![]() The corners are very bad compared to any modern lens. However, the corners quickly fall apart in terms of contrast and resolution. We are using a reproduction of the “Eighth Plan of Paris” (the City as it stood in 1705) as a target.Īs you can see, center sharpness looks pretty good and pretty much maxes out the 24 megapixel sensor. The Nikkor is considered to be one of the better 50mm SLR lenses of the early to mid 1960s and seems to be a good comparator to determine whether the 44-2 can compete as an “all-around” 50mm lens. To put the lens of the Helios 44-2 in perspective, we will compare it head-to-head with a contemporary - the 1962 non-Ai Nikkor 50/1.4 lens. This is probably due to the lens coating used. The Helios 44-2 has a distinctly “warm” look through an SLR viewfinder. On digital, we used a Nikon Z6 with a Konica AR adapter with all automatic corrections turned off. The ability to meter M42 lenses in stop down mode is a big plus. ![]() ![]() Konica AR bodies are some of the only film camera platforms that can natively use M42 lenses from minimum distance to infinity. Performanceįor the film shots, we used our shutter-priority Konica FC-1 with the appropriate M42 to AR adapter. By contrast, the 44M series operate in normal aperture priority mode with the appropriate compatible M42 camera body. Most older M42 camera bodies operate this way. For instance, you can choose a minimum aperture of f/5.6, which permits you ultimately to chose any aperture at f/5.6 or wider, but not smaller. A separate click-ring at the front of the lens allows you to select the maximum aperture, allowing you to move a separate ring to actually select the aperture within the chosen range. Thus, you have to open the lens to maximum aperture to focus effectively, and then stop the lens down to your actual desired aperture on your own by rotating a ring at the front of the lens. The 44-2 is designed for “stop down” mode. Reportedly, the last series (the 44M-7s) are the best performers. The Soviets continued to make different versions of the “44M” for decades. By the early 1970s, the Soviets were producing another version of the Helios called the “44M” - a lens that has standard automatic aperture operation - for the “Zenit EM” series. It appears that 44-2s were produced until the end of the 1980s. The mid-1960s Helios 44-2 shares the same design as the prior 44 but was made only in M42 mount for the new generation of Soviet Zenit SLR cameras - the “E” and the “B.” Our example appears to have produced in 1982 by the Valdai Optical-Mechanical Factory. The Soviets did not do much to improve upon the original Zeiss design until they started multi-coating the optics years later. Starting in 1958, the Soviets began produce the “Helios 44” which was a Biotar derivative but made in Zenit’s then-proprietary bayonet mount as well as in M39 (not compatible with Leica, however). (Check the links here for some nice write ups on the original Zeiss Jena lens). Originally a cinema camera lens developed by Zeiss in the late 1930s, Zeiss Jena (East Germany) continued to produce its 58mm f/2 “ Biotar” in various manual and semi-automatic versions for M42-mount Contax and Praktica SLRs until about 1960. In the West, we generally call the design “Planar” (West German) and not “Biotar” (East German / Soviet bloc). From that point onwards, the modified Double Gauss design for 50mm lenses has reigned supreme. In 1953, with the help of some rare earth elements, Leica finally produced a decent Double Gauss concept in its Version 1 50/2 Summicron. The “Biotar” represented a pre-war attempt by Zeiss to create a fast, workable, high-performance modified Double Gauss design (as opposed to the Zeiss Sonnars that became the gold standard in 50mms and short telephotos from the 1930s until the mid-1950s). ![]() Constantly reminding people that our Helios 44-2, for example, is a “Zeiss Biotar” copy does not somehow improve its performance. In no way do any mass-produced Soviet 35mm lenses come close to being among the best overall optics of the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, or 1980s. So many internet reviews declaring X, Y, or Z Soviet lens the “King of _.” I remain skeptical of these claims. But it was not always the case.Īs an initial matter, I really do not understand the hoopla about Soviet lenses. A modern 50mm lens should produce exceptional shots at all apertures. Call me crazy, but I prefer 50mm lenses to be good at everything. ![]()
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