Helios44M-4 58mm F2 Russian Lens M42 Mount

A great, fun little lens to use. The condition of my copy is excellent, with almost no perceptible wear. The focus ring turns SO smoothly with a nice long throw; it's really a joy to use. Compared to what I've seen online of the 44-2, the 44-4 seems to have much better build quality and ease of use.I'm using the lens adapted to Fuji x-mount cropped sensor so the swirly bokeh is more subtle but definitely still there. I'm also finding surprising sharpness in the middle of the image, even wide open. When you combine the bokeh with the beautiful color rendering and falloff in the corners, you get a lens that produces images you just can't get out of modern glass.The price for the lens these days is higher than it was a few years ago (when people were saying you could snag one for $30 or less), which I suspect is due in part to the war in Ukraine. Even so, I'm happy to pay about $80 for one of my favorite lenses. Highly recommend.

I bought the 44-2 several months ago and have really been enjoying it. But I was curious to see what the other Helios lenses were like since they’re so reasonable. So I picked up the 44-4, too.The only real advantage of the 44-4 over the 44-2 is sharpness. The background swirl is easier to achieve with the 44-2 and it has a much dreamier/mystical look to the footage which is probably what you want if you’re looking at this lens. That said, I actually really like shooting with this lens over the 44-2 just because it is sharper. You do have a little more flexibility in that regard. Not everything has to be dead center or stopped down if you want a sharper image. I also love the bokeh roll-off of the 44-4. The background really is quite stellar and I think the sharper image does a lot to bring it out over the 44-2, but I’ll have to do more shooting with both and continue comparing.The images I took from the 44-2, all had a very distinct character that is simply unmatched. That said, the 44-4 is does have a ton of character, it just doesn’t quite match my 44-2 made in the 70’s. You can’t go wrong with either lens as both have lots of character and are fun to shoot with.Edit: I love shooting with this lens over the 44-2 and it’s not even close. I’d recommend this one or the 44m-6 over the original.

If you're curious about purchasing this lens....just do it. I have a 50mm prime that goes with my canon and it's great. I got this anyway because of the price point. It's old and has a nice refreshing metal build. The quality is incredible for its price. You simply cannot beat it. The lens has a slight rock back and forth but it in no way shakes my shot. The main selling point for me was the lens flare. It's glorious. Not too too much either.Get this lens if you are into the art of film. Not if you are going to be doing lifeless stuff for YouTube.

I’m very happy with this lens and seller did a good job describing the item and making sure it was exactly what he said it was going to be. Sometimes when you’re buying the item you get it and it’s disappointing that it doesn’t match up to the description. I ended up paying for expedited delivery because I wanted it sooner which would have been a good month or more to arrive from Russia otherwise. Amazon doesn’t do the math on the price for expediting anything from this distance they only offer the option to do it so when I looked to see what I was charged for it after it shipped I was a bit surprised with the $75 shipping charge which was $10 more than what I paid for the lens. Lol Oh well it’s still a great bargain and a beautiful lens that I will enjoy for years to come. You have to do a little rigging on the aperture to make it function if using adaptor on modern camera. Youtube has videos on how to fix the problem.

First and foremost, the lens I received was in wonderful condition and seems like a brand new lens. It was perfectly clean, no marks anywhere and arrived with both lens caps. I bought this to use for its creative possibilities for use on an Olympus micro four thirds format camera using an adapter. It works very well and using the aperture preferred setting on my camera, it is easy to get the correct exposure. It is manual focus and the focus ring is a little stiff but I have read that this is a property with most of these lenses. I have not owned it that long and have not had that many chances to use it away from the house due to COVID, but the images I have done with it so far I really like. I bought a K&F Concept M42 Lens to Micro 4/3 Lens Adapter,M42 Screw Mount to Micro Four Thirds adapter for it that also works great. I will be buying another adapter for the lens so that I can use it and other M42 vintage lenses I get in the future with my Nikon as well. All in all, I am very happy with my purchase and the vendor. Be aware that this lens does come all the way from Russia so it does take a little while o arrive.

I have manged to use this lens with an ND filter but buyer beware. I received this product with a broken AP ring .

Purchased this lens from Gretta OTO. Arrived as advertised. I do need time to experiment more with it but from the few photos I have taken, it's a nice lens.This review will be updated in the future if needed.

Had a problem with delivery but after I contacted them, they addressed the issue and fixed it-All good.