…lenses via the links in this article, at no additional cost to you. Helios 44-2 58mm F2 is a legendary lens, but it just got even better! Welcome the new Helios 44-2 VLFV Cine Edition, proficiently rehoused by IronGlass! Mission: Our main goal with was to bring out the best in this lens but addressing the mechanical quirks and limitations of the original body that make it unsuitable for professional, high-pressure work environments where everythi… Continue Reading
…s post in 2012. Since then I’ve learned a lot about these lenses and Helios 44-2 has become my favorite lens, so I decided to revise it with more up to date info and additional test (second part of the post) Original Test (revised): A lot of people claim that the Helios 58mm lens can either be an amazing value for money Zeiss Biotar 58mm equivalent or a worthless paper weight. Apparently some of them are that bad… I decided to see how much differe… Continue Reading
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GkPsm9L–E I am real Helios 44-2 58mm F2 “fanboy”; I recommend it to everyone who asks me for a vintage lens advice, but thanks to the video made by fellow vintage lens fan, Victor Bart, there is a “new” kid on the block that we should be taking the notice of. The lens in question is the Pentax Asahi Super-Takumar 55mm F2 which costs about the same as Helios and has similar un-amusing specs. F2 wide open is not imp… Continue Reading
You might know how much I love the Helios 44-2, the cult Soviet 58mm F2.0 prime, but a very skilled lens technician, Richard Gale obviously took his love for this lens much further. His DSO FF58 modified Helios 44-2 lens is well known and used by many DOPs, who looking for that magical look you simply can’t get with any modern optics. DSO lenses certainly look cool, but what is really special about them is the way they can modded with various coa… Continue Reading
…ich one based batter based on image quality Olympus Zuiko OM 50mm f/1.4 or Helios 44m 58mm f/2, so I decided to do this quick test with my Olympus and the Helios I’ve used in my previous test. I think the results in the video are quite obvious, Olympus performs much better at f/2, as it’s already slightly stepped down and you are getting more out of it than the Helios, which at f/2 is wide open. To get more out of your lens you generally want to s… Continue Reading
…/0UgyHDYSZVk Above you can see some test footage which I shot with a Helios 44-2 58mm f/2 lens. In my opinion this vintage Russian lens is very special. It has a very nice look to it and when shooting into the sun it creates very interesting flares that add a lot of character to the footage. It’s not suitable for every scenario, but I think it definitely adds a very cool old-school film look the footage shot with it. I personally really like the r… Continue Reading
…ground object without any problems. Promura has a 6 blade aperture same as Helios and CA is similar to Helios too. The lens is made in Japan, but you wouldn’t say that by it’s optical quality. It is nicely build, no plastic parts that are usually found in modern lenses, but the focus ring is little stiff and the focusing through is very short comparing to the other 3. I’ve paid £10 for mine and even at this price I would only give this lens 2 out… Continue Reading
…ave a chance are the ones that have a long mounting section like the Helios 44-2, have a cone-shaped back as found on MIR-1 and Pentacon 135mm (15 blade version) lenses, unfortunately the size and positioning of the focusing ring on MIR-1 means that it falls short of being compatible, but some sort of modification might be possible. Helios (left) has a perfect shape, while MIR (right) isn’t quite perfect I was glad to find out that Helios 44-2 58m… Continue Reading
…ning IronGlass’ MKII rehousing lineup. While its little brother, the Helios 44-2 58mm f/2 get all the fame, the 40-2 is actually the true king of swirly bokeh, which makes it a perfect addition to the IronGlass’s Soviet MKII series. Helios 40 85mm F1.5 in action The Helios 40-2 has an interesting history, being based on one of the most famous Carl Zeiss lenses of all time – the Zeiss Biotar 75mm F/1.5, first released in 1939. The original Helios 4… Continue Reading
…s, so in my opinion, Helios offers much better value for money than Canon. Helios 44M is one of the first lenses that started my interest in vintage manual photo lenses for video use. It is a very interesting lens, not only it is one of the cheapest lenses you can buy, but it’s also apparently a Zeiss Biotar copy. The lens optics were based on Zeiss formulas, so these lenses are apparently very sharp, considering you get a good copy. Apparently th… Continue Reading
