Helios 44-2 Swirly Bokeh Review and Sample Images for Under $50
When I first got the Sony a6000 I didn’t know about lenses at all. Even if I managed to get enough information on mirrorless cameras, I was clueless about prime lenses, zoom lenses, sharpness, focal length, etc.
Lenses for the Sony E-mount (APS-C / crop sensor) were expensive, especially for a beginner but someone told me I could get an adapter and mount a vintage lens on my camera.
I borrowed the Helios lens from a friend who had a film camera sitting on his office-desk and bought an adapter for $10 from Amazon.com. First impressions? Sharpness and bokeh were excellent!
Sometimes a lens can be soft on certain f-stops. However, you can sharpen images in the post process. I use this website fixipixi, they’re good for all kinds of photo retouching!
Helios 44-2 Review – Quick Look
Helios 44-2 58mm f/2.0 is an old lens for SLR (film) cameras that you can find on the internet (eBay, Amazon, etc.) for about $50 or less. Old lenses have manual focus. That means you have to manually adjust the aperture and the focus area. The focal length stays the same as it is not a zoom lens.
The Sony e-mount system allows you to adapt any kind of lens if you have the proper adapter. You can mount even the latest Canon, Nikon, Tamron, Sigma and other popular lenses without any problem. The Helios 44-2 is very popular for many Sony, Canon, Olympus and Fujifilm camera owners.
*You can mount Helios 44-2 on Fujifilm, Sony, Canon and other 4/3 cameras (We will update the list soon).
Helios 44-2 Specifications
- Format: 35mm SLR
- Type: Prime Lens
- Focus: Manual
- Mount Type: M42
- Released Year: 1950
- Optical Element: 6 elements in 4 groups
- Focal Length: 58mm
- Max Aperture: f/2.0
- Min Aperture: f/16
- Blades: 8
- Min Focus Distance (m): 0.5
- Filter Ø (mm): 49
- Weight: 8.1oz/230gr
- Length: 2.2in/57mm
While we were looking for sample images of the 44-2, we found Akos Fekete from Hungary on Instagram @akos9708 and asked him if we could post a few images of his work in our blog. He accepted our invitation and also told us that Helios is a really good lens, it produces great bokeh and it’s really sharp!
Personally I own a Helios 44M-6 which is a little bit different but has almost the same features. It’s a 58mm with a f/2 aperture and manual focus ring. I can’t deny that it produces amazing bokeh like the 44-2! I have taken amazing sunset photos with wide open aperture at 2.0. More samples from that lens will be published soon!
The settings Akos used to capture these images with the Helios 44-2 mounted on a Sony a6000 are:
Aperture f/2.0
ISO 100
Shutter Speed 1/800 – 1/1000
Enjoy the Beautiful Helios 44-2 Image Samples and Amazing Bokeh!
Image Credit: Ákos Fekete
Image Credit: Ákos Fekete
Image Credit: Ákos Fekete
Image Credit: Ákos Fekete
Image Credit: Ákos Fekete
Image Credit: Ákos Fekete
More Helios 44-2 Swirly Bokeh From More Photographers
Check out the amazing swirly bokeh effect from Elena Levitskaya (Simakova). She’s from Novosibirsk, Russia and she owns a Nikon D600, Sony a99 and Sony a7ii.
She likes landscape photography, macro, sports photography and taking photos with the Helios 44-2 which she bought 2 years ago. She didn’t use it though till last spring, when she recognized what an incredible lens it is to be able to capture the magic in simple things we can see in our everyday lives.
Follow Elena on Instagram @perfectshot.ru
Image Credit: Elena Levitskaya
Image Credit: Elena Levitskaya
Image Credit: Elena Levitskaya
Image Credit: Elena Levitskaya
Image Credit: Elena Levitskaya
Image Credit: Elena Levitskaya
Image Credit: Elena Levitskaya
Image Credit: Elena Levitskaya
We know you’d like to see more sample images so there you go! This time is from Heidi Makkonen, 38 years old, self-taught photographer, constant beauty seeker and mom of two kids.
Heidi works full-time in the field of visual communications and lives in eastern Finland, Mikkeli. She started taking photos 15 years ago as a hobby and that became a passion. “Photography means self-expression for me, it is a way to tell moments in pictures. My strength as a photographer is the sensitivity to see beauty even in small things” she says. She’s also inspired by the beautiful natural light.
Follow Heidi on Instagram @heidi_makkonen
Image Credit: Heidi Makkonen
Image Credit: Heidi Makkonen
Image Credit: Heidi Makkonen
Image Credit: Heidi Makkonen
More sample images come from Maria, a hobby photographer from Hungary. She started photography about a year ago. Helios 58mm f/2 is her first prime lens and bought it because she had no money to buy an expensive AF lens ?, but since then she loved it so much that she uses it almost every time, because she says she loves that unique atmosphere this lens can create with that beautiful swirly bokeh background!
Follow her on Instagram @mamarcsi
Image credit @mamarcsi
Image credit @mamarcsi
Image credit @mamarcsi
Image credit @mamarcsi
Image credit @mamarcsi
Image credit @mamarcsi
Image credit @mamarcsi
Image credit @mamarcsi
Image credit @mamarcsi
Image credit @mamarcsi
Image credit @mamarcsi
Image credit @mamarcsi
Image credit @mamarcsi
Where to Buy Helios 44-2
You can buy Helios 44-2 and related models (all providing amazing images) on Amazon.com.
HELIOS 44-2 for Micro Four Thirds
If you own a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera, you can buy the Helios 44-2 lens as displayed above and use a proper adapter. You will find adapters for almost all mirrorless cameras on Amazon for about 10 to 20 US dollars.
Fotasy M42 Adapter for Sony e-mount
Fotasy M42 Adapter for Fujifilm X-Series
Fotasy M42 Adapter for Canon EOS M
Fotasy M42 Adapter for Nikon 1
Make sure you DOUBLE CHECK if the adapter fits your camera and you have all the knowledge you need before buying anything (lenses / adapters / other equipment).
If you are unsure on what to buy, head over to a local store and ask a professional before spending money on something that won’t fit your camera.
Here’s a short video footage sample!
Summary
I am amazed with the swirly bokeh and the sharpness of this lens! What about you? Do you own any vintage lens? Which camera do you use it on? Let us know in the comments below.
Thank you for your support! johnmakphotography.com is officially affiliated with Amazon.com.
