I got mine for just $20, though I live in Russia, it's literally the first lens everyone gets after the kit one, there are plenty of them used for dirt cheap, sometimes you can get one for free just asking your friends' parents or grandparents if they ever had a soviet photo camera, 85% cases it's Zenit + Helios 44-2
This lens has its sharpest focus in the middle. I first had trouble focusing with my subject when placing it in the thirds until I realized that the focusing is a bit off as it leaves the middle, in the end I accepted it being the characteristic of the lens. It's not out of focus, rather, it appears as there's a layer that renders the images soft. Really a dreamy lens. Thanks for sharing.
Love my Helios as well as my super takumars. The softer image from the Helios makes it great for video to get rid of that clinical sharpness from modern lenses.
Hey. You really got my attention with the speed booster. Was wondering if you could tell me why the m42 to cannon adapter + cannon to xf mount. Also how does it almost become full frame if using the speed booster. Why not m42 to xf directly with a speed booster?
Hey Julia! Have you ever heard of the Pronto Fotodiox adapter for Sony E Mount? You can actually get autofocus out of lenses like this Helios! Will be much easier for nailing focus
Julia please try to borrow from someone Helios 40-2 85mm f/1.5 and make video about that bokeh monster lens. Btw I love so much vintage lenses, amazing video!!!
Love the images you were able to pull out of the filmic like rendering Helios. :) The A7Siii EVF has brought me joy in using my manual focus glass - much better experience than I had with the A7iii and I rarely magnify or use focus peaking now. The A7Riv EVF is a good one for manual focus as well. Even though I liked the swirly bokeh of the Helios, I preferred the Mir-1v. However I have the 44-4 Helios, the 44-2 is the one that is supposed to have more swirly bokeh. For modern glass, the LensBaby Twist 60. Back when I used Fujifilm X-series cameras, I used the Kipon Baveyes focus reducer and yes it did help with the bokeh.
Hi Julia 🌞 ! Excellent 📷. I love how you don't use a " set " but rely on a natural environment. This aspect of your work really allows for a fair assessment. Always Grade A with me !
The Helios is a real nice lens, but if you want something really special you have to try the Meyer Trioplan. It is one of the most surreal/crazy/magic lenses, in my humble opinion. The Helios is a Russian clone of the Zeiss Biotar 58/2, btw. And, as always: Thank you for the inspiring video!
I love the look of that Helios 44-2 in portraits. The thing with less sharpness and colour cast is due to the age and adhesive dirt on the lenses. Took mine apart and cleaned everything, Now it's same sharpness as my Sigma Art lenses, all open aperture on my old n beautiful A7R
Hi julia, I really love this video. and thanks for continue with older cinematography format, So, i told u in previous video about that, and u implement very well..😊😊. This lens having awesome results.
very pretty model, nice shots..but a manual lens? good luck with the focusing, i tried using a manual lens a few years ago, it gave me a headache! the eyes were not in focus lol
The vintage lens looks amazing ❤ I love your art Julia and in return I wanna share some cool music with you: Benedict Ammann - Love ain't cheap It's one of my favourite songs on Spotify and I hope it will become your favourite summer song 2021 too ❤
Really enjoyed the 2 vintage lens videos, the Takumar one and this one! Two other Takumar lenses I really like are the super multi coated 50f1.4 (radioactive, just like the SMC 55f2 in your first video) and auto Takumar 55f2, which is an early version with a semi-auto knob.
The flange focal distance of Nikon is larger than the M42 lens mount. Because of this, you must have an adaptor with a lens correcting this. Otherwise you will not achieve focus at infinity. Do some research and try to get a ok adapter. Do not buy the cheapest one. The adapter will then open up a whole new world of interesting vintage lenses! You will be able to get the effect with your camera, but you might loose some of the swirling effect due to the crop sensor. The lens do not always swirl either. You need your subject quite close, and then some distance to a high contrast background. Trees are perfect for this task. There's loads of different lenses in the Helios 44-2 family. You will find loads of videos comparing the different versions.
