Although the Start had an interchangeable bayonet lens mount, only one lens was ever made for it, the Helios 44. Because of their similarities, the Start earned the nickname “Russian Exakta”. Although it doesn’t look like it, the Start borrowed many design elements from the German made Ihagee Exakta SLR such as the removable prism with split image rangefinder, front shutter release with external coupling for automatic aperture, cartridge to cartridge loading system, and a razor blade to cut the film halfway through a roll. This was the first Soviet made SLR aimed at professionals. This lens becomes a 87 mm on a APS-C, perfect for portraits, especially with the beautiful swirly bokeh.This is a KMZ Start Single Lens Reflex camera made by Krasnogorsk Mechanical Works (KMZ for short) in the former Soviet Union. When this lens is used correctly, the pictures are really good. The lens-body has high quality, and is made of aluminum. However very small screws are used in this lens, which are easily lost or broken.
The optical elements and the focusing mechanism are separated. The aperture should only be closed down to f/11, not further. The aperture can be closed down to f/16, but the blades are not broad enough and the aperture opens up a little bit on the edges. The blades close symmetrically, to form a nice symmetrical round hole in the center of the lens. The build quality is excellent on this lens. The pictures also have a blue tone, especially in dark areas of the picture. It seems that the lens is sensitive to direct sunlight, and I often wrap my hand around the lens to shield it from strong sunlight. The pictures have different color tones between shots, sometimes the picture are warm and sometimes they are not. But if you don't zoom in much, you can not notice any chromatic aberration. In strong sunlight chromatic aberration is clearly visible when you zoom in to the picture. I also have a sigma 18-35, and this lens at f/4.0 is as sharp as the sigma (maybe even sharper). The lens is sharp enough at f/2.0 for portrait shots, but not sharp enough when shooting objects further away. Sharpness: 8 Aberrations: 6 Bokeh: 10 Handling: 9 Value: 10 Camera Used: K-S2
I've had four over the years and only one was good, two interesting, one absolutely awful.īokeh, sharpness, build-quality, easy to open and maintain, nice aperture But some well-made versions get you really lovely and crisp images.
#Helios lens m39 mount software
Again, it's all lucky/unlucky with age, factory quality of build, care by previous owners you'll never get many versions of this lens utterly sharp in image (in comparison with a Takumar 55mm screw-in for the same price, or less) without onboard camera enhancement, or software editing. F11 can be on some lenses, and so can f5.6. Sharpness is the only major let down of this lens. the oil helps to hold aperture and ensure smooth function and to trap dust.
#Helios lens m39 mount manual
And you know that "oil on the blades" that some people think is wrong? It's actually a requirement that was there from the factory, for this is a manual pre-set lens that you open and close by hand. The glass also scratches very easily and many cleaning scratches come with some lenses. On top of that, these are easy to take apart and clean, so many pre-owners who have given-it-a-go have and have ruined some aspects of performance. That means, this lens can come to you as good as the over-excited and seller-reviews state for things like "bokeh" and background distortion, or it could come to you in a very poor version of that expectation. In all the factories this was made in, quality varied through the years. Does it generate more swirl or bokeh? Not really. Does it generate more sharpness? Not really. Is the 44 that different to the Helios 58mm "44-2"? Nope, the difference is all hype and online blurb that hinges on which online secondhand lens trader has a surplus to sell. Just be wise about what you pay, and this lens can bring some interesting and some pretty pictures. But it is still a cheap and cheerful lens, and many have become quite worn out and damaged over the years. Indeed, there is a huge online artisan film photography industry involved in selling these at jumped up prices that some folks will pay for. It was one of the cheapest and most cheerful back in the day, but sadly it has become ridiculously expensive in secondhand online markets that have so many bits of old gear to shift. Sharpness: 8 Aberrations: 8 Bokeh: 8 Handling: 8 Value: 7 Camera Used: Sony mirrorless and film camerasĪ lovely fun lens that can take some beautiful pictures. Overly hyped up by the "Russian Lens" fanclub
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