Don’t want to be too nit-picky but there is broad perception that The Batman was shot on Helios lenses. It wasn’t. The shots you show from the film were shot with detuned Arri Alfa Anamorphics, as was the rest of the film, apart from sections of the car chase. The vehicle mounted shots in car chase are rehoused Helios 44s. They were only used because of the chance the camera and lenses would be destroyed and Greig Fraser needed cheap lenses that would roughly match the Alfas, without risking the expensive Arri kit.
Why they didn't used GoPro or else cheaper solutions? Because lenses should be mounted to the camera... Expensive camera... I don't think they used Helolios just for cheaper solution.
Yes, they used them because they were cheap and most importantly, matched the looked of the very expensive detuned Alfa anamorphics. They could afford to smash the Helios, not the Alfas. GoPros wouldn’t have matched at all.
@@mcgrathfilmsThat just proves how good the lens is lol. "Cheap" that closely matches, thats huge. It being cheap and possibly destroyed is irrelevant, because it is a "cheap" lens that is good enough to match that set.
Great video! The Helios we’re build from the 50s into the late 90s 38 was the original version. Then 44,44m,44m-2,3,4,5,6,7 all have the swirlyness but newer versions were build better and also have multi coatings on them, that’s indicated with an MC. The first two numbers of your serial number indicate the year it was made.
@@LimbitlessGolf nop. Most of the time the first two numbers ( never the lastest ) are the year but in some cases, like this one, its different. 00 could indicate the lense was made for high party member, so most of the time that means higher quality. It depends on the factory that made the lense, and the model. You can find website or forums that explains all off that.
**Aperture pin tip! I simply cut off a piece of a toothpick. Then pressed the pin down, and used a very small pair of needlenose pliers to push the toothpick under the mechanism that the aperture pin moves. It's hard to explain but dead simple to do. Completely reversible. Same idea as with the piece of plastic but I figure toothpicks are very readily available -- very quick to get your hands on. And the thickness seems to be perfect. Now onto the comment: This video sold me on it. Excellent, excellent quality -- well scripted, well shot, just all around excellent. Great work. Really fun to watch. My 44M-6 came in today. Having a blast with it. Tried it with a 36mm-90mm helicoid adapter, which I also love using with my Industar 50-2 -- sometimes even stacking with a Vivitar 2x teleconverter as well. Putting the helicoid behind the teleconverter lets you get super closeup shots from very far away. Putting the helicoid in front of the teleconverter, you can get much closer shots, but have a much closer focusing distance. Anyway. Beautiful bokeh. Great lens. I'm a fan of sharpness and this just has a beautiful balance between sharpness and a beautiful bokeh. Very happy I saw this video and very happy I decided to pull the trigger on one.
lucky for me then! im just noticing ive had the 44m-6 this whole time, been using it since 2018 when i found out about the helios then told my dad i wanted to get one, turns out he already had one from an old zenit camera he had that was stored in my grandads house
There was number of Helios modifications, even through one single series (depends year of production, manufacturer, aperture blades, coating and etc): - about 8 versions of 44-2 - about 7 versions of 44m4 - 8 or more versions of 44m - probably 4 or more versions of 44m7 Technically most advanced should be helios 44m7, but in practice they all quite close each other and each particular copy build quality is more important.
I will give some input here as someone who has played around with the Helios family here a bit, the M6 is prone to serious factory defects, and this really does apply even to the M2 and onward. There is a system of finding out which factory the lenses were made at by looking on the logo. There are a few guides online on this as there are about three to four factories that were involved in the optical designs. I personally prefer the 44m2 because of consistency, followed closely by the 4. The 6 CAN be good, but it's not nearly consistent enough especially with the occasionally inflated price. Amazing video though.
Love how chill this video is. I do happen to have one of these lenses (I bought it 10+ years ago for my Lumix GF1, just ordered an adapter for my Fuji XT30). I didn't quite get the thing about the pin, though.
You should try Vega-9. This can be adapted using a helicoid from another lens. Photos have amazing clarity and detail because the lens are made of low dispersion glass.
