This review presents exactly old Helios-44 lens 2/58 for M39 thread, and not its subsequent modifications. Its number 0220423, issued at the Krasnogorsk Mechanical Plant (KMZ), as evidenced by the emblem of the plant on the lens. Also, part of the old white Helios-44 was produced in Belarus.
Aperture limits 2.0-16.0
Number of aperture blades: 13
Thread: M39
Focal length: 58mm
Optical design: 6 elements in 4 groups
Helios 44 lens overview, front view on a modern camera
The optical design was taken from Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar 2 / 58. Zeiss lenses are still famous for their excellent quality and picture.
Photo at Helios-44
The lens has a classic white metal frame, typical of its years of production. Resolution 35/14 lines / mm. Focusing range from 0.5 meter to infinity. Note that there was also a Helios-44 for "Start" with a special bayonet mount. You can look at Helios-44 2/58 with 8 aperture blades.
Photo at Helios-44
The first thing, of course, that catches your eye is his white metal frame, which looks unusual on a black camera.
Sample photo on Helios 44
Advantages of the Helios 44 lens:
- Excellent aperture. What does the lens have enough sharp already at full aperture. On F / 2.0, good sharpness is obtained, which allows you to use it in poor lighting, and on 2.0 you can get good portraits.
- There is aperture preset ring. You can set the aperture to the desired value, focus on sharpness with the F / 2.0 aperture fully open, close the ring to the set value and take a picture.
The photo on Helios-44 is old, white, with 13 aperture blades. No processing.
- This lens can be used with full-frame cameras. On the crop matrix, the angle of the field of view is narrowed, the equivalent angle will be as for 87mm in the full frame. This is a great focal length. for portraiture, because the lens is great for photographing portraits - and therefore it is still very loved by modern photographers.
- Excellent sharpness. This lens is one of the first, after it there were a large number of modifications, different models were produced at different factories. In general, modifications of Helios-44 (m2, m3, m4, etc.) made it one of the most popular lenses in the world. Because of this, in later periods there was more marriage and later versions are considered to be worse in quality in comparison with such old people as Helios-44. Remember that when gossip becomes obsolete, they become myths. So the myth was created, that Helios are rather unpleasant lenses.
The photo on Helios-44 is old, white, with 13 aperture blades. No processing.
- Its design will survive both me and you, my dear reader. This is not modern Chinese plastic. Illusions about the super-high quality of modern lenses, like teeth, are lost with age. Helios-44 removes so far.
- 13-blade aperture... Only a few of the modern afto-focus lenses can boast of this number. From the manual: only Jupiter-37a, Jupiter-11, Tair-11 can compete with this Helios in terms of the number of petals and the correctness of circles in the blur zone. It's funny that the diaphragm has an odd number of blades, which is not typical for Soviet optics. With a circular aperture, you can easily get rid of the “nuts” in the bokeh, which are very undesirable for portraits.
The photo on Helios-44 is old, white, with 13 aperture blades. No processing.
Disadvantages:
- Inconvenient focuser ring, described the problem below.
- Weakly holds lateral light.
The bokeh is excellent, slightly twisted in the Helios (Biotar) style. But in my opinion Helios-44 twists bokeh much less than its subsequent modifications. HA noticeable only on open diaphragms when closely studied. Lens gives a sharp, but at the same time soft picture (sharp contours, but even and soft color filling). On crop, I did not notice a serious drop in sharpness at the edges of the frame, nor was there a visible vignette. In order not to read a lot - see the gallery on Helios-44 in this review. (Pictures 1600 * 1200 are adjusted to the size of your display to open the picture completely, just copy the address of the image and paste it into the browser line).
How to use with modern cameras?
Lenses with an M39 mounting thread (for SLR cameras, M39 X 1 / 45.2), such as the lens from this review, are very easy to use on almost any modern digital camera (both SLR and mirrorless), for this you just need to choose correct adapter. The cheapest adapters can be found aliexpress.com.
