MC Helios 44M-4 58mm F2

The Helios 44M-4 58mm f/2 is the lens that made Soviet glass famous outside the Soviet Union. It is a licensed descendant of the Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar 58mm f/2 — six elements in four groups, essentially unchanged from a pre-war German design — and wide open it produces the swirling, rotating background blur that no modern lens will give you at any price. Stop down to f/2.8 and it sharpens into a perfectly serviceable normal lens. Millions were made, which is why a genuine piece of optical history costs what it does here.

Specifications

• Focal length: 58mm
• Maximum aperture: f/2
• Aperture blades: 6, automatic diaphragm (pin-actuated, no A/M switch — a pin-pressing adapter suits it best on mirrorless)
• Optical design: 6 elements in 4 groups, derived from the Zeiss Jena Biotar 58mm f/2
• Coating: Multicoated (MC)
• Mount: M42 42mm screw
• Focus: Manual, minimum 0.5m
• Filter thread: 52mm
• Weight: approximately 242g
• Format: 35mm full-frame coverage

Condition

• Cosmetic: Excellent+ condition, with no fungus, haze or scratches.
• Functional: Smooth and working well.

Included

• MC Helios 44M-4 58mm f/2 lens
• 3D printed lens cap

Clean glass throughout and a smooth focus ring. Mount it on any M42 body and shoot wide open at something with foliage or fairy lights behind it — that swirl is the whole reason this lens has a following.