The best place I think have discovered to get the highest quality Helios 44-2 is via Iron Glass in their Cine-Modded section. They are the ones who rehoused them for the Dune 2 production. It costs a bit extra, but they will source the lenses for you, clean the lenses, add up to 16 aperture blades, de-click lens and add the correct mount (PL, Sony E, Canon EF, M4/3 and FUJI mounts) without the need for an adapter which is so nice. They also add gears to the aperture and focus rings. They add a 77mm front thread for filters and also will add an anamorph-fake with different options and flare tints. Probably the most thorough way to ensure its gonna work great! They also offer this type of service for a whole range of soviet vintage lenses from 16mm-135mm and even offer them in lens sets that work well together.
The Helios is an amazing lens. I picked up a 44M with just an Anamorphic bokeh insert, no wire for flares (I didnt want that effect, this time). It instantly made filming anything with my recently acquired A7S ii so awesome. Dare I say, "Cinematic" , everyone should get one, and why not, the price is pretty good for all the fun you will get out of it.
Got myself the 44-2 KMZ version but without the anamorphic mod. It IS cine modded though (focus follow rings and de clicked aperture). Never thought I’d ever get this lens considering just a few years ago I was seeking perfection, hence owning a sigma art 40mm f/1.4 lens.
Thanks for this review. I've seen a few floating around locally, but didn't completely understand what I could do with one. I'll get one and let's see what I can do with it.
Thank you Prem! Good question! I was thinking about getting an amber one, since I personally find the blue flares to be a little artificial and I don't often shoot night life scenarios. I ultimately went for the clear version which is simply just a regular fishing wire and a black bokeh insert at the very back without any internal painting work. Hope you can judge the versatility of this choice by the footage you've seen in the video.
@@MarcelGlas I know the Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar 50mm inside out. I repaired multible of these old lenses. The hardware has some flawes, but this can be overcome with some tricks. The modifications are even reversable. For a design from 1902 this lens is crazy charp wide open and steped down it can compete with modern lenses in charpness. It is called the eagles eye for a reason. Only 4 elements with few / no coatings means the colors are beautifull. You can push them a lot in post processing and it still looks great. It makes it possible to create a lot of different styles. 5 Aperture blades are not so common these days. A nice look if you ask me. I like it more then even numbered blades. Wide open the bokeh is a dream. Absolute smooth and a suttle pronounciation towards bubbles, but I would not call the balls bubbles. They are round up to the corner. This lens can focus as close as 35cm. So you can call it a macro lens as well. I made my version extra smooth in the focus action. The focus trow with 300 degrees makes it really easy to focus manually. It is just a joy to use. But you have to be avare of a spreat in production quality. Especially in later years. That is, what I have noticed.
@@DynoosHD Thanks for the detailed description! Sounds very interesting. I have a lot of respect for people who dare to open a lens or even mod it themselves. I love how organic many of these old lenses feel and how easily they can be adapted nowadays.
I'd love to believe it, and I used to, but no. Shooting RAW vs not shooting raw is different and I can tell the difference. I'm not disagreeing that any modern sony / canon that doesn't shoot raw is capable of creating stunning images. But still, once you go RAW, you just can't go back. The difference is in post - the colours, when changing exposure and WB. The colour's richness, depth and saturation is vastly superior in RAW. The AMOUNT of colours...it really does make a huge difference. Blackmagic DESTROYS the (non-raw) competition for this reason. Meanwhile, great vid.
Thanks for taking the time to comment! I do agree with you on a lot of points you touched on. The flexibility of RAW footage truly is something else. The reason I'm careful about calling it the superior choice for any and all situations is to prevent people from thinking it is necessary for them to create quality work. I don't like the trend of TH-camrs constantly giving you the feeling of owning inferior equipment - as if it wasn't high end tech some time ago. If people have the option to do RAW recording and can affoard the larger file sizes, they might as well do it. If not, it shouldn't bother them too much.