For use on modern digital SLR cameras Canon EOS need M39-Canon EOS adapter, you can buy such an adapter (adapter) here. Also, an adapter M39-Canon EOS can be easily replaced with two adapters: M42-Canon EOS + M39-M42. Detailed information on the use of such lenses with any Canon EOS cameras will find here.
An adapter is required for use on Nikon SLR cameras M39-Nikon F, you can buy such an adapter (adapter) without a lens and a chip here. Also, one adapter M39-Nikon F can be easily replaced with two adapters: M42-Nikon F + M39-M42. Detailed information on the use of such lenses with any modern Nikon cameras will find here.
How to use this lens with cameras of other systems (Pentax, Sony, Fujifilm, Olympus, Panasonic, Samsung, Sigma etc.) - ask in the comments and you will be prompted. If you have any questions on compatibility and adapters, ask in the comments (comments do not require any registration at all, any user can add a comment).
Comments on this post do not require registration. Anyone can leave a comment. Many different photographic equipment can be found on AliExpress.
Sample photo on Helios 44
Features to watch out for:
It turned out to be quite enough for me inconvenient focusing ring. That is, the focuser is arranged rather inconveniently near the camera mount, the ribbed “nut” of the focuser is also located on the side of the mount, and the second part of the focuser is smooth metal, which is also not very pleasant and convenient to turn.
The photo on Helios-44 is old, white, with 13 aperture blades. No processing.
Aperture has fixed values from 2.0 to 16.0. The lens on the cropped matrix becomes very sharp at 2.8-5.6. Helios 44 has a single-layer enlightenment, which does not greatly help in the fight against backlight and side light. The resulting picture on a fully open aperture exceeds all my expectations.
The photo on Helios-44 is old, white, with 13 aperture blades. No processing.
Reviews for the Helios-44 2/58 lenses:
- Helios-44 2/58 [KMZ, 13 petals, M39, silver, No. 0220423]
- Helios-44 2/58 [KMZ, 8 petals, M39, silver]
- Helios-44 1: 2 F = 5,8 cm П [KMZ with replaced lenses, No. 0007220, review of the lens from the reader Radozhiva]
- HELIOS-44M 2/58 [KMZ, 8 petals, serial number 7843528]
- HELIOS-44M 2/58 [Jupiter plant, Valdai, 8 petals, serial number 8027170]
- HELIOS-44-2 2/58 [plant 'Jupiter', Valdai, 8 petals, serial number 83052779] + autofocus review
- MS Helios 44-3 2/58 [MMZ, 8 petals, 8619437, 9167912]
- MC Helios-44M-4 2/58
- Helios-44K-4 58mm 1:2 [KMZ, 6 petals, Pentax K]
- MC Helios-44M-4 58mm 1: 2 [plant 'Jupiter', Valdai, 6 petals] + autofocus review
- MC Helios-44M-5 58mm 1: 2 [Jupiter plant, Valdai, 6 petals]
- MC Helios-44M-6 58mm 1: 2 [plant 'Jupiter', Valdai, 6 petals]
- MC Helios-44M-7 58mm 1: 2 [plant 'Jupiter', Valdai, 6 petals]
- An article about most of the major modifications of the Helios-44 series
- Gallery of pictures on MC Helios-44M-4
- Look at modern the lenses 'Helios' can at this link
- A lot of Helios of all varieties can be found on ebay this link
Original 'Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar 2/58 ':
- Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar 1: 2 f = 5,8cm T [17 diaphragm blades, M42]
- Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar 2 / 58 T [12 diaphragm blades, M42]
- A lot of Biotars of all varieties can be found on ebay this link
Look at modern the lenses 'Zenitar' и 'Helios' can at this link.
All photos in the gallery below and throughout the review - without processing (NEF, Auto tone, Resize and JPEG convert Q80%, watermark)
UPDATED
Examples of photos on Helios-44 2/58 (13 petals) and a camera Nikon D810 photographer shared with readers of Radozhiva Anastasia Tretyakova.