The main point is that this lens has some unique character that none of the sharp lenses out there have. To answer your question on which photo is your favorite, the 176th photo is my favorite 😁
It’s a great lens. I often use mine. I always make sure I get the shot with my other lenses then swap to this at the end - it’s surprising how many times this one is the keeper. The bokeh is unique but it’s the skin tone which I enjoy the most; it’s flattering for many people
great video, love using vintage lens on my lumix cameras ,if you can get hold of a Tessar Carl Zeiss Jena 2.8/50mm you could try it,they were made for the Praktica m42 cameras.
Thanks for this look at what can be done with the Helios 44. I’ve used a Helios 44-M on Canon FF, but I’m curious to know if the swirl effect is less apparent on a cropped sensor. Could you comment on that aspect? I’m wondering if I would like this lens in MFT. Thank you.
Very nice Julia. Try the Zeiss Jena Tessar 50mm f/2.8. the sharpness of this plentiful and inexpensive lens at f/5.6 will surprise you, and it's bokeh is beautiful wide open.
Best swirly bokeh when shooting with full frame camera but, I do like the equivalent focal length for head and shoulders when shooting with a crop format camera... The equivalent 82.5mm is just about the perfect focal length for head and shoulders. BTW: I enjoy using the EVF in combination with Focus Assist and Focus Peaking when I shoot with manual focus lenses...
Thanks for sharing... Love the results with that lens...I have never used it manual only lens...looks interesting. Where do you buy your vintage lenses..?? Cheers..
You should definitely try Pancolar 55/1.4, probably the best vintage lens ive ever seen. Unfortunately its really hard to find and is really expensive. :(
I kind of fell out of love with vintage over the radioactive glass issues. I know it’s both considered a non issue and avoidable but i find that finding ways to use modern glass for vintage looks is fun too
I think that we need to mention, that there is quite a lottery when it comes to using old Russian lenses- mine Helios 44-m4 has great contrast and sharpness, there is not brown tint at all.
It's not a Lottery. There are exist many Versions of the Helios 58mm/2.0, but you can check the Performance of the Lens in front (on the Ring). The 44-2 Version has the lowest Resolution (the oldest Version but the Pictures look best to me, love the Softness wide open for Portrait Shoots) and the 44-7 the highest. And i recommend a Lens Hood. Less Reflexions and more Contrast wide open.
I would like to see you try samyang 85 1.2 sp lens... that's the most beautiful bokeh along with canons 135 f2 I've ever seen , Christopher frost and Dustin abbott have reviewed it ..amazing Manuel lens...
great video for showing the portrait side of this lens. i own this model and i mainly use it for daily street or architecture photography. i think with that huge lens flare you can use it to make more creative photos, in my opinion the lens flare and the bokeh is the strength of this lens :)
Обалденно!! Картинка идеально как у моего Helios 40-2 85mm f1,5! Ну только конечно кружки поменьше, как будто снято На гелиос 40-2 на кроп камеру. Здорово, не думал что есть компактный аналог. А то 40-2 слишком здоровенный и железный, наверное килограмм весит. Из большого опыта работы с ним советую не пологаться на подтверждение фокусировки, лучше снимать по экранчику (приближать картинку, отдалять и делать фото). Долго конечно, но зато только так всегда попадаешь в фокус.
Just love your vids. Just wanted to tell you, my wife loves the way you say “millimeter”. She always say “is that the millimeter lady, I love her accent” 😂😂. 🔥🔥🔥🔥 photography Julia!!
Nice video 📸 best vintage lenses in my collection are the 55mm auto chinon f1.7 & the amazing yashica yashinon 5cm f2 !! And out of all my 22 lenses these 2 produce the best bokeh and colour rendering 📸 also you should try out the canon ef 135mm f2 using a viltrox fringer adapter on a Fuji body for awesome images
Hello Julia. I regret to say that you are using the least sharp copy of Helios. There are sharper versions of this lens, with much better contrast, and can cope with backlight only with a hood. I absolutely love this lens, or rather the images it generates in black and white with an orange filter. I recommend - check the effects. Greetings from Poland.
