Every used a Helios 44 58mm f/2 lens? If not, I think you’ve missed out.
In this post I’ll talk about why, and what to look out for when you’re ready to buy one.
Before I knew very much about lens mounts, I had at least discovered that before bayonet mounts became the norm, the most widely used way to attach a lens to a camera was to screw it in.
And the most common mount was M42, developed in the late 1930s, and used extensively in the 60s and 70s especially by manufacturers like Asahi Pentax, Praktica, Fujica, Yashica, and Zenit.
Because it’s a simple screw thread, a plethora of simple adapters were (and are) available to allow mounting an M42 lens on to a camera with a bayonet mount, like Pentax K, Minolta MC/MD, Canon EOS or Contax/Yashica C/Y, to name a few.
These days a whole new range of M42 adapters exist to use these screw mount lenses on DSLRs and mirrorless bodies too.
But why would you want to mount an ancient screw thread lens made decades ago on a newer film or digital camera?
If I had to answer in one word, I’d say Takumar.
Asahi Pentax made a huge range of Takumar lenses, most of which are magnificent to use and deliver wonderful results.
But this post isn’t about Takumar!
It’s about the Helios 44 range, which of course, were also made extensively in M42 mount.
And they’re another excellent reason to dip your toe into the world of M42.
If you want the potted history of the Helios 44, this is not the article. Google it and you’ll find plenty of comprehensive information.
Instead this is about my own experience with perhaps 25 or more Helios 44 lenses, and which one you should look out for.
First, a very brief overview of the spec.
Its focal length is 58mm, so a longer “normal” lens on 35mm film, and getting towards more of a portrait or short tele lens when adapted to digital, depending on your camera/sensor.
58mm on an APS-C sensor with 1.5x crop factor (DSLRs, Sony E mount etc) will give an equivalent field of view of 87mm.
On Micro Four Thirds the crop factor is 2x, so the 58mm Helios equates to 116mm.
So why should you want a Helios 44 lens at all?
Simply because they’re one of the most characterful vintage lenses across all mounts, offering a lovely combination of sharpness and dreamy bokeh (the out of focus background of a photograph).
Also, because they’re plentiful, and very affordable.
And thirdly, they can most likely be adapted to a camera you already own.
There are many variations of the Helios 44.
Let’s begin by ensuring you get hold of one that is M42 mount. They also exist in another screw thread mount called M39, but this is not compatible with M42. So the first step is to check the lens you’re looking at is M42.
Beyond that, there are many variations, and even within one model type there are variations between colours (black with white and red paint, black with yellow and green paint etc), and where they were made (note the different symbol on the body that denotes which factory in the former Soviet Union).
I have owned at least one variation of the following models – 44-2, 44-3, 44M, 44M-4, 44M-5 and 44M-6.
There are other models, but as long as it starts with Helios 44, then its part of the same family, and the image quality and characteristics are much the same across all of them, in my experience.
The only one I would not recommend is the 44M-5.
These are quite rare anyway, and are partly plastic, whereas all other models I’ve owned have been all metal. The build wasn’t as good with the 44M-5.
The one I have currently – a Helios 44-2 – is the one I’ve had the longest, and has a battered, paint worn body, circular cleaning marks on the front and back of the lens and even a bubble within the glass.
But it’s delighted me time and time again in the seven years I’ve owned it now.
With all models, I’ve nearly always used them on cameras with Aperture Priority (Av) mode. So you control the aperture on the lens, and the camera sets the shutter speed required for an accurate exposure.
In my experience, there are three main differences to be aware of before you take the plunge –
1. Aperture ring.
The original 44-2 (my favourite model of all) is a preset aperture lens. It has two aperture rings.
You set the aperture you want to stop down to on the outer ring. Then the inner ring rotates freely (there are no click stops) between being wide open, and the aperture you’ve set on the outer ring.
So if you want to shoot at f/5.6, you set that on the outer ring, then open up the aperture using the inner ring, compose, focus, then stop down the inner ring (which will stop at f/5.6 – it literally won’t close down any further) and shoot.
In practice I love this set up, because I don’t care much about precise aperture settings.
I usually set the limit to f/8 then stop down until what I see in the VF/screen is what I’m aiming for in terms of depth of field, then shoot.
I don’t care if the actual aperture is f/4.19 or f/6.72. I love this freedom to adjust – it means I can control depth of field and bokeh very precisely.
