Which version of Helios 44 is best?
The 44-2 would probably be the most readily available and will give you the swirly bokeh you’re looking for. I’d recommend the orginal Helios 44 with 13 aperture blades if you think you’re ever going to stop down.
Is Helios lens good?
But are they really any good? Today, there are so many awesome new third-party lenses out of China or Japan, the Helios lenses no longer get as much attention as they used to, but they’re still fun lenses to shoot with if you can get a good copy, of course, depending on what you plan on doing with them.
How old is Helios 44-2?
A look that is one of the main reasons you’ve probably heard of this lens already. And there you go, the history Behind the Helios 44-2, produced from 1958 through the early 90s.
How do you clean sticky aperture blades?
Clean the oily aperture blades either by using an ultrasonic cleaner, or by wiping down the blades by hand. Reinsert the the clean iris diaphragm back into the lens. Reassemble the lens by doing the previous steps in reverse. When reinserting the lens elements, make sure to give them a wipe to remove any dust.
What kind of lens is the Zenit MC Helios?
John Riley reviews the “Zenit” MC Helios 44-4K 58mm f/2.0 vintage lens in K-Mount, with a full-frame DSLR. Also known as the 44M, in M42 mount. If we rewind time to our distant youth, many photographers who discovered photography in the 1960s or 1970s may well have started with a Zenith SLR camera, courtesy of low-cost factories in the former USSR.
What kind of lens is the Helios 44-2?
The Helios 44-2 has a distinctly “warm” look through an SLR viewfinder. This is probably due to the lens coating used. To put the lens of the Helios 44-2 in perspective, we will compare it head-to-head with a contemporary — the 1962 non-Ai Nikkor 50/1.4 lens.
When was the Helios 44-2 M42 mount made?
The mid-1960s Helios 44-2 shares the same design as the prior 44 but was made only in M42 mount for the new generation of Soviet Zenit SLR cameras — the “E” and the “B.” Our example appears to have produced in 1982 by the Valdai Optical-Mechanical Factory. It appears that 44-2s were produced until the end of the 1980s.
Is the Helios 44-2 a Zeiss Biotar copy?
Constantly reminding people that our Helios 44-2, for example, is a “Zeiss Biotar” copy does not somehow improve its performance.