Like the Pictures made on Fuji a bit more. In general i als prefer the Takumar Shots. my favorite lens myself is the Canon FD 55mm F1.2 SSC. Very hard to find but really worth it
Honestly if you are buying this for the Bokeh, you are better off buying a TTArtisan 35mm 1.4. It has almost identical bokeh, actually better in my opinion and sharper too. You get the swirl and control over depth without having to worry about getting a dirty lens or getting ripped off. It's 70$ brand new. Best lens I own.
I think the way you take your images (backlit) has a lot to do with lack of contrast and washed out color. My copy of this lens is sharp (in the center), has good contrast and amazing color rendering.
Julia, you always inspire me so much! I love how soft these images look and how the light looks so glowy 🥰 To thank you for making these creative videos. Also side question, I love your outfit Can you link the details? 😊😽💕
Helios is one of my favourites but it works much better for videos in my opinion....super cinematic :) I prefer the pre-ai nikon vintage lenses for photos.
Try the lens at f4 or 5.6. Easier to focus and you'll get better contrast. Also try using your hand at the side of the lens to block the sun from entering the lens. Great photos though and an absolutely stunning model.
There is different version of the Helios 44-2 some are better than others. In general quality declined during the 80s the vast majority were made in the Valdai plant. You can tell the plant and the date these lenesewas made from the ring.
I think the problem with those lenses is that you don't have auto-focus and the pics are nearly always kinda outta focus a little and get soft. I would not put my time and money there when even exprienced professionals like you have trouble getting the focus 100% right. Cause I would mess up big time. Love my autofocus.
This is definitely my favourite lens I own, it makes such interesting and cinematic shots if in the right situations
I got mine for just $20, though I live in Russia, it's literally the first lens everyone gets after the kit one, there are plenty of them used for dirt cheap, sometimes you can get one for free just asking your friends' parents or grandparents if they ever had a soviet photo camera, 85% cases it's Zenit + Helios 44-2
Damn u lucky fucker
This lens has its sharpest focus in the middle. I first had trouble focusing with my subject when placing it in the thirds until I realized that the focusing is a bit off as it leaves the middle, in the end I accepted it being the characteristic of the lens. It's not out of focus, rather, it appears as there's a layer that renders the images soft. Really a dreamy lens. Thanks for sharing.
The styling for this shoot inspired me to want to plan a picnic styled shoot 🥰😍
The mood of your photos are calm and peaceful. Like just having a leisure walk with someone. I love this! 💖
Couldn’t agree more
The king of bokeh is another Helios- Helios 40-2, and it is definitely worth to try.
Looove this lens!! It gives such a fun dreamy look
I am glad that you focused on the focus because it can be painfully impossible even with focus peaking but when I get lucky I love it.
Such a beautiful photoshoot, nice bokeh, great photos and of course gorgeous model as well. Bravo Julia, Mathilda and Helios - well done!
Even on unedited I love the colors on most vintage film lenses they definitely still have a place in digital photography
like this series ， the vintage lens has unique character
the last set of photos are so gorgeous..
Julia, you take pictures very well, you're a pro!!!!
Love my Helios as well as my super takumars. The softer image from the Helios makes it great for video to get rid of that clinical sharpness from modern lenses.
very beautiful photos with flexible techques-Pretty model
Hey. You really got my attention with the speed booster. Was wondering if you could tell me why the m42 to cannon adapter + cannon to xf mount. Also how does it almost become full frame if using the speed booster. Why not m42 to xf directly with a speed booster?
Hey Julia! Have you ever heard of the Pronto Fotodiox adapter for Sony E Mount? You can actually get autofocus out of lenses like this Helios! Will be much easier for nailing focus
Nice one Julia, and audio on point Dan 📸👍
Julia please try to borrow from someone Helios 40-2 85mm f/1.5 and make video about that bokeh monster lens.
