Helios 44M-4 - Swirly BOKEH monster!
Вставка
- Опубліковано 4 сер 2024
- Full review with photo/video samples of one the most common vintage lenses ever.
Is Helios 44M-4 58mm f2 worth having in 2020?
Links:
Full review of Helios 44-2: • Helios 44-2 - The Best...
How to do pin modification: • How to fix Helios 44m ...
Buy K&F M42 adapters (affiliate links)
Amazon US:
M42 to Sony-E (new version): amzn.to/3oo0ZdI
M42 to Nikon Z: amzn.to/3mnzsY7
M42 to Fuji X (new version): amzn.to/2HGRiWP
M42 to Canon EOS R: amzn.to/3dYnrFz
M42 to Canon EOS:
Amazon UK:
M42 to Sony-E (new version): amzn.to/35zusJ3
M42 to Nikon Z: amzn.to/3kyb2dQ
M42 to Fuji X (new version): amzn.to/3or140i
M42 to Canon EOS R: amzn.to/35AbsKG
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Running Order:
0:00 Start
0:16 Introductions
1:35 History
1:57 The Aperture Pin
2:55 Performance
4:25 Swirly Bokeh
4:47 Build Quality
6:05 Conclusion
7:04 Outro
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Gear used to make this video with (affiliate links):
Amazon US:
Nikon Z6: amzn.to/36UuITs
Sony a7sII: amzn.to/300rRXs
Sony a7III: amzn.to/2Y3CNlE
Sigma 50mm f1.4 for Nikon Lens: amzn.to/2MpBJSt
Boya PVM1000 Shotgun Microphone: amzn.to/2Mgwgxo
Atomos Ninja V Monitor/Recorder: amzn.to/2BfhlkL
SanDisk Ultra 3D SSD 500GB: amzn.to/3gHtMWQ
Bolzten Andromeda Came-TV RGB Lights:amzn.to/3cmPKen
Amazon UK:
Nikon Z6: amzn.to/2yRPF4D
Sony a7sII: amzn.to/3cn1CgC
Sony a7III: amzn.to/30X6BCH
Sigma 50mm f1.4 for Nikon Lens: amzn.to/35jkDi4
Rode Wireless Go: amzn.to/3iQcsz6
Boya PVM1000 Shotgun Microphone: amzn.to/2SenraR
Atomos Ninja V Monitor/Recorder: amzn.to/2D9p1D5
SanDisk Ultra 3D SSD 500GB: amzn.to/37uVDVD
Bolzten Andromeda Came-TV RGB Lights: amzn.to/3cXEu9c
I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.co.uk/.com and affiliated sites.
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Do you use this lens on a digital camera??? How do you find it?
I love the lens - I just used the 44-3 today. I use it on the a7r4 and get some really beautiful results. These lenses really come alive on modern sensors. During the film time you can imagine the quality of soviet film
CAN I INSTALL THIS LENSE ON CANON ?
@@dr.bassamelhosiny4944 Yes, with an adaptor from M42 to Canon EOS, I use mine on a t3i Rebel
Lovely!
I am currently using it on a7m2 and, lemme tell you, it is indeed a beautiful lens! I live in Bulgaria, so such things appear pretty often on flea markets. Best five bucks ever spent!
Loved all of your example shots! Beatiful Grades, really brought the lens to life!
Glad you enjoyed it! thank you very much!
Stiff focus ring is usually down to the horrible soviet black grease hardening. If you are brave, dismantle the lens, removethe old grease & replace with a low viscosity Teflon grease. If you dismantle the helicoid, make sure you mark both coarse & fine thread for reassembling, else you will never get it to focus again. Alternate is not to dismantle the helicoid and just get as much of the black grease out as possible with toothpicks and cotton buds.
you did a great service identifying and demystifying these strange Soviet lenses. I found this video quite informative!
Glad it was helpful! Thank you!
Thanks for the coolist review and information about the Helios 44m-4. I desided to buy one and ordered one right away.
Thank you!! Good choice, they are great, little, cheap lenses
i've started using a 44M-5 on my MFT camera as my first non-kit lens and i've been loving it so far, just as you said it's not perfect at all but it's those imperfections that give it character. also, the way it focuses at f/2 looks pretty interesting at these 116mm or so
yes, so shit that it actually is good 😉
6:06 that's what I love. The challenge, the imperfection. Yes! Mine is a 44m from '81.
that's the beauty of these lenses - always a challenge but huge rewards when you get it right
I have been collecting old cameras for a while now, and I have the M44 2 and the M44 4 AND I DIDNT KNOW THERE WERE ADAPTERS FOR THEM I saw your video and immediately bought an adapter! it will arrive tomorrow!
