Photographing with the Helios 44

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

By now, everyone is familiar with the antique Russian Helios 44 lenses. You can buy them for less than a hundred euros and use them on any mirrorless camera with an adapter costing less than a hundred euros.

The Helios 44 is the Russian version of the Carl-Zeis Jena Biotar 5.8 cm f/2. Only much cheaper. There is a Helios 44 start, Helios 44, Helios 44-2, Helios 44M and a large number of successors.

They all have one thing in common: the bokeh has a swirl effect. This is caused by the construction of the lens and can be seen as a lens defect. These days, this effect is considered nostalgic or vintage.

Photographing with the Helios 44, whatever the model, is simply fun. Especially portraits, flowers and still lifes. Particularly with a shallow depth of field. It does take some practice to focus.

A good example produces reasonably sharp images. If you find the effect too ordinary, turn the front lens element around inside the lens. This is very easy and you don't need any special tools.

With a reversed front lens element, you get the effect of the antique Petzval lenses. You either love it or you don't. But whatever you think of it, it is a particularly unique effect.

All the photos below were taken with a Helios 44 and Helios 44-2, with and without a reversed front lens element. Let them inspire you. Who knows, it might be something you'd like to try too. If you already have a Helios, get it out of the cupboard again.

As for the Exif data: all photos were taken at a focal length of 58mm and f/2. An ISO was chosen that made the shutter speed fast enough to shoot handheld. With aperture priority, you don't need to worry about anything else.

Photofacts Academy offers a course on photographing with vintage lenses. If you'd like to start working with these antique lenses, I can certainly recommend this course.

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