• Blog
  • Calculators
    • Camera Bitrate Converter | Record Time Calculator
    • Diffraction Calculator
    • DoF Calculator | Lens Equivalent
    • Shutter Speed to Shutter Angle Calculator
  • Memory Cards
    • SD Memory Cards Guide
    • CFExpress Type-B Memory Card Benchmarks
    • CFexpress Type-A Memory Card Benchmarks
    • Memory Cards For Canon Cameras
    • Memory Cards For Fujifilm Cameras
    • Memory Cards For Nikon Cameras
    • Memory Cards For Panasonic Cameras
    • Memory Cards For Sony
    • SD Cards For GoPro
  • Accessories
    • Canon
      • Canon R5 Accessories
      • Canon R6 Accessories
      • Canon EOS R
      • Canon RP
      • Canon M50 Accessories
      • Canon T7i / T6 / T6i / T6s
      • Canon SL3 / 250D
      • Canon M6 II
      • Canon M5
      • Canon G1X III
      • Canon G7X III
    • Nikon
      • Nikon Z9
      • Nikon Z6 II / Z7 II
      • Nikon Z6 / Z7
      • Nikon Z50
    • Fujifilm
      • Fujifilm X-H2s
      • Fujifilm X-H2
      • Fujifilm X-T5
      • Fujifilm X-T4
      • Fujifilm X-S10
      • Fujifilm X-Pro3
      • Fujifilm X-T3
      • Fujifilm X-H1
      • Fujifilm X-T200
      • Fujifilm X100V Accessories
      • Fujifilm X100F Accessories
      • Fujifilm X-E4
      • Fujifilm XT30 & XT20
    • Leica
      • Leica Q2 Accessories
    • Panasonic
      • Panasonic GH5 / GH5s
      • Panasonic LX100 II
    • Ricoh
      • Ricoh GR III
    • Sigma
      • Sigma fp
    • Sony
      • Sony A1 Accessories
      • Sony A7IV Accessories
      • Sony A7c Accessories
      • Sony A7sIII
      • Sony A7rIV / A9II
      • Sony A9
      • Sony A7 III, A7r III Accessories
      • Sony A6600 Accessories
      • Sony A6100 Accessories
      • Sony A6000 Accessories
      • Sony RX1R II
      • Sony RX10 IV / RX10 III
      • Sony RX100 IV / RX100 V
    • Drones
      • Mavic 2 Pro
    • Camera Cleaning Gear
  • Lenses
    • Canon RF Lens List
    • Fujifilm G Lens List
    • Fujifilm XF Lens List
    • Leica / Panasonic / Sigma L Lens List
    • Leica M Lens List
    • Micro Four Thirds Lens List
    • Nikon Z Lens List
    • PL Mount Cine Lens List
    • Sony FF E Lens List
    • Sony APS-C E Lens List
  • Store
Alik Griffin
Alik Griffin
  • Blog
  • Calculators
    • Camera Bitrate Converter | Record Time Calculator
    • Diffraction Calculator
    • DoF Calculator | Lens Equivalent
    • Shutter Speed to Shutter Angle Calculator
  • Memory Cards
    • SD Memory Cards Guide
    • CFExpress Type-B Memory Card Benchmarks
    • CFexpress Type-A Memory Card Benchmarks
    • Memory Cards For Canon Cameras
    • Memory Cards For Fujifilm Cameras
    • Memory Cards For Nikon Cameras
    • Memory Cards For Panasonic Cameras
    • Memory Cards For Sony
    • SD Cards For GoPro
  • Accessories
    • Canon
      • Canon R5 Accessories
      • Canon R6 Accessories
      • Canon EOS R
      • Canon RP
      • Canon M50 Accessories
      • Canon T7i / T6 / T6i / T6s
      • Canon SL3 / 250D
      • Canon M6 II
      • Canon M5
      • Canon G1X III
      • Canon G7X III
    • Nikon
      • Nikon Z9
      • Nikon Z6 II / Z7 II
      • Nikon Z6 / Z7
      • Nikon Z50
    • Fujifilm
      • Fujifilm X-H2s
      • Fujifilm X-H2
      • Fujifilm X-T5
      • Fujifilm X-T4
      • Fujifilm X-S10
      • Fujifilm X-Pro3
      • Fujifilm X-T3
      • Fujifilm X-H1
      • Fujifilm X-T200
      • Fujifilm X100V Accessories
      • Fujifilm X100F Accessories
      • Fujifilm X-E4
      • Fujifilm XT30 & XT20
    • Leica
      • Leica Q2 Accessories
    • Panasonic
      • Panasonic GH5 / GH5s
      • Panasonic LX100 II
    • Ricoh
      • Ricoh GR III
    • Sigma
      • Sigma fp
    • Sony
      • Sony A1 Accessories
      • Sony A7IV Accessories
      • Sony A7c Accessories
      • Sony A7sIII
      • Sony A7rIV / A9II
      • Sony A9
      • Sony A7 III, A7r III Accessories
      • Sony A6600 Accessories
      • Sony A6100 Accessories
      • Sony A6000 Accessories
      • Sony RX1R II
      • Sony RX10 IV / RX10 III
      • Sony RX100 IV / RX100 V
    • Drones
      • Mavic 2 Pro
    • Camera Cleaning Gear
  • Lenses
    • Canon RF Lens List
    • Fujifilm G Lens List
    • Fujifilm XF Lens List
    • Leica / Panasonic / Sigma L Lens List
    • Leica M Lens List
    • Micro Four Thirds Lens List
    • Nikon Z Lens List
    • PL Mount Cine Lens List
    • Sony FF E Lens List
    • Sony APS-C E Lens List
  • Store
  • Blog