Be careful when making the pin permanently stuck. On some of my lenses I bought cheap broken. They’re broken because the spring was weakened out overtime due to someone modding it so it would always be wide open since the pin always would be pushed, meaning the spring would never go back to its default state. So check with your lens.
all helios 44 58mm variants are pretty much based on the Zeiss Biotar and thus should perform very similarly, with greatest variation being outer shell and what factory they were made in (Valdai
@@temitayoisme I think that the 6 has better coatings. The Helios is an awesome lens. I like it better than any modern lens. My first digital camera was a Sony ZVE10 with a Sigma 16mm F1.4 lens. I was disappointed with the image (being used to old film cameras with vintage lenses). But then, I bought the Helios (I remembered it from film school when I used to take pictures on a Zenith camera) and WOW! What an improvement it was over the Sigma. 10000 times better. That Sigma had such a sterile, uninspiring, non-artistic look that I ended up using it only for photographing documents and things like that. Then I sold it. And people LOVE these Sigmas... I will never understand why. The Helios, on the other hand, delivers cinematic-looking footage straight from the camera. I think it has the correct level of sharpness. More is odd, looks cheap. I then got into Canon FD SSC lenses and I have to say that those are my true love..
It can't be, they are indistinguishable by eye, which means the 44m-4 has some kind of contamination inside, or something else, 44M-4 which also have more stable series quality, the only series 44m-4 is with and without MC coating, i like both, depending on the conditions...
@@casio912 I took apart element by element both lenses and cleaned them thoroughly. The M6 has different coatings than the M4 (as far as I could visually see them). I was thinking of taking best elements from each lens and make 1 awesome lens, but they don't all fit. Anyway.. no contamination.. and the optical blocks differ a bit
I love the images you got from the M6. I have an older version of the 44-2 (full metallic jacket zebra edition) the bokeh falloff is absolutely dreamy-creamy-smooth. Nice video. Subbed!
I have the 44M, and it has a button to switch to auto or manual aperture control. It's also very sharp with an 8-blade aperture. However, I rarely use it as well as the Konica 57mm 1.4 (which I like even more) because I still prefer wider lenses (35mm and wider) for video.
Love the images u got with it ! got myself the 44m-6 and 44m-4 for a steal im using it on a Alpha 7 II with adapter rings wich depress the pin so u dont need to modify the lens and by far the 44m-6 is my favorite lens out of my collection!
Got both the 44-2 and the 44-6, each one bought at the thrift store for like 30 euros each (including also camera bags, bodies/accessories). The 44-6 i got was like new from the box. No scratches, no dust, no haze. Wide open is ridiculously sharp in the center, like razor-sharp. But, at least in the copy I got, the diaphragm has a major design problem: blades aren't black, they're bare, highly reflective metal. That means that when stopping down, in bright conditions or with lights pointing towards the lens, blades get projected onto the image. That made it basically unusable (stopped down). Am I the only one here having this problem? I know these lenses were made in various factories, and depending on that and other factors, you could find good or bad copies. In my case, for example, the 44-2 is overall better and more usable. Those are tricky lenses, never buy one for more than a few bucks without testing!
Of course I clicked on your YT video, someone on YT telling me I need to buy a new piece of gear or a new lens... When does that ever happen???! ;) But in reality, I'm glad I clicked and watched your video. Fortunately for me, the Helios, 44M-6 was my very first vintage lens purchase. Since then, there have been a few more... Just a couple, I promise. No really, maybe a few... Just this evening I did my own Fast Fifty shoot-out. Taking all my 50 to 58mm lenses that range in aperture speed of f1.4 to f2 up against each other. The age of the lenses involved was from 1960 to 2023. I started at the wider end of the range with a Super-Multi-Coated Takumar 50/f1.4 and a Yashica Yashinon-DS 50/f1.7. Then moved onto the 55mm lenses with a A Auto-Takumar 55/f1.8 and a Super-Multi-Coated Takumar 55/f1.8. And then I finished up with my Helios 44M-6 58/f2. There's some super fun glass in that mix and most of them are radioactive. And then, just to mix the pot a bit, I threw in my brand new Canon 50/f1.8 STM lens along with its AF capabilities. A lens designed for modern, high Megapixel sensors. I shoot with a Canon R7 that has a 32MP sensor. After it was all said and done and I shot my test subject two different ways on each lens and I shot the group shots of all 6 lenses... I realized I had forgot one of my other fast fifties... Another Canon 50mm/f1.8 from the late 80's/early 90's. Not a great AF lens, but still a fast 50. Damn it! I'm still sorting and choosing the images I'll post on my Flickr page. I might even do a video about what I find. For sure there will be some differences in all of these lenses. The way they render the bokeh, what the balls look like, do they swirl, all sorts of interesting differences. And maybe I'll have to do an addendum to the shoot/test as I have another Helios lens on its way to me. A classic 44-2, series 5 from the BeLOMO factory coming to me from Ukraine. Is that 8 fast fifties...? Damn!
