[netuser]

Hi all

I have a Helios 44-2 58mm f2 but I'm always reading that takumar lenses are just great and better.

Do you think it's worth to get one ? Or since I have already this Helios is not worth it ?

Thanks in advance for the help

with my good friend Hin about getting too many lenses in the same range. I have a bucketful of 50-55mm lenses and still I lust for a F1.2..... it is just crazy. I think he has talked me down from the ledge.

First off, I have the helios 44-M and it is a really fun lens (as you can tell from my over-posting of test images the last week) I love the OOF areas of the shots. If your copy is as good as mine seems to be, I would shoot with it for a week and see what more you may need from a 50mm lens. If you then really need a faster 50, then by all means the SMC taks are a joy to use. But since you have the helios already you could wait for a really good deal on a tak 50...

I have the S-M-C Tak 50 1.4 and it is a very good lens. Actually I like it better than my FA 50 1.4, because I only use the fast 50's when I know I am going to be in low-light and the MF works as well for me as the AF at F1.4.

I have yet to do a shoot-off between the smc tak and the helios... I am still having too much fun just shooting it.

There will be lots of folks who say to grab the tak 50 1.4, and I say if you can get one cheap then go for it. But until then shoot that helios and see if you really need the tak.

Good luck either way....

[netuser]

..... I say if you can get one cheap then go for it. But until then shoot that helios and see if you really need the tak.

Good luck either way....

Thanks for such a wise advice. Will follow it

[richard64]

Well as Gus says, first see what you can get out of the Helios.

As for the Takumar, well, 50/1.4 s are sought after, so although the price will be cheap compared to a new AF lens, it will be more than other MF 50s. I have an M50/1.4, but I don't use it much. At f/1.4 it is not impressive.

However, an alternative is a 55mm Takumar. The f/2 version was typically the standard lens on a Pentax camera, so there are lots of them available. The f/1.8 tends to go for a little more, but nowhere near as much as a 50/1.4. I also read on another forum that the f/2 version was simply the f/1.8 version but with a limiter. Can anyone comment? Anyway, what is the difference between f/1.8 and f/2? If so, then the 55/2 Takumars are so very cheap it is almost criminal not to have one!

I have an SMC Tak 55/1.8 and it is a great lens even at f/1.8.

Richard

[jsherman999]

with my good friend Hin about getting too many lenses in the same range. I have a bucketful of 50-55mm lenses and still I lust for a F1.2..... it is just crazy. I think he has talked me down from the ledge.

First off, I have the helios 44-M and it is a really fun lens (as you can tell from my over-posting of test images the last week) I love the OOF areas of the shots. If your copy is as good as mine seems to be, I would shoot with it for a week and see what more you may need from a 50mm lens. If you then really need a faster 50, then by all means the SMC taks are a joy to use. But since you have the helios already you could wait for a really good deal on a tak 50...

I have the S-M-C Tak 50 1.4 and it is a very good lens. Actually I like it better than my FA 50 1.4, because I only use the fast 50's when I know I am going to be in low-light and the MF works as well for me as the AF at F1.4.

I have yet to do a shoot-off between the smc tak and the helios... I am still having too much fun just shooting it.

There will be lots of folks who say to grab the tak 50 1.4, and I say if you can get one cheap then go for it. But until then shoot that helios and see if you really need the tak.

Good luck either way....

Here are the images posted by Gus with the Helios, great stuff.


.

[jamonation]

Just out of curiosity, how much to the 44-2 Helios lenses usually cost?

There seem to be many variations of this old "kit" lens -2's -4's and -6's

Mine is the plain old Helios-44M... So I am only recommending this version since I know nothing about the others.

As to cost... they go for about $25 us on ebay, with various prices for shipping.

If you want one you might put a wanted post in our market place on the forum. These were the kit lenses of the Zenits... so there are a ton of them in circulation. Kind of like the Pentax 50 F2's.

A couple of other post with my early test shots.... some some of the close-up/macro shots are with the raynox 250 on the front of the Helios...

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/post-your-photos/41578-helios-44-random-images.html

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/post-your-photos/41580-anti-fall-colors-post.html