Helios 44-2 58mm F2, First Impression

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Olympus E-P5, Helios 44-2 58mm F2

#VintageLensTest - Five frames with a Helios 44-2 58mm F2, very strong first impression.

The Helios 44-2 58mm 1:2, a copy of the Zeiss Biotar 2/58, is one of the most popular lenses produced for the Zenit-E series cameras. The lens is single coated, has 6 elements in 4-groups construction with an aperture range from f/2 to f/16 (f/22 later), comes with an M42 mount, and is fully manual with the added advantage of being a preset lens.

Despite its mass-produced and low-cost conjectures, the Helios 44-2 58mm is a much sought-after lens by photo enthusiasts and experimental cinematographers as a 'bokeh master', a lens with good swirling bokeh, and remarkable and unmatched color retention. Admittedly, these first impression images are short of these accolades.

The lens was produced in several variations, which include the Helios-44-2, Helios 44-3, Helios 44-3M, Helios-44M, Helios-44M-4, and Helios-44M-6, which are known to have different characteristics from each other. And like a lot of vintage lenses where quality standards are not inherent in the production process, you have to always be aware of the choices you are making with the purchase.

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