Helios (lens brand)

Helios 44-2 lens mounted on a Praktica MTL 5B.

HELIOS-44M-4 fixed lens made in Russia, the brightness of 2.0 focal length 58mm with thread M42. Designed for analog 35mm SLR mount screw as well as for digital SLR after using the adapter bracket.

Helios 40-2

Helios (Russian: Ге́лиос) was a brand of camera lenses, made in the USSR. They were usually supplied with Zenit cameras and thus usable with other M42 lens mount cameras such as the Pentax Spotmatic. Some later Helios models were built also for the Pentax K mount.

The Helios-44 and Helios-40 are derivatives of the Carl Zeiss Biotar optical formula. As all lenses based on the Biotar formula, the Helios-44 and Helios-40 produce an unusual "swirly" bokeh effect to the out-of-focus background. The bokeh "circles" become more elliptical in shape as you move away from the center of the photo. This optical phenomenon gives images rendered by these vintage lenses a distinct character, which has created a cult following among fine art photographers.

List of Helios lenses

Helios Lenses from KMZ^{[cite 1][cite 2]}

Model	Mount	Focal Length	Maximum Aperture	Minimum Aperture
Helios-1		50mm	ƒ/2.0
Helios-2	M42	45mm	ƒ/2.0	ƒ/16
Helios-3		100mm	ƒ/2.0
Helios-23		35mm	ƒ/2.0
Helios-27		135mm	ƒ/2.0
Helios-29		25mm	ƒ/1.5
Helios-31		40mm	ƒ/1.4
Helios-32		15mm	ƒ/2.0
Helios-33	M28	35mm	ƒ/2.0	ƒ/16
Helios-34		15mm	ƒ/4.0
Helios-35		15mm	ƒ/1.5
Helios-39		25mm	ƒ/4.0
Helios-40	M39	85mm	ƒ/1.5	ƒ/22
Helios-40-2[exp 1]	M42	85mm	ƒ/1.5	ƒ/22
Helios-41		150mm	ƒ/2.0
Helios-42		27mm	ƒ/2.8
Helios-43		19mm	ƒ/1.5
Helios-44[exp 2]	M42, K	58mm	ƒ/2.0	ƒ/16
Helios-49		75mm	ƒ/1.5
Helios-50		100mm	ƒ/1.5
Helios-51		200mm	ƒ/1.5
Helios-52		150mm	ƒ/1.5
Helios-53	M42	200mm	ƒ/2.5	ƒ/16
Helios-54		135mm	ƒ/2.0
Helios-55		200mm	ƒ/2.5
Helios-57		9mm	ƒ/3.5
Helios-58		10mm	ƒ/1.6
Helios-61		80mm	ƒ/2.5
Helios-62		29mm	ƒ/1.8
Helios-64		44mm	ƒ/1.8
Helios-65	M42	52mm	ƒ/2.0	ƒ/22
Helios-66		10mm	ƒ/3.5
Helios-67		200mm	ƒ/1.5
Helios-68		200mm	ƒ/1.5
Helios-70	M42, K	52mm	ƒ/1.9	ƒ/16
Helios-76		35mm	ƒ/2.0
Helios-77		75mm	ƒ/2.0
Helios-77M	M42, K	52mm	ƒ/1.8	ƒ/16
Helios-77M-4	M42, K	50mm	ƒ/1.8	ƒ/16
Helios-79		45mm	ƒ/2.0
Helios-81	F	52mm	ƒ/2.0	ƒ/16
Helios-85	M42	85mm	ƒ/2.0	ƒ/16
Helios-88	M42	50mm	ƒ/1.9	ƒ/16
Helios-89		30mm	ƒ/1.9	ƒ/16
Helios-94	Contax-Kiev	50mm	ƒ/1.8	ƒ/16
Helios-97	M42	52mm	ƒ/2.0	ƒ/16
Helios-98	M42	28mm	ƒ/2.8	ƒ/16
Helios-101	M42	52mm	ƒ/1.8	ƒ/16
Helios-103	Contax-Kiev	53mm	ƒ/1.8	ƒ/22
Helios-107	M42	65mm	ƒ/2.8	ƒ/22
Helios-113	M	40mm	ƒ/1.8
Helios-123		50mm	ƒ/1.4

Footnotes

1. The 40-2 is not truly a different optical formula, however its filter diameter was increased from 66mm to 67mm, and its tripod collar was made rotatable. This allows for easier mounting on some cameras. Reflective coatings have also been changed.
2. There have been many variants of the Helios-44 produced since its inception.

References

1. Zenit Lense Catalog (in Russian)