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Manufacture Time of this BeLomo Helios-44 Zebra?
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PostPosted: Fri May 06, 2022 2:11 pm    Post subject: Manufacture Time of this BeLomo Helios-44 Zebra? Reply with quote
Greetings everyone! 🙏🏻

This BeLomo Helios-44 Zebra with the M39 mount was acquired by yours truly early this year. The serial number is No 8000931. Curious me have been wondering if it was made in 1980 or 1968. Been searching on-line for serial number infos on the Helios-44 series but still haven’t found the answer.

Would any of you Helios experts please enlighten me on the manufacture time of this? Thank you very much. 🙏🏻

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PostPosted: Fri May 06, 2022 3:25 pm    Post subject: Re: Manufacture Time of this BeLomo Helios-44 Zebra? Reply with quote
Sakyaputta wrote:
Greetings everyone! 🙏🏻

This BeLomo Helios-44 Zebra with the M39 mount was acquired by yours truly early this year. The serial number is No 8000931. Curious me have been wondering if it was made in 1980 or 1968. Been searching on-line for serial number infos on the Helios-44 series but still haven’t found the answer.

Would any of you Helios experts please enlighten me on the manufacture time of this? Thank you very much. 🙏🏻


It should be 1968 IMHO. M39 Belomo models finished production presumably in 1971. See here in russian: https://www.drive2.ru/b/490553161119957478/:

Годы выпуска, нумерация Гелиос-44, Helios-44-2 на ММЗ (БелОМО):
— не позже 1964 — Начало выпуска белых Гелиос-44 на ММЗ. Судя по всему алюминиевый корпус покрывался прозрачным лаком. Нумерация на ММЗ 7-значная, первая цифра номера означала год. К примеру №5****** — означает 65 год выпуска, N7****** — значит 67 год, N0****** — 70 год, и т.д. Так нумеровались объективы по 71 год.

Translation:
Years of manufacture, numbering Helios-44, Helios-44-2 at MMZ (BelOMO):
- no later than 1964 - Start of production of white Helios-44 at MMZ. Apparently the aluminum case was covered with a transparent lacquer. The numbering on the MMZ is 7-digit, the first digit of the number meant the year. For example, No. 5 ****** - means 65 year of manufacture, N7 ****** - means 67, N0 ****** - 70, etc. So the lenses were numbered until 1971.


PostPosted: Fri May 06, 2022 4:52 pm    Post subject: Re: Manufacture Time of this BeLomo Helios-44 Zebra? Reply with quote
Max78 wrote:

It should be 1968 IMHO. M39 Belomo models finished production presumably in 1971. See here in russian: https://www.drive2.ru/b/490553161119957478/:


Thank you so very much, Max, for your awesome answer and link to the Russian site. 🙏 Will go read the entire article to gain more knowledge. It's amazing that this lovely 54-year-old zebra is still going strong!


PostPosted: Fri May 06, 2022 5:28 pm    Post subject: Re: Manufacture Time of this BeLomo Helios-44 Zebra? Reply with quote
Sakyaputta wrote:
Max78 wrote:

It should be 1968 IMHO. M39 Belomo models finished production presumably in 1971. See here in russian: https://www.drive2.ru/b/490553161119957478/:


Thank you so very much, Max, for your awesome answer and link to the Russian site. 🙏 Will go read the entire article to gain more knowledge. It's amazing that this lovely 54-year-old zebra is still going strong!


As far as I know, the two first numbers in the row of the serial number, is telling you the year of production! I am using lenses from Russia and the Ukraine since many years on my cameras.


PostPosted: Fri May 06, 2022 5:39 pm    Post subject: Re: Manufacture Time of this BeLomo Helios-44 Zebra? Reply with quote
OPAL wrote:


As far as I know, the two first numbers in the row of the serial number, is telling you the year of production! I am using lenses from Russia and the Ukraine since many years on my cameras.


Mostly, but with some exceptions


PostPosted: Fri May 06, 2022 6:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I own the same model lens from the same year, having bought it from a seller in Russia several years ago with some other purchases. I never knew about the single digit year marker for this model, and always wondered why a lens would be made in 1980 for a camera mount (Z39) which hadn't been used since the late 60's. Now it finally makes sense.


PostPosted: Sat May 07, 2022 1:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Alun Thomas wrote:
I own the same model lens from the same year, having bought it from a seller in Russia several years ago with some other purchases.


Hello Alun. Good to know we both have 1968 MMZ Zebras. Do you use yours on a full-frame camera or on an APS-C or Micro 4/3? I use mine on a Fujifilm X-Pro2 through an M42-FX adapter, with an M39->M42 converter ring.


PostPosted: Sun May 08, 2022 3:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
My understanding is that this series is the first after the all silver Helios 44 and is when they started using the first digit of the serial to represent last digit for the year, then sometime in the 70s they switched to two digits, probably when they overlaped the early lenses.
I have one similar to this, its a nice looking version of the 44 series, probably my favorite.


PostPosted: Sun May 08, 2022 5:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Lightshow wrote:
My understanding is that...
I have one similar to this, its a nice looking version of the 44 series, probably my favorite.


Thank you for chiming in, Lightshow. 🙏

Yes, your understanding of the Helios serial numbering system is congenial to what I've learned from the link that Max provided: the numbering system of using the first two digits to depict the year was only started sometime in 1971.

Also, according to that site, some rare all glossy black M39-mounted units were produced at the MMZ (and probably KMZ too) plant for maybe less than a year in 1965, before the advent of the zebras in 1966.

Like you, the zebras are my favorite among the Helios-44s.
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