Helios 44-2 58mm F2 Russian Lens for Sony E NEX (for E-mount cameras)

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So as long as the lens is mounted on the camera (or adapter) there are no issues with the camera/adapter needing to depress the stop down pin to control the aperture. This is not too unusual for old 35mm lenses that are being adapted to deal with the microlenses found in modern digital sensors, especially full-frame sensors.

Asahi Pentax made a huge range of Takumar lenses, most of which are magnificent to use and deliver wonderful results. Surrounded by beautiful architecture, wrought iron balconies and glorious sunshine and lighting at every turn. The Helios’ 58mm focal length is at the longest end of the definition of the 35mm “standard,” which ranges anywhere from 35mm to 60mm.The previous owner (a wedding photographer) did manage to slightly bend the front ring making it tricky to add an ND filter, but it opened up the world of vintage lenses to me… or at least it did until I realised nothing else was getting near it, except for the excellent and intrepid Olympus Zuiko MC Auto-S f/1. By purchasing anything using these links, Casual Photophile may receive a small commission at no additional charge to you. Additionally, the lens creates beautiful and usable patterns through flaring, which adds to its overall appeal.

Helios 44 which is the first version of the Helios it came in M39 mount with 13 aperture blades a funky purple looking lens coating and just generally a bit more exotic (read expensive) and looks uber cool in silver.The minimum focus isn’t great compared to other 50s, but otherwise it performs beautifully, in my experience.

This is not a review of the Spotmatic but it is fair to just say at this point that for me its the best M42 camera! To be honest, there’s a whole load of myth surrounding the Helios 44… far more than I could ever claim to understand, so for more information, I’d recommend the fairly comprehensive thread that can be found over on the MFLenses forum. This of course won’t appear in every image, you sort of have to get the distance and focus just right to get it to get the out-of-focus area to swirl this crazy. As you and others may know this can be a risky business but even if you get a dud you have at least contributed to a worthwhile cause.what’s more, these very soviet designs are being rebranded as »meyer-optik görlitz« and sold for a premium as leica m-mount lenses. I especially love it for closeup portraits and the mid-length images where you can see that bokeh swirl! Considering the cost of AF lenses, using vintage lenses is a very budget-friendly solution for photographers.