…three and also my favorite lens in this set thanks to its wonderful Helios 44-2 style, swirly bokeh and beautiful flares as well as almost identical field of view on BMPCC to that of Helios 44-2 if used on a full frame camera. Same as with MIR-11, aperture ring is also step-less, but focus throw is quite a bit shorter at around 200°. The closest focusing distance is 40cm, which doesn’t sound as impressive as 25cm on MIR-11, but field of view when… Continue Reading
…gths to their kit bag and experiment without breaking the bank. This Helios 44-2 together with the Zenit camera cost me just £5 WHICH So which are the best bargain lenses? Of course there are a few well-known gems like the Helios 44-2 58mm F2, which has remained affordable even with its massive popularity, but generally the best bargain lens might be the one you will stumble upon, so here are some general pointers. The most common vintage focal le… Continue Reading
…mative blogger, Adam Roberts. I first met Adam when he won one of my Helios 44-2 lenses I was giving away a year ago. I don’t know if that started his love for vintage glass or not, but he now has a nice little set of Russian lenses. When I first saw the video above I was really impressed my Adam’s effort, but little did I know that he shot the whole thing with his 3 very affordable vintage Russian primes, so when I found out I’ve asked Adam if he… Continue Reading
…ery impressive lens. I think that it would compliment a very popular Helios 44-2 58mm lens very well which sports some similar specs. I really love Russian lenses, Helios 44-2 being my favorite and Helios 135mm f/2.8 being my favorite 135mm lens. Maybe once I try this Tair it will find a regular place in my kit bag. Click to find this lens on Ebay I try my best to make this website a great resource people interested in vintage lenses for video use… Continue Reading
…that has more character than the Meritar 50mm F2.9 is the legendary Helios 44-2 58mm F2. If you are familiar with the 44-2, you’ll know that any lens similar to it will be pretty magical. Like the 44-2, Meritar 50mm F2.9 doesn’t just lose contrast when pointed at the sun; the flares have all sorts of rainbows and colors to them. It also produces slightly swirly, but smooth bokeh when used wide open. Colours are quite diffused when compared to len… Continue Reading
…other way. Again, different people will prefer different character. Helios 44-2 & Iscorama 42 – Super Cheap & Super Expensive, but work quite nicely together! (used for the second part of the video above) PROS: Very well built Very sharp Quite easy to setup and use Pleasant, subtle character Single focusing setup Smooth focus ring with approx about 200° rotations Great sensor coverage (widest taking lens: 50mm on FF, 35mm on S35, 28mm on M4/3) CO… Continue Reading
…loved its performance withthe Carl Zeiss Jena 35mm F2.4 (above) and Helios 44-2 58mm F2 (below) was great too, but when I tried it with a Jupiter-9 85mm F2, I couldn’t get infinity focus and sharpness in general wasn’t great. Could be just one of those times when 2 lenses just don’t work well together, but my guess is that this lens works best with lenses below 60mm. The lens has no focusing ring, because all the focusing is done with the taking… Continue Reading
…t dislike as it’s all pretty subjective. My favorite vintage lens is Helios 44-2 58mm lens. It far from perfect but have more character than any other lens I own. The biggest reason why I like and use the Tamron 28mm F2.5 so much is because I feel that it matches the Helios quite well as a wider lens. I’ve shot the music video below mostly with these 2 lenses. Both are incredibly cheap but were good enough for me even though I could have used my C… Continue Reading
…to swap out anamorphic inside it. FM with Schneider Cinelux inside + Helios 44-2 + Sony NEX5n. This combo was used for the video above. Build Quality & Usability: Focus Module is not a small or a lightweight anamorphic solution by any means (unless you use anamorphic cine lenses in which case it’s still a featherweight). When compared to other anamorphic solutions I reviewed so far, it’s significantly larger and heavier than any of them, which can… Continue Reading
…mazing flare characteristics of other Russian lenses like MIR-1B and Helios 44-2. Cons: Quite a slow lens at F3.5 Softish wide open (at-least my copy, more about it later) No filter thread Canon FD 20mm F2.8 – Very different lens when compared to MIR, but costs pretty much the same (prices on ebay always vary). While the previous 2 lenses barely have any coating, this one has a beautiful S.S.C (Super Spectra Coating) both on the front and back ele… Continue Reading