Plus that inner aperture ring is very easy to turn with just one finger, so fine adjustment is easy.
Virtually all of the other Helios 44 variations (44M, 44M-4, 44M-6 etc) have the more common single aperture ring with click stops from f/2 to f/16.
Which is fine, and works like any other lens with a click stop aperture ring. But for me in practice it’s a bit stiffer and more clunky to adjust aperture than the preset aperture versions, and you don’t have that quick adjustment and fine control.
2. The stop down pin at the rear.
The original 44-2 doesn’t have a stop down pin. You control the aperture purely via the two aperture rings.
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.
Most of the other variations have a pin and a switch on the side for A/M, ie Auto or Manual stop down.
If you switch to M, the pin is permanently depressed so you control the aperture manually with the aperture ring. So again, there’s no intervention needed from the camera/adapter.
In Aperture Priority mode, you just choose the aperture on the lens, then let your camera select the best shutter speed.
Here a word of caution is necessary, because there are some models that do have that stop down pin, but not the A/M switch.
So in effect they’re permanently on auto mode, and need the camera/adapter to depress the pin, otherwise they stay wide open.
If your camera doesn’t depress the pin at the moment the shutter is released (and unless it’s an actual M42 film camera of a certain era, it won’t), then you’ll be stuck with a lens that’s permanently wide open, ie at its widest aperture of f/2.
I have had a few of these type, and have used a quick fix to get around the pin issue.
I just depressed the pin all the way down with a needle, put a blob of superglue on it, let it dry and then it acts like a manual switch, keeping the lens pin permanently depressed. The aperture blades then close and open as you adjust the aperture ring, just as with the A/M switch lenses when they’re switched to M.
I’ve also done this with great success on other old M42 lenses, like Auto Chinons and Yashicas for example.
Just don’t get any glue on or near the glass!
3. Aperture blades.
This one is less significant, but if you are buying a Helios 44 to explore its bokeh (as most people are), then this has an impact.
The 44-2 has eight blades. Most (but I don’t think all) of the later variations have six blades. It’s easy enough to see, just look into the lens as you stop down (or if you’re buying online ask for a picture that shows the aperture blades partly stopped down).
All this difference means, is if you’re shooting a couple of stops down from wide open, with the 44-2 any points of light out of focus will be closer to a circle, as there are more blades and they are more curved, rather than dead straight.
With the later versions with six blades, as you stop down you’ll see the blades make a sharper hexagonal shape. For me this is a consideration, but if you’re not interested in close ups with round bokeh balls it’s a minor concern.
So those are the main differences to look out for when considering a Helios 44 lens.
Preset aperture or standard aperture ring. If there’s a stop down pin and if/how you can control it. And the number and straightness of the aperture blades.
If you have any questions, please just ask below and I’ll try to help.
Other than that, I would encourage anyone to try at least one Helios 44 lens and see what they can do.
For the price of the lens and adapter (the least I’ve paid for a lens is about £5, and the cheapest adapter was a Canon EOS for about £2) it’s well worth discovering what could become your new favourite lens.
All photographs in this post were shot with various Helios 44 lenses.
Have you any questions about the Helios 44 range? Any tips to add yourself about using them?
Please let us know in the comments below (and don’t forget to tick the “Notify me of new comments via email” box to follow the conversation).
Thanks for looking.
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35hunter 
Owned one a few years ago. I sometimes liked the results, although the Helios focal length on a crop camera is a bit too “tele” for me. I used the Helios on a mirrorless Fuji X, and that was the main problem – my eyes and EVFs are not a good match, also when it comes to manual focusing. Too often I didn’t get the focusing right. My eyesight really needs an optical viewfinder to use MF lenses, like currently with the Nikon and Lensbaby.
Thanks Robert. On film I liked that the 58mm gave me slightly larger than life images, compared with 50mm.
On a DSLR with 1.5x crop factor you get 87mm field of view, which is still very usable for me.
On my Micro Four Thirds GF1, it’s 2x crop factor, so 116mm FOV. Which is starting to stretch it a bit for my usual tastes.
Do you use your Nikon DSLR with old manual focus Nikon lenses? Do you just use the viewfinder?
