I have so much to say about this lens that I do not even know where to start. To give a little insight, Helios 44-2 has five different versions of this same lens. This is where people get a little confused, and there are many opinions on which one is the best. As for me, I will probably try all of them at some point, so I just ordered the one I wanted. Honestly, please do not listen to all of the garbage about the “one and only” Helios you should buy because I read some things saying the addition I have is not any good and I 100% disagree. The version I am looking at today is the 1978 “Valdai”. The reason there are so many versions is because the camera company Zenit manufactured the lens from 1958-1990s. I will review some of the earlier and later lenses in another post but for now I want to start with a nice in between.
One way to tell which Helios you are looking at is to look at the unique symbol on the end of the lens. Mine (1978 Valdai) has a little arrow through a circle symbol and it looks like this:
What is great about this lens?
When I took my first picture with this lens, I was already super excited because of the way it turned out. It brings out strong colors that are unlike anything I have seen. I want to show the first picture I took with it now to really help people understand what kind of style you can get.
In this photo, I love the way his blue eyes blend with the background. I think Helios brought these characteristics out perfectly. I have to say the coloring is superior to the Canon 50mm by a long shot, even though I did like the golden tone you could get with the 50mm. You might ask yourself why I talk about color every time I post, but trust me, it is for a good reason. Color is, without a doubt, one of the biggest factors when trying to get a film look.
Another thing I praise this lens for is that it does an incredible job in so many different circumstances. It does well in the middle of the day or the night. It can be used for larger landscapes and portraits. It has a very neutral width of 44mm. I would put this lens in my bag if someone told me I had to use only one film lens for many years. I can just see photos turning out great in an extremely broad expanse of scenarios. This has to be my favorite thing about this lens.
Also, this thing looks awesome and has a USSR or Soviet Union look to it.
I love the silver ring on the end, The green and white chart on the side, and the writing design.
This lens has always been phenomenal, but people became much more interested when they realized that this lens (Yes, the 1978 version I have) was used in the newest Batman movie that was released in 2022. This is actually why I got this version because the cinematography in that movie is unreal. I highly recommend watching it or finding some of the scenes it is used in because it is very inspiring.
I would say this lens has a slightly softer look to it. The Canon 50mm was known for being really sharp. Honestly, having your images a little bit softer helps you achieve a filmy look easily. This is a positive for me, but it could also come down to preference for some. You can really see how soft it can be in the photo of my brother I showed above.
Potential negatives?
Some people are looking for an extremely unique look with the “swirly bokeh” that is often mentioned when describing this lens, and I just want people to know that I love the bokeh on this Helios, but it is not swirly. If you do want intensely swirly bokeh, you need to get the oldest version of the Helios, which was made in 1958. I am gonna review that one at some point, but people need to know that the 1978 does have great bokeh, but it is not swirly.
There is one thing that confused me a little bit about the aperture ring at first, and that is that, for some reason, the numbers seem to be reversed. If you are on an aperture of 16, it is really on 2, and if you are on 2, it is actually 16. I do not know if this is different because it was made in another country or what, but it is something to note. Also, the aperture ring slides around pretty easily, and it can get a little annoying if you forget to check it before taking another photo. It is not that bad but still something to know.
You do have to get a different adapter for this one. It has a M42 mount. It is easy enough to find, and I will make another adapter guide on this one soon.
This is hands down my favorite lens so far. I would choose it over the Canon 50mm any day.
Here is one more photo taken with the Helios:
Thanks for reading, Trip