I found my dad's old Kiev 19 and attached this lens to my Nikon D5300, amazing lens, the bokeh is fantastic, sharpness is amazing and it's built like a tank, real piece of photography magic
thanks, i am now considering this lens. i love the 2/50 configuration and the images here do not dissapoiint. i am in particular a fan of the colors and swirl in the bokeh
It is my number one favourite Soviet lens and a close second to my Nikkor S•C 50/1.4 for favourite classic lenses that I own. I have disassembled and cleaned the blades twice and my aperture still sticks open. The swirl is there but it's not as pronounced as any of my 44's. Most copies of the 81h have three rows of knurling, for some reason mine has seven. The lanthanum glass make for excellent colour, contrast and sharpness and I've never had any issues with fairing.
How do you find it? My aperture lever keeps getting stuck, which stressed me out quite a bit- I'm scared it might damage my camera if it fails to actuate.
Don’t mount this lens on a Nikon FA as it will get stuck and will need to be disassembled to be removed as a result of a pin on the mount of the FA, it needs to be modified for the FA.
@@SovietLensReviews Жыве! Oh, I hope you triy it someday, it's an amazing lens, I love it very much. It's an amazing pair to fuji xpro-2. And I also like my heli 44-3 interesting lens too.
Hi! ARSAT is the brand name that lenses made at the Arsenal plant in Ukraine took after the fall of the Soviet union. It is the exact same lens as in this video.
I own the two versions of the lens. The 81N and the 81M. Are there differences between the two? The 81M normally comes single coated but there are MC versions, the 81M is bigger too.
Aside from the multi-coating, they are the same, particularly if they're both made at Arsenal. Some of the earlier Helios 81 prototypes/early production was made at KMZ, who decreased the MFD by 5cm, as far as I know, but I have never seen any of those copies in the wild. Either way, I would love to get my hands on an 81M! Can imagine with the single coating it is even tougher to use when it comes to backlighting/flares though.
There was a North Korean version of the 81M called Mokran-86 (950017) that came with the Hakmujong-1 (950130 🔥 858) camera, the camera was like a Kiev 17 mixed with a 19. I think Arsenal exported pieces there and them the cameras were manufactured locally.
@@angelfoto4795 Amazing! I didn't know that the North Koreans made any lenses, that would be a very interesting piece of kit to get my hands on and test.
I highly suspect it was just a rebranded lens because it was identical to the 81M. But yes, it would be cool but only one two photos document this lens.
Отличный объектив сам по себе, но жаль, что он вам попался в таком состоянии. Начал интересоваться советской фототехникой именно с этого объектива в связке с nikon d5100
Gotta Like and Sub to a Perth TH-camr. Have you compared to Nikkor 50/2 or 50/1.8 (various flavours)? Any features that differentiate from the Nikkors generally?
Thanks! I have used a mates old (but still post-2000's) Nikkor 50/1.8 on his D850, definitely sharper around the edges than the Helios, and looks a bit more 'modern'. I prefer the Helios for portraits though.
@@SovietLensReviews Thank you, very much. I came close to buying the old helios 44 8 blades. But I think I will go with the 81m. It looks much sharper.
Vme3000, any Nikon F lens can easily be adapted to Canon EF. The flange focal distance of the Nikon is larger than the canon (and almost every other brand), so the adapter-ring doesn't need any correcting glass. You will not loose any "character" (flaws) of the lens, as long as you use a FF sensor.
@@SovietLensReviews Here are the lens differences: 1. Arsat H 1: 2 50mm has a rubberized focus ring, MS Helios-81H 2/50 has a metal focus ring 2. Arsat H 1: 2 50mm is an AI lens for Nikon cameras. MS Helios-81H 2/50 is something remotely reminiscent of an AI lens. 3. The lenses have different diaphragm blacking. At Arsat H 1: 2 50mm aperture blades are blackened much better than MS Helios-81H 2/50. Diaphragm blackening affects the reflection of light when shooting on closed diaphragms. 4. Different years of release. Logical that the lenses Arsat H 1: 2 50mm newer, which increases the chances of their normal preservation.
I found my dad's old Kiev 19 and attached this lens to my Nikon D5300, amazing lens, the bokeh is fantastic, sharpness is amazing and it's built like a tank, real piece of photography magic
@@zk96 Nice! It really is a great lens
I purchased this lens 2 weeks ago and I love it , definitely is a keeper
thanks, i am now considering this lens. i love the 2/50 configuration and the images here do not dissapoiint. i am in particular a fan of the colors and swirl in the bokeh
Thanks! It really does have a fantastic character to it, between the bokeh and the colours.
Granit 11N 80-200mm F4.5 had also Nikon mount. Great review, by the way.
Thanks! And the Kaleinar-5N 100f2.5. I still have to find myself a good condition Granit 80-200 to review actually!
@@SovietLensReviews isn’t the kaleinar 5n a 2.8?