Are Helios 50m f2 Lenses Good?

  • August 5, 2021
  • AGriffin

The Helios lenses have really grown in popularity over the last few years for their classic rendering and crazy swirling bokeh. But are they really any good?

Today, there are so many awesome new third-party lenses out of China or Japan, the Helios lenses no longer get as much attention as they used to, but they’re still fun lenses to shoot with if you can get a good copy, of course, depending on what you plan on doing with them.

You can still find a few different models of the helios lenses, some rarer than others and they all do slightly different things.

In this post, we are looking at old samples of mine from the infamous Helios 44m-2 on the Sony A7rII. While the 44M-2 does have the most swirl of the Helios lenses, you won’t always see it in general day-to-day shooting.

 

Helios 50mm f2 44M-2 Samples On The Sony A7rII

 

Over the years I’ve shot a bunch with the various Helios lenses on various camera bodies to get a sense of what it’s like with full-frame or APS-C and have learned a few things.

If you’re shooting on APS-C, you won’t really get all the same lens characteristics as you do with a full-frame camera since you’ll be cropping out most of the swirling effects that are in the outer edges of the frame, which is what these lenses, especially the 44-2 are really known for.

To get around this you actually can use an adapter with a speed booster built-in, these are handy to have if you like to adapt vintage m42 lenses, but since they are expensive, this only makes sense if you own several lenses.

I use a Mitakon speed booster, but you have to be a little careful with that one since it can scratch the sensor box on some of the Fujifilm cameras, specifically my X-Pro2.

In general, I do like the Helios lenses though. They have a really smooth, and calm rendering that is really unlike any of my other 50mm lenses. For the price these are listed at on eBay or sometimes Amazon, they can be a lot of fun and are totally worth it if you manage your expectations correctly.

 

Build Quality Issues

Most of the Helios lenses out there have seen repairs or have been refurbished or repacked.

After owning several of the Helios lenses for several years now, I find they can develop issues depending on how well they were refurbished. One of my lenses sprouted mold inside, on another one the oil that lubricates all the parts has become very juicy, and then my 40M has developed a lot of haze.

So you’ll need to be a little careful, you don’t want oil or grease dripping from your lens onto your sensor. I’ve had that happen and it’s not fun to clean up. Actually, in my case, I think it evaporated into my sensor and left little oily spots everywhere, took forever to clean.

BTW, another great lens to checkout is the Industar 58mm 50-2. Fantastic Micro-Contrast.

 

 

How The Different Helios Lenses Compare

I still have the 44M, the 44M-2, and the 44m-4. I don’t really love any one-off them the most, they each have something I really like, and something I really don’t like.

I do not like the preset aperture mechanic on the 44M-2. I think the 44m-4 or the Helios 44m-7 have the best image quality, but the 44M-2 is the one you want for the swirling bokeh which as you can see from these samples, doesn’t always present itself.

 

 

Helios Lens Performance – Are They Good?

All of the Helios lenses I own are fairly sharp at around f5.6 and decent enough at f2 (if you can manage to hit focus), what I really love is the flares they produce.

Not only can they create some nice shapes, but also they do this thing where the highlights will glow a little. Especially on the 44M. It’s something I really love about these old lenses and is a characteristic that you sadly don’t really get with modern lenses anymore. Especially with Fujifilm lenses because their coatings are so damn good.

