Helios 44-2 58mm F2 Russian Lens for Sony E NEX (for E-mount cameras)

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If there’s one thing I know for sure it’s that I have pretty much settled on my current stable of camera bodies - these include various NIkon’s which those of you who hang around here will no I prattle on about them a lot and for M42 shenanigans I keep two very lovely Spotmatic cameras handy! This feature in particular is really what gives these lenses their reputation – especially as digital shooters have increasingly discovered their idiosyncracies. I think one thing to note is that the swirl of the bokeh on the 44-2 is also slightly more pronounced (I feel) than the 44-M (having shot both on film fairly extensively I feel fairly comfortable making that assertion). Later versions that support automation require a lever to be moved to close the aperture before taking a photo.

Lens mount: The Helios 44 is available in a number of mounts, and most notably the earlier chrome versions came in the (non rangefinder coupled) M39 mount. It’s worth stating at this point that any assessment of Eastern bloc/Soviet equipment (or any vintage kit for that matter) should be seen as being applicable to ‘this specific lens’ rather than ‘this applies to every copy ever made of this lens’ time and tide have no doubt been unkind to some of this gear over the years and frankly some of the build quality out of the former Soviet Union wasn’t brilliant to start with so YMMV (quite a bit) In fact that’s one of the reasons for writing this blog - there are some many flipping (often contradictory) views on which lens is best etc etc that there really is no susbtitute for finding these things out for yourself!So you control the aperture on the lens, and the camera sets the shutter speed required for an accurate exposure. I have one that was in my junk box for years that is so scratched you can barely see through it, but I was surprised to find that it takes lovely pictures. I’m in the process of writing a few shorts which I plan on shooting entirely with the Helios 44-2 58mm as a test to see what it is capable of.

I’m one of the people who doesn’t miss the limitations of film… 30-some shots on a roll and waiting for developed prints really didn’t work for me. One of the most sought after features of the Helios 44 lenses is the swirly bokeh that was mentioned earlier. Combined that with the native film-like rendering, even when used in digital bodies and you’ll produce some unique shots in no time. My lens doesn’t specify if it’s multi-coated or not, but honestly, I don’t mind what it’s doing here. On full-frame cameras the lens is always sharp enough for portraits, when your subject is in the middle of the image frame.

Essentially, the aperture has two rings – one for setting the aperture limit and another for adjusting the aperture within that limit. if you want to be taken seriously, get off your high horse before you start writing an article about photography that brims with misinformation and attitude, but is sorely lacking in the fields of fact- and level-headed approach to the matter at hand. This time I would like to review an all-time personal favorite vintage lens of mine, the incredible Helios 44-2 58m f/2. These days a whole new range of M42 adapters exist to use these screw mount lenses on DSLRs and mirrorless bodies too.

Wide-open at f/2, the Helios 44M exhibits a signature bokeh swirl, something commonly associated with older lenses. Despite having the excellent Takumars, the other old lenses I miss most are the Exacta’s Meyer-Gorlitz Primoplans, one of which I had was 58mm f1.Focusing ring turns with a nice resistance and, if you ignore the movements in other dimensions, actually feels nice. Some people criticize Helioses swirly bokeh because it is too strong and takes attention from the subject.

There are reports that this tendency occurs less readily in the later models (presumably because of the reduced number of aperture blades), though this hasn’t necessarily been my experience. The Biotar was initially manufactured for cinema use, and then adapted for the Exakta mount in 1936. A friend convinced me that having small-form, full frame camera would be an entire different way of shooting. After that he has been using Canon SLR, Nikon SLR manual focus and Autofocus, Sony mirrorless crop sensor, Nikon DSLR and Nikon Mirrorless. I had the 44M and the 44-4 versions, but I wanted the 44-2, because I am a sucker for peer pressure.I personally own Helios 44M and its overall a good all around lens, even before you include its low cost, Quality control is spotty, so I cant relate to sharpness after f5. These were shot on Ilford HP5 pushed to 1600, light was fairly mixed sometimes overcast/sometimes bright. I agree with the sentiment that Helios-44 is a good lens to venture into "classical lens photography".