oh yes that's true! At least in the car chase scene. Wasn't sure if it was 44-2 model or 44-something so now we're stocked to have "The Batman lens"! :)
Nice video, and you mention the key disadvantage of flare and ghosting for this lens. However, some of my best portraits of my kids are with this lens, when facing away from the sun. I find it very sharp in the center, and the background bokeh makes the portraits so attractive.
Glad you like it Alex! This is exactly what we are thinking about it. It has its issues but also when used cautiously it produces outstanding pictures. Also we should add that each Helios 44-2 lens is a little bit different and a lot of them are broken, molded or scratched so this should be also taking into account when choosing the right one to buy.
@@zavadventures Thanks! I should note my copy is 44-4 and it has a small front element scratch as well, usually not affecting the sharpness, but does appear to add flare spots.
We’re filming many different things and we can confirm that this lens is truly beautiful for many things. Of course on a more artistic side of things :)
Oh yeah definitely! Takumar is high on our list but unfortunately we don’t know anybody with it and can’t afford to buy any new gear soon. On the other side we already have a couple of interesting lenses to test in near future :)
ayoo, a scott pilgrim reference! edit: oh, they even stated it in the end if you live in ex-USSR country (or near one) it's easy to find it really cheap (like 10-15 euros) on local markets or if you can't find one, you can look for the whole camera like Zenit E or Zenit TTL for 20-30 euros the only downside is it can be damaged or not in a great shape overall (if it has been stored in a humid environment for example, cuz most of them are 30+ years old without use and proper maintenance) so it's kind of a lottery
YEAH! Scott Pilgrim reference caught! We're so glad :) Definitely it's a lottery with these lenses. We had two Helios lenses in the family but only one was usable. It's worn and flares like crazy but for these exact imperfections we like it so much. Not for every project though.
We just watched it and WOW - some of those photos are absolutely INCREDIBLE. Beautiful colours, love the cinematic effects. OH and the intro is absolute killer. SO good to see another vid from you ❤ oh and nearly forgot - your set looks beautiful!
Thank you thank you thank you! 🖤 we highly recommend to have some fun with vintage glass. It has… something in it. Softness, nostalgia, cinematic vibes. All the best stuff :) We’ll continue to explore this topic for sure. Glad you liked it and the photos. It’s actually quite tricky to photograph with this lens 😅 We need to admit - our couch setup is inspired heavily by Becki’s style. Matte black everywhere! 🖤 Do you know the film which inspired the intro?
@@zavadventures You are so welcome. We actually have a few vintage lenses and an adapter! We have done some shooting in the past, but nowhere near enough. We will need to test it out on a proper shoot
There's more than 4 series. There are actually 7, I believe. The later ones had MC reducing flare significantly. Just buy the ones from the KMZ factory. That was the best quality.
Definitely 44-2 has its imperfections and multicoated lenses will have better image quality. This being said... we seek imperfections for their uniqueness. It's a very creative feeling comparing to modern sharp-as-hell, nearly perfect lenses like i.e. sony g masters we daily use.
I bought the Zenit-E on ebay, just to get a decent version of the Helios 44-2 lens. The Zenit-E has some mold in the viewfinder but the lens is fine and I use it with my Canon m50.
Glass nearly always matter more than a camera. Zenith itself is quite tricky and unreliable. There are better options. But you cannot go wrong with a decent Helios! Can’t wait for what you’ll create with it. Congrats 🎉
Great overview of this lens--I think I might give it a try. Quick question--what picture profile / color grading are you doing with your A7III? Looks good!
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it. That’s a great lens and you really can try it without breaking a bank :) We use some tricks on our a7iii to be honest ;) firstly we shoot slog2 with boosted saturation (8bit camera hack described by both Becki and Chris and Dunna Did It on TH-cam) then we apply Becki and Chris’ custom conversion LUT and after that we color grade the footage. We often use film emulation from the “Dehancer” plugin as well. Shameless plug here: if you want to try it out: we have a discount code “zavadventures10” for that plugin. All of these steps combined… it’s a real game changer. This camera is just a small, mirrorless, photo focused body but when thoughtfully taken care of it just works! But only in 25p (or 30p) 4K. Slow motion in 1080 just isn’t good enough in our opinion.
I have same like yours Belomo version(Belorusian),and i have to Valdai and KMZ version.Belomo have lower contrast than valdai and KMZ. But i need to do more test to see.
