But the most important topic for me is the diversity of the colors of the gosts in MC Helios when used back light. I prefer my MC Helios because they perform better than non MC Helios. In the Helios MC 44M-X the too shaning diaphragm blades do not help but the multiple coating do. Second, the Helios 44 and 44-2 tend to be good, the high number of not too shaning diaphragm blades tend to help but the single purple coating not. TL-DR: my copy is a good 50, and more importantly it has tons of carachter, so can't complain of course if it were a landscape lens it would have been another story altogether. > The SMC-M is much sharper at the corners again ultra-sharp corners is not something I'd necessary look forward to in a portrait/specialty lens. > As for the aberrations, the SMC-M has always had those acqua halos around highlights, and those are a tad greener on the Helios > Color-wise the Helios is a little yellower and faded (same WB, same settings, same all) > The bokeh shape obviously is different, with the Helios showing less dents the first clicks from wide open ), but it more than makes up in carachter what it lacks in tecnical qualities. It's a 1992, KMZ-made 44K-4 58/2, and it's almost hurtfully sharp in the middle of the APS-C frame already at 2.8Ĭompared to the Pentax it's about a stop worse, and corners are lacking w/o and at f/2.8 (well w/o is a complete mess. Just have one, but can compare with the Pentax SMC-M 50/1.7 Heck, you might even come across some brick wall samples Many images are labelled with the lens used to create them. So, if one values just sharpness maybe look at other lenses if after quality construction, ditto but if the goal is that particular look in images that other more modern lenses can't match exactly, look at samples (Flickr) where one might find what he/she likes. The clunkiest and most rattly is the 44-4 I have but that is probably abuse from the previous owner. But if one is after sharpness, I find that the copy I have of the 44-7 is best there. I value 'render of the image' which incidentally is not quantifiable and I have to say the 44-2 pleases me best there. Some value sharpness (I don't call it IQ because quality is something else for me), some value construction, some value bokeh and some even looks of the lens itself. Well maybe not as far as that, but you get my drift. Note that micro4/3 probably has very different performance, partly due to the smaller sensor, but also due to the thicker sensor cover glass.Īt least you are aware ( I hope) that there is more than one way of measuring 'best'. Keep in mind I've used these on APS-C and FF, where all three are 'A' for IQ on both formats and 'B' for build quality. The bokeh are not great, showing some bright line artifacts as well as FF vignetting and swirl (which these lenses are known for). Rendering in general is very typical USSR/Zeiss and build is unfortunately very Soviet (solid, but crudely finished), with good color and decent resolution. They are all similar, but the 44M-7 is slightly better. The 44M-7 came to me with an oily fingerprint on the element next to the oily aperture iris (which I cleaned). It's nearly flat, so idiots often reassemble the lens after cleaning with it accidentally flipped. If yours is really bad, check that the rear element isn't flipped. The sample variation on the Helios lenses is HUGE, so YMMV. I now have a growing collection of Helios lenses including 44-2, 44-3, 44M, 44M-4, 44M-5, 44M-7.

I don't suppose my measure of 'best' is quite what you're looking for but I thought I'd share my thoughts anyway The bokeh is very smooth (or swirly in the right conditions), I like quite like the wacky flare it can produce and it is plenty sharp enough for the majority of my shooting. For the type of shots I often take, 13 aperture blades mean I can shoot at any aperture without having to think about hexagons or octagons showing in the background. No question, my scratched and rough M39 silver 44.īut it's got nothing to do with sharpness.

What do you think? Which Helios-44 is your 'best'? I know that performance could vary from copy to copy, but I really was expecting more from the 44M-5 and 44M-7. I often use the 44-2 which is the oldest and a preset lens, but I also like the 44M-4. I was expecting that the 'best' of these lenses would be the 44M-7 in terms of resolution and sharpness, but I did a few tests and I am not sure. I am sure this has been discussed before, but as I now have a growing collection of Helios lenses including 44-2, 44-3, 44M, 44M-4, 44M-5, 44M-7 I thought I could ask anyway.

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