You will see some issues with CA in high contrast out of focus areas but it’s not really a huge issue.

Check out my Helios 50mm f2 44m-2 review if you want to see more details on the performance on that lens.

 

 

Classic Lenses vs Modern Chinese Lenses

With brands like 7Artisans, TTArtisans, Meike etc, is it worth even buying these classic lenses anymore?

Yes and No.

Yes, in that none of these Chinese brands have really nailed it when it comes to full-frame classic lenses. Their APS-C lenses are great and have a nice classic rendering with a ton of pop and sometimes cool flaring patterns, like the Pergear 35mm, 50mm, or 25mm. But I’ve yet to really find a full-frame lens that’s comparable to a helios.

I have the Meike 50mm f1.7, which is a full-frame lens, but it never really blew me away when it comes to the character or how it renders, even though it gets decent scores with the test charts.

So for full-frame, it’s still worth collecting old Minolta, Canon, Helios, Industar, Jupiter, etc lenses. For APS-C, you can get a lot of cool results from TTartisans, 7Artisans, Pergear, etc. Unless maybe if you use speed boosters / focal reducers on your APS-C cameras.

If you shoot Sony, there is actually an autofocus A-Mount screw drive to E-Mount adapter now, which is really great if you have old AF Minolta lenses.

 

**This website contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you click them to make a purchase.
AGriffin

Professional editor, blogger and photographer from Los Angeles California.

Related Topics
  • California
  • Helios 44-2
  • Incidental
  • Kalina
  • Santa Monica
  • Sony A7rII
  • Street Photography
  • VSCO
You May Also Like
BB2 Blower Review
View Post
  • Accessories
  • Accessory Reviews
  • Blog
  • Reviews

NiteCore BB2 Electronic Blower Review

  • AGriffin
  • January 10, 2023
View Post
  • Blog
  • Lens Reviews
  • Lenses
  • Reviews

Voigtlander Ultron 35mm f2 Review

  • AGriffin
  • January 10, 2023
Lexar New CFexpress A 320GB
View Post
  • Blog
  • Memory Cards

Lexar 320GB CFxA Memory Card – The Best Card Yet?

  • AGriffin
  • December 21, 2022
Leica M11 With Voigtlander 35mm f2
View Post
  • Blog
  • Camera Reviews
  • Reviews

Leica M11 Review | An Icon With Some Glaring Problems

  • AGriffin
  • January 19, 2023

IG Landscapes @alikgriffin

IG Streets @griffinalik

Twitter Feed
Fall colors in Japan on Kodak Gold. #leica #kodak #landscapephotography https://t.co/JByXZHQsSj
2 days ago
  • Reply
  • Retweet
  • Favorite
Follow
Popular Articles
  • BB2 Blower Review 1
    NiteCore BB2 Electronic Blower Review
  • 2
    Voigtlander Ultron 35mm f2 Review
  • Lexar New CFexpress A 320GB 3
    Lexar 320GB CFxA Memory Card – The Best Card Yet?
  • Leica M11 With Voigtlander 35mm f2 4
    Leica M11 Review | An Icon With Some Glaring Problems
  • Kalina Posing 5
    I Still Love This Lens – Here is why
Join The Fun! Sign Up To The Newsletter!


*You will need to confirm your email. Check your spam folder after hitting subscribe.

About Me

A professional freelance trailer editor. I've been blogging for a decade and this site focuses on benchmarking memory cards, camera accessories, and lens reviews. There will be a shift towards more education with color and editing so be sure to hit the bell in the bottom right to subscribe for updates. Read About to learn more.

Popular Lens Reviews
  • 1
    A Complete List Of Fujifilm Lenses | X-Mount
  • Nikon Z 50mm f1.8 S Lens Review 2
    Nikon Z 50mm f1.8 S Lens Review & Sample Photos
  • 3
    Kamlan 50mm f1.1 II Review & Sample Photos
  • 4
    Meike 35mm f1.7 Review & Sample Photos
  • 5
    Meike 35mm f1.4 Review & Sample Photos
Memory Card Guides | Benchmarks

Memory Cards For Canon R5

Memory Cards For Canon R6

Memory Cards For Nikon Z6II / Z7II

Memory Cards For Nikon Z5

Memory Cards For Fujifilm X-T4

Memory Cards For GoPro Hero 9

Memory Cards For GoPro Hero 8

Privacy Policy | Ethics Statement | Licensing

Copyright © Alik Griffin Inc. 2021

Input your search keywords and press Enter.

Manage Cookie Consent

We use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.

Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}