Thank you for a nice reply also. I see your point, makes sense. I just jumped in too early with something I feel strongly about and have a lot of experience with. Although your last point regarding file size...12:1 compression from BRAW is truly amazing - it almost defies physics. I shoot nothing else, even on the big jobs. Whatever they did to make BRAW is so understated it's incredible.
@@mtscott44 No worries mate! I see where you're coming from. Currently working on a multi-cam project with several Black Magic 4ks and 6k and the footage runs insanely smooth in Resolve.
I sympathize with people wanting to get the most for their money but with 10bit color, you can push and pull the look of an image so heavily, it doesn't matter if the camera captures skin tones more towards green or magenta. 👍
![ILLSLICK - THE KING'S LANDING [Freestyle]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/feIJJnNkTfk/mqdefault.jpg)
The best place I think have discovered to get the highest quality Helios 44-2 is via Iron Glass in their Cine-Modded section. They are the ones who rehoused them for the Dune 2 production. It costs a bit extra, but they will source the lenses for you, clean the lenses, add up to 16 aperture blades, de-click lens and add the correct mount (PL, Sony E, Canon EF, M4/3 and FUJI mounts) without the need for an adapter which is so nice. They also add gears to the aperture and focus rings. They add a 77mm front thread for filters and also will add an anamorph-fake with different options and flare tints. Probably the most thorough way to ensure its gonna work great! They also offer this type of service for a whole range of soviet vintage lenses from 16mm-135mm and even offer them in lens sets that work well together.
Totally agree with what you've said Owen! I'm glad that so many of these old gems get a second life on modern cameras.
The Helios is an amazing lens. I picked up a 44M with just an Anamorphic bokeh insert, no wire for flares (I didnt want that effect, this time). It instantly made filming anything with my recently acquired A7S ii so awesome. Dare I say, "Cinematic" , everyone should get one, and why not, the price is pretty good for all the fun you will get out of it.
100% agreed 🙌
Just ordered mine for 50€, can't wait to have!!
Glad to hear, I bet you'll love it!
be aware of the manufacture. Not every Helios is outstanding. U need the 70s or before. All after that are garbage
Got myself the 44-2 KMZ version but without the anamorphic mod. It IS cine modded though (focus follow rings and de clicked aperture).
Never thought I’d ever get this lens considering just a few years ago I was seeking perfection, hence owning a sigma art 40mm f/1.4 lens.
Good choice! This will give you plenty or character, I'm sure
Thanks for this review. I've seen a few floating around locally, but didn't completely understand what I could do with one. I'll get one and let's see what I can do with it.
You're welcome Chris. I believe you'll enjoy the unique twist this one can add to your future projects. 🙌
Nice video. Love the Helios 👍🏻have a great day 😊
Thanks! You too ✌️
Looks amazing. Do you know which factory version yours is?
Thank you! Mine is from MMZ.
Love this video and really want to get my hands on a Helios 44-2 lens. Where did you get yours? Do you have a link?
If you're interested, you might want to check out the channel Retro Foto House on TH-cam. He sells them on ebay. 🙌
Beautiful shots with the Helios! Where can I buy the modded version? Seems a no brainer for the extra cost.
Thanks a lot! I got mine from ebay. Look for something like "Helios 44-2 anamorphic mod". 🙌
appreciate it thanks :)@@MarcelGlas
Did you pick the amber streak version? The video is beautifully shot. I think you did full justice to the lens.
Thank you Prem! Good question! I was thinking about getting an amber one, since I personally find the blue flares to be a little artificial and I don't often shoot night life scenarios. I ultimately went for the clear version which is simply just a regular fishing wire and a black bokeh insert at the very back without any internal painting work. Hope you can judge the versatility of this choice by the footage you've seen in the video.
Have a look at the Carl Zeiss Jena 50 f2.8
That is my favorite vintage lens.
I've heared a lot of great things about Zeiss lenses. How would you describe it's character?
@@MarcelGlas I know the Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar 50mm inside out. I repaired multible of these old lenses. The hardware has some flawes, but this can be overcome with some tricks. The modifications are even reversable.