Btw I love so much vintage lenses, amazing video!!!
This vintage lens is pretty neat with the swirly bokeh ✨
YESSSSS!!!! I love this lens!!!
I use the later Pentax K 55 1.8 and 1.4 and I love both of those lenses so much!
Love the images you were able to pull out of the filmic like rendering Helios. :)
The A7Siii EVF has brought me joy in using my manual focus glass - much better experience than I had with the A7iii and I rarely magnify or use focus peaking now. The A7Riv EVF is a good one for manual focus as well. Even though I liked the swirly bokeh of the Helios, I preferred the Mir-1v. However I have the 44-4 Helios, the 44-2 is the one that is supposed to have more swirly bokeh. For modern glass, the LensBaby Twist 60. Back when I used Fujifilm X-series cameras, I used the Kipon Baveyes focus reducer and yes it did help with the bokeh.
I have two Helios lens and I love them both, I made one into macro and maybe photos aren't sharp but magical surely :D
Hi Julia 🌞 ! Excellent 📷. I love how you don't use a " set " but rely on a natural environment. This aspect of your work really allows for a fair assessment. Always Grade A with me !
The Helios is a real nice lens, but if you want something really special you have to try the Meyer Trioplan. It is one of the most surreal/crazy/magic lenses, in my humble opinion.
The Helios is a Russian clone of the Zeiss Biotar 58/2, btw.
And, as always: Thank you for the inspiring video!
So cute!!! I love the vintage lens videos please keep making these! ❤️
I love how the Helios lefts the shadows and it has diffusion effect.. it's like it does half the job in Lightroom for you..
The photos are stunning!! I also love how the video was edited with kind of a vintage color vibe!
I love the look of that Helios 44-2 in portraits. The thing with less sharpness and colour cast is due to the age and adhesive dirt on the lenses. Took mine apart and cleaned everything, Now it's same sharpness as my Sigma Art lenses, all open aperture on my old n beautiful A7R
Hi julia, I really love this video.
and thanks for continue with older cinematography format,
So, i told u in previous video about that, and u implement very well..😊😊.
This lens having awesome results.
Hello Julia! Which video was you reviewing Super Takumar? I can't find and dying to see! 😊🙏💐
very pretty model, nice shots..but a manual lens? good luck with the focusing, i tried using a manual lens a few years ago, it gave me a headache! the eyes were not in focus lol
The vintage lens looks amazing ❤
I love your art Julia and in return I wanna share some cool music with you: Benedict Ammann - Love ain't cheap
It's one of my favourite songs on Spotify and I hope it will become your favourite summer song 2021 too ❤
Really enjoyed the 2 vintage lens videos, the Takumar one and this one! Two other Takumar lenses I really like are the super multi coated 50f1.4 (radioactive, just like the SMC 55f2 in your first video) and auto Takumar 55f2, which is an early version with a semi-auto knob.
Thanks for this new BTS with a very beautifull model. :-)
Hi Julia, I really love how you are shooting🌸, can you say would these lens work with Nikon d 3400 af p dx with m 42 adapter ?
The flange focal distance of Nikon is larger than the M42 lens mount. Because of this, you must have an adaptor with a lens correcting this. Otherwise you will not achieve focus at infinity. Do some research and try to get a ok adapter. Do not buy the cheapest one. The adapter will then open up a whole new world of interesting vintage lenses! You will be able to get the effect with your camera, but you might loose some of the swirling effect due to the crop sensor. The lens do not always swirl either. You need your subject quite close, and then some distance to a high contrast background. Trees are perfect for this task. There's loads of different lenses in the Helios 44-2 family. You will find loads of videos comparing the different versions.
The main point is that this lens has some unique character that none of the sharp lenses out there have. To answer your question on which photo is your favorite, the 176th photo is my favorite 😁
First :D greetings from Mexico, you are awesome ♥️
Very nice photography model is also beautiful
It’s a great lens. I often use mine. I always make sure I get the shot with my other lenses then swap to this at the end - it’s surprising how many times this one is the keeper. The bokeh is unique but it’s the skin tone which I enjoy the most; it’s flattering for many people
great video, love using vintage lens on my lumix cameras ,if you can get hold of a Tessar Carl Zeiss Jena 2.8/50mm you could try it,they were made for the Praktica m42 cameras.