@@lichinich I got the mighty 44-3 belomo. It’s great and better than any 44m I think. But I found the one problem with CPL filters. The MC version can be soft with fringing so much with CPL. anyway great option with canon 50mm 1.8 lens hood. No contrast or flaring issues with it
A polecacie może jakiś serwis? Mój obiektyw się zaciął na F2. Z tgo co wyczytałem to najpewniej się przycieły ostrza (brak smaru albo brud). Sam nie mam narzędzi ani doświadczenia ;D Mój też wykręciłem ze starego Zenita ;) Pora żeby wskoczył na fudżika.
It has coloured letters so as far as I understand it's most likely KMZ but could be JOV or MMZ. Do you have any reliable source which tells how to distinguish these 3 versions? Either way it is soft. And it has many imperfections, myriad of flares. That's what we like about it!
We took the lens from the Zenith camera we own. Here's our video about it: th-cam.com/video/o3im6qt_RQo/w-d-xo.html
The Helios 44-2 was used in The Batman. Such a nice lens!
oh yes that's true! At least in the car chase scene. Wasn't sure if it was 44-2 model or 44-something so now we're stocked to have "The Batman lens"! :)
@@zavadventures их модифицируют под кино довольно сильно
I saw some nice complete sets in full rehouse. Would like to try these out some time rigged with follow focus etc
the vibes on your channels are so amazing, loved this video!
Nice video, and you mention the key disadvantage of flare and ghosting for this lens. However, some of my best portraits of my kids are with this lens, when facing away from the sun. I find it very sharp in the center, and the background bokeh makes the portraits so attractive.
Glad you like it Alex! This is exactly what we are thinking about it. It has its issues but also when used cautiously it produces outstanding pictures. Also we should add that each Helios 44-2 lens is a little bit different and a lot of them are broken, molded or scratched so this should be also taking into account when choosing the right one to buy.
@@zavadventures Thanks! I should note my copy is 44-4 and it has a small front element scratch as well, usually not affecting the sharpness, but does appear to add flare spots.
@@alexgimagery our friend has a 44-4 so, from what you are saying, we should give it a go!
You guys are so much fun. Keep it coming.
Glad you like it. Thank you! 😊
Ale ze mnie model! I super było Was posłuchać!
Dzięki Radek! Bardzo zacnie żeś wymodelował :)
Great video about the lens, also your video quality is amazing…the setup looks great ❤
Thank you!
I've been following you since today. I will visit your channel more often in the future.
Welcome onboard! Glad to have you here and we hope you'll enjoy other videos :)
Very interesting and enjoyable video. RS. Canada 🇨🇦 🍁
Thanks Richard! So nice to see you stayed for another one :) we will continue the topic of vintage lenses so stay tuned!
If you are filming Nature and are into magical touch this lens is definitely for the job.
We’re filming many different things and we can confirm that this lens is truly beautiful for many things. Of course on a more artistic side of things :)
@@zavadventures Artistic side is the only side I'm into :)
Yes awesome 😎...& Try Jupiter 37a. Takumar50mm1.4
Oh yeah definitely! Takumar is high on our list but unfortunately we don’t know anybody with it and can’t afford to buy any new gear soon. On the other side we already have a couple of interesting lenses to test in near future :)
You guys are fantastic
Thanks David!
PRześwietne intro!!!!
Dzięki! To była świetna zabawa warta guza na czole 😂
ayoo, a scott pilgrim reference!
edit: oh, they even stated it in the end
if you live in ex-USSR country (or near one) it's easy to find it really cheap (like 10-15 euros) on local markets or if you can't find one, you can look for the whole camera like Zenit E or Zenit TTL for 20-30 euros
the only downside is it can be damaged or not in a great shape overall (if it has been stored in a humid environment for example, cuz most of them are 30+ years old without use and proper maintenance) so it's kind of a lottery
YEAH! Scott Pilgrim reference caught! We're so glad :)
Definitely it's a lottery with these lenses. We had two Helios lenses in the family but only one was usable. It's worn and flares like crazy but for these exact imperfections we like it so much. Not for every project though.
hi good Helios 👍
it is a good lens indeed ;)
We just watched it and WOW - some of those photos are absolutely INCREDIBLE. Beautiful colours, love the cinematic effects.
OH and the intro is absolute killer. SO good to see another vid from you ❤ oh and nearly forgot - your set looks beautiful!
