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I became interested in vintage lenses after reading about the Helios 58mm f2 lens in an article. Intrigued by its creative potential, I bought one to use with my Fujifilm cameras.
What is a Helios 58mm lens?
The Helios 58mm f2 is a cheap Russian lens that you can buy second-hand. It’s manual focus and works with an old-fashioned camera mount commonly used several decades ago – the M42 screw mount. You need to buy an adapter to use it on your camera.
The reason photographers buy this lens is because the optical faults in its design produce a swirly bokeh effect. Shoot wide open, and take a photo of the right subject, and the background seems to swirl around. It’s unusual and can’t be replicated in programs like Photoshop.
These photos are a great example.
Even when you don’t get the swirly bokeh effect, the bokeh is still different. It gives your photos an distinctive look that you don’t get from modern optics.
You can see what I mean in the photos below. Nobody can tell what lens was used, but an experienced eye can see that there’s something striking about the bokeh.
I like vintage lenses because they bring a fun element into your photography and are ideal for experimentation, especially with subjects like close-up photography.
Plus, you can buy a Helios lens for under $100. I have filters that cost more than that. It’s a great way to try something new without spending too much money. It’s a big saving over a LensBaby or Lomography’s Petzval and Daguerreotype Achromat lenses.
The Helios 58mm lens and M42 mount adapter
This photo shows the Helios 58mm lens plus M42-FX adapter. The adapter is nearly as big as the lens. Adapters are available for most camera mounts.
Here are my observations on using the Helios 58mm lens with my Fujifilm camera.
- It’s important to focus accurately when the lens is wide open. If you nail the focus, the part of the subject that is in proper focus is sharp. If you miss focus slightly, it’s very soft.
- Electronic viewfinders make focusing with manual focus lenses much easier. I use focus peaking to see where the zone of sharpness is.
- For the best effect, the background needs to be some distance from the subject.
- The Helios lens is designed for 35mm cameras. That means you need a full-frame camera to take full advantage of the swirly bokeh. The crop factor of APS-C or Micro Four-thirds cameras means that you are missing out on some of it. But don’t let that put you off – you can still see enough of it to get some interesting effects.
Photos made with the Helios 58mm lens
Here are some photos that I made with the Helios 58mm lens.
The first set were made in Jing’an Temple in Shanghai, China.
This one of the first photos that I made in the temple with the Helios lens. The out of focus areas look unusual, but there’s no swirly bokeh.
These ornamental posts caught my eye – I liked the way they receded into the distance, perfect for testing the bokeh of the Helios lens. The bokeh isn’t swirly in this photo, but it’s distinctive.
Then I tried this composition, with green leaves behind. The bokeh is not quite swirly, but it’s getting there. Remember, I used an APS-C camera. You get more swirly bokeh with full-frame.
The next three photos are among my favorite images from the temple. They are close-ups of stone figures on a plinth.
The Helios 58mm lens and close-up photography
Last year I started using the Helios 58mm lens again for close-up photography. I attach a Canon 500D close-up lens so I can get up close to the subject (usually flowers). I’ve made some great photos with it, which you can see below. They don’t have swirly bokeh, but there’s something unusual and distinctive about the bokeh that adds character to the photos.
I made most of the photos in my The End of Summer Project with the Helios 58mm lens (click the link to see some photos from the project).
It’s a great alternative to a macro lens and helps you create photos with distinct character.
Researching vintage lenses
The Helios 58mm f2 isn’t the only vintage lens you can buy. If you’d like to learn more about the topic, then jump on Google, you’ll find plenty of articles. If you’re looking for something that gives your photos character, a vintage lens could be the answer.
Do you have any questions about vintage lenses, or the Helios 58mm lens? Let me know in the comments.
Mastering Lenses ebook
You can learn more about using all sorts of lenses, including vintage lenses like the Helios 58mm, in my ebook Mastering Lenses. You’ll learn how to make beautiful photos with any lens with lots of great ideas like the one in this article.
Click here to learn more or buy
