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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
11-21-2016, 11:46 AM
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Thank you for reminding us again of your page. The purpose of this thread is to alert users to a possible compatibility problem with non-Zenit bodies that exists with both Helios 44-3 and MC Helios 44-3 lenses made by Belomo. As noted in the original post, not all Helios 44-3 or MC Helios 44-3 lenses have this problem.
The Helios 44-3M has not been discussed on this thread before your comment. Given its unique barrel design, I am would be surprised if there were an issue using this lens on non-Zenit cameras. Thanks for bringing this interesting and unusual lens to our attention.
Steve
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
11-21-2016, 11:44 AM
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Cool! Thanks for closing the loop!
Steve
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
11-12-2016, 08:35 AM
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No, I haven't. 52mm is a reasonable assumption, however.
Steve
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
11-11-2016, 11:56 PM
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Ha! Ha! I am vaguely familiar with that page. The author, no-x, has put a lot of work into the page, but while exhaustive, it is not consistently accurate. Still, it is a good resource. The compatibility note there is derived from this thread and reports elsewhere.
Good luck with your purchase!
Steve
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
11-11-2016, 02:53 PM
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Welcome to the Pentax Forums!
There is a note on the original post regarding year of manufacture and a report of a lens as new as 1994 having the overhanging focus ring. I would suggest that unless you are able to confirm before purchase, be prepared to spend some time grinding the focus ring down to a compatible depth.
helios 44-3 issues | Helios 44 | Flickr
Steve
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
06-18-2013, 09:59 PM
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Cool! It looks like you may have found a solution for Canon users.
Steve
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
04-20-2012, 08:28 PM
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
03-14-2012, 10:06 AM
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At one point, there was some consensus on serial number ranges, though I don't believe that is currently the case. The best solution is to check the photos of the lens base. If there is a clearance issue, it should be obvious.
Speaking of prices...I did a little look-see on eBay recently and was shocked at the high asking prices for the various Helios 44 versions, particularly the 44-3. A few years ago the vendors were selling these lenses in lots of 10 for less than $100 USD for the lot. In fact, the market for all M42 stuff has pretty much gone crazy. Must be all the mirror-less camera people buying stuff up.
Steve
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
04-26-2010, 09:45 AM
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Thank you Duc for sharing this. I read your original posting on the other thread and was extremely surprised. Your 44-2 is of fairly recent manufacture and appears to share the same body as the troublesome 44-3. Who would have guessed?
Steve
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
01-30-2010, 03:31 PM
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My pleasure to be of service!
Steve
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
01-30-2010, 12:19 PM
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You are very welcome to whatever help we can give you, even if you do shoot Nikon ;)
You have two problems:- The weird focus ring
- Infinity focus on the Nikon
The focus ring can be sanded, ground, or machined down. The distance is not very much (a few millimeters) and can be measured by noting the offset from the actual mounting flange. I would probably go as far as the start of the knurling.
As for infinity focus...Nikon cameras have an infinity focus registration just a little bit more than that for M42 (+1.0mm). As a result, M42 lenses do not adapt to Nikon without an auxiliary optic on the rear of the adapter. Unfortunately, that optic often results in image degradation. Solutions vary according to the lens in question. On some lenses (e.g. Zenitar 16/2.8), infinity "run-out" is easily adjustable according to the position of the focus ring itself. This is may be the case with your Helios 44-3. If the "stop" is part of the focus ring, you should be able to simply reassemble the ring so that the index is a little shy of the infinity mark. It will take some trial and error, but might work. (It helps to confirm the infinity focus using a film body with a split-image finder as a reference.)
Again, any other forum members are encouraged to add their advice!
Steve
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
01-29-2010, 09:59 PM
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Welcome to the Pentax Forums!
I wish that I could give you a quick and direct answer on how to grind down the back edge of the focus ring. I don't have a copy of the Helios 44-3 (haven't bought one yet), but by looking at the photograph at the beginning of this thread, it appears that the focus ring might be easily removed by loosening (not removing) the three small "grub" screws that secure the ring to the lens. Once the screws are loosened, the ring should lift off easily. You will probably want to adjust the focus to infinity before removal to make it easier to index the ring on reassembly.
Once the ring is off, you should be able to grind the back face down using sandpaper made for metals. The ring is made from aluminum so a medium grit should be adequate for fast initial cut with a fine grit and/or emery for finishing. Put the sandpaper face up on a flat surface and move the back face of the focus ring against it using a circular motion.
If other readers have suggestions, please jump in!
Steve
BTW...according to the maker's mark, your lens was made by MMZ/BELOMO in Minsk, Belarus (http://cameras.alfredklomp.com/logos/). I believe that this is the case for all MC Helios 44-3.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
11-01-2009, 09:20 PM
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There is a related thread associated with the Flickr Helios 44 group:
Flickr: Discussing helios 44-3 issues in Helios 44 Apparently a user there has a Helios 44-3 with the problematic mount that was made in 1994. So much for the earlier/later theory regarding the incompatible design.