Dan, I currently only have the (great) AF-S 35mm 1.8G DX lens, so no MF Nikkor lenses. For me, the 50mm FOV is perfect for everything – from close ups to reportage and portraits. At first I also had a 50mm lens (so 75mm FOV), mainly for portraits, but I sold it to purchase a Lensbaby Sol 45 (67mm FOV), for more experimental work.
The Nikon D90 does have Live View, but I have never used it. For phones or compact cameras – where almost everything is in focus anyway – I don’t mind using an LCD screen, on bigger cameras I really need a viewfinder.
Yes I find both 35mm and 50mm work well on APS-C. Different to film, obviously, but I don’t know, with both the 1.5x ratio makes sense.
I do have a clear separation, or perhaps categorisation in my mind with compacts and DSLRs. The former seem to work best around 35mm, with a deeper depth of field (from the wider focal length, and the smaller sensor), and DLSRs seem to fit best with a 35mm lens giving a 53ish mm fov and 50 giving 75mm. And yeh a screen seems to work best with the smaller cameras, and the larger ones beg a greater level of immersion, that a viewfinder gives.
Wow Dan, I really like the last picture of the dandelion. This might be the best concise guide I have seen on this series. I agree with you, although most people consider pre set lenses a bother, I like them for a variety of reasons. I have a bunch of Helios lenses that arrived in lots or on cheap cameras but never went out of my way to buy one. I have one that was in my junk box for years that is so scratched you can barely see through it, but I was surprised to find that it takes lovely pictures. I actually prefer the slightly longer focal length on a film camera. If there is a better value in lenses than the various Helios lenses and their cousins the Jupiter’s I don’t know about it.
Jon, thanks!
Yes most of the Helios lenses I’ve had over the years have come with a Zenit on the back of them! Usually cheaper to buy this way than alone.
I found a huge old M42 lens at a boot sale a while back, for 50p I think. A 300mm f/5.6 monster full of fungus and scratched up. But it still made charming images in its own way. I love this aspect of old lenses, like an undiscovered treasure trove out there waiting to be rediscovered one lens at a time!
https://35hunter.blog/2017/05/30/the-5-cheap-lens-challenge-part-2/
Tell me more about the Jupiters. I have a 37A which is pretty wonderful…
Dan, again, no experience with the Jupiter’s on digital. (Yet) I bought a bunch, got some duds, but the few I kept are pretty good. I have a Contax iia I bought many years ago (Still working!) with a CZJ Sonnar lens, and the Jupiter is indistinguishable in prints. The Kiev mount Helios is actually better than either one. I kept 3 Jupiter 8’s and they are all very good, and loaded with character which I like. I tried several Jupiter 3’s and gave up, all were defective in various ways. The Jupiter 9 is my favorite short tele, and if I could only keep one lens for portraits this would be it. (I have never used any very expensive portrait lenses though.) I confess to having this lens in three different mounts I like it so much. I also have a Jupiter 12 but haven’t really used it yet, it just arrived recently. Speaking of new arrivals, congratulations on yours.
Ah, yes I forgot the Jupiter 8! I’ve had a couple of those, and they’re pretty impressive, especially for their small size. I had one on a Kiev 2A, clone of the Contax III I believe. Such a handsome camera…
I’ve wanted a Jupiter 9 for years, it’s still on my unoffical lens “wish list”.
I’d recommend a Jupiter 37A if you ever have a chance to try one. Capable of lovely images, especially isolating subjects and blurring the backgrounds.
Thanks re the baby! He’s proving to be very photogenic too, so good practice for my portrait skills!
I’ve never had a Helios, but I have had many similar lenses with the two ring aperture control for example. Despite having the excellent Takumars, the other old lenses I miss most are the Exacta’s Meyer-Gorlitz Primoplans, one of which I had was 58mm f1.9 and sharp as a scalpel.
Right now I’m experimenting with the 50mm Takumar on a #1 extension tube, giving me an “80mm macro” lens. It’s quite good so far, aside from the exposure issues.
Marc there are so many obscure old German lenses that are of very high quality. Everyone knows Carl Zeiss, but once you start exploring there were so many others, especially in M42 mount.
Which Takumar, the 50/1.4? What exposure issues are you having?
Yes, the 50mm. The main problem is the weather; it’s lousy and I’m trying to shoot flowers with wind blowing and low light. It isn’t working so I have to wait.
