The Helios 44m-4: My FAVORITE Vintage Lens, A $30 Soviet Classic & Bokeh Monster
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I’ve acquired quite a few vintage lenses over the past year (close to 20 at this point), but there is only one lens that is a true standout in terms of its unique character. The Soviet-era Helios 44m-4 f2. A great lens all around, it’s often highly sought after because it’s such an amazing value. Millions off these things were produced over the years, so it’s pretty common to find them in great shape at ridiculously low prices.
Swirly Bokeh Monster
When it comes to the Helios 44 series of lenses, one particular characteristic comes immediately to mind: swirly bokeh. And in this area, it does not disappoint! To get the effect you have to get the spacing right between your lens, the subject, and the background, using the right f-stop. I typically see swirly results with the aperture wide open when the subject is about 10ft from the camera, and the background is 25-30 ft away. The more specular highlights in the background the better (a tree canopy with light coming through the leaves works well!).
Stopped down, my copy also is incredibly sharp with unique low-contrast color rendering.
Swirly bokeh!
Dislikes
Flares easily
Build quality can be so-so, depending on the copy (I’ve owned 2, with my first copy’s focus ring feeling like it was going to fall off)
Corner sharpness is soft wide open, but that’s not usually an issue for the way I shoot
For my style of shooting, 58mm focal length can be a bit long on a crop sensor
Likes
Monster swirling bokeh
Quite sharp when stopped down
IF you get a good copy, decent all-metal build quality
Vintage low-contrast rendering
Killer price/value (my copy was ~$30 on eBay)
Some Recent Helios Pics from a Camping Trip
(MINIMAL POST-PROCESSING IN LIGHTROOM)
Bottom Line
Buy it. The Helios 44m-4 is a true must-have and my favorite vintage lens when it comes to character. It’s not the best build quality, it’s not the sharpest, and it doesn’t have the most traditionally pleasing rendering, but it’s easily the most unique lens in my kit. I find myself coming back to it over and over, and it’s produced some of my very favorite images. For $30 (or close to it), it’s a no-brainer. To adapt my lens, I currently use a Dollice m42 to fx adapter, which has worked quite well (I had previously used a different adapter from a different company where the screw threads stripped after frequent use).
Alternatives
When it comes to alternatives to the Helios 44m-4, there really aren’t many I can think of except perhaps other lenses in the Helios 44 series. From my understanding the 44-2 has an even more pronounced swirl effect, but the optical quality otherwise is a little worse (and it has a potentially bothersome method for adjusting aperture). The higher numbered lenses in the series apparently have better optical quality, but the swirl effect in turn becomes less pronounced. For me the 44m-4 seems to be the best compromise of those two aspects.
56mm is a great focal length for portraits on my Fuji X-T2, and I have a few other 50mm lenses in my bag that I use from time to time. My favorite of those other ~50mm options would probably be my vintage Nikkor 50mm f1.8 Ai; but with it you’re getting a totally different, more modern aesthetic in terms of the optical output. The one thing the Nikkor has that I really love is its colors and 3D-like rendering. But it’s also a more expensive lens than the Helios.
So, again, my recommendation is to buy this lens immediately if you don’t already have it! If you do have it, what do you think? Does it stay on your camera or collect dust in the corner? Sound off in the comments below!
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