Helios 44 2 bokeh full#
The focus throw is long (270 dgrs) and reminds me of the Samyang 14mm lens – you turn and turn and turn, and then some more!Īt 58mm and with full frame coverage, this ens is excellent for portraits, flowers, still life, product shoots or basically any stable subject that is not too far away. The lens is well built, all metal and surprisingly light IMO (warning: I am used to Nikon vintage glas!).
Secondly, it is a prime lens, so if zoom is important to you, you probably want to look elsewhere.
Helios 44 2 bokeh manual#
So if you are not comfortable with manual focus or EXIF information in very important to you, then this lens is not for you.
Characteristicsįirst and foremost this is a manual lens – no auto focus, no CPU contact, no metering, nothing. Whatever the reason, quality varies and it is a bit of a lottery, so if at all possible, see if you can test your copy before making the purchase decision. I do not know why, but my guess is that quality control varied back in the days when it was produced, or the quality was dependent on individuals performance in the production line. They come cheap and quality is usually ok, also for the cheapest ones, but if you are on a budget, both postage costs and adapter should be included in the total price before making a purchase decision.Ĭopy variation is an issue. Remember also to set off some money for a adapter for this lens (M42). Europe can be quite significant relative to the price of the lens. If you buy this lens in Russia or Ukraine via the net, be aware that postage costs to e.g.
Often they served as kit lens for a zenith camera, and many get the lens for almost nothing, pretending to be more interested in the zenith camera than the lens as such. The price is typically around 50 USD, but many report that they have got copies down to 20 USD and at flea markets it should be possible to find them even cheaper. Always used, as they are not produced anymore. PriceĪs stated above, the lens can be found used on e-bay and amazon. I have no complaints regarding my 44-2 copy. The improvements were minor, probably improvements in coating, but I understand there is no dramatic improvement in the later models compared to the early ones. The Helios comes in many different versions, 44 were the first ones produced, then followed 44-2 and up to 44-7. There were MANY copies made, some for export, others for the local market, so you can get a copy from Russia or Ukraine where the “helios” is written with Russian letters – pretty cool! Although the ambition to make an “as good as zeiss copy” was not fulfilled, the Helios is still a good lens even with the standards of 2019. The Helios lens was made from sometime in the 1960s to the early 1990s in Russia, and rumors has it that it was an attempt to copy a zeiss lens from that time. So in short, it is so cheap that there is a copy for everyone, and this in combination with the myth around the bokeh probably makes this lens both realistic and attractive for a large crowd.
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