Thank you thank you thank you! 🖤 we highly recommend to have some fun with vintage glass. It has… something in it. Softness, nostalgia, cinematic vibes. All the best stuff :) We’ll continue to explore this topic for sure. Glad you liked it and the photos. It’s actually quite tricky to photograph with this lens 😅
We need to admit - our couch setup is inspired heavily by Becki’s style. Matte black everywhere! 🖤
Do you know the film which inspired the intro?
@@zavadventures You are so welcome. We actually have a few vintage lenses and an adapter! We have done some shooting in the past, but nowhere near enough. We will need to test it out on a proper shoot
Totally! You’ll have tons of fun and countless bangers :)
Wow
The effects of this lens are always a surprise!
There's more than 4 series. There are actually 7, I believe. The later ones had MC reducing flare significantly. Just buy the ones from the KMZ factory. That was the best quality.
Definitely 44-2 has its imperfections and multicoated lenses will have better image quality. This being said... we seek imperfections for their uniqueness. It's a very creative feeling comparing to modern sharp-as-hell, nearly perfect lenses like i.e. sony g masters we daily use.
I bought the Zenit-E on ebay, just to get a decent version of the Helios 44-2 lens. The Zenit-E has some mold in the viewfinder but the lens is fine and I use it with my Canon m50.
Glass nearly always matter more than a camera. Zenith itself is quite tricky and unreliable. There are better options. But you cannot go wrong with a decent Helios! Can’t wait for what you’ll create with it. Congrats 🎉
Great overview of this lens--I think I might give it a try. Quick question--what picture profile / color grading are you doing with your A7III? Looks good!
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it. That’s a great lens and you really can try it without breaking a bank :)
We use some tricks on our a7iii to be honest ;) firstly we shoot slog2 with boosted saturation (8bit camera hack described by both Becki and Chris and Dunna Did It on TH-cam) then we apply Becki and Chris’ custom conversion LUT and after that we color grade the footage. We often use film emulation from the “Dehancer” plugin as well. Shameless plug here: if you want to try it out: we have a discount code “zavadventures10” for that plugin.
All of these steps combined… it’s a real game changer. This camera is just a small, mirrorless, photo focused body but when thoughtfully taken care of it just works! But only in 25p (or 30p) 4K. Slow motion in 1080 just isn’t good enough in our opinion.
Positive video and your jokes 😅👌
Thanks!
I have same like yours Belomo version(Belorusian),and i have to Valdai and KMZ version.Belomo have lower contrast than valdai and KMZ. But i need to do more test to see.
Haven’t used these ones but the comparison seems super interesting!
для резкости и контраста попробуйте 44-3
We would like to try that at some point :) but for now we like the softness and imperfections of 44-2. That’s unique
@@zavadventures они на самом деле почти не отличаются. 44-3 более качественный может быть
@@lichinich I got the mighty 44-3 belomo. It’s great and better than any 44m I think. But I found the one problem with CPL filters. The MC version can be soft with fringing so much with CPL. anyway great option with canon 50mm 1.8 lens hood. No contrast or flaring issues with it
I dzięki za siebie? :D
Haha to my dziękujemy!
Hey i got the 44-4 version
Let us know how is it! Much different than 44-2?
@@zavadventures very different. I prefer 44-3 to 44-7.
A polecacie może jakiś serwis? Mój obiektyw się zaciął na F2. Z tgo co wyczytałem to najpewniej się przycieły ostrza (brak smaru albo brud). Sam nie mam narzędzi ani doświadczenia ;D Mój też wykręciłem ze starego Zenita ;) Pora żeby wskoczył na fudżika.
To faktycznie do ogarnięcia w serwisie. A w jakim mieście?
Szczerze? Obojętnie, po prostu zapakuję i wyślę. Wrocław, Katowice, Kraków i Wawka nie są dla mnie problemem nawet osobiście :)@@zavadventures
Did you have the KMZ version? There are some versions of it that are soft and not very good.
It has coloured letters so as far as I understand it's most likely KMZ but could be JOV or MMZ. Do you have any reliable source which tells how to distinguish these 3 versions?
Either way it is soft. And it has many imperfections, myriad of flares. That's what we like about it!
@@zavadventures I have been lately learning about it. And I don’t remember the title, but there is a guide to buying these lenses on TH-cam.
Зря ты, дружище, так Зенит откинул))
странно почему так мало просмотров у вас. думаю видео тянет гдето на 50-70 тысяч
Aw thank you! We’ll be back to the grind soon and maybe something will grow here at some point :)
You are so cute together guys 😇😊
aw thank you!
👌📸👍👍👍
Thanks!