If someone is bothered by the 6-8 aperture blade bokeh when stopped down - they can always look for a Zeiss Biotar 58/2 which also has many versions. Some of them had 10 blades, but the older Exakta mount versions had up to 17 blades which made bokeh balls stopped down look much more rounded.
Good stuff, I ordered a peculiar version of this lens, the 44m-4 but is multi coated which as far as I can tell is pretty rare and am now curious to see how it compares
I have a Helios 44-2 from the 80s; it still has the aperture on the front of the barrel and it's a bit tricky use, but once you get used to it, it produces some beautiful images. I do like the idea of a more traditional aperture control like the 44M versions tend to have, but I'm also finding that the newer designs are far more expensive- I couldn't find a listing for an M-6 version for less than $100!
@@temitayoisme I do not like the focal length 50mm (and 28mm !), it always seems either too long or too short, it just feels "wrong". I will use any focal length other than 50mm, 45mm and shorter (except 28mm), 55mm and longer, no problems. In the 1970´s to the 1990´s, every time you bought a new Camera, there was nearly always a 50mm lens as a kit lens, I never used it, the same was the case with many other camera owners, that is also why there are so many analog SLR 50mm lenses in very good condition today. When digital DSLR cameras arrived with APSC sensor, then the 50mm got popular, because it is equivalent to 75mm (80mm for Canon), that make sense, a perfect portrait Lens ! I think it is some of that popularity that it brought over to full frame digital cameras, but I do not understand it ! I think 35mm and 85mm Lenses are some of the most "right" Lenses to use, very easy to use as it was an extension of your eye. There is fx a reason why most compact cameras with fixed lenses through decades have a focal length of either 35, 38 or 40mm ! Very easy to use for most people. So today my lenses are 14, 21, 35, 55, 65 macro, 85, 110 macro, 135 and 500mm after 45 years of experience.
Fun fact, i was watching the video thinking i need that lens, then i remember i have one XD. and you are right 44m-6 is sharper but 44m-2 is more "dreamy".
This is how a lens video should be. Narrate over actual footage of the lens. We don't need to see you taking photos with the lens. We don't need to see you speak for the whole video with 2 sample photos at the end.
Number after M at least for Helios 44 is related to its measured sharpness and has almost no relation to revision number. From M2, which is the least sharp, to M7, the sharpest. Retail lenses came with the sheet of complete specifications. Also, some people do rehouse these lenses, and in some cases chassis denominated with M7 might actually house lenses from an M2 variant.
Better than the helios 44-2 is subjective. My 44-2 does pretty much exactly what I want with swirl and amazing sharpness if you get a good one. My pancolar 1.8 is also amazing for different reasons. It's subjective.
NIce video. first silver version is the best than 44-6, than the rest.. please believe me. i have them all. and i got at least 120 helios in my life :)
You want an actual god Helios? Get a Fuji 55mm 1.8 with m42 mount. Yes, it is slightly wider and faster, but barley noticeable. But it has very identical swirly Bokeh and the flares are also similar. But the quality is more consistent. Fuji took the original Zeiss Biotar design and made just few modifications to be not a that obvious copy than the Helios.
FYI i collect 20 helios 44 from early to last version, my concern about quality, as long you using KMZ and BeLOMO ones always render great result, what you showing in this video and consider as Better than 44-2 are absolutely wrong for me, because yours are valdai production version where yg e quality are far below standard in contrast, sharpness and color rendering because it was economic version, but if you using helios 44, 44-2, 44m which produce by KMZ and beLOMO we can start talk about quality.. my concern using valdai version is totally bad quality even you use NOS in good condition due to manufacturing process.. so it gonna be more fair if you comparing 44-2 and 44M because it was on same class
Dude you have to check the facts :). 44-2 has nothing plastic on it. It is only metal and glass. 44-6 is the same optics you just got a better copy. Those lenses especially the ones not produced in KMZ (Ukraine) have serious variations in quality. The only thing that is the difference between 44-4 and 44-6 is the year of production. They have the same simple mechanics (no M/A switch) because USSR did the opposite of the west world or the Japanese. In the USSR newer models had to be cheaper and simpler, not better :) better was what is cheaper... Yes in later years they had access to some better coatings and some of the later models are with better contrast and color than some earlier models but that is just because 44-2 had so many different variations... there were even copies without any coatings. I had one of those too and it was unusable. My favorite cheaper 44 is the 44M from KMZ - it has M/A switch and 8 blades of the aperture. Older models like the 44, 44-2 and 44-3 have the preset aperture which might be a plus for video shooters who want to close it smoothly. For me the best Biotar 58 2.0 is the original and the early Helios 44(which is only a rename of the Zeiss). They had some pretty nice optics with great coatings that produce perfect color and contrast with beautiful amber flares. They are also the most expensive...
