KMZ Helios 44-2 58mm F2 Lens

by Daniel Chiam

Okay this is a bit bias caused I never wrote anything about the Nikon Series E lens that I first got before this Helios lens. So, I'll probably have to come up with one soon. So the KMZ's Helios 44-2 58mm f2 lens was mass produced by the Russian back in the late 60's, and for many that has used or own the lens, it is unanimously agreed that the lens were built like a tank! Solid and it feel a bit heavy for its size.

The thing that got me interested with the lens at first was the swirly bokeh that it produces. Some said it was caused by the lens' defect and some people don't quite like the effect of a swirly bokeh, but for most people (like me) love it cause it gives a unique set of style for the lens and also to the arts of photography. 

After using it for almost a month now, I find that the sharpness of the lens is remarkable and the focusing ring is really smooth and easy to adjust. The only downside of the lens for me because the lens is an M42 mount, is that I couldn't get it to infinity for a full body shot (for example) or simply explained, I couldn't get a focused shot when my subject is further than 10 feet away from me. A common problem for all Nikon user I guess. Unless you get an adapter with a cheap glass on it that could affect the quality of the lens. That's why I opted for the adapter without the glass cause I wanted to see the quality of the lens itself.

The Helios lens also have a unique way of setting its aperture. Apparently you can set what is the smallest opening that you wanted to use and then only you can adjust in between the aperture. So the smallest will be f16 for this lens and f2 is the biggest opening. I can set the smallest I want is f8 and only then I can set my aperture between f2 to f8 according to my likeness. Unlike other lenses where you can just simply adjust the aperture without first have to set what's the smallest opening you want. Then again, you can always set it to f16 and just move the aperture ring around like the common lenses. It's no biggie, I just find it unique.

So overall, the Helios 44-2 58mm f2 lens is a keeper if you're looking for a good and cheap portrait lens. Not sure if I can say the same for people who struggle to use manual mode but once you get the hang of it, the Helios lens lineage (which many has claimed it to be the king of bokeh) can sure do wonders for your photos. The Helios lens is so far my main headshot gear right now.

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All images are taken with the Helios 44-2 58mm lens

A Walk in the Woods with Lady D

by Daniel Chiam 

Today I brought Lady D for a walk in the woods to help me with my manual focus practice. I seldom use a manual lens before this and most of the time everything was on autofocus. Recently, I just got my Nikon 50mm f1.8 Series E lens and now I rarely switch it with an autofocus lens anymore. I fell madly in love with the vintage lens and I am determine to stick with vintage lens for as long as I possibly could. The downside for beginners like me, often we find it hard to get the right focus when using a manual lens. Especially the one with big aperture, which often made us desire for that bokeh shots. Go wide open all the way they say...

The truth is, the wider the opening the harder it is to get your subject in focus manually. Before this I always open my lens the widest possible, so that more lights can come in, faster shutter speed and less shaky hands effect. I even took most of my landscape photos that way, which was totally a major disaster. I later realized that with wider aperture, the less details you'll have in your photos and that is not something you want for a landscape photo, and I repented since.  Nowadays I'm very confident with my camera setting and the reason why I always chimping is because I'm worried with my focus. I find it very difficult to get the right focus with the manual lens but I'm too stubborn to give up perfecting it. 

Anyway, today's practice I learnt that you don't necessarily have to go wide open all the time to get that bokeh shots (depends on how much you want your subject to be in focus). I dialed down my aperture a bit and was really happy with all my shots. I need an average of 3 shots to get the right focus. Plus, it will be easier once you have fine tune you diopmeter, so that your eyes could correctly see how much of your subject are in focus and how much will it actually be in focus in the photo, once you have taken that shot. I'm quite happy with my practice results today and the fact that all of it only required effortless post-processing, I can't wait to see if the same can be achieve with live model. 

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