Glass is clean and blades are smooth. Focus and aperture rings are smooth too. Tested on a Canon 300D. M42 mount.
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The Helios 44 58mm f2 is one of the most mass produced lenses ever. Although the production has since stopped, there are still millions of them around making it a very affordable alternative. The russian Hellios 44 is a copy of the Carl Zeiss Biotar 58mm. Although its naming might suggest otherwise, the Helios 44 is not a 44mm lens but a 58mm f2 lens.
It was manufactured with M42 mount, Pentax K mount and even M39 thread mount for the Zenit 3-M and the Revueflex M39 SLR cameras. Most lenses were manufactured in M42 to be used on Zenit cameras.
Helios 44 lens review
compact
interesting bokeh
inexpensive
easy to find
As all lenses that are based on the Biotar formula, the Helios 44 has an interesting twirling bokeh. The lens itself is also reasonably sharp when stopped down. The focal length of 58mm is a bit unusual but comes in handy for portraiture shots. The Helios 44 is also very much appreciated among artistic photographers who relish its bokeh and color rendition. Lomographers will love this lens. If you want an unexpensive lens to experiment I would recommend getting this lens. The Helios is great if you want to try experiments and more artistic things.
Gin Alley