The 44 2 is from 75 and the 44 4 is from 86!
YES!!!!! Enjoy your old new lenses on a digital camera!
Learned a lot from this video! Thank you.
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching!
I am using the 44-2 on my Fuji and I must say you are right, it’s not the sharpest but it’s an amazing bokeh master. Creamy, dreamy bokeh in background….And, it has character! I can absolutely recommend it…
It really is!
after seeing your review i ordered one... many thanks
After this review, the prices of the Helios 44-4 are going up... hurry up.
I need to add this to my collection!
Yes! lots of them around
Dope lens! Makes want to use my 44-2 again. Dig the lighting this week btw!
thanks dude!
Thanks for this video.
I have a 1978 Helios 44m. I put it on my Nikon and...it's just magic! The effects are amazing! And if you flip the front lens upside down, you can get fantastic results for the background.
Yes! thanks for sharing this
Nice video. Thanks!
Thank you too!
Great video Pav! I'm not a fan of this lens anymore because of the blue tint and desaturated colours...but I still own it and love/hate it ahahah!
I can't wait for your next video! Subbed!
thanks! It's so shit that it is actually brilliant haha
@@PavSZ imperfections are gold nowadays ahahah
@@PavSZ hahaha you love it or hate it, or both at the same time
hey i love your videos! do you recommend any more vintage lenses?
Thank you very much!
I'm not actively looking for vintage lenses but if anything falls into my hands in the future, I will make a video about it
I bought a canon eos 4000d with a simple 18-55mm lens. My father told my that he has somewhere an old camera from when he was young that he used to take some photos.i found it and its that specific helios 44m-4.I immediately started searching for a mount and i found one (best 20€ i've ever spended) likely i dont have that problem with the F stop.this lens literally skyrocket my camera!!!!!!! I use the kit lens very rare and only if i want to take some wide shoots at 18mm.other than that,helios is my only way i shoot.That feeling combining old and new and getting good results is the best you can have✌
it is a great feeling when you can make these work!
You are very lucky as yours has got actually family history - it makes it even better!
I have 2000d
What's the mount should i buy for helios 44m-4
@@tikcus2179 M42 to canon eos ef adapter.
Beautiful len!
it is!
just got my 44m-4 in the mail yesterday and I now have to learn how to adjust white balance on the fly on my canon rebel T3, the way I look at it is this camera will make me learn something new and to use manual focus on my higher end lenses.
NICE!
Auto white balance might still work with this lens. I really believe that lenses like this, not those costing more than a camera, make you a better photographer/film maker
@@PavSZ sadly auto white balance doesn't work on my Canon T7
@@David_Quinn_Photography 😒
Hey Pav, nice review! Is there an l-mount adapter by any chance? 🤣
yes, there is.
Hello Pav SZ, how are you? I have a Lumix S1, a 44m-4 Helios. 2/58 mm and a Sigma MC-21 for Canon EF. Which adapter can I use to take photos or videos with Helios 44m-4 lenses?
Is it possible to put them together? Otherwise if I remove the Sigma MC-21, with which adapter can I put Helios on my Lumix S1 please? I want to buy the adapter for HELIOS in Lumix S1. Thank you in advance Mr. Hyska 👌
Really, I’ve this lens and that is fantastic
Hello Pav ! Very interesting video ! Do you have issues to focus infinity with this lens and your adapter ? I heard you lose the infinity when you adapt that lens. Thanks for sharing !
Not at all and I've used it on Nikon Z6 and Sony a7III
I believe that the issue is with NIKON DSLRs. I tried to mount Tessar Jena 50mm on NIKON DSLR with cropped sensor and I couldnt focus to infinity. - the problem is that when u use simple adapter ring M42 to F mount there is a different space between the sensor and the lens compared to the old cameras. Mirrorless should work I think, and I was told that CANON also.
@@adamliterak2916 I did say that in my video - this and all m42 lenses will work fine via adapter on all cameras apart from Nikon DSLRs
How did you correct the "blue-ish, greenish" look?
Hey Pav, great video and review! Although you already said on the video that 44 2 is better, which one would u recommend, 44 2 or 44M 4?