Thanks for this look at what can be done with the Helios 44. I’ve used a Helios 44-M on Canon FF, but I’m curious to know if the swirl effect is less apparent on a cropped sensor. Could you comment on that aspect? I’m wondering if I would like this lens in MFT. Thank you.
hey julia what is that wireless video transmitter attach at the bottom of your sony camera??
I love the lens and also your videos too! Thank! Wolf
Very nice Julia. Try the Zeiss Jena Tessar 50mm f/2.8. the sharpness of this plentiful and inexpensive lens at f/5.6 will surprise you, and it's bokeh is beautiful wide open.
Owning both XT-4 & AR4 - So good to see how well the FUJI holds up.. Maybe it's just a better marriage. 🙏
never been so early :D i love it when you try alternative lenses
Best swirly bokeh when shooting with full frame camera but, I do like the equivalent focal length for head and shoulders when shooting with a crop format camera... The equivalent 82.5mm is just about the perfect focal length for head and shoulders. BTW: I enjoy using the EVF in combination with Focus Assist and Focus Peaking when I shoot with manual focus lenses...
Everything about this shoot is perfect! I really like the outfit that you chose and how dreamy and film like pictures look overall😍
I had the same issue using this lens but what I did was using my hand to cover the top of the lens to reduce the flare. Works perfectly.
Thanks for sharing... Love the results with that lens...I have never used it manual only lens...looks interesting. Where do you buy your vintage lenses..?? Cheers..
If you use magnifyier feature to properly focus - helios is surprisingly sharp wide open in the centre of image
That bokeh. 🤤😍
You should definitely try Pancolar 55/1.4, probably the best vintage lens ive ever seen. Unfortunately its really hard to find and is really expensive. :(
I kind of fell out of love with vintage over the radioactive glass issues. I know it’s both considered a non issue and avoidable but i find that finding ways to use modern glass for vintage looks is fun too
Only a small percentage of vintage lenses used radioactive elements.
I think that we need to mention, that there is quite a lottery when it comes to using old Russian lenses- mine Helios 44-m4 has great contrast and sharpness, there is not brown tint at all.
It's not a Lottery. There are exist many Versions of the Helios 58mm/2.0, but you can check the Performance of the Lens in front (on the Ring). The 44-2 Version has the lowest Resolution (the oldest Version but the Pictures look best to me, love the Softness wide open for Portrait Shoots) and the 44-7 the highest. And i recommend a Lens Hood. Less Reflexions and more Contrast wide open.
There were made at three different plants. Each plant’s logo can be seen on the lens
I would like to see you try samyang 85 1.2 sp lens... that's the most beautiful bokeh along with canons 135 f2 I've ever seen , Christopher frost and Dustin abbott have reviewed it ..amazing Manuel lens...
U should try contax/planar 50mm 1.4 👈
great video for showing the portrait side of this lens. i own this model and i mainly use it for daily street or architecture photography. i think with that huge lens flare you can use it to make more creative photos, in my opinion the lens flare and the bokeh is the strength of this lens :)
Обалденно!! Картинка идеально как у моего Helios 40-2 85mm f1,5! Ну только конечно кружки поменьше, как будто снято На гелиос 40-2 на кроп камеру. Здорово, не думал что есть компактный аналог. А то 40-2 слишком здоровенный и железный, наверное килограмм весит. Из большого опыта работы с ним советую не пологаться на подтверждение фокусировки, лучше снимать по экранчику (приближать картинку, отдалять и делать фото). Долго конечно, но зато только так всегда попадаешь в фокус.
Very best photo shoot
How nice can vintage lenses be? Great video Julia!