Sorry dude but you didn't do your homework. The name is Helios 44 2, not the M2. The 44 2 has 13 blades, better build quality and is way better optically. Also all the helios versions that weren't built in the KMZ or MMZ factories have worse quality control and almost all of them have too much oil/grease on the aperture blades and if that grease gets on your sensor or mechanical shutter that is really bad news... Also bad QC also means that the lens would need focus adjusting in its mechanics and sometimes the aperture doesn't close fully and all of that.
Well done, you pretty much came across of a true bummer. You came in and said everything is inaccurate without offering any solutions or 'accurate' information to support your statement. That to me is being a bummer 101.
This Lense was made in the late Valdai Factory and they have the worse build and picture quality.Thats why they are so cheap and only hafe 6 Blades because of production cost safings.Nobody wants crappy Valdai license coppys.
@@temitayoisme From what Russian optics experts say the best versions of the Helios 44-2 are those of the 1972 KMZ. Even later versions like yours have serious problems with construction and optical quality. Then everyone does as he sees fit.
The major difference between the 44-2 & 44m-7 is resolution.
Resolution (center/edge):
Helios-44 -- 35/14 lp/mm
Helios -44-2 -- 38/20 lp/mm
Helios -44-7 -- 36/17 lp/mm
Helios-44М -- 38/19 lp/mm
MC Helios-44М-4 -- 41/20 lp/mm
MC Helios-44K-4 -- 42/21 lp/mm
MC Helios-44М-5 -- 41/20 lp/mm
MC Helios-44М-6 -- 45/25 lp/mm
MC Helios-44М-7 -- 50/30 lp/mm
Interesting, thanks for sharing
Don’t want to be too nit-picky but there is broad perception that The Batman was shot on Helios lenses. It wasn’t. The shots you show from the film were shot with detuned Arri Alfa Anamorphics, as was the rest of the film, apart from sections of the car chase. The vehicle mounted shots in car chase are rehoused Helios 44s. They were only used because of the chance the camera and lenses would be destroyed and Greig Fraser needed cheap lenses that would roughly match the Alfas, without risking the expensive Arri kit.
Great insight, thanks
Sounds good enough to me tho haha. If they can somewhat match the alfas then daaamn
Why they didn't used GoPro or else cheaper solutions? Because lenses should be mounted to the camera... Expensive camera... I don't think they used Helolios just for cheaper solution.
Yes, they used them because they were cheap and most importantly, matched the looked of the very expensive detuned Alfa anamorphics. They could afford to smash the Helios, not the Alfas. GoPros wouldn’t have matched at all.
@@mcgrathfilmsThat just proves how good the lens is lol. "Cheap" that closely matches, thats huge. It being cheap and possibly destroyed is irrelevant, because it is a "cheap" lens that is good enough to match that set.
44M-4 here. Won on ebay for $14.50. Just needed cleaning. Fantastic lens. Use it also as a taking lens for anamorphic.
Beautiful combination
I've got botk 2 and 4 ... the bokeh is identical .... but my 4 is definetly sharper
That’s great! I recently got one as well!! Need an adapter for my camera though. Not sure exactly what to get!
@@ethereal_333Which camera?
Great video!
The Helios we’re build from the 50s into the late 90s
38 was the original version. Then 44,44m,44m-2,3,4,5,6,7 all have the swirlyness but newer versions were build better and also have multi coatings on them, that’s indicated with an MC.
The first two numbers of your serial number indicate the year it was made.
🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
@@temitayoisme check out helios 81n, and the somewhat rare Japanese helios 28mm 2.8
i have a 44m with serial 008583 do you know the fabrication year?
@@manuelmadriz1969 the last 2 numbers indicate the year. So yours was built at 1983
@@LimbitlessGolf nop. Most of the time the first two numbers ( never the lastest ) are the year but in some cases, like this one, its different. 00 could indicate the lense was made for high party member, so most of the time that means higher quality. It depends on the factory that made the lense, and the model. You can find website or forums that explains all off that.
**Aperture pin tip! I simply cut off a piece of a toothpick. Then pressed the pin down, and used a very small pair of needlenose pliers to push the toothpick under the mechanism that the aperture pin moves. It's hard to explain but dead simple to do. Completely reversible. Same idea as with the piece of plastic but I figure toothpicks are very readily available -- very quick to get your hands on. And the thickness seems to be perfect. Now onto the comment:
This video sold me on it. Excellent, excellent quality -- well scripted, well shot, just all around excellent. Great work. Really fun to watch.
