I think the VB has many different lens designs over the years, still being referred to as a Heliar. To Voigtlander, "heliar" was a brand not a strict lens design. I would bet that there are some triplets(3 elements), tessar types (4 elements), and maybe even a five element ( heliar type) some uncoated some coated. The heliar design is not the same as a planar/Xenotar design, But that doesn't mean they are subpar lenses- just different. My advice is buy the cleanest copy you can find and use it. and see what the film looks like. Not all lenses have survived the same way they were built. and some were built differently. Angulon's is an example of a lens, that were not consistently manufactured with the same amount of quality control. not just me, but many have said similar things too. IDK about the VB and its Heliar. But it wouldn't surprise me if you bought 2 different one's, even from the same year and design, and they had different looks to the image on film. best of luck