Just love your vids. Just wanted to tell you, my wife loves the way you say “millimeter”. She always say “is that the millimeter lady, I love her accent” 😂😂. 🔥🔥🔥🔥 photography Julia!!
Talk about your preferable picture profile setting
You also have to manual focus on film camera as well :D. It does not magically gain autofocus :D
Nice video 📸 best vintage lenses in my collection are the 55mm auto chinon f1.7 & the amazing yashica yashinon 5cm f2 !! And out of all my 22 lenses these 2 produce the best bokeh and colour rendering 📸 also you should try out the canon ef 135mm f2 using a viltrox fringer adapter on a Fuji body for awesome images
Do you use special adapter for ef canon mount.. Or..
What adapter did you use to get the lens on the Sony?
May I know what adapter you were using?
Hello Julia. I regret to say that you are using the least sharp copy of Helios. There are sharper versions of this lens, with much better contrast, and can cope with backlight only with a hood. I absolutely love this lens, or rather the images it generates in black and white with an orange filter. I recommend - check the effects. Greetings from Poland.
I’ve been wanting to buy this 🤩
Great work. That is not easy to do especially having to manual focus yourself because it's a vintage lens. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼. As always, love your videos ☺️
I love Helios 44M ❤
I got one of this lens on my Nikon v1 and it’s really sharp on f2.0
Just need the a7 S3 evf for mid length body portraits?
Like the Pictures made on Fuji a bit more. In general i als prefer the Takumar Shots. my favorite lens myself is the Canon FD 55mm F1.2 SSC. Very hard to find but really worth it
A palm light filter will solve the issue of side and back light negatively affecting contrast (unless of course it was your creative idea).
Honestly if you are buying this for the Bokeh, you are better off buying a TTArtisan 35mm 1.4. It has almost identical bokeh, actually better in my opinion and sharper too. You get the swirl and control over depth without having to worry about getting a dirty lens or getting ripped off. It's 70$ brand new. Best lens I own.
I think the way you take your images (backlit) has a lot to do with lack of contrast and washed out color. My copy of this lens is sharp (in the center), has good contrast and amazing color rendering.
Im INTRIGUED
Julia, you always inspire me so much! I love how soft these images look and how the light looks so glowy 🥰 To thank you for making these creative videos. Also side question, I love your outfit Can you link the details? 😊😽💕
Try the helios 77m4. Its sharp and it has more swirly effect ☺️
I have the Helios 85mm f1.5. Clunky but beautiful when you nail focus. I shoot in live mode. It’s the only way I can find accuracy.
Does anyone know what is under the camera? Like a transmitter?
really liked this video
Helios is one of my favourites but it works much better for videos in my opinion....super cinematic :) I prefer the pre-ai nikon vintage lenses for photos.
Try the Nikkor 50mm f1.4, very dreamy look
I also shoot lots of M42 but on L mount and Z mount
Manual focus expert hack: Switch it into black and white mode into the evf and then the focus peaking in Red or Yellow stands out better.
That’s the best thing I’ve heard in a while, thank you! Great idea.
Whats the link to the lens though?
Try Pentacon 50mm f1.8.
Jupiter 37a go test!!!
6:38 - try to improvise lens hood, it really helps ;)
Adopting different cameras and lenses gives different knowledge.
Try the lens at f4 or 5.6. Easier to focus and you'll get better contrast. Also try using your hand at the side of the lens to block the sun from entering the lens. Great photos though and an absolutely stunning model.
7:00 d2d
☀️🌎 `photographers are saints, they refresh in our memory the wonders of the world, created by our Lord, the Almighty,.. 🐎
There is different version of the Helios 44-2 some are better than others. In general quality declined during the 80s the vast majority were made in the Valdai plant. You can tell the plant and the date these lenesewas made from the ring.
I think the problem with those lenses is that you don't have auto-focus and the pics are nearly always kinda outta focus a little and get soft. I would not put my time and money there when even exprienced professionals like you have trouble getting the focus 100% right. Cause I would mess up big time. Love my autofocus.