My 44M-6 came in today. Having a blast with it. Tried it with a 36mm-90mm helicoid adapter, which I also love using with my Industar 50-2 -- sometimes even stacking with a Vivitar 2x teleconverter as well. Putting the helicoid behind the teleconverter lets you get super closeup shots from very far away. Putting the helicoid in front of the teleconverter, you can get much closer shots, but have a much closer focusing distance.
Anyway. Beautiful bokeh. Great lens. I'm a fan of sharpness and this just has a beautiful balance between sharpness and a beautiful bokeh. Very happy I saw this video and very happy I decided to pull the trigger on one.
Appreciate the feedback, have fun and keep creating
lucky for me then! im just noticing ive had the 44m-6 this whole time, been using it since 2018 when i found out about the helios then told my dad i wanted to get one, turns out he already had one from an old zenit camera he had that was stored in my grandads house
Lucky you
Wow...I love the images you produced with helios 44m-6. I have to try mine more often.
It's a great lens
Is this no longer available? I can’t find the link in description
Will update soon
I have the Helios 44m-7 and it is one of the best in my collection.
The helios is highly slept on, you should rock them
@@temitayoisme Your video reignited my passion to use this lens.
There was number of Helios modifications, even through one single series (depends year of production, manufacturer, aperture blades, coating and etc):
- about 8 versions of 44-2
- about 7 versions of 44m4
- 8 or more versions of 44m
- probably 4 or more versions of 44m7
Technically most advanced should be helios 44m7, but in practice they all quite close each other and each particular copy build quality is more important.
Right
I will give some input here as someone who has played around with the Helios family here a bit, the M6 is prone to serious factory defects, and this really does apply even to the M2 and onward. There is a system of finding out which factory the lenses were made at by looking on the logo. There are a few guides online on this as there are about three to four factories that were involved in the optical designs. I personally prefer the 44m2 because of consistency, followed closely by the 4. The 6 CAN be good, but it's not nearly consistent enough especially with the occasionally inflated price. Amazing video though.
thanks for the input, my unit has no defect but you might be unto something. These old things are a hit or miss
You mean 44‐2? Because as far as I know there is no 44 m2
Also depends which which version of the 44-2 you get. I have two different versions and one is slightly sharper than the other.
Very true
Where is the link referenced in the video to buy this lens and support you?
Thanks Travis, here it is - amzn.to/3OS7unC
Love how chill this video is. I do happen to have one of these lenses (I bought it 10+ years ago for my Lumix GF1, just ordered an adapter for my Fuji XT30). I didn't quite get the thing about the pin, though.
It stays fixed at f2 if you don’t depress it. Unless you have an m43 russian camera that has the lever built in
About the aperture pin: check my comment @ guitar
You should try Vega-9. This can be adapted using a helicoid from another lens. Photos have amazing clarity and detail because the lens are made of low dispersion glass.
Interesting, will keep that in mind. Sounds cool already
the 44mm range is a sweet spot but check out the Helios-33 2/35mm Unit Lens.
Interesting, never heard of it before. Will look it up. Is it also an M42 mount?
Be careful when making the pin permanently stuck. On some of my lenses I bought cheap broken. They’re broken because the spring was weakened out overtime due to someone modding it so it would always be wide open since the pin always would be pushed, meaning the spring would never go back to its default state. So check with your lens.
Thanks for the update
What did you use to color grade?
Beautiful!
Thank you for posting
Which part?
all helios 44 58mm variants are pretty much based on the Zeiss Biotar and thus should perform very similarly, with greatest variation being outer shell and what factory they were made in (Valdai
Thanks for sharing
I have both an M-4 and an M-6 and, although, the M-6 front lens is scratched pretty badly, I still get a nicer and sharper image than with the M-4
Sounds about right. The 6 is a more recent version so it should be sharper. How are you liking it so far?
@@temitayoisme I think that the 6 has better coatings. The Helios is an awesome lens. I like it better than any modern lens. My first digital camera was a Sony ZVE10 with a Sigma 16mm F1.4 lens. I was disappointed with the image (being used to old film cameras with vintage lenses). But then, I bought the Helios (I remembered it from film school when I used to take pictures on a Zenith camera) and WOW! What an improvement it was over the Sigma. 10000 times better. That Sigma had such a sterile, uninspiring, non-artistic look that I ended up using it only for photographing documents and things like that. Then I sold it. And people LOVE these Sigmas... I will never understand why. The Helios, on the other hand, delivers cinematic-looking footage straight from the camera. I think it has the correct level of sharpness. More is odd, looks cheap. I then got into Canon FD SSC lenses and I have to say that those are my true love..
