Congratulations, you own the cream of the crop helios version. The first version was handmade in very low quantities compared to the later versions. It is also the one with the best image in all categories. Sharpness, light bleed, bokeh, contrast etc. Such a beautiful lens. I've got the Helios 44-2 (best of the m42's, but unfortunately made by MMP). Won an auction for the Helios 44 yesterday, very stoked to get it!
Hey thanks for the comment. I was doing a lot of reading about the different Helios versions. I guess I was in the right place at the right time when I found this one. I looked up my serial number and apparently it was a prototype version. The history with these lenses is so interesting. Congrats on winning your auction. Have fun shooting with it. Would love to see what you shoot. If you're interested I have a Facebook group for subs. If you want to join and post some of your pics in the food go for it. facebook.com/groups/vaskoobscura
Almost made this mistake if I hadn't watched a video from Retro Foto House but even then it wasn't the highlighted topic. I'm glad there's actually a video dedicated to this topic. Saves a lot of time and money, thank you!
You're welcome glad it was helpful for you. Funny thing is I also learned about adapting m39 lenses from Retro Foto House. Great channel. I'm slowly building a collection of content on vintage lenses on my webpage if you're interested www.vaskoobscura.com/vintage-gear
Nice video. Thanks for the information. I bought the wrong adapter without knowing. I thought something is wrong with my lens. You are a life-saver. I didn't know there are two types, slr and rangefinder.
Glad I could help! I was in the same position as you when I started getting into vintage lenses. There isn't enough information out there about these adapters. Thanks for the comment. Appreciated.
This is actually not the correct way to adapt m39 SLR lenses to mirrorless. With the M42 adapter and the m39-m42 ring you'll get flange distance of 45.46mm. The correct m39 SLR flange distance is actually 45.20mm, so using the M42 adapter will get you a little bit into the macro range by 0.26mm (not very noticeable). The crrect way to adapt the m39 SLR is to use the m39 adapter with the flange distance of 28.80 mm + the original 16.4mm m39 macro tube. This way you get the correct flange distance
One of the first hits when searching for m42 adapters.. didn't solve my issue though. I have 2 vintage lenses where i struggle with infinity focus.. both of which are really early m42 lenses. The problem i have is first with a Biotar 2/58 where the concave part below the threads on the lens are hindering it from being seated all the way into the adapter.. it stops on that part of the adapter that is designed to press in the "auto aperture" knob thingie which is present under more modern m42 lenses (even later biotar 2/58s). Similar issue with a Schneider-Kreuznach Xenar 50 2.8 where there is a tiny elevation in a portion of the metal that should be flush with the adapter which hinders it from being seated all the way back, probably because it was designed for a specific camera. Guess i will have to do some machining to get it to work. Vintage lenses is a dangerous rabbit hole :) No problem with adapting a Helios 44 though, but i am more interested in the granddaddy biotar. Japanese lenses work with no issues as well. It seems like my problem is specific to early German m42 lenses.
Hey awesome that's what this video is for. I know when I was first starting out with vintage lenses It was hard to find the info so I wanted to make something simple for people who are in my position I was in. Enjoy your new lens. Thanks for the comment. I'm going to have a bunch more videos about vintage lenses soon. Subscribe if you're interested :)
Nice that sounds like a good time. Vintage lenses are so much fun to shoot. Do you post your photos anywhere? Would be cool to see the character of the lenses.
@@vaskoobscura_ I clicked on all your links you provided in your last video, in due time i may post some of it in due time. Small player here, just having a little fun with lenses that have seen history.
Useful video, thanks. You might have mentioned the existence of m42 to RF helicoid adapters. I have a Takumar 1:2 50mm macro which focuses to infinity using the adapter at minimum length and to 1:1 (or close) using both the extended helicoid and the native focusing ring of the lens. It also allows reversing the lens with a reversing ring taking the same lens not quite to 2:1 and allows adding tubes to get closer. I liked this set up before I got my modern Laowa 85mm macro which is sharper and goes to 2:1 without adapters. I am not a fan of the soft look which most vintage users value but have enjoyed trying out lenses from my early days in photography. My favorite adapted lens is the Leitz Focotar 50mm f/4.5 enlarging lens on tubes and a helicoid for excellent extreme macro. Isn't there also a problem to watch for caused by some adapters being made for Zeiss RF rather than Canon RF? It would have been nice if everyone used the terms without overlaps like the M39's and RF's.
