…hich when flaring turns into a ghostly bright spot in the middle. 2: Helios 44-2 58mm F2.0 – My shining little star. Perfect portrait length, with a stunning vignette, softness while maintaining enough of the good resolution, and the most beautiful yet bizzarre bokeh i’ve found to date. Looks like a Dream. 3: Soligor 2x M42 Tele extender, amplifies the flaws in each of the lenses, while turning each lens into 2. The medium wides become tele, and t… Continue Reading
…ares this lens produces! There aren’t many lenses that come close to Helios 44-2 in lens flare competition, but I think LOMO 75mm might actually be a winner here. Its flares range from dreamy light blobs to various rainbows that look truly magical. This look is of course not something that one might want or need every time and thankfully as you stop down the lens, images become cleaner, so you can have the best of the both worlds. If you shine dir… Continue Reading
…camera with this lenses. From my very little research I found out that my Helios 44 58mm is actually a Zeiss Biotar 58mm f/2 Copy. The lens optics were based on Zeiss formulas, so these lenses are apparently very sharp, considering you get a good copy. Read a full article on this lens here. After reading it myself, I feel like I got the biggest lens bargain ever. Carl Zeiss quality for £3? That is the best kept secret in budget filmmaking world,… Continue Reading
…nky rainbows that I really like because they remind me of my beloved Helios 44-2. In terms of image quality Tokina certainly goes better with “character” lenses like the 44-2 and other Russian primes, while Tamron will mix much better with higher contrast lenses like Pentax SMC, Zeiss Contax, Canon FD and even some modern lenses, so it’s impossible to pick a winner in this category. Which one to choose will depend on what other lenses you are plan… Continue Reading
…about magic, this lens will not blow you away with character like a Helios 44-2 would, but it has enough character for a modern lens. I wouldn’t really expect any more from a lens like this and too much character could also be undesirable in many situations, so I wouldn’t necessarily want to spend $400 on a lens that flares too much. It’s fine to spend $40 on a Helios, because you are investing into a specialty lens for special projects. When you… Continue Reading
…l (unlike that of many modern lenses) and also not too crazy (I love Helios 44-2 but it can be too much for some stuff), so they are perfect for all kinds of projects from general corporate to shorts and music videos. One of the best things about Canon FD lenses though is that they can be used on any mirror-less cameras, from full frame ones like Sony A7S and all the way down to BMPCC which has a Super16 sensor. However, when it comes to building… Continue Reading
…is bokeh, which nice and swirly around edges. The lens reminds me of Helios 44-2, which is my favorite vintage lens. I was asked which one I would recommend. Both are really cheap, but I would still always recommend Helios over almost any cheap vintage prime, which doesn’t mean this Chinon is not worth a place in your kit bag, especially if you can snap one up for around $20. I highly recommend this lens to anyone who wants to add a bit of charact… Continue Reading
…Great character Cons: Poor compatibility with EF mount Flares easily Helios 44-2 | REVIEW eBay Links: US | UK | DE | CA | IT | FR | ES | AU | NL Pros: Super cheap Amazing flares and bokeh Quite sharp Cons: Flares can be overpowering Some copies perform worse than others Anamorphic Clamps Anamorphic Clamps eBay Links: US | UK | DE | CA | IT | FR | ES | AU | NL Pros: Cheap way to mount projection lenses onto taking lenses Cons: Not very professional… Continue Reading
…with very interesting bokeh and amazing flares like on the legendary Helios 44-2 lens, which is a great representation of a vintage lens: long focusing through, step-less aperture adjustment, best lens flares I have ever seen from a photo lens. They offer amazing value for money comparing to modern lenses! The difference in the price is enormous, but the image quality that can be achieved with a $$$$ lens can often be very closely matched by a $20… Continue Reading
…k. Sometimes all sort of imperfections create the most magical look (Helios 44-2 is perfect example). The shot from 0:50 looks so old-school and organic that if I didn’t know this was shot on bmpcc, I could swear it was film, so if you are after that kind of look, 12-240mm is perfect that it, but if you prefer clean and crisp images, then this lens is not for you. One of other common weaknesses of big zooms is a barrel distortion. Surprisingly 12-… Continue Reading