Results
A great old-tempered lens, suitable for all types of shooting. For cameras with a cropped matrix, it serves as a good short portrait portrait, since already at F2.0 it gives a high-quality image.
Familiarity with the Soviet Helios brand lenses I recommend starting with an inexpensive and common lens Helios-44-2 2/58 (aka HELIOS-44-2 2/58). The following links can look at modern lenses Zenitar и HELIOS.
Comments on this post do not require registration. Anyone can leave a comment. Many different photographic equipment can be found on AliExpress.
Material prepared Arkady Shapoval. Training/Consultations | Youtube | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Telegram
At the beginning of the review, the M39 thread is indicated. And later you write that you are using a “white” lens with an adapter KP-42 / N.
Did I understand correctly that you need to use two adapter rings, M39 / M42 and M42 / N?
Yes, it was just that the M39-M42 adapter ring immediately stood on it, so I lost sight of it.
A very bright review turned out.
Wow lens, thanks for the reviewer ...
Pretty decent lens! The photos are not good enough ...
Arkady, is there a mistake here? "Old lens Helios-44 2.8 / 50"
Maybe Helios-44 2/58?
Yes, 58mm. Fixed. As you can see in the photo everything is printed correctly - 2/58
2.8 / 58. The diaphragm is still 2….
Sorry for the nit-picking, but I often link to your site in communication.
All is correct. 2.0 by itself. There is not always enough time to thoughtfully re-read the review again and again and again, because sometimes there are typos.
bird is the coolest :)
But what is the difference between this lens and the Helios 44m?
Modification M goes under the M42 thread, Helios 44m has a different type of frame, aperture setting. Helios 44 has a smaller thread for a filter. In principle, everything.
Sorry to bother you again, i.e. on Helios 44m need an adapter only M42 / n? I’m just not very versed in this matter, but my grandmother found this lens. At Nikon herself, d90.
Yes, only KP-42 \ N
Thanks, one more question, what adapter would you recommend, with or without a lens?
Depending on the needs. For a portrait it is possible without a lens. For everything else you need with a lens.
Thank you)
Good afternoon!
Recently, I inherited such a lens from my father-in-law)))
Glasses are scratched, worn, but scratches are not rough. It even seems that if you process them somehow, then maybe nothing else)))
Very willing to try it in practice, but I think, is it worth it to contact?
That suggest?
If it’s worth, then what do I need to buy to shoot on Nikon d5100
I correctly understood that the adapter M39 and KP-42 / N?
You can try, even with scratches the lens can show a wonderful result. It will be enough M39 and KP-42 / N, if you want to get focus beyond 2-3 meters, you will need an adapter with a lens.
Thank you very much for the quick response!
And how to handle glass on the lens?
If there are only scratches on it, you can do it yourself. If the picture is acceptable, you don't need to do anything with them.
Thank you!
very interesting to read your articles!
Bought today 2 adapter. Of course, one can feel the difference in aperture ratio on Nikon and Helios.
But here's the problem, the photos are somehow “smoky” (((
Could this be due to the fact that the lens is not "first fresh"?
http://i040.radikal.ru/1109/8a/631f97316fb7.jpg
Try it in daylight, loss of contrast is common with older lenses. The haze appears in them with a special arrangement of light sources - mainly with side and back. If during daytime the effect is the same, it is due to the “old age” of the lens.
Easily removed in processing. Slightly add contrast and remove brightness ... the haze disappears instantly ... tested on Industar 50-2 ... in the ACD editor See 6. NOT a problem.
For shooting in backlit, 4-lens FIXES with good internal blackening of the frame and aperture blades are preferable. Eriteria: NO LENS FACES OR IRIS are visible. Then the light scattering is small even with single-layer enlightenment. Examples: INDUSTAR-50-2 and JUPITER-37A (preferable to the most recent years of production - with state acceptance), MIR-1A of the Zagorsk plant produced in 1973.
