Olympus E-500, Helios 44-2 58mm f/2

Cameras and Lenses: Trying out the legendary cult classic Helios 44-2 58mm f/2 on the equally acknowledged 10MP CCD Olympus E-500 digital SLR camera.

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The Helios 44-2 58mm f/2, born out of the series of Helios-44 lenses produced by KMZ, MMZ, and other factories in Soviet Russia from the early 1970s through the late 1980s, is a legendary Soviet-era cult classic M42 mount preset aperture lens, with a clickless counterclockwise turn (to open) aperture ring located on the front of the lens.

The compact, solid, all-metal and glass design, based on the Carl Zeiss Biotar 58mm f/2, features a 6-element, 4-group construction with 8 aperture blades, a minimum focus distance of 0.5 meters with a magnification ratio of 1:6.5 at its closest focus point, accepts 49mm filters, and weighs approximately 270 grams.

The lens is known for its distinctive 'swirly' bokeh, strong center sharpness, and vintage rendering, characterized by moderate contrast and vignetting at wide apertures. It was introduced as the kit lens for the Russian-made Zenit 35mm SLR film camera series and features a well-recessed front element, almost within a semi-hood, which helps protect it from stray light. On PentaxForums, the lens has a Sharpness rating of 8.8, Aberrations rating of 8.4, Bokeh rating of 9.5, Handling rating of 8.4, and Value rating of 9.7.

Said to be the most mass-produced lenses ever, the Helios-44 series is seen in many versions and iterations, including an early 44 with 13 blades, the 44-2 as shown here, the 44M-4, 44M-6, and 44M-7. While the 'M' designation indicates a M42 mount version, the lens is also available with a 'K' designation for PK-mount versions. Often regarded as the best in terms of image control is the MC 44M-7, which has many fake versions circulating.

On a 2x crop sensor 4/3 digital SLR, the 58mm focal length lens provides a field of view almost equivalent to a 120mm short-telephoto lens on a 35mm full frame camera, a useful focal length for portraits, travel, landscape, wildlife, and event photography. If you are into portraits, the focal length allows for a comfortable distance between the camera and subject for detailed, flattering images with a pleasing background blur.

The focal length, which can be considered a versatile 'all-in-one' lens, is ideal for photographers who want to pack light and treat the lens as a go-to option for a single-lens setup. The focal length is also excellent for macro photography, for close-ups of small subjects like insects and plants, and has the potential to highlight intricate details.

Olympus E-500, Helios 44-2 58mm f/2

The Olympus E-500, which features the legendary 8MP Kodak KAF-8300CE Full Frame Transfer CCD sensor, is prized by vintage enthusiasts as an affordable entry point for those wanting to experience the specific color science of older CCD sensors. The camera captures images in RAW and JPEG formats at up to 3264 x 2448 resolution. When launched in 2005, the E-500 was the lightest interchangeable-lens DSLR then, weighing 435g body-only, and measuring 129.5 x 94.5 x 66 mm.

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