Yeh, I’ve done some really close up work with a reverse lens adapter and a 50mm Pentax K lens, and because of the very shallow depth of field I found I needed a small aperture, and therefore a slow shutter speed. Any movement from wind etc (I was photographing flowers too) means major blur in the final image! I’m sure on a sunny day with no wind you’ll get some good results.
Can you get an m39 version and then just use an m39 to m42 converter ring?
Hi Adam, I’ve never tried because when I’ve started looking into M39 lenses in the past it’s quickly become complicated, due to differences in the distance to film/sensor and the variation of M39 mount. See this thread for example –
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/10-pentax-slr-lens-discussion/87384-recommendation-good-m39-m42-adapter.html
You could take a chance but an M42 Helios 44 is great value at £20-25, and an absolutely steal at £10-15. Try looking for a Zenit camera like an EM or B or E, most of them had a Helios 44 as the kit lens, and it’s often cheaper buying a camera with lens then giving away the camera body and keeping the lens. I’ve picked up probably a dozen Helios lenses this way, sometimes only for £9 or £10.
If you like the creative impact of a “swirling bokeh” lens, but shoot with a micro 4/3 camera, then your comment that the helios 44 is “too long” gets a supporting vote from me.
But help is at hand – the C-mount Fujian 35mm F1.7 lens works out as an ideal equivalent of a traditional 70mm portrait lens om M4/3 and swirls beautifully. The current selling price on Ali Express is only £16, or even less – so even with buying a £3 C-mount to M4/3 adaptor, you can get the “Helios effect” for the price of a pizza !
Paul, I’ve looked at the C mount lenses on and off for years, well, since I first bought my Lumix GF1 maybe three or four years ago now. Never quite pulled the trigger but if I got back into M4/3 I would certainly explore one or two of these lo-fi lenses. Perhaps with a Lumix G2… ; )
Very informative article
Just started using the 44-2 great results still learning also have the Jupiter 8 50 mm smaller than the Helios but will not focus as close
Thanks for the information
Thanks Peter, I see from your website you’re a fellow fan of close ups with shallow depth of field! Which camera do you use the Jupiter 8 on? I had one ages ago with an adapter on my original DSLR, a Pentax K-x, with an adapter but without realising at the time it would only focus very closely (due to the adapter and distance from lens to sensor being greater than lens to film plane on an M39 rangefinder). I later tried an earlier example (silver rather than black and different body) with a film rangefinder and found it pretty impressive, especially for such a physically small lens.
I own the Helios 44_2, 44M, the Industar 61, the Jupiter 8 and the Mir 1 37mm. Personally i enjoy more shooting with those lenses than modern ones.
I have – or have had – all of those lenses Denis. Yes they seems more fun to shoot with and the images are more flawed, with more character than sterile modern lenses.
Hi. I had a 44-2 dated 73 bolted to the front of a Fuji X-T10 for around a year. It’s great and has really brought my photography to another level. The aperture preset for me is a fabulous idea. I’m usually set at F4 and enjoy the bokeh produced. As I’m using a cropped sensor the swirl effect isn’t as pronounced but the character of the image is very flattering, especially for portraits. My sharpest Helios is the 44-3.
A very enjoyable piece about this wonderful range of lenses.
Cheers.
Thanks Andy. That’s one reason I love the old preset Helios 44-2s, with a digital camera on Av mode it makes it so adjustable and you can tweak the aperture to get just the kind of combination of sharpness and soft background you need.
Hello! I bought a Helios 44-2 on ebay but it feels quite flat in picture when i recored it and dosent have that dreamy caracther, whats wrong? If you have an Mail i could send to you How it looks.
Hi Gabriel, thanks for your comment. Well, I wouldn’t know where to start as there are so many factors – the camera you’re using, the aperture, the focusing distance, the subject, the lighting and so on, not to mention if/how you’re post processing. Plus I don’t know what kind of look you’re aiming for?
Don’t know if this post will help at all, it features further images I’ve made with Helios (and their successor the Zenitar) lenses, perhaps something like you’re aiming for?
https://35hunter.blog/2020/08/01/a-bokeh-dream-set-up-for-less-than-50/
he he 2023 and Domiplan 2.8/50 Automatic and having in my scope Helios-44m 58mm F/2 for £27 !!😀 seems to be in good condition !! adapter for recently purchased Sigma SD15 is on the way !! I’m sure my Pentax K5 will do a nice images but I’m more interested what SD15 will do !!!😊