It can't be, they are indistinguishable by eye, which means the 44m-4 has some kind of contamination inside, or something else, 44M-4 which also have more stable series quality, the only series 44m-4 is with and without MC coating, i like both, depending on the conditions...
@@casio912 I took apart element by element both lenses and cleaned them thoroughly. The M6 has different coatings than the M4 (as far as I could visually see them). I was thinking of taking best elements from each lens and make 1 awesome lens, but they don't all fit. Anyway.. no contamination.. and the optical blocks differ a bit
I bought my 44M-6 two days ago, I still haven't received it to see its behavior in practice, but your video was very interesting.
thanks
I love the images you got from the M6. I have an older version of the 44-2 (full metallic jacket zebra edition) the bokeh falloff is absolutely dreamy-creamy-smooth. Nice video.
Subbed!
Appreciate you
I have the 44M, and it has a button to switch to auto or manual aperture control. It's also very sharp with an 8-blade aperture. However, I rarely use it as well as the Konica 57mm 1.4 (which I like even more) because I still prefer wider lenses (35mm and wider) for video.
Need to get my hands on that glass too
Love the images u got with it ! got myself the 44m-6 and 44m-4 for a steal im using it on a Alpha 7 II with adapter rings wich depress the pin so u dont need to modify the lens and by far the 44m-6 is my favorite lens out of my collection!
Sounds great!
where is the link in the description? i dont see comparison
Took it down
Got both the 44-2 and the 44-6, each one bought at the thrift store for like 30 euros each (including also camera bags, bodies/accessories).
The 44-6 i got was like new from the box. No scratches, no dust, no haze. Wide open is ridiculously sharp in the center, like razor-sharp.
But, at least in the copy I got, the diaphragm has a major design problem: blades aren't black, they're bare, highly reflective metal. That means that when stopping down, in bright conditions or with lights pointing towards the lens, blades get projected onto the image. That made it basically unusable (stopped down).
Am I the only one here having this problem? I know these lenses were made in various factories, and depending on that and other factors, you could find good or bad copies.
In my case, for example, the 44-2 is overall better and more usable.
Those are tricky lenses, never buy one for more than a few bucks without testing!
Mine also have silver blades but don’t reflect back onto the image
Of course I clicked on your YT video, someone on YT telling me I need to buy a new piece of gear or a new lens... When does that ever happen???! ;)
But in reality, I'm glad I clicked and watched your video. Fortunately for me, the Helios, 44M-6 was my very first vintage lens purchase. Since then, there have been a few more... Just a couple, I promise. No really, maybe a few...
Just this evening I did my own Fast Fifty shoot-out. Taking all my 50 to 58mm lenses that range in aperture speed of f1.4 to f2 up against each other. The age of the lenses involved was from 1960 to 2023. I started at the wider end of the range with a Super-Multi-Coated Takumar 50/f1.4 and a Yashica Yashinon-DS 50/f1.7. Then moved onto the 55mm lenses with a A Auto-Takumar 55/f1.8 and a Super-Multi-Coated Takumar 55/f1.8. And then I finished up with my Helios 44M-6 58/f2. There's some super fun glass in that mix and most of them are radioactive.
And then, just to mix the pot a bit, I threw in my brand new Canon 50/f1.8 STM lens along with its AF capabilities. A lens designed for modern, high Megapixel sensors. I shoot with a Canon R7 that has a 32MP sensor.
After it was all said and done and I shot my test subject two different ways on each lens and I shot the group shots of all 6 lenses... I realized I had forgot one of my other fast fifties... Another Canon 50mm/f1.8 from the late 80's/early 90's. Not a great AF lens, but still a fast 50. Damn it!
I'm still sorting and choosing the images I'll post on my Flickr page. I might even do a video about what I find. For sure there will be some differences in all of these lenses. The way they render the bokeh, what the balls look like, do they swirl, all sorts of interesting differences.
And maybe I'll have to do an addendum to the shoot/test as I have another Helios lens on its way to me. A classic 44-2, series 5 from the BeLOMO factory coming to me from Ukraine.
Is that 8 fast fifties...? Damn!
you are a legend
Cool video, i really enjoyed watching it!