I still prefer 44-2
@@PavSZ thx pav, appreciate it!
Good informative video. Thanks. Now want a 44M but have novice question. Plan to use with a Zorki 6 manual focus cam. Is there such a thing as a Helios that is both suitable and ready-to-go for the M39 mount Z6? Or will adapters be necessary? If so, any recommendations?
M39 mount Z6?
There is no Helios with Z6 mount - most of them are m42 and they can be adapted to pretty much any camera out there (not Nikon DSLR). Adapters are very cheap as well
helios 44 m39mount or ztm mount
Hi Pav! Hi do have the 44M-4, serial 8939348. Which are the diferences between the MC and non MC copies?
I use It on my Lumix M43 camera with an Viltrox Nikon 0.71X focal reducer. First is a M42 to Nikon F adapter ring. I know I only get aps-c like bokeh with this setup, but I cant afford yet a Metabones XL 0.64X adapter. But I get a 41mm f/1.4 lens!!!
I have no idea what MC and non MC are. I can't really comment - I only used those lenses on full frame cameras
hi, thxs for the review! the cinematic look of the images are post processing or they're right out the camera?
all processed in lightroom using VSCO pre-sets
@@PavSZ the color grading is amazing, this are the default presets or your own custom retouch?
@@carlossantini they all have been re-touched after presets have been applied
Patiently waiting for my order to arrive in the EOS mount.
interesting
At what platform did you ordered the lens
great video... where link buy this lens?
you can't buy them new anymore, there is not a shop that I can link to.
Search for it on eBay
Actually found this one on an old film camera in our basement. This convinced me to buy an adapter and put it on my a6000
YES!
I’m having trouble getting mine to work. I have it mounted to the camera with the 42m mount and I also have the release shutter without card option set it on but my camera still won’t take an pictures. Any idea why?
it could be anything
One question I have that goal but the focus ring is hard, is there any way to make it go smooth?
I've hear that people take them apart and add some wd-40 to lubricate the focus ring
I have a Helios 44-4 and I connect it with an adapter to my Nikon D3300. I really love it ♥ However I wish I could change the aperture value
you won't get infinity focus with this lens on D3300 and check out the link under my video to how to modify the lens to be able to change the aperture
I am also using with Sony Nex 3k camera.
I've just purchase the 44-m and the 44-m4, they will became more expensive and hard to find at some point. I love them specially for videos.
I don't think there ever be shortage of them - it's the most produced lens ever. That's why they are cheap
At which platform did you ordered the lens?
Esta misma tarde lo he instalado en mi Nikon D7000, usé un adaptador e invertí el lente frontal. Todo esto lo aprendí en decenas de tutoriales que se encuentran en UA-cam. Los resultados son muy divertidos y ayuda a nuestra creatividad y a desarrollar la paciencia. Nada mal.
I'd reply to your comment but I only speak English and Polish
@@PavSZ This same afternoon I adapted my Helios 44M-4 and also inverted the front lens as you indicated and the results were magnificent. I thank you very much for your tutorial and I apologize for not having written to you before in English. Good end of the year!
@@Elaleruiz YES! I'm loving those old lenses.
I will be doing another video about Helios 44-2 in January
The focus rings on these weren't always stiff. The horrible grease is just solidifying and making them progressively stiffer over time. I've relubed mine with a medium viscosity modern helicoid lube and lo and behold, the focus ring turns smoothly and efforlessly. It's not necessarily a job for the faint of heart, but totally worth it.
wow, interesting! thanks for sharing this info!
do you have to disassemble it or can I put a drop in a pin hold somewhere?
@@David_Quinn_Photography The helicoid isn't exposed. Also, you need to clean the old grease first, not just add new one. And finally, lens grease isn't a liquid, so it wouldn't flow inside the lens through any hole anyway and needs to be evenly spread with a brush over the entire surface of the helicoid. So you absolutely need to disassemble the lens, remove the helicoid parts, clean, regrease and reassemble. Note that the helicoid has multiple threads (10 or so) and you will need to get the helicoid elements in the exact same thread, otherwise your lens won't focus properly. I'm sure you can find tutorials online detailing how this is done.
