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Explore the world of vintage lenses through repair notes, real test shots, and detailed archive threads packed with images.

Explore the world of vintage lenses through repair notes, real test shots, and detailed archive threads packed with images.
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Helios-40-2 - info and a few pics
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Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 4:00 pm
Post subject: Helios-40-2 - info and a few pics
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Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 4:00 pm
Post subject: Helios-40-2 - info and a few pics
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A descendant of the incredible 1938 Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar 1.5/75 (Planar formula), Helios-40-(2) is massive. Designed in the early 1950s by a Russian professor D.S. Volosov, it has unusually thick glass elements with large air spaces.

On a full-frame dslr or film slr, Helios' resolution dramatically falls off from center of the frame but actually increases towards the edges. This phenomenon is explained as such - (a rough translation): "A curvature of the image surface of the third order is not correctable and is compensated for by curvature of fifth order." Hmm...over my head. Stated resolution data:

Center - 32-48 (lpmm)
Middle - ?-20 (lpmm)
Edge - 16-34 (lpmm)

[In Russian]--> Referenced from http://tinyurl.com/2jfwml

General consensus in the infamous russian thread (213 pages now! and very informative) - http://tinyurl.com/3bbysp is that Helios-40 is workable on full frame (compose for center - a rather limiting factor in my opinion) but wasted on cropped DSLRs (APS-C and 4/3). YMMV.

Well, my mileage does vary and I like it on my cropped (x1.5) Maxxum 7D (Sony will be releasing a full-frame DSLR soon Wink). It's hard to focus with a stock focusing screen, I might get a focus-confirm chipped m42 to a-mount adapter for it. First, a couple of size comparisons/lens porn:





Left to right: Minolta AF 1.4/85 (Minolta a-mount), Helios-40-2 1.5/85 (m42), Jupiter9 2/85 (m42)

And a few pics taken with my 1981 Helios wide open:

1.



2.



3.


Above I completely missed focus but like the effect.

4.



How do you use it and what are your feelings about this lens?

Regards,

-Alex


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Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 7:48 pm
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Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 7:48 pm
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awsome images. I like the 3rd the most, even though you stated it was a mistake. Experimental portraits are always more impressive in the long-run, at least in my opinion, since it really displays the skill of the photographer rather than the lens. Though the lens is incredible. Definatly has been on my wish-list for several years now.

~Marc


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Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 8:58 pm
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Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 8:58 pm
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I love #1 - that dreamy look so characteristic of girls of that age.


patrickh


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Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2008 7:07 am
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Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2008 7:07 am
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I have to get one of those I love that dreamy effect. Your pictures look fantastic


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Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2008 9:16 am
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Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2008 9:16 am
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Even without being able to reach infinity on my Nikons I'd be very tempted by one of these if I found one at a good price.


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Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2008 10:37 am
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Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2008 10:37 am
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Welcome Alex
Superb portrait and very nice b&w conversion
send us more
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