Production resumed Helios 40-2, Zenitar, TeleZenitar

Sirrith · Joined: 17 Sep 2010 Posts: 215 Location: Hong Kong

$400 is still bordering on OK, but more than that and there's no point since lets face it, the helios 40 isn't really a great lens, it is just "desirable". However, what evidence is there to back this new price up other than the word of someone on the internet?

Attila · Expire: 2025-11-18

Pancolart · Expire: 2013-11-18

I assume even if old factory line is kept it wouldn't be hard to add modern hi-quality nano coatings. Everybody would pay
some more to have such glass. A bit of flare resistance, contrast boost and digital sensor friendliness. I still play with idea this is old batch found in army warehouse.

iangreenhalgh1 · Expire: 2014-01-07

Potential sales are probably not large so who would be prepared to make the huge capital investments to have the latest equipment for applying modern coatings?

Then again, they are a military optics supplier too so they probably already have the ability to apply modern coatings.

Attila · Expire: 2025-11-18

iangreenhalgh1 · Expire: 2014-01-07

LOL

The 1990s coatings on Russian lenses are pretty good anyways, I have a Zenitar M2S from the late 90s and the coatings on that are excellent.

Pinkerator · Joined: 25 Sep 2012 Posts: 16 Location: Russia, Moscow

Here is best evidence Smile

From Zenit shop.

FotoPete · Joined: 20 Nov 2012 Posts: 126

fotkino · Joined: 04 May 2011 Posts: 111 Location: Russia, Moscow

NEW Helios 40-2 samples

Canon 5D mkII
AWB
Av
f/1.5

GaborF · Joined: 06 Nov 2012 Posts: 35

Wow... what can I say - amazing pictures! Love the first, third, fifth but all seem great due to shap images + bokeh! Seems like a special lens!

Pancolart · Expire: 2013-11-18

Now, these are really good! Where were they shot?

fotkino · Joined: 04 May 2011 Posts: 111 Location: Russia, Moscow

fotkino · Joined: 04 May 2011 Posts: 111 Location: Russia, Moscow

kievcamera.net · Joined: 04 Jan 2013 Posts: 3 Location: atlanta

New Helios 40-2 from www.kievcamera.net
499 delivered
price in usd
shipping from Atlanta USA

Pancolart · Expire: 2013-11-18

Why label them in Cyrillic? I doubt potential customers are home based.

Sirrith · Joined: 17 Sep 2010 Posts: 215 Location: Hong Kong

ulli65 · Joined: 21 Oct 2012 Posts: 6 Location: Nederland

I was about to order from kiev.net but the 53 USD for shipping plus possible
import taxes & customs declaration costs made me look again around ebay for
other options. I found an early 70's black export version which belonged to the
late spanish city photographer/comic artist Francisco Hidalgo (his name was engraved
on the barrel where normallly the tripod collar is located).
If its it true that the serial's first 2 digits indicate the year of manufactering, this one is from 1970.
While it is black, it is marked as Helios 40 only. It misses the tripod collar and has M42 mount.

I am looking forward doing a beachshoot with it next month.

ZoneV · Expire: 2011-12-02

Now at last I made a site regarded to the Zenitar 50mm f/1.2 prototype I saw on the Photokina 2012.
After I read that Samyang plans to build a 50/1.2 lens in 2014 I hope much more that KMZ Zenit start production of this lens - seems much better from mechanical quality. And likely without aspherical elements - no onion bokeh.

Arctures · Joined: 10 Jul 2009 Posts: 295

ZoneV, that's awesome news! That shot looks so promising. Wondering what kind of OOF area painting character that 50/1.2 has.

fermy · Joined: 17 Feb 2012 Posts: 2877

Awesome news indeed, I wonder why noone reported on this Rolling Eyes

, it's not like new f1.2 lens is introduced every month.

IQ seems not so great though, glow and CA up the wazoo, on par with Minolta perhaps, but Minolta is 40-50 year old technology and its greatest claim for fame is bokeh, not sharpness, resolution and lack of aberrations.

What's up with vignette? It looks like it does not cover FF. Which mount was it btw?

rtodorovsky · Joined: 12 Feb 2013 Posts: 35 Location: Sofia, Bulgaria

Metalluga thanks for sharing, just saw the topic. That's great news! I can't wait to see export to Bulgaria (we are really close related Smile

). I love all the Russian lenses IQ and massive metallic feel.

ZoneV · Expire: 2011-12-02

I wonder too, that no other wrote about it.
Probably because this lens was not on front of the booth where the Helios 40-2 and the Apo Telezenitar were, but behind. I think that cabinet was even behind their desk.
In real life I work for a machine vision camera manufacturer company. And I was a bit interested whether KMZ Zenit probably has some products work my work. So I took a closer look in this cabinet with as far as I remember single lens elements and such and some other lenses - I think the old 16mm f/2.8 fish eye was there too. And this fast looking lens. So I asked.

From the single direct comparison between several fast modern lenses and Minolta Rokkor 58/1.2 I know, I think the sharpness of the Rokkor is better than that of EF 50/1.0L, worse than EF 50/1.2L in most cases. Big bokeh because of longer focal length, but much more important for me no danger of onion rings:
http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/996387
Do you have more comparisons?

I covers 24x36, but with this heavy vignetting - the comparison image with the Rokkor was most likley with my special made hood that adds vignetting to my Rokkor. So Rokkor would normaly be much better.

That lens prototype was with native EF mount.

The IQ of the Rokkor 58 is good enough for me - this is probably the price I have to pay to have a small affordable lens without aspherical elements. But the Canon FD 50/1.2L would still be tempting - but not as a substitute, only additional. The FD 85/1.2L I have feels too clean, too perfect in its IQ.