Hi, which Is the best Helios version for the most swirly bokeh effect? Thank you 😉
the best one is the one you don't have 😉
I personally think that 44-2 is the best but a lot of people would disagree with me
So the aperture problem with the pin is not a problem if I buy the k&f adapter?
theoretically speaking it is not a problem with K&F adapters
with this adapter we have infinity focus? or should we modify the lens? this is a headache
you do have an infinity focus with the adapter with all cameras apart from Nikon DSLRs
hello, which full frame camera do you use?
i use Sony a7III and Nikon Z6
I got one with a vintage camera for £20. When it arrives, I’m gonna put it on my A7r ii and see what results I can get with it.
good choice - good luck!
I have this lens on my a6000 but i still dont get the swirley bokeh.Just the manual focus only.The aperture is wide open in f2.
it is only manual lens and you need certain distance between the subject and the background to see it clearly. Also the type of the background - trees and the light coming through the leaves is the best for sure
I have a Sony F7, is it possible to use Helios 44-2 58 mm f/2 ok for this camera?
yes but it will not be 58mm anymore on super 35mm sensor
Does a lens hood help with flare?
it won't - it's a problem with the optics.
How does it perform with APS-C cameras since a significant part of the bokeh is "cropped"?
You'll still get the swirly bokeh but it won't be as pronounced as with a full frame sensor. Lot's pf examples on youtube. I don't have a APS-c camera to demonstrate this. Sorry
Bought myself 44-2 and 44m-4. Dont have had yet time to play with them much, but 44-2's reverse aperture numbers throws me off, so points to 44m serie on that 😂
Have you tried yet, which one of them gives better swerly Bokeh??
The link to information on how to push the pin in on Helios lens for shutter function on digital cameras?
it is in the description under the video
Aha! Thanks! Found the link, watched your video and will give it a try in the next days. Haven’t gotten an adapter yet but will try some shots without.
Thanks again and I’ll be checking your videos again soon. 🥂👍
CAN I INSTALL THIS LENSE ON CANON CAMERA ?
YES
FYI, the original Zeiss Biotar 2/58 has the same design "problem" and, thus, produces the same swirly bokeh. So no, soviet enginers did get it right and also recalcualted the formula taking into account soviet types of glass; it is quite good replica of the original, not a flawed mindless copy. You essentially getting a Zeiss Biotar 2/58 for FAR less money and probably in better condition, as the original is a very old lens. I wish it had as many aperture blades as the original, though (12 of them instead of 6 to 8).
Try to find Helios 44M-7 :)
What differences do you see between 44-2 and 44M-4?
I always felt that 44-2 is solid for photos and videos but I had to fight 44-4 quite a lot. Just not as reliable in delivering sharp results as 44-2
I bought a Helios 44-2 that was declicked and came with an anamorphic mod as well. However, the name Helios on top of the lens is written in Russian I belive instead of English. Should I be concered or is it normal? (The lens came directly from Ukraine)
it is the most produced lens in the world - there is a lot of variations. If it works, you should be not concerned about it at all
My 44-2 is in transit. I have a canon 80d. Will I need an adapter to fit it. Thank you
yes, M42 to EOS
@@PavSZ Thank you sir. Appreciate your time🤟🤟
Mate, can you give us a profile correction for this lens? Or at least screen from lightroom how to correct it?
it's all done by eye really. Are you asking about the colour/contrast fix???
@@PavSZ yes :)
@@DrejpaPL this is very image specific - it's no way that you can have one preset to fix these images. They need to be adjusted individually
I just got it and connected it to my fujifilm camera
nice
Does the 44-2 have better/more swirly bokeh?
no but it is slightly more reliable at achieving sharper photos with in my opinion
@@PavSZ Thanks - I thought the 44-m4 etc had more contrast/sharpness,
everytime I see a movie like this - also with all versions of 44-2 etc. - I am really curious how these lenses differ AND also how the compare with the "new" (kickstarter) Petzval's 85mm &58mm. IMHO they all have pretty similar bouquet, but I'd like to hear from an expert!
some new lenses might create a similar look but they do not have that vintage feel or history attached to them.
Also Petzval lenses are very specialist and expensive compared to these run of the mill, common vintage ones.
It would be like comparing an old rusty bike to a new car
I love the intelligent look of the model at 3:20 she has knowledge in her eyes
for sure! 👍🏻
I have a bunch of older 44-2 lenses and a 44M-6. I have not seen the 44M-4
44-2 and 44m-4 are the two most common ones
@@PavSZ I will look around Ukraine for a copy.
