Helios 44M-4 58mm F2

The lens that made a generation of photographers fall for vintage glass. The Helios-44M-4 58mm f/2 descends from the Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar 58mm f/2 — a design the Soviets took on in 1958 and then produced, across KMZ, MMZ and the Valdai plant, until the very end of the century. It is plausibly the most mass-produced lens in photographic history, and it earned its cult status the hard way: wide open, the strong field curvature at the edges spins out-of-focus highlights into the swirling, Petzval-like bokeh that no modern lens will give you at any price. Stop down to f/4 and it sharpens up into a perfectly competent normal lens. The 44M-4 is the single-coated late-1970s generation, sitting just below the resolution-sorted multicoated 44M-5/6/7 — which is precisely why it flares more, and why people like it.

Specifications

• Focal length: 58mm
• Maximum aperture: f/2, stopping down to f/16
• Optical design: 6 elements in 4 groups, single-coated (Biotar derivative)
• Mount: M42 screw — adapts to every mirrorless system with a cheap adapter
• Focus: Manual, minimum focus distance approximately 0.5m
• Diaphragm: Six blades with automatic stop-down pin
• Filter thread: 52mm
• Format: Full 35mm coverage
• Character: Swirly edge bokeh wide open, sharp centre, low contrast, flare-prone in a way most people consider a feature

Condition

• Cosmetic: Good condition. Cleaning marks present on the glass. Paint loss on the 44M-4 model designation on the front ring.
• Functional: Focus and aperture both smooth and fully working. The cleaning marks have minimal effect on image quality.

Included

• Helios 44M-4 58mm f/2 lens

Adapt it to a mirrorless body and it becomes the cheapest way to make digital files stop looking like digital files. On an M42 Zenit, Praktica or Pentax Spotmatic it is simply the normal lens it was built to be.