@@alexblaze8878 Good catch, it is! I was thinking of the Mir-47K
Also Telear-N 3.5/200
It is my number one favourite Soviet lens and a close second to my Nikkor S•C 50/1.4 for favourite classic lenses that I own. I have disassembled and cleaned the blades twice and my aperture still sticks open. The swirl is there but it's not as pronounced as any of my 44's. Most copies of the 81h have three rows of knurling, for some reason mine has seven. The lanthanum glass make for excellent colour, contrast and sharpness and I've never had any issues with fairing.
How do you find it? My aperture lever keeps getting stuck, which stressed me out quite a bit- I'm scared it might damage my camera if it fails to actuate.
Don’t mount this lens on a Nikon FA as it will get stuck and will need to be disassembled to be removed as a result of a pin on the mount of the FA, it needs to be modified for the FA.
Can I use it on my Nikon FM2? Or do I need an adapter?
Does this work with Nikon FE?
Так держать, товарищ = )
For me best helios i ever used is 77m4
But i never tried 81N so i try to find it on the flea market =)
Greetings from Belarus!
Жыве беларусь! I haven't tried the 77m4 either, so many Helioses to try!
@@SovietLensReviews Жыве!
Oh, I hope you triy it someday, it's an amazing lens, I love it very much. It's an amazing pair to fuji xpro-2.
And I also like my heli 44-3 interesting lens too.
Didn’t know there was another Russian lens but in Perth that spoke Russian as well!
hi thanks for this informative video! I found a copy with written ARSAT H 50 f2 on it. What this could be ?
Hi! ARSAT is the brand name that lenses made at the Arsenal plant in Ukraine took after the fall of the Soviet union.
It is the exact same lens as in this video.
@@SovietLensReviews thank you
Does it produce swirly bokeh like the 44-2?
Yep, it does - maybe ~10% less swirly, but still swirly.
@@SovietLensReviews Awesome. 😁
Будете ли сравнивать "helios 81H" и "гелиос 81н"? У нас говорят, что на экспорт шли объективы высокого качества
Я не верю. Но, может быть, если я нашёл экспорт вариант.
I own the two versions of the lens. The 81N and the 81M. Are there differences between the two? The 81M normally comes single coated but there are MC versions, the 81M is bigger too.
Aside from the multi-coating, they are the same, particularly if they're both made at Arsenal. Some of the earlier Helios 81 prototypes/early production was made at KMZ, who decreased the MFD by 5cm, as far as I know, but I have never seen any of those copies in the wild. Either way, I would love to get my hands on an 81M! Can imagine with the single coating it is even tougher to use when it comes to backlighting/flares though.
There was a North Korean version of the 81M called Mokran-86 (950017) that came with the Hakmujong-1 (950130 🔥 858) camera, the camera was like a Kiev 17 mixed with a 19. I think Arsenal exported pieces there and them the cameras were manufactured locally.
@@angelfoto4795 Amazing! I didn't know that the North Koreans made any lenses, that would be a very interesting piece of kit to get my hands on and test.
I highly suspect it was just a rebranded lens because it was identical to the 81M. But yes, it would be cool but only one two photos document this lens.
Отличный объектив сам по себе, но жаль, что он вам попался в таком состоянии. Начал интересоваться советской фототехникой именно с этого объектива в связке с nikon d5100
Я начался с этого объектива тоже, на Nikon D3400
Gotta Like and Sub to a Perth TH-camr. Have you compared to Nikkor 50/2 or 50/1.8 (various flavours)? Any features that differentiate from the Nikkors generally?
Thanks! I have used a mates old (but still post-2000's) Nikkor 50/1.8 on his D850, definitely sharper around the edges than the Helios, and looks a bit more 'modern'. I prefer the Helios for portraits though.
Vostok on your wrist?😊
Good spot, yep 😁
Can this be adapted to canon ef?
I would get the M version, the Helios-81M and adapt it with something like this, yes: ebay.us/MmDwgZ
@@SovietLensReviews Thank you, very much. I came close to buying the old helios 44 8 blades. But I think I will go with the 81m. It looks much sharper.
Vme3000, any Nikon F lens can easily be adapted to Canon EF. The flange focal distance of the Nikon is larger than the canon (and almost every other brand), so the adapter-ring doesn't need any correcting glass. You will not loose any "character" (flaws) of the lens, as long as you use a FF sensor.
I advise you to take a new modification made in Ukraine 90-2000s. Arsat 50mm f2. This is a Modified 81 from the same factory.
Did they change it at all or was it just a rebrand? Either way, will look into, thanks.
@@SovietLensReviews
Here are the lens differences:
1. Arsat H 1: 2 50mm has a rubberized focus ring, MS Helios-81H 2/50 has a metal focus ring
2. Arsat H 1: 2 50mm is an AI lens for Nikon cameras. MS Helios-81H 2/50 is something remotely reminiscent of an AI lens.
3. The lenses have different diaphragm blacking. At Arsat H 1: 2 50mm aperture blades are blackened much better than MS Helios-81H 2/50. Diaphragm blackening affects the reflection of light when shooting on closed diaphragms.
4. Different years of release. Logical that the lenses Arsat H 1: 2 50mm newer, which increases the chances of their normal preservation.
@@Kyraleks1 Interesting, thank you!