Do you know which is the best version of this lens? There are MC versions, versions that have Russian text and versions that have extra text/numbers.
none haha - look for one in good condition and without fungus.
The beauty of these lenses is the fact that they are imperfect, in every way.
The cryic lettering will be for local sales & English for export. The 44M is the 'best' for use with modern dslr cameras, as it has a little silver button on the side, which stops down the aperture. This allows the aperture to be wide open for focusing, giving a bright viewfinder display and then flick the button to stop down to your pre-set aperture when taking the photo. These lenses were designed for the older Zenit cameras, which did not have auto aperture shutdown lever in the camera, which in turn pushed the little pin, when pressing the shutter. You need an M42 adaptor which does not push the pin down when attached.
I don't have a mirrorless camera, but in theory, the EVF takes care of the viewfinder dimming seen in a dslr, when shutting down the aperture, so using a later lens without the button (44M-4 5, 6 or 7) will not matter.
As for the 'best' well the tube is littered with reviews of this lens, many say the original 44-2 was the best for swirly bokeh.
44-4 seems to be by far the most common of the series, whether they had the longest production run, or whether they were in the era of most sales, who knows.
I must have tried ateast a hundred of these lenses in different versions. People used to bring them in lots of 20-30 and more than half were in really poor condition - particularly the later helios. Seems quality control was very up and down - not like wth the original zeiss. The earlier 44-2 & 3 have a preset 8 blade design & the 8 blade is aso found in 44-m (the sharpest with MC). The even earlier 44-0 sometimes can have 13 blades but all the copies I had were very soft. Some of the earlier lenses (for the elite) had zeiss glass but they did not really add on to the desgn. R&D was also random. And given that one could not do much with the soviet roubles most indians returned with these cameras and lenses.
thanks for this insight! I'm not really surprised that quality was all over the place - things weren't exactly high standard in soviet Russia haha. Have you seen the brand new lenses that they are making now? - 85mm 44-0. Pricey but the quality of photos looks very good
@@PavSZ yes quality was not important. people just stood in lines whenever something new came on the market! Now they are remaking some of these lenses & they have to keep a certain quality given the international buyers
How about the 44 m7? It's more expensive thank 44 m7 $100 maybe it's more better than this
maybe it is better, I don't have it so I can't comment
Не знаю, чем вам так нравится наш Гелиос!
sorry, I don't speak Russian
I don't agree with this at all. I have three copies of this lens. Sure the corners are weak at f/2 and f/2.8, but at f/4 the lens transforms and center sharpness is almost equal with the corners all the way to f/16. Also at f/4 the Helios out resolves my sensor and is equal to any modern prime I have. As for the blue tint. It depends. They had very different coatings through production. They flare very different colors depending on which one you have. Purple. Blue. Orange. White. Depends on your lens. Try to actually test the lens instead of spreading internet misinformation.
As for being a shit lens. It's my best bokeh lens. No not the swirls. Sure it will swirl in the right conditions but in the vast majority of cases it has very smooth creamy bokeh that very few lenses can match.
you are absolutely right if it does work for you.
I do use a lot of lenses. I review lenses on this channel all the time and in my experience these Helios lenses are nothing more than a bit of fun. You can't compare it, quality wise, at f4, f8 or f16 to any modern prime, unless you are talking about 7Artisans lenses for $80.
I like them because they give that imperfect, vintage like look.
I have tested it extensively, I shoot 400-500 photos with every single lens before I record my reviews.
I didn't spread any internet misinformation, i've only expressed my opinion based on my experience with it and comparing it to over 100 other lenses that I have used before. Everything I say about this lens in my video is backed up by samples
Sharpness is not everything in photography imho
it's not!
you have a worse version of this lens. check out Belomo version
I have three and they are all the same. Belomo is the more premium and more rare than this.
Anyway, for the price these cost, you are never going to get amazing optics.
Your version is the latest Valdai version with worse quality
the worse ones are those from 1978, mine is much newer than that. The fact is that they are all pretty bad but also very cheap to buy now in mint condition
44-2 is far better
that depends on what copy you have. They were all made very cheaply and imperfectly and some units are better than others - I have reviewed 44-2 as well ua-cam.com/video/GLZJxA1KsT8/v-deo.html
@@PavSZ the best 44-2 are the earliest ones. I have a 44-2 zebra n0000 serial :) great videos btw mate. Love ur channel
lens not perfect but lady model is !!
you right