Pradon! - CRITERION.
”For Helios 44, the problem of infinity is solved by twisting the rear lens unit by the same 2 mm.
Yes, flash will not work in TTL mode. It needs to be switched to manual mode. ”A pair of scissors (better) or 2 screwdrivers (worse)
At the rear end of the lens you will see, respectively, the rear lens, around which a thin metal ring with 2 slits. Drive the ends of the scissors into these grooves and rotate (carefully!) Counterclockwise. The ring will begin to unscrew along with the lens. Empirically select the size (there are about 2mm threads) and fix it, for example, with a drop of PVA or "moment" so that you can screw it back later. Voila.http://www.thg.ru/forum/showthread.php?t=6781&page=77
In stock Helios-44 of 1960, from the Zenith with m39 and 8 petals.
Redid for infinity as follows.
I took the general idea from here: http://ru-d70.livejournal.com/2035612.html
replaced the adjustment ring with a bent thin clerical paper clip, but unscrewing the lens block, unscrewed it ALL and laid the ring UNDER it.
So there were no glue and the whole system is more reliable.
Advice for "kulibins" - never shove anything that is not pushed into the lenses, let alone scissors! Even the oldest, hardened and wrinkled lenses can be disassembled with rubber. I use different auto salenblocks, anther bushings, etc. , and only in exceptional cases can you use a special key or piece caliper specially sharpened for a specific task.
Tell me, when using the M-42 adapter with a lens, does the focal length of this lens increase? If so, how many mm?
does not change.
Please tell me which adapter to buy for this lens on a Canon 5D mark2
M39-M42 + M42-Canon EOS
Hello! What adapter do you need to buy for this lens on the SONY alpha A550?
Will this fit?http://gfotostore.ru/catalog/view/22.html
thank you
Yes, such an adapter is needed.
Great lens! nice picture, in sharpness on an open hole there will be better than 81 helios! Remade it for me under Nikon d40, now there is infinity. The pictures are gorgeous.
According to TTX Helios-81N 40/20 lin / mm Helios 44 35/14 lines / mm. Sharpness is highly dependent on the selected instance. In any case, both lenses are very good! If it’s not a secret, how much did you take for rework?
Alteration cost 150 UAH. )
Hello Arkady! Thanks for the article. I try to read all your articles. Interesting and instructive. I have Glios-44-2. The same problem with sharpness. The adapter with the lens did not give any results. (Fotik nikon d3100). I unscrewed the rear lens of the lens and I put a 2.1-thick ring on it. Sharpness to infinity is with a simple adapter. I like the picture. Thank you to the skilled photographers.
Good luck to Arkady! Alexander.
Good day. Can you tell us in more detail what needs to be done? I would really appreciate it.
anton.levytsky@gmail.com
Hello! I just have this lens from Zenith - Helios 44 M39 (black only), but it's all covered in dust. What adapters are needed for the Canon EOS 550D? and how can the lens be cleaned?
If there is a lot of dust in the middle, then you have to disassemble. To use on Kenon you need 2 adapters M39-M42 + M42-Kenon EOS, in more detail in my article Old Lenses on Canon.
Good afternoon, tell me which adapter you need to buy for the Canon EOS 500D ???
Two, M39-M42 + M42- Canon EOS, in more detail in the article Old lenses on Canon.
Hello, I read all your articles about Helios. and some more info on the internet. many write that the M39 is better than their followers. (sharper)
I’m going to buy for portraits, and I would like to have exactly a swirling bokeh. help with the choice.
Should I buy Helios 44-2 2 / 58mm or M39? or is there an even better choice for portraits with beautiful bokeh for canon?)
They all twist the background enough. I would take either the old Helios-44 with 13 aperture blades or a fifty-fifty Helios-77m-4.
I advise you to buy Helios 44m twists already your test photos in contact Leonid Leontyev Kazakhstan