorporates electronic contacts for full EXIF data and supports Sony’s 5-axis in-body image stabilisation by transmitting distance information to the camera.

With a minimum focus distance of 0.7m and included lens hood, the 75mm Portrait Heliar is an inventive tool for photographers who want more than standard optical correction, and is perfect creative experimentation and capturing unique results.

Voigtlander 75mm f/1.8 Portrait Heliar for Sony E Key Features

• Full-frame 75mm short telephoto manual focus lens
• Spherical aberration control ring for custom bokeh rendering
• Electronic contacts for EXIF and IBIS communication
• Fast f/1.8 aperture with 9-blade diaphragm
• All-metal construction with high-precision helicoid focus ring
• Compatible with Sony E-mount mirrorless cameras
• Minimum focusing distance of 0.7m
• Lens hood included in the box
• 62mm filter thread

Voigtlander 75mm f/1.8 Portrait Heliar Sony E Mount Lens in More Detail

Optical Design

The Voigtlander 75mm f/1.8 Heliar differs from conventional lens designs by intentionally retaining spherical aberration, and allowing users to control it. With just six elements the optical formula creates a distinctive look, and a dedicated control ring enables deliberate under or over-correction of spherical aberration to adjust bokeh quality and focus softness. These characteristics allow for unique light and background blur to differentiate your images.

Build and Ergonomics

This lens features an all-metal barrel with precision-machined helicoid focus, which provides smooth, reliable manual focus operation. The diamond-patterned grip ensures tactile control, and an included lens hood adds protection together with flare resistance with backlit subjects. Compact dimensions of 70mm x 88mm and a low weight of 515g, ensures that this lens balances comfortably on full-frame Sony camera bodies.

Electronic Communication

Although fully manual, the lens includes electronic contacts for EXIF data and IBIS compatibility. A built-in distance encoder enables Sony cameras with 5-axis stabilisation to optimise performance, and the focus ring supports viewfinder magnification, which can help with critical focus via punch-in, focus peaking and other in-camera focus aids.

What’s in the box

• Voigtlander 75mm f/1.8 Portrait Heliar Sony E Mount Lens
• Metal lens hood
• Front lens cap
• Rear lens cap
• Instruction manual

Voigtlander 75mm f/1.8 Portrait Heliar Sony E Mount Lens Specifications