I totally agree with you. I think it was a bonehead move by Canon to name their new mount RF when "RF" was already an acronym for Range Finder lenses. It's made searching for lenses on eBay more tedious. Regarding your point about helicoid adapters. I didn't know about those adapters at the time I made this video. I definitely should redo this video and update it with more relevant info. Thanks for the comment.
@@vaskoobscura_ Yesterday I received a manual focus helicoid Canon EF to RF adapter that adds 0 to 10 mm extension to my favorite EF manual lens. First results are promising. Of course a helicoid adapter that had contacts would be nice for regular lenses but probably would cost a great deal more than I would pay.
I tried to look it up but I can't seem to find any info on it. Fotodiox makes a type 1 M42 to EF adapter amzn.to/3RzSjiw and a Type 2 M42 to EF adapter amzn.to/3eGy9Vq They are not very specific on which adapter is for the SLR lens and which is for the range finder lens. You can try to email them to find out which one you need.
Both my M39 lenses the Helios-40 and Helios-44 cant get to infinity focus. I want to get another adapter so I can test it out. It might be the adapter that's messing thing up but I won't know till I get another one to test with.
Thanks for the sub! Welcome to the channel. Glad you liked the video. If you're into the vintage lenses I've got a bunch more videos on the topic coming up. Cheers.
I was actually really surprised by the quality of that Helios-44. 58mm. Not bad for a lens from the 1960's. What did you think?
Congratulations, you own the cream of the crop helios version. The first version was handmade in very low quantities compared to the later versions. It is also the one with the best image in all categories. Sharpness, light bleed, bokeh, contrast etc. Such a beautiful lens.
I've got the Helios 44-2 (best of the m42's, but unfortunately made by MMP). Won an auction for the Helios 44 yesterday, very stoked to get it!
Hey thanks for the comment. I was doing a lot of reading about the different Helios versions. I guess I was in the right place at the right time when I found this one. I looked up my serial number and apparently it was a prototype version. The history with these lenses is so interesting. Congrats on winning your auction. Have fun shooting with it. Would love to see what you shoot. If you're interested I have a Facebook group for subs. If you want to join and post some of your pics in the food go for it.
facebook.com/groups/vaskoobscura
It looked surprisingly sharp for such an old lens. I guess you got a good copy.
Going "vintage" requires a broad depth of knowledge and this topic is often NOT covered. You'll be saving people money with this information!
You are so right. When I was starting out with vintage glass the M39 mount was so confusing. Appreciate the comment glad you liked the video.
You mean 2 minutes of googling before you buy something ?
@@parranoic I wouldn't spend a few hundred bucks after only 2 minutes of Googling. Perhaps you're very wealthy, but I'm a common factory worker.
Almost made this mistake if I hadn't watched a video from Retro Foto House but even then it wasn't the highlighted topic. I'm glad there's actually a video dedicated to this topic. Saves a lot of time and money, thank you!
You're welcome glad it was helpful for you. Funny thing is I also learned about adapting m39 lenses from Retro Foto House. Great channel. I'm slowly building a collection of content on vintage lenses on my webpage if you're interested www.vaskoobscura.com/vintage-gear
Definitely will check it out! I just got into adapting vintage lenses so trying to learn as much as I can.
Nice video. Thanks for the information. I bought the wrong adapter without knowing. I thought something is wrong with my lens. You are a life-saver. I didn't know there are two types, slr and rangefinder.
Glad I could help! I was in the same position as you when I started getting into vintage lenses. There isn't enough information out there about these adapters. Thanks for the comment. Appreciated.
Thanks for the info. I just bought a FED 10 and didn't realize there were different adapters. I think I got the right one but we will see.
If you got the Skinner one I think you should be good. Enjoy the lens.
This is actually not the correct way to adapt m39 SLR lenses to mirrorless. With the M42 adapter and the m39-m42 ring you'll get flange distance of 45.46mm. The correct m39 SLR flange distance is actually 45.20mm, so using the M42 adapter will get you a little bit into the macro range by 0.26mm (not very noticeable). The crrect way to adapt the m39 SLR is to use the m39 adapter with the flange distance of 28.80 mm + the original 16.4mm m39 macro tube. This way you get the correct flange distance
This is true and so helpful, thank you! Otherwise the old Zenit m39 lens will never be able to focus to Infinity
One of the first hits when searching for m42 adapters.. didn't solve my issue though. I have 2 vintage lenses where i struggle with infinity focus.. both of which are really early m42 lenses. The problem i have is first with a Biotar 2/58 where the concave part below the threads on the lens are hindering it from being seated all the way into the adapter.. it stops on that part of the adapter that is designed to press in the "auto aperture" knob thingie which is present under more modern m42 lenses (even later biotar 2/58s). Similar issue with a Schneider-Kreuznach Xenar 50 2.8 where there is a tiny elevation in a portion of the metal that should be flush with the adapter which hinders it from being seated all the way back, probably because it was designed for a specific camera. Guess i will have to do some machining to get it to work. Vintage lenses is a dangerous rabbit hole :) No problem with adapting a Helios 44 though, but i am more interested in the granddaddy biotar. Japanese lenses work with no issues as well. It seems like my problem is specific to early German m42 lenses.
