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Does Helios 44M1 ever exist?
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 10, 2014 2:17 pm    Post subject: Does Helios 44M1 ever exist? Reply with quote

I'm sure that some of you here knew about this lens through a member of our forum (convert1), and I found out that he is the only one showing this lens in the Internet, so far. I tried to find everywhere: online shops, Russian dealers, Russian photographers, etc. but none of them ever seen this lens in real life.
I started to be suspicious about this lens. The look of this lens is totally like the Helios 44M, with the additional number 1 next to the M and the two blades diaphragm (still I can't imagine how 2 blades can work for a diaphragm)
The number is not that difficult to add.
Recently we have a two-blade Carenar 50/2.8 appeared in our forum and I'm pretty sure it has a custom made diaphragm, so it's also possible with 44M.
If I know this lens is super rare, I can chase after it for a very long time, but if it's not existed, then I may give up or just ask my Russian friend to build a custom one for me.
Any other one here seen it or had it?


PostPosted: Wed Sep 10, 2014 2:37 pm    Post subject: Re: Does Helios 44M1 ever exist? Reply with quote

Langstrum wrote:
I'm sure that some of you here knew about this lens through a member of our forum (convert1), and I found out that he is the only one showing this lens in the Internet, so far. I tried to find everywhere: online shops, Russian dealers, Russian photographers, etc. but none of them ever seen this lens in real life.
I started to be suspicious about this lens. The look of this lens is totally like the Helios 44M, with the additional number 1 next to the M and the two blades diaphragm (still I can't imagine how 2 blades can work for a diaphragm)
The number is not that difficult to add.
Recently we have a two-blade Carenar 50/2.8 appeared in our forum and I'm pretty sure it has a custom made diaphragm, so it's also possible with 44M.
If I know this lens is super rare, I can chase after it for a very long time, but if it's not existed, then I may give up or just ask my Russian friend to build a custom one for me.
Any other one here seen it or had it?

Even the well known and pretty usual Helios 44M is not listed on official Zenith (KMZ) site. If you need this lens for the collection then good luck in hunting for it. If you want a lens (any lens) with 2 blade diaphragm then you can buy Zenitar-M1. If this lens is the same optically as Zenitar-M then it is very good but pricey.


PostPosted: Wed Sep 10, 2014 2:44 pm    Post subject: Re: Does Helios 44M1 ever exist? Reply with quote

dimitrygo wrote:
Langstrum wrote:
I'm sure that some of you here knew about this lens through a member of our forum (convert1), and I found out that he is the only one showing this lens in the Internet, so far. I tried to find everywhere: online shops, Russian dealers, Russian photographers, etc. but none of them ever seen this lens in real life.
I started to be suspicious about this lens. The look of this lens is totally like the Helios 44M, with the additional number 1 next to the M and the two blades diaphragm (still I can't imagine how 2 blades can work for a diaphragm)
The number is not that difficult to add.
Recently we have a two-blade Carenar 50/2.8 appeared in our forum and I'm pretty sure it has a custom made diaphragm, so it's also possible with 44M.
If I know this lens is super rare, I can chase after it for a very long time, but if it's not existed, then I may give up or just ask my Russian friend to build a custom one for me.
Any other one here seen it or had it?

Even the well known and pretty usual Helios 44M is not listed on official Zenith (KMZ) site. If you need this lens for the collection then good luck in hunting for it. If you want a lens (any lens) with 2 blade diaphragm then you can buy Zenitar-M1. If this lens is the same optically as Zenitar-M then it is very good but pricey.

Did you mean Zenitar ME1 with 4 blades? Yes I have one, it's pricey but the quality is top notch, maybe the best 50mm I've had.
But the Helios 44M1, as mentioned by convert1, has only 2 blades, and it have a kind of cat-eye or diamond shape, not square like ME1.


PostPosted: Wed Sep 10, 2014 3:41 pm    Post subject: Re: Does Helios 44M1 ever exist? Reply with quote

Langstrum wrote:
dimitrygo wrote:
Langstrum wrote:
I'm sure that some of you here knew about this lens through a member of our forum (convert1), and I found out that he is the only one showing this lens in the Internet, so far. I tried to find everywhere: online shops, Russian dealers, Russian photographers, etc. but none of them ever seen this lens in real life.
I started to be suspicious about this lens. The look of this lens is totally like the Helios 44M, with the additional number 1 next to the M and the two blades diaphragm (still I can't imagine how 2 blades can work for a diaphragm)
The number is not that difficult to add.
Recently we have a two-blade Carenar 50/2.8 appeared in our forum and I'm pretty sure it has a custom made diaphragm, so it's also possible with 44M.
If I know this lens is super rare, I can chase after it for a very long time, but if it's not existed, then I may give up or just ask my Russian friend to build a custom one for me.
Any other one here seen it or had it?

Even the well known and pretty usual Helios 44M is not listed on official Zenith (KMZ) site. If you need this lens for the collection then good luck in hunting for it. If you want a lens (any lens) with 2 blade diaphragm then you can buy Zenitar-M1. If this lens is the same optically as Zenitar-M then it is very good but pricey.

Did you mean Zenitar ME1 with 4 blades? Yes I have one, it's pricey but the quality is top notch, maybe the best 50mm I've had.
But the Helios 44M1, as mentioned by convert1, has only 2 blades, and it have a kind of cat-eye or diamond shape, not square like ME1.

Yes, sorry, it is ME1. But according to the Zenith (KMZ) site it has 2 blades diaphragm, only lenses from some experimental batch have 4 blades and if you have such a lens you are very lucky.


PostPosted: Wed Sep 10, 2014 3:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Oh, my bad, I left it to my girlfriend several months ago that I totally forgot that it has 2 blades instead of 4 Laughing
Maybe because recently I was into the Schneider-Kreuznach Componar 75/4.5, which has 4 blades but it produces the similar bokeh as Zenitar ME1.
Thank you very much for the information, I don't know that fact before Laughing
Maybe the Helios 44M1 is just slightly different in the shape and angle of the two blades.

Because of verifying the information of Zenitar ME1, I found the diaphragm design of this lens, very interesting Very Happy


PostPosted: Tue Sep 16, 2014 4:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Finally I found a piece of information for this lens: It was produced for a prototype of Zenit-7 (Helios 44-1), and substituted by Helios 44-7
Maybe more than one thousand copies of this lens was made.



Link: http://www.sovietcams.com/index.php?1188557885


PostPosted: Tue Sep 16, 2014 5:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Be carefull, this lens is 44-1, not 44M-1. The one with square diaphragm is 44M1.
The 44M1 was produced only in 1979 (supposed). This is the only info I found about it. I also doubt about this lens.