[davidmanze]

Hi guys,

 

            At the French flea-market today I found two S/H lenses that I have been looking out for for a little while....

    ...Yes the famous and widely available Russian M42 Helios 58mm F2 from Zenith/Jupiter......

......

........one model is the all manual Helios-44-2 (black with white numbering) 8 round blades....; and the other the Helios-44-4 (black with green/yellow/white/red/)  with auto diaphragm that was mounted on a Practica......six blades.

 

    .......the deal was they were €4 each! .......both were a bit grubby but optically unmarked and free of fungus.....the 44-4 needs re-greasing.....both need general cleaning.

 

 The model I will be using is the M44-2.....we have the normal registration distance incompatibility for infinity focus on Nikon.... so ........ off we jolly well go on another merry-go-round of lathe turning. 

  

 The plan is made and I hope to get the job done this week...a quick check suggests that the M44-2 is even decently sharp in the center wide open.....

 

 

..and I've even been getting hints of bokehswirlishousness 

 

 

  To be continued........

[Brightcolours]

If you use them for swirly bokeh, again infinity focus is not so important. 

For extra psychedelic swirl fun, reverse the front element on the other lens. 

[ATTACHMENT NOT FOUND]

[davidmanze]

"If you use them for swirly bokeh, again infinity focus is not so important". 

 

  You know me BC  ...............

 

 

"For extra psychedelic swirl fun, reverse the front element on the other lens". 

 

Really, Is there "any" sharpness............the other lens is superfluous to me.... so...........

 

  I'm on the case.......... 

[davidmanze]

    I just tried that BC......no go!..........  the front element is a meniscus convex lens facing out......reversed it touches the element behind and can't seat......

 

     ........any ideas there?

[toni-a]

I had this lens, however it didn't impress.

brought adapter but it wasn't better than the old kit 18-55 on 300D, never focused farther than 50cm

[davidmanze]

 OK BC......I've been looking around the Helios end of the Galaxy.........you know the "à là mode"  imaging end of the universe......

 

 

.....and low and behold I uncovered the very item of which you highlighted.......

 

 

   ...... here;

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sEXubrUupA    

 

........I've just got to make up a spacer then! 

 

Dimensions of the spacer are:

- OD = 30.5 mm

- ID = 28.7 mm

- thickness = 1.4mm

  I'll nip down the plumbers tomorrow and look  out a felt washer!

  

.....and I also found this little nifty mod.......

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKsG5WCGnu4

 

  .........an anamorphic how's your iris gizmo...

 

  This is turning into a right fun little game.....Hey Ho!




     Now where did I throw that empty "Pastis" bottle....I'll glue that onto a Nikon F adapter!....... 

[Klaus]

Reminds me of this review from the stone age ...

http://www.opticallimits.com/pentax/149-...est-report

[davidmanze]

  I remember reading that review and scratching my head at the resolution figures, but your comments made good sense of the lens's characteristics.......and now I get it.

 

 Strangely this beast has reappeared on the market with a Nikon Bayonet.... brand new...........cheaper in fact than the S/H originals 

 

  

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-DESIGN-Hel...SwjVVVmv61

 

 

  That's one in the eye for overpriced kickstarts.......looks very nice indeed!

[Brightcolours]

I had this lens, however it didn't impress.

brought adapter but it wasn't better than the old kit 18-55 on 300D, never focused farther than 50

Must have been a different lens, the 44-2 is a M42-mount lens and focusses to infinity with M42 adapter (and it is much sharper than that crappy kitlens)...

[toni-a]

this is the kit with which the lens came dunno if it corresponds to your lens