Thanks for watching
If someone is bothered by the 6-8 aperture blade bokeh when stopped down - they can always look for a Zeiss Biotar 58/2 which also has many versions. Some of them had 10 blades, but the older Exakta mount versions had up to 17 blades which made bokeh balls stopped down look much more rounded.
Great point
the earliest versions of the 44 where also made with 13 blades
Good stuff, I ordered a peculiar version of this lens, the 44m-4 but is multi coated which as far as I can tell is pretty rare and am now curious to see how it compares
Good choice!
I have a Helios 44-2 from the 80s; it still has the aperture on the front of the barrel and it's a bit tricky use, but once you get used to it, it produces some beautiful images. I do like the idea of a more traditional aperture control like the 44M versions tend to have, but I'm also finding that the newer designs are far more expensive- I couldn't find a listing for an M-6 version for less than $100!
They go up and down
I like the focal length 58 (60)mm, I have never like the 50mm focal length for full frame cameras.
Interesting, why so? I’m curious
@@temitayoisme I do not like the focal length 50mm (and 28mm !), it always seems either too long or too short, it just feels "wrong". I will use any focal length other than 50mm, 45mm and shorter (except 28mm), 55mm and longer, no problems. In the 1970´s to the 1990´s, every time you bought a new Camera, there was nearly always a 50mm lens as a kit lens, I never used it, the same was the case with many other camera owners, that is also why there are so many analog SLR 50mm lenses in very good condition today. When digital DSLR cameras arrived with APSC sensor, then the 50mm got popular, because it is equivalent to 75mm (80mm for Canon), that make sense, a perfect portrait Lens ! I think it is some of that popularity that it brought over to full frame digital cameras, but I do not understand it ! I think 35mm and 85mm Lenses are some of the most "right" Lenses to use, very easy to use as it was an extension of your eye. There is fx a reason why most compact cameras with fixed lenses through decades have a focal length of either 35, 38 or 40mm ! Very easy to use for most people. So today my lenses are 14, 21, 35, 55, 65 macro, 85, 110 macro, 135 and 500mm after 45 years of experience.
@cameraprepper7938 thanks for sharing, interesting perspective
hi sir what is your camera
Sony A74
gotta a vintage wider lense that could play nice with these?
The Mir 1B 37mm
Is there a way to declick the aperture?
I think you’d have to take it to a repair man
Making it clickless is very easy and only requires you to take out 4 screws and remove the small ball bearing.
Nice video. Is the M6 multi coated? I heard that the M7 is.
My version is but I’m not sure if all copies are
Fun fact, i was watching the video thinking i need that lens, then i remember i have one XD. and you are right 44m-6 is sharper but 44m-2 is more "dreamy".
XD's are a joy to use as well.
This is how a lens video should be. Narrate over actual footage of the lens. We don't need to see you taking photos with the lens. We don't need to see you speak for the whole video with 2 sample photos at the end.
Appreciate it
So freakin annoying reviewers do this
the best swirly boke have two lenses: helios 77m4 (50mm) and helios 40-2 (85mm)
The 40-2 85mm is a dream collection of mine
it bad for video, the better one is helios 77m4. it has swirly boke and middle focus range fifty mil.@@temitayoisme
Number after M at least for Helios 44 is related to its measured sharpness and has almost no relation to revision number. From M2, which is the least sharp, to M7, the sharpest. Retail lenses came with the sheet of complete specifications. Also, some people do rehouse these lenses, and in some cases chassis denominated with M7 might actually house lenses from an M2 variant.
Solid info
Better than the helios 44-2 is subjective. My 44-2 does pretty much exactly what I want with swirl and amazing sharpness if you get a good one. My pancolar 1.8 is also amazing for different reasons. It's subjective.
The 44-2 is softer than the 44-6 but i totally agree with you, it's all subjectivity
Better than m6 are m7, 77m and of cuz zenitar 50mm 1.7, they are all the improvement.
Totally agree! The m7, 77m, and zenitar 50mm 1.7 are definitely worth checking out if you're looking for an upgrade. Thanks for the suggestions!
Personally. I'd go the other way... To the silver Helios 44. It has enough sharpness and a lot of character. Just not really cheap... 😉❤️
You might be unto something, i personally don't want it to be too sharp which is why i recommend this one
NIce video. first silver version is the best than 44-6, than the rest.. please believe me. i have them all. and i got at least 120 helios in my life :)
Noted
You want an actual god Helios? Get a Fuji 55mm 1.8 with m42 mount. Yes, it is slightly wider and faster, but barley noticeable. But it has very identical swirly Bokeh and the flares are also similar. But the quality is more consistent. Fuji took the original Zeiss Biotar design and made just few modifications to be not a that obvious copy than the Helios.
