In Search of the Helios 44 Lens
Helios 44 camera lenses were manufactured in the Soviet Union (later the Russian Federation) from the early 1950s to the late 90s. The lenses are now classed as 'vintage' or 'classic', and they're much sought after, not only by collectors, but also by photographers who appreciate the unique optical qualities that they deliver. A great place to track down these lenses is eBay, where you'll find a range of used models, from those that have seen better days, but are still functional, to pristine quality, good-as-new models.
Do Helios 44 lenses fit a range of cameras?Helios 44 lenses were originally produced for Soviet-era, 35 millimetre, SLR, film cameras manufactured by Zenit, using M-42 and K-Mount Pentax camera lens mounts. Various third-party manufacturers have designed mount adapters so that Helios 44 lenses can be used with a wider range of cameras including Canon, Sony, Olympus, and Nikon. The correct adapter for your camera may be supplied along with the lens when buying from eBay sellers, otherwise you may need to source this separately.
Why is the quality of this lens considered to be unique?Depth of field control is commonly used with camera lenses in general for contrasting sharp foreground subjects against out-of-focus, bokeh backgrounds. With the Helios 44 lens, the bokeh effect has a very unique and attractively twisted look that varies uniformly from the image centre to the edges.
What are some of the specifications and features of the 44 lens?The lens has a range of features including:
- Focal length: The fixed focal length of the Helios 44 lens is a standard 58 millimetres, which is well suited to general photography when using 35 millimetre film SLR and Digital SLR cameras.
- Aperture settings: The aperture control ranges from a maximum (widest) setting of f/2.0 to the minimum (narrowest) aperture setting of f/16.
- Aperture blades: The aperture has eight blades, and it's their unique shape that is responsible for the attractive bokeh backgrounds in photos taken with the Helios 44 lens.
- Coated optics: The lens uses specially coated optical lens elements for improved image clarity as well as for the avoidance of undesirable reflective effects such as flare and ghosting.
- Filter Thread: The lens has a 49 mm filter thread for attaching a wide variety of filters.