If you ask seasoned shooters what favourite lens they would name, many would say a Heliar. Those are masterpieces of german optical design and famous in the Large format community for their smooth portrait rendering and absolute stunning bokeh. Just google up the internet for sample images shot with Heliar.

But this is not a mere Heliar, it is the creme de la creme of large format portrait photography: it is the Universal Heliar. The main difference to the standard Heliar is that this version features a Soft Focus adjustment. That means you can shoot it super sharp at '0' position, but you also can apply a soft focus to it starting from '1' to '5'. Soft focus in this case means not that the image gets allover softer (like the Verito), it was manufactured in such a way, that the outlines of the objects still remain quite sharp, while the filling spaces look softer and more pleasant to the eye.  A very nice feature especially if you work with flash lights!


It is a really impressive piece. The focal lenght is 300mm (or 12") and the image circle is HUGE here. As long as i remember it was advertised to cover fullplate, but it will cover up to 10x12.


The condition of this specimen is really stunning. The lens is in absolute 100% authentic condition: the aperture mooves smoothly forth and back. The glass is in a really good condition, showing minimal cleaning marks if any at all, there is no fungus, haze there. The best part here is that it comes with the original lenscap, which is usually hard to find (and hard to replace)!

The image on the groundglass is outstanding.

The lens comes with a fitting flange.





height: 9cm
width: 9cm
weight: 1900gr

Insured and tracked shipping cost:

Germany - 20 eur
EU* - 50 eur
Worldwide - 90 eur

*(the site offers only 2 shipping variations, DE and worldwide. buyers from EU please either contact me beforehand for a reduced EU cost, or after buying so i can send a refund over the difference)

Importent Note: This item comes from my private collection and is around 100 years old (antique). I try my best to describe all the faults and major damage which are relevant for the function of this item. But the actuall item can show signs of wear and also some cosmetic blemishes/damage which is not described in the auction text! When buying this item the buyer agrees to this terms.