here, i whipped it out again, the Helios 44-2 2/58. after some months of absence, and a feeling of ennui that strangely reeks of déjà vu, i once again found myself exploring the capabilities of the 44-2. granted, i had been playing with the lens on and off this year, it didn't feel like that much of an absence until CM pointed out that he hadn't seen this lens since last year. two things came to mind as he made that remark - it is nearly a year since i've first gotten reacquainted with the 44-2; the other thing being the realisation that i've made a number of my own photowalks the past year alone. they're not as fulfilling, but it gets the itch scratched.
nonetheless, this is probably the first time i've seriously field-tested the 44-2. as i've mentioned many times before, the swirly bokeh is to die for, the soft focus is a "feature" i love simply because it helps achieve the ethereal aesthetic i've always hoped to achieve in some of my photographs. but the one quirk that bothered me in the past is the lens' inability to focus to infinity. obviously, this made me unable to take scenery photographs with the Helios 44-2.
until i discovered that it is indeed possible to focus to infinity!
this is achieved by making sure the lens' aperture is set to f/5.6 or above when attempting to focus to infinity. i'm not sure why apertures f/2 to f/4.5 will not produce sharp infinite focus photos, perhaps it's just the quality of the lens. Russian cameras and lenses are not particularly known for quality, but hell, their characteristics and quirks certainly make for some interesting photographs. another thing that completely blew me away was how bloody sharp the images turned out when shot in f/16. i find that not only does the Helios 44-2 make for great portraiture photographs (provided you and your subject are patient), but it makes for a great general purpose photowalk lens. coupled with a full frame camera with higher ISO settings and low noise capabilities, i believe i've found a lens that will remain on my DSLR for a long time to come.
that is, until i choke up the cash to purchase the Helios 40-2 85mm f/1.5. that lens is an absolute killer.
nonetheless, this is probably the first time i've seriously field-tested the 44-2. as i've mentioned many times before, the swirly bokeh is to die for, the soft focus is a "feature" i love simply because it helps achieve the ethereal aesthetic i've always hoped to achieve in some of my photographs. but the one quirk that bothered me in the past is the lens' inability to focus to infinity. obviously, this made me unable to take scenery photographs with the Helios 44-2.
until i discovered that it is indeed possible to focus to infinity!
this is achieved by making sure the lens' aperture is set to f/5.6 or above when attempting to focus to infinity. i'm not sure why apertures f/2 to f/4.5 will not produce sharp infinite focus photos, perhaps it's just the quality of the lens. Russian cameras and lenses are not particularly known for quality, but hell, their characteristics and quirks certainly make for some interesting photographs. another thing that completely blew me away was how bloody sharp the images turned out when shot in f/16. i find that not only does the Helios 44-2 make for great portraiture photographs (provided you and your subject are patient), but it makes for a great general purpose photowalk lens. coupled with a full frame camera with higher ISO settings and low noise capabilities, i believe i've found a lens that will remain on my DSLR for a long time to come.
that is, until i choke up the cash to purchase the Helios 40-2 85mm f/1.5. that lens is an absolute killer.
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