So helpful thank you I had the wrong adapter in my shopping cart. You totally saved me 👍🏼
You're welcome!! Glad to help. Enjoy shooting on your new vintage lens and thank you for the comment.
dude, i just ordered one the these lenses thanks for much for helping me know what adapter to get :)
Hey awesome that's what this video is for. I know when I was first starting out with vintage lenses It was hard to find the info so I wanted to make something simple for people who are in my position I was in. Enjoy your new lens. Thanks for the comment. I'm going to have a bunch more videos about vintage lenses soon. Subscribe if you're interested :)
Bought a Mir-1 a while ago and couldn't get it to focus, this video saved me.
That lens is a beauty. Hope you're getting some nice shots with it now that you have the right adapter. Glad the video was helpful.
I just received my m39 adapter (rangefinder) today for my EOS R, so now i get to play with leitz lenses at their fullest. 😁
Nice that sounds like a good time. Vintage lenses are so much fun to shoot. Do you post your photos anywhere? Would be cool to see the character of the lenses.
@@vaskoobscura_ I clicked on all your links you provided in your last video, in due time i may post some of it in due time.
Small player here, just having a little fun with lenses that have seen history.
Useful video, thanks. You might have mentioned the existence of m42 to RF helicoid adapters. I have a Takumar 1:2 50mm macro which focuses to infinity using the adapter at minimum length and to 1:1 (or close) using both the extended helicoid and the native focusing ring of the lens. It also allows reversing the lens with a reversing ring taking the same lens not quite to 2:1 and allows adding tubes to get closer. I liked this set up before I got my modern Laowa 85mm macro which is sharper and goes to 2:1 without adapters. I am not a fan of the soft look which most vintage users value but have enjoyed trying out lenses from my early days in photography. My favorite adapted lens is the Leitz Focotar 50mm f/4.5 enlarging lens on tubes and a helicoid for excellent extreme macro. Isn't there also a problem to watch for caused by some adapters being made for Zeiss RF rather than Canon RF? It would have been nice if everyone used the terms without overlaps like the M39's and RF's.
I totally agree with you. I think it was a bonehead move by Canon to name their new mount RF when "RF" was already an acronym for Range Finder lenses. It's made searching for lenses on eBay more tedious. Regarding your point about helicoid adapters. I didn't know about those adapters at the time I made this video. I definitely should redo this video and update it with more relevant info. Thanks for the comment.
@@vaskoobscura_ Yesterday I received a manual focus helicoid Canon EF to RF adapter that adds 0 to 10 mm extension to my favorite EF manual lens. First results are promising. Of course a helicoid adapter that had contacts would be nice for regular lenses but probably would cost a great deal more than I would pay.
Now this is VERY helpful. Thanks a lot! Subscribed the channel
Thank you really appreciate it. Welcome to the channel. More videos like this on the way.
Nice video!
Thanks glad you liked it. That little M39 to M42 adapters is one of yours.
Is your m39-42 made of metal or plastic?
It's metal
does anyone know what adapter i need for the industar 50-2 i have an eos t6i
I tried to look it up but I can't seem to find any info on it. Fotodiox makes a type 1 M42 to EF adapter amzn.to/3RzSjiw and a Type 2 M42 to EF adapter amzn.to/3eGy9Vq They are not very specific on which adapter is for the SLR lens and which is for the range finder lens. You can try to email them to find out which one you need.
I have Canon EOS 5d mark3...for helios 44 ring?
I'm not sure what kind of adapter you'll need. DSLR cameras have a deeper sensor so you'll need to google to find some info about that.
Does infinite focus work for your part?
Both my M39 lenses the Helios-40 and Helios-44 cant get to infinity focus. I want to get another adapter so I can test it out. It might be the adapter that's messing thing up but I won't know till I get another one to test with.
great video subscribed
Thanks for the sub! Welcome to the channel. Glad you liked the video. If you're into the vintage lenses I've got a bunch more videos on the topic coming up. Cheers.
😁👍
I have power again. lol. Thanks for the comment.