The Helios 103, a Contax-mount lens from Ukraine I had always wanted to try.
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- Опубликовано: 16 сен 2021
- The Helios 103 was actually introduced in 1977, to replace the Jupiter 8 that had been standard with the Kiev 4s.
It’s a lens I had always wanted to try. On digital it is a bit too troublesome to use, so I will stick to screw mount when I want to use Soviet lenses. Still, another interesting normal lens, with an interesting history, lots of character, and very cheap at 30 dollars or so.
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Great review that boils it all down to most important aspects one needs to know. All compact and less time consuming than many other reviews. Thanks
Probably my favourite lens. I don't generally use it for bokeh effects but stopped down, and find it the sharpest of the FSU 50s. Much sharper than the Jupiter 8 variants it replaced. Even sharper than the Industar 61 LD. The main benefit is the superb colour rendering on film, which is superior to my eyes than Nikon, Canon, or any other lenses. The downside is the non-helicoid mount and the unreliability of the Kiev cameras it was designed for. It's ironic that the best 35mm FSU lens ever made (in my opinion) arrived with the notoriously badly constructed Kiev 4M, the last of the range. Nice review, Juan.
It’s going on a black Contax from back in the day…not one of the new ones. I made my living for many years with Nikon F’s using Nikon Glass. I was happy enough with their performance. I’ll be anxious to see how my “new” Helios performs. I liked the examples I saw on line. The J8 35 I have is OK, I normally set it up hyperfocal at f8-f11 and do ISO 400 b&w or color neg. It works well in that mode for street photos. I tighten that up for landscapes. The camera is not well suited to do portrait work as I like more exact framing. I love my crazy old Contax as it’s quiet, lightweight and pretty fast handling. It will draw attention as those cameras are seldom seen but it’s a good conversation starter.
If you're familiar, how do you compare its sharpness with KMZ TAIR 11A 2.8 135mm, 20 aperture blade?
@@samsen3965 I have the Tair. I don't think it's fair to compare different length lenses. I left a recommendation for a remarkable 135 above. For under 40 dollars.
Fine b&w work. The lens renders the subject well. I have the J8 and think I should buy the 103👍🏽
Here's my tip for vintage. The Celtic Minolta 135mm 2.8. I recently got a very clean model, and stopped down a bit, the sharpness is fabulous. I paid less than 40 dollars for it, and own lots of Fuji prime glass. I don't want to take it off my X-H1. My Fuji 90mm 2.8 is getting pissed. Get this lens, and look up it's youtube videos.
Old 135mm lenses can be really good. I have a couple of Pentax ones. I'll check out the Minolta if I get a chance, I do have a 28mm Celtic somewhere in here...