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Helios 44-3
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 6:33 pm    Post subject: Helios 44-3 Reply with quote
Hello. Got my Helios 44-3 MC 58/2 today (attached to a Zenit ET). Feels nice but there is one thing I do not understand.

The aparture-scale. When I set it (I think) to 2 its dark. Turned to 16 its light/wideopen. Question It seems to be stuck in reverse some how. Or its me that dont understand the scale or markings...


PostPosted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 6:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I don't know the 44-3 but it sounds like a preset lens like the 44-2. Here's a pic of the 44-2, hope it helps


PostPosted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 7:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
The concept of this ring of the Helios 44-2 may be confusing at the first sight (because its unusual), but if you dig it it is very helpful.

With the inner ring you choose the aperture as usual. The outer ring allows you to open the aperture fully, for better manual focusing (the viewer is bright). After focussing you can turn it down to the choosen aperture (but not beyond).

I saw a similar construction only with the old Biotar-lenses.


PostPosted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 7:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Yes the 44-3 too is a preset (like 44 and 44-2) version too : http://www.photohistory.ru/Pictures/Lens-Helios-44-3-minsk.jpg but I think it wasn't made by KMZ ( http://www.zenit.istra.ru/archive/lenses/helios-44.html ).


PostPosted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 7:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Ahh, thank. Now i understand Smile Well on my trip today it was set to 16, so I assumed the inner ring was the only one to use. This explains a lot.

Not many pictures today, really bad and rainy weather.


PostPosted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 7:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Prometheus wrote:
Ahh, thank. Now i understand Smile Well on my trip today it was set to 16, so I assumed the inner ring was the only one to use. This explains a lot.

Not many pictures today, really bad and rainy weather.


The picture doesn't explain this properly, but the idea is that you preset the aperture you need on the outer ring, focus with the diaphragm wide open, and then close down the inner ring without needing to remove your eye from the viewfinder. On a modern camera in Av mode, shutter speed will automatic be set to correct exposure, so you can use the inner ring more as a variable bokeh control.

Sorry about your weather, sounds like you're getting what we had on Monday! Smile (See the thread "A Bit Windy")


PostPosted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 8:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I am sure you will like this lens a lot. This is one of the unvalued gems you still can find. Much better than most people think.


PostPosted: Thu Mar 13, 2008 4:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Excuse me folks, my explanation above is a little bit wrong. My memory fooled me, so I confounded the inner and outer ring with their function.

The right text should be:
With the outer ring you choose the aperture as usual. The inner ring allows you to open the aperture fully, for better manual focusing (the viewer is bright). After focussing you can turn it down to the choosen aperture (but not beyond).

And I like to add: the red dot of the inner ring is not only useless, but confusing, because people imagine a relation to the aperture numbers of the scale above. Indeed the related aperture values of this inner ring would be inverse to the scale above. But fortunatly one doesn´t need for this inner ring exact aperture-values, because you use it only manually for opening the blades for a while.

@LucisPictor:
Yes, the Helios 44-2 is an undervalued gem. But I prefer the Helios 44-M, even it has not this fine option of turning up and down the aperture-blades with such a special second ring for better manual focusing. Maybe my copy of the Helios 44-2 is inferior to the 44-M due to picture quality.

A little bit off-topic: you can call me crazy, but I like my 44-M-version also, because it has the original "Krasnogorsk"-sign, while my 44-2 has the "Valdai"-sign... Rolling Eyes
The 44-3 of Prometheus should have the "Minsk"-sign.


PostPosted: Thu Mar 13, 2008 5:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Retro wrote:
And I like to add: the red dot of the inner ring is not only useless, but confusing, because people imagine a relation to the aperture numbers of the scale above.


Yes, I most certainly did.

By the way, I started a swedish site with your nickname in it, www.retrofoto.se Wink


PostPosted: Thu Mar 13, 2008 8:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Prometheus wrote:
By the way, I started a swedish site with your nickname in it, www.retrofoto.se Wink


ahh, I had almost the same idea but I guess I figured that I havee no time for that right now. Glad you have done it!

Last edited by Fotal on Thu Mar 13, 2008 8:55 pm; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Thu Mar 13, 2008 8:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
@Fotal: with phantasy and creativity you should find another nice expression.

For example:
- nostalgic photo side
- the photo roots
- old gems
- sabi (= japan for old and precious) photo
- ancient techniques
- historic photography
- photo relicts
- modern archeology
- photographic antiquariat
etc.