Steve
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
10-29-2009, 10:22 AM
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Georg? You have both versions. Any wisdom here?
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
10-29-2009, 10:17 AM
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Forgot to add that one in. I will edit the comment!
Steve
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
10-29-2009, 10:14 AM
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The 44M-6, 44M-7, and 44-3 are supposed to have the best resolution and also have the advantage of having multi-coated optics. The eight-bladed versions (44M, 44-2, and 44-3) have somewhat better bokeh (at least when stopped down). If you don't mind the pre-set aperture, the 44-3 seems to offer the best combination except for the mount compatibility issue (the purpose of this thread).
Steve
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
10-29-2009, 09:52 AM
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The numbering of the Helios 44 lenses is a bit strange. The short answer is that they represent design/tooling series. While the series are roughly sequential, there is overlap in terms of production dates. Here is copy/paste of a summary I did for another thread:- All share the same optical formula based on the Zeiss Biotar 58/2
- Except for the earliest production, the first two digits of the serial number are the year of manufacture
- Models with "M" or "K" (e.g. 44M-4) have auto-aperture. Those without have pre-set aperture
- Production of both auto-aperture and pre-set aperture models continued into the 1990s
- The early designs have all-metal bodies with the later having more plastic parts
- Models intended for export have Roman characters, while others have Cyrillic lettering.
Helios 44: pre-set aperture, eight or thirteen-bladed iris, most are M39 mount (rarely M42)
Helios 44-2: M42, pre-set aperture, eight-bladed iris
Helios 44-3: M42, pre-set aperture, eight-bladed iris, Multi-coated, updated body
Helios 44M: M42, auto aperture, eight-bladed iris, A/M switch, rare with MC
Helios 44M-4: M42, auto aperture, six-bladed iris, no A/M switch, some with MC
Helios 44M-5: same as above but with improved optical quality and MC
Helios 44M-6: ditto
Helios 44M-7: ditto
Edit
Helios 44K-4: Same as 44M-4 except in K-mount rather than M42
Here is a link to my earlier thread with lots of Helios info:
Sibling Rivalry: Helios 44M vs. Helios 44M-4 Here is another link to an extensive discussion (some of which is mildly inaccurate) of the Helios 44 clan:
Manual Focus Lenses :: View topic - Complete Helios Lens list anyone? Probably more than you wanted to know, eh?
Steve
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
10-22-2009, 05:16 PM
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I just did a look at the current eBay auctions and there is a 44-3, serial #8403347 that has the problematic mount. Apparently the problem existed before 1986 as well.
Steve
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
10-22-2009, 10:50 AM
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Thanks for the info on the affected year. I will update the original post...
Steve
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
10-21-2009, 03:09 PM
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My pleasure. M42 compatibility issues are pretty rare, so I figured it would be a good idea to give this one a little bit of attention. This forum is heavily indexed by Google, so with any luck someone searching for Helios 44-3 will be presented with this thread. :)
Steve
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
10-21-2009, 12:40 PM
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The Russian Helios 44 58/2 lens has received a lot of raves on this site and is somewhat of a cult classic. As many of you are aware the Helios 44 is based on the optically similar Zeiss Biotar 58/2 and is available in a number of different variations based on mount, manufacturer, and diaphragm automation.
Most of the happy Helios owners on this site have one of the M42, automatic aperture versions (44M, 44M-x) or the earlier 44-2 with preset aperture. Although these are the more common variants, there is another version with pre-set aperture, the 44-3, that is highly regarded. The Helios 44-3 often features multi-coated optics and was manufactured well into the 1990s by the Belomo plant. While this lens is desirable, the potential buyer should be aware of a serious compatibility flaw with some (not all) Helios 44-3 lenses.
The Helios 44-3 was originally designed as the normal lens to be shipped with various Zenit 35mm SLR cameras. These bodies have a M42 lens mount with an unusually narrow body flange to accommodate the focus ring on the Helios 44-3. Now you are scratching your heads and muttering "huh?"...let me explain further. The focus ring on a pre-set lens is nearest the camera body with the aperture ring being towards the far end of the lens. On some models of the 44-3, the focus ring nests OVER the lens mount. Here is a picture:
Attachment 45498
The above lens was made in 1986. With many non-Zenit M42 bodies as well as all K-mount cameras (adapted), the focus ring will not clear the mount face on the body to allow for a clean mount. The fix is to machine the back of the focus ring down a couple of millimeters so that it is forward of the mount flange.
Note that this is not true of all Helios 44-3 lenses. The physical design varied over the years. So...before you contract to buy from a Russian or Eastern European seller where a return might be difficult, be sure to request a detailed photograph of the lens mount from the side.
Edit: Apparently date of manufacture is not a reliable indication of whether a lens has the incompatible design. At least one example made in 1994 has the issue (reported by lens owner on the Flickr Helios 44 group).
Steve
(Almost plunked down a few rubles for the above lens before I noticed the mount...)
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