Rodenstock Retina – Heligon 50mm f2 Leica M

Rodenstock Retina – Heligon 50mm f2

This Rodenstock lens was selected from a batch of broken Kodak Retina cameras, as the glass was in pristine condition, and thus a perfect candidate for a conversion. The shutter mechanism was removed, a new helicoid and barrel were machined from brass. This barrel has been nickel coated to give it a nice vintage look and feel.

Furthermore, an extra (original for that lens) focus tab has been added, as the focus tab was at an angle, and adding another focus tab created this interesting ‘Mickey Mouse’ or ‘Panda Ears’ look to the lens, which makes it even more stand-out from the crowd.

Also, the distance indication on the lens has been properly clocked, so it can be used as a true rangefinder lens on the Leica M camera.

With the lens comes a period correct filter, and a period correct Leica front cap. Ofcourse it comes with a rear cap as well.

The lens has been calibrated to work with both film and digital versions of the Leica Rangefinders, and focusses from 0.7 meters to infinity.

The glass in this lens is mint, free from haze, cleaningmarks or scratches.

All 6 example photos are shot on f2, 3 of them on a Sony A7 mk1 with a close focus adapter to enhance the ‘bokeh’. The other 3 have been shot on Leica M10-P ASC with Classic Cine modus turned on. All the pictures are JPG straight out of the camera with no editing applied.