KMZ Helios 44-2 58mm f/2

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Soviet 6-element/4-group derivative of the Zeiss Biotar 58/2, built in huge numbers at KMZ, MMZ/BelOMO in Minsk and Valdai, so sample variation is large. Wide open it gives the famous swirling, cat's-eye background with a sharp-enough centre; the simple coating washes out into veiling flare and rainbow ghosts when pointed at light. The preset aperture uses 8 blades and a second, stepless ring. It is the entry drug of vintage cine glass, and IronGlass-rehoused copies were used by Greig Fraser on Dune: Part Two and on The Batman.

Key specs

Focal length

58 mm

Max aperture

f/2

Mount

M42 screw

Image circle

Full frame

Close focus

0.5 m

Filter thread

49 mm

Weight

230 g

Field of view by sensor

Full frame

34.5° horizontal · frames like 58 mm on full frame

Super 35

24.2° horizontal · frames like 83.9 mm on full frame

Micro Four Thirds

17° horizontal · frames like 120.7 mm on full frame

What it goes on

M42's 45.46 mm flange means a cheap glassless ring to Canon EF and to every mirrorless mount; Nikon F needs corrective glass for infinity. The rear element housing protrudes and can catch the mirror of full-frame EF DSLRs (5D series) near infinity, so mirrorless or APS-C is safer. The preset ring is a naturally clickless iris for video; popular mods are oval-aperture inserts for fake-anamorphic bokeh, flipped front element, and full IronGlass MKII rehousing (T2.1, PL/LPL/EF).

• Canon EF camerasWith adapterALEXA 265, ALEXA 35, ALEXA Mini LF, Pocket Cinema Camera 6K G2 +14 more

  M42-EOS flanged ring. Cheap and common. Pick a flanged ring that presses the auto-aperture pin. On full-frame EF DSLRs a few lenses (Helios 44-2, some Takumars) can catch the mirror at infinity.

• Sony E camerasWith adapterRonin 4D-6K, Ronin 4D-8K, Alpha 1 II, Alpha 7 IV +13 more

  Novoflex · K&F Concept · Fotodiox. 27.5 mm of room — a plain mechanical adapter. Manual focus and iris.

• Canon RF camerasWith adapterEOS C400, EOS C50, EOS C70, EOS C80 +10 more

  Novoflex · K&F Concept · Fotodiox. 25.5 mm of room — a plain mechanical adapter. Manual focus and iris.

• L-Mount camerasWith adapterCinema Camera 6K, PYXIS 12K, PYXIS 6K, Ronin 4D-6K +6 more

  Novoflex · K&F Concept · Fotodiox. 25.5 mm of room — a plain mechanical adapter. Manual focus and iris.

• Micro Four Thirds camerasWith adapterMicro Studio Camera 4K G2, Pocket Cinema Camera 4K, Lumix BGH1, Lumix GH6 +1 more

  Novoflex · K&F Concept · Fotodiox. 26.2 mm of room — a plain mechanical adapter. Manual focus and iris.

• Nikon Z camerasWith adapterKOMODO-X 6K S35, V-RAPTOR [X] 8K VV, V-RAPTOR XE

  Novoflex · K&F Concept · Fotodiox. 29.5 mm of room — a plain mechanical adapter. Manual focus and iris.

• Leica M camerasWith adapter· by flange mathsALEXA 265, ALEXA 35, ALEXA Mini LF, Ronin 4D-6K +1 more

  17.7 mm of room for a plain ring. Check rear-element and mirror clearance before buying.

• LPL camerasWith adapter· by flange mathsALEXA 265, ALEXA 35, ALEXA Mini LF, URSA Cine 17K 65

  1.5 mm of room for a plain ring. Check rear-element and mirror clearance before buying.

See every camera this lens fits →

Sources: en.wikipedia.org, japb.net, ironglassadapters.com, petapixel.com