PostPosted: Thu Mar 13, 2008 8:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
lots of good ideas there Retro but I'm afraid I have a shortage of time at the moment.


PostPosted: Fri Mar 14, 2008 12:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Is that a CZJ Biotar 2/58mm copy (optical I mean)?

Cheers, Klaus


PostPosted: Fri Mar 14, 2008 1:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
yup they all are


PostPosted: Fri Mar 14, 2008 11:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Prometheus wrote:

By the way, I started a swedish site with your nickname in it, www.retrofoto.se Wink


Nice site, unfortunately my grip of the Swedish language is very limited, to put it midly....

Cheers,


PostPosted: Fri Mar 14, 2008 12:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Fotal wrote:
ahh, I had almost the same idea but I guess I figured that I havee no time for that right now. Glad you have done it!


hehe, tack Wink


PostPosted: Fri Mar 14, 2008 3:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
@kds315*:
Quote:
Is that a CZJ Biotar 2/58mm copy (optical I mean)?

Absolutely. This has an interesting story:
When the "Russians" occupated eastern Germany after the world war II, they took the "Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar" as spoils of war and produced it in the UDSSR. Therefore the "Helios 44-2" is also called "Biotar Krasnogorsk" due to the production-town Krasnogorsk.

And the Biotar has a similar mechanism for the preset and opening of the aperture as discussed in this thread above.


PostPosted: Sun Aug 10, 2008 8:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I have a few questions related to 44-3. It was my first M42 lens and I bought it following recommendation of Sigma useres, who consider 44-3 better than 44-2 or 44M-4. 44-3 was manufactured by BelOMO/MMZ in two versions. Standard Helios 44-3 and Helios 44-3M (M means Macro - the lens is modified for use with macro bellows). I have standard 44-3. But I can't find anywhere these infos:

- lens resolution (I presume it's higher than 44-2 and 44M-4)
- age of the lens
- why only BelOMO manufactured this lens (44-2 was manufactured by Valdaj, KMZ, MMZ and possibly some others, 44M-4 was manufactured by KMZ and Valdaj... but no any other producer adapted design of 44-3)
- why is it better than Valdaj/KMZ products (maybe this could have the same reason why Zeiss bought right BelOMO)

I can't tell anything about how the lens performs, beacuse at that time I was so impresd by 50/1.4 Takumar, that I never took Helios outside Embarassed


PostPosted: Sun Aug 10, 2008 9:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I can't tell you much, but from what I've heard my Zenit ET + Helios 44-3 kit was made in early80's for russian market. And that I really like it.

I'm planning a test comparison between MC Helios 44-3, Canon EF 50mm/1.8, Yashica ML 50mm/2, Yashinon DX 50mm/1.7. Could be fun Smile


PostPosted: Sun Aug 10, 2008 9:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
no-X wrote:
I can't tell anything about how the lens performs, beacuse at that time I was so impresd by 50/1.4 Takumar, that I never took Helios outside Embarassed


By the way, I made a new, trasnlated review (in english this time) with some new (and old) images at http://www.retrocamera.net/2008/08/review-of-mc-helios-44-3-58mmf2/


PostPosted: Sat Jul 18, 2009 10:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Hi, this is my first post, but I read this wonderful forum every day.

Some days ago I received from ebay a copy of Helios 44-3, my first preset lens.
Externally it's in good conditions but I have a suspect.

In my copy the diaphragm ring is very loose and aperture setting ring is tight, in particular from f/8 to f/16 and when I return from there to the max aperture, always with a noisy click.

Are they normal or is this a symptom of a bad copy? Can you help me?

Thank you very much.

Giorgio


PostPosted: Sat Jul 18, 2009 10:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Aperture ring (the one with numbers engraved) should click on each aperture value and pre-set ring (the one with arrow engraved) should go very easy.


PostPosted: Sat Jul 18, 2009 11:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
no-X wrote:
Aperture ring (the one with numbers engraved) should click on each aperture value and pre-set ring (the one with arrow engraved) should go very easy.


Thanks no-X.

So it is normal that I must slightly force the ring before the click.

Can you confirm that switch from an aperture to another is not as smooth as latest version of Helios?


PostPosted: Sat Jul 18, 2009 2:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Yes, it's needed to use more force, esp. because fot the pre-set aperture system.


PostPosted: Sun Jul 19, 2009 7:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
no-X wrote:
Yes.....


Thanks again no-X, you have erased all my doubts.

Giorgio
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