| Author: | | Pentaxian Registered: December, 2016 Location: London Posts: 1,079 | | Review Date: April 18, 2024 | Recommended | Price: $44.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp, works well, auto iris on K body | | Cons: | Seems slightly less contrasty than other Helios lenses I've used | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 8
Camera Used: Pentax K200D
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Saw this on a Cash Converters web site and thought I'd like to give it a try - not entirely needed since I already have a Pentax 50/1.7 K-M, but I've always liked the Helios lenses on other cameras. You can adapt the M42 models to most cameras, but only with manual iris operation, with this lens on a PK you get auto stopdown. The one I have has western labelling, not Cyrillic.
It's a fun lens to use, nice wide control rings and no problems using them, but I don't feel that the pictures are always as contrasty as I prefer. But it's easy enough to tweak them afterwards. I'm going to keep it, at least for now. Some samples:
Lots more pictures here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/150868539@N02/albums/72177720314647572/with/53662968733 | | | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: May, 2016 Posts: 2,722 | | Review Date: September 9, 2016 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp, interesting bokeh, nicely built, affordable, K-mount, much better flare control, not much CA | | Cons: | A bit of softness wide open | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 10
Camera Used: Pentax K-1, Olympus EM1
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I personally love this lens. It worked great on the olympus body, but it truly shined on my K-1. It's sharper than my Helios 44-2 copy, much better flare control (although I kind of like wild flaring on the 44-2), haven't noticed much CA. Stopped down lens is very sharp, it's very close to the level of my SMC 50 1.8 stopped down (which is a pretty sharp, and much newer lens). Not a lot of negatives to me personally. It's not tack sharp wide open, especially noticeable on the FF K-1. But it's K-mount, works very well, and I got it for free when I found my old Zenit 212k with this baby attached to it. Great lens, all Helios lenses are great value, and it's a ton of fun with swirly bokeh, especially visible on a FF body. Recommend it to anyone that can get it. My copy (due to no one using it since my childhood) was in amazing condition, with only focus ring being a bit stiff, which i fixed with some grease. Lens was easy to disassemble and clean out, although I shouldn't have take the helicoid apart, that took a bit of time to put back together)
 | | | | | Forum Member Registered: December, 2014 Posts: 61 | | Review Date: October 30, 2015 | Not Recommended | Price: $20.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | | | Cons: | | | Sharpness: 5
Aberrations: 5
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 6
Camera Used: pentax k5iis
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http://www.penta-club.ru/forum/topic/39796-переделка-объектива-«гелиос-44к-4»-до-объектива-ти/ bought this lens is inexpensive and high quality, I am very happy with this lens and the aperture. I want to show everyone how you can alter and use in the "A". just be sure to put on a permanent aperture (16)
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: February, 2009 Location: SLovakia Posts: 141 | | Review Date: October 1, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $50.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Outstanding bokeh | | Cons: | tough moving focusing thread, 6 aperture blades | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 8
Value: 9
Camera Used: Pentax K-3
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I have bought this russian lens at ebay for 40 euros from russian seller. Primary for its outstanding circle bokeh, which is really beautiful:
Lens is sharp enough, even opened. More aperture blades could be better.
| | | | | | | Senior Member Registered: January, 2013 Posts: 103 | | Review Date: February 24, 2014 | Not Recommended | Price: $10.00
| Rating: 6 |
| Pros: | price | | Cons: | structurally clumsy and coarse glass | | Sharpness: 7
Aberrations: 6
Bokeh: 7
Handling: 6
Value: 6
Camera Used: K10
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Someone joked tight. Helios is structurally clumsy and coarse glass.
Unpleasant in general usage.
To obiektw dla osób lubiących przyciemnione narożniki zdjęć It obiektw for people who like dim corners of the photos and the great aberration 
Under light lens works like an average mobile phone, while looking at the weight in the same time suitable for street fighting.
Yes, when you insist, you can make it a good picture, but I'm not masochist.
| | | | | Pentaxian Registered: October, 2011 Location: British Columbia Posts: 377 | | Review Date: February 24, 2014 | Not Recommended | Price: $75.00
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | Swirled bokeh effect, K mount, centre sharpness | | Cons: | Build Quality (mine broke), price (relative to non-k mount), flare | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 4
Value: 8
Camera Used: K-5
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I have an identical lens to the previous poster.
Sharp in the centre and pleasantly soft everywhere else. Highly prone to flare. The swirled bokeh effect is best visible on film, but works okay on digital crop.
I bought this lens because it was a k-mount lens which would let me use stop-down metering with the green button and so I wouldn't need to use an adaptor with the m42 version.
HOWEVER, the soviet build quality caught up with this old lens. Within two weeks, the focus ring got so tight it could barely be turned. Also, the aperture exhibited some very strange behaviour. It would randomly stop down to f/16 even though it was set to f/2. Sometimes, when stopped down to apertures higher than f/2, it would fail to close down at all. I threw a lot of film away and missed quite a few people shots because of this. Right now, it's gotten to the point where the lens is virtually unusable because correct exposure cannot be had.
Because of the lousy reliability, I would recommend buying an m42 version of this lens. It'll be cheaper than the k-mount version and will be immune to the effects of the self-sentient aperture.
 @f/2
 @f/16 reverse macro
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: January, 2013 Location: Minneapolis, MN Posts: 159 | | Review Date: January 28, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $40.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Swirly Bokeh, Price | | Cons: | Build? | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 10
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Has become one of my favorite lenses for creative shots. Technically, probably not the sharpest tool in the shed but I just stare at the bokeh this cold-war relic creates. I got mine shipped from Russia, Cyrillic engraving and all - who knows maybe they saved the best copies for their own?
Only negatives I can think of are: it's not MC (but I just put on a MC UV filter and call it good) and the build is somewhat wobbly (aperture ring), but the manual focusing feel is very good and accurate enough. Shot below courtesy of the "polar vortex" of 2014:
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;)
;)
