Modern lenses are closer to perfection than ever, offering incredibly sharpness and lacking in aberrations — but are they missing character as a result? By contrast, this vintage lens is something of a classic and there’s a good reason to add it to your arsenal.
For filmmaker Mark Bone, the Helios 44-2 58mm should be in every filmmaker’s bag as it not only will it teach you how to focus manually, but it will also give a distinctive feel to your footage that is pretty much impossible to replicate in the edit.
Vintage lenses bring a unique look and feel to your footage and the Helios 44-2 58mm is one of the more popular options which is fortunate as this old Russian lens is also easy to track down in second-hand camera stores, not to mention Amazon and eBay. For less than $100, you’re buying something which brings with it a provenance that will flavor everything you shoot, getting you away from the digital perfection that risks making everything too crisp and void of character.
If you’re interested in a few other vintage options, be sure to check out this article from Fstoppers’ Robert Baggs which contains a list of his favorite old-school glass. I’m yet to own one but I’d suggest adding the Takumar 35mm f/2 to that selection and it’s a lens that I’m hoping to pick up in the near future.
Do you use vintage glass for your filmmaking? Are you about to make a purchase? Tell us your experience in the comments below.
I guess for video, yes. But I wouldn't want that lens on my dslr
I actually picked up one of these a few years ago with a Canon EF mount. It’s enjoyable to shoot with. Might be easier to use on more modern mirrorless cameras as my 5D lacks any form of focus peaking
There does seem to be an obsession with sharpness and general lens corrections if many comments across social media are to go by. It’s all a matter of taste but I do find most modern lenses lacking in character and too sharp for my liking (ymmv). Whilst I do love the look from vintage lenses, the lack of clickless aperture is an issue (depending on your use case). I currently use a Voigtlander 40mm f1.2 as my go to lens and the de-click feature is great for video.
The 44-2 has a ring next to the aperture ring to allow you to open up the aperture for focusing. It's clickless, so you can set the aperture to F/16 and use that to smoothly adjust anywhere between wide open and minimum. I've never actually shot video with this but that's how I usually end up shooting photos with it... Just to be clear, later versions like the 44m do NOT have this feature.
I watched Mark’s video a while ago and wondered about this lens, as well. I sometimes use an old Canon FD 24mm.
Interesting lens with swirly bokeh but definitely on the soft side compared to modern glass. I flipped the front element on mine. Prices are reasonable enough.
Pro tip: The Helios 81-N is VERY similar (though not identical) to this lens and costs about the same on the used market but instead of being on an M42 mount that is a pain to adapt on certain platforms because you lose infinity focus it is Nikon F mount which is much more practical for many.
I'd also add, if you would prefer a native mount. The relatively new Zenitar 50mm F/1.2 which is native to Canon EF and Nikon F also has a similar character to it. (Zenit makes Helios lenses) As does the Zenit Helios 85 1.4 which is also sold for modern mounts. (Neither has AF)
For Sony E mount users, Zenit also makes a 50mm f/0.95 which is much more expensive but has a similar bokeh character and outperforms all of the above optically.