For a design from 1902 this lens is crazy charp wide open and steped down it can compete with modern lenses in charpness. It is called the eagles eye for a reason.
Only 4 elements with few / no coatings means the colors are beautifull. You can push them a lot in post processing and it still looks great. It makes it possible to create a lot of different styles.
5 Aperture blades are not so common these days. A nice look if you ask me. I like it more then even numbered blades. Wide open the bokeh is a dream. Absolute smooth and a suttle pronounciation towards bubbles, but I would not call the balls bubbles. They are round up to the corner. This lens can focus as close as 35cm. So you can call it a macro lens as well.
I made my version extra smooth in the focus action. The focus trow with 300 degrees makes it really easy to focus manually. It is just a joy to use.
But you have to be avare of a spreat in production quality. Especially in later years. That is, what I have noticed.
@@DynoosHD Thanks for the detailed description! Sounds very interesting. I have a lot of respect for people who dare to open a lens or even mod it themselves.
I love how organic many of these old lenses feel and how easily they can be adapted nowadays.
Excellent!
Hey, thanks for watching!
Just found your YT dude! Love the videos 🙏 think I need one of these lenses!
Hey man! Glad you're here. 🙌 I'm sure you'll find it to be a very inspiring little lens!
Ordered one! Look forward to trying it out when it arrives :)@@MarcelGlas
Great work,and i have one
Thanks a lot!
Were did you buy this lens with the modification?
There are several sellers on ebay or etsy. Most of the time you can even customize it like choosing the color of the anamorfake flares.
Where did you buy?
There are a bunch of people mass selling it on ebay. You'll be able to easily find one.
4:10 wait a second are not the last 2 both kmz??? I hope I didnt just waste my money on the worse one if they are different lol
I'd love to believe it, and I used to, but no. Shooting RAW vs not shooting raw is different and I can tell the difference. I'm not disagreeing that any modern sony / canon that doesn't shoot raw is capable of creating stunning images. But still, once you go RAW, you just can't go back. The difference is in post - the colours, when changing exposure and WB. The colour's richness, depth and saturation is vastly superior in RAW. The AMOUNT of colours...it really does make a huge difference. Blackmagic DESTROYS the (non-raw) competition for this reason.
Meanwhile, great vid.
Thanks for taking the time to comment! I do agree with you on a lot of points you touched on. The flexibility of RAW footage truly is something else. The reason I'm careful about calling it the superior choice for any and all situations is to prevent people from thinking it is necessary for them to create quality work. I don't like the trend of TH-camrs constantly giving you the feeling of owning inferior equipment - as if it wasn't high end tech some time ago. If people have the option to do RAW recording and can affoard the larger file sizes, they might as well do it. If not, it shouldn't bother them too much.
Thank you for a nice reply also. I see your point, makes sense. I just jumped in too early with something I feel strongly about and have a lot of experience with. Although your last point regarding file size...12:1 compression from BRAW is truly amazing - it almost defies physics. I shoot nothing else, even on the big jobs. Whatever they did to make BRAW is so understated it's incredible.
@@mtscott44 No worries mate! I see where you're coming from. Currently working on a multi-cam project with several Black Magic 4ks and 6k and the footage runs insanely smooth in Resolve.
what font it is?
It's called Bee four. You can purchase it for commercial use from Adobe and several websites. ✌️
Yup modern lenses are too perfect, and have no soul
Totally agreed. Today's high resolution cameras and all the cheap adapters out there give us so many possibilities for unique looks.
those comparisson videos are ass. Ture colors? man what about arri or red having a little "issue". Well for arri or red it is more seen as a feature.
I sympathize with people wanting to get the most for their money but with 10bit color, you can push and pull the look of an image so heavily, it doesn't matter if the camera captures skin tones more towards green or magenta. 👍
Great video but please you don't wan't to be another cheap GxAce copy, find your own style and don't force it. Wish you the best
I love that guy and take this as a compliment but I don't think I see the parallels you are seeing. Thank you for your good wishes 🙌
great video dude
Thank you Bryan! Glad you enjoyed it!