👍🏽
FYI i collect 20 helios 44 from early to last version, my concern about quality, as long you using KMZ and BeLOMO ones always render great result, what you showing in this video and consider as Better than 44-2 are absolutely wrong for me, because yours are valdai production version where yg e quality are far below standard in contrast, sharpness and color rendering because it was economic version, but if you using helios 44, 44-2, 44m which produce by KMZ and beLOMO we can start talk about quality.. my concern using valdai version is totally bad quality even you use NOS in good condition due to manufacturing process.. so it gonna be more fair if you comparing 44-2 and 44M because it was on same class
Interesting point
Check out Helios 77M-4 MC 50mm F1.8
It's like 44-pro
Interesting, will do
4:49 Looks like I'm looking at different variations of Sharingan 👁🌀🌀
Sharingan no jitsu 😂
Get Helios 77m-4 50mm f1.8 . Much better than Helios 44, it´s sharper and Bokeh is also beautiful and swirly.
But part of the reason why people still love the 44-2 is cos it’s not as sharp
want character among the helioses? go for the helios 40
Fair point
There is a discrepancy between the original 1965 44-2 and the later iterations. The original has noticeably better image quality and build quality.
Interesting
Hey man, check out a MC 77M-4. You'll thank me! 50mm
Will do, thanks for the hook up
Dude you have to check the facts :).
44-2 has nothing plastic on it. It is only metal and glass. 44-6 is the same optics you just got a better copy. Those lenses especially the ones not produced in KMZ (Ukraine) have serious variations in quality. The only thing that is the difference between 44-4 and 44-6 is the year of production. They have the same simple mechanics (no M/A switch) because USSR did the opposite of the west world or the Japanese. In the USSR newer models had to be cheaper and simpler, not better :) better was what is cheaper... Yes in later years they had access to some better coatings and some of the later models are with better contrast and color than some earlier models but that is just because 44-2 had so many different variations... there were even copies without any coatings. I had one of those too and it was unusable. My favorite cheaper 44 is the 44M from KMZ - it has M/A switch and 8 blades of the aperture. Older models like the 44, 44-2 and 44-3 have the preset aperture which might be a plus for video shooters who want to close it smoothly.
For me the best Biotar 58 2.0 is the original and the early Helios 44(which is only a rename of the Zeiss). They had some pretty nice optics with great coatings that produce perfect color and contrast with beautiful amber flares. They are also the most expensive...
Okay
Sorry dude but you didn't do your homework. The name is Helios 44 2, not the M2. The 44 2 has 13 blades, better build quality and is way better optically. Also all the helios versions that weren't built in the KMZ or MMZ factories have worse quality control and almost all of them have too much oil/grease on the aperture blades and if that grease gets on your sensor or mechanical shutter that is really bad news... Also bad QC also means that the lens would need focus adjusting in its mechanics and sometimes the aperture doesn't close fully and all of that.
L
The 44-2 does NOT have 13 blades, it has 8. Only the original Helios has 13 blades.
@@Rowan611 nope, i got the lens to prove it lol
Ok. Then you have a rare one. Most are 8.
There are Helios versions with,13,10,8 and 6 blades ;)
Yeah, the lens is all well and good, but WTF is a CHEESE LATTE?! What kind of psychopath puts CHEESE in COFFEE?!
A psychopath
Latinamericans do
It's 44-2 not 44M 2.
Copy that
44 2 is sharp enough. Need to find a copy from the real factory.
Fair point
"got mine for 40 bucks"
Clicks link and cant find it less than 100 bucks
Price fluctuates. Got mine over 2 years now
Got mine back in 2018 for $17.00 s/h.
I have an older version 44-2 zebra with clean glass in good condition.
hey. not trying to be a bummer but basically everything you said in this video is innacurate. still a cool video tho
L
Well done, you pretty much came across of a true bummer. You came in and said everything is inaccurate without offering any solutions or 'accurate' information to support your statement. That to me is being a bummer 101.
This Lense was made in the late Valdai Factory and they have the worse build and picture quality.Thats why they are so cheap and only hafe 6 Blades because of production cost safings.Nobody wants crappy Valdai license coppys.
I do
🤣
L
@@temitayoisme From what Russian optics experts say the best versions of the Helios 44-2 are those of the 1972 KMZ. Even later versions like yours have serious problems with construction and optical quality. Then everyone does as he sees fit.
6 has ugly nervous bokeh
lol