The rare Helios 44M-7

These are so unusual I didn't even know they existed untl I found one. They look just like every other 44M-x but have been tweaked to perfection. Apparently, as with the 44M-6, Russian dealers are making fakes because these are so good. Most 44Ms were made in th KMZ factory but production was moved to the Valdai (Jupiter) plant in the early 1990s, (which probably had something to do with the improvements). The KMZ logo is a ray of light passing through a prism. The Valdai one is often called the 'shish-kebab' - 'cos it looks like one.

That's enough rattle. Here are two pictures from this morning
These were taken at ISO100 and stopped down 2 from wide open - f3.5




The resolution is amazingly fine. I'm looking forward to setting this up on a tripod for some serious focussing.




That's pretty good for such old glass and will give many an expensive modern job a run for its cost

Wow! The 3D effect on shot 1 is amazing. Not usually associated with a Helios. It's better known for swirly bokeh.

It also looks sharp at the edge, which is normally a bit softer than the sharp centre.

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Fantastic shot, that first one. I have the 44-2, so the most common one and love it. In fact, having seen your post today, took it for a little walk earlier

These look good! Loved my copy I had, must get another!

In case anyone was wondering what swirl bokeh is, here is an image I took with the Helios44 wide open. Check that swirl!


Helios44 by Gareth Williams, on Flickr

Some love the swirly bokeh and some hate it. Because it is (officially) considered a defect they gradually bred it out of the 44Ms, culminating with the 44M-7.
The 44-2s however produce the most amazing bokeh effects - Gareth's example is a fairly mild one - so if you managed to get some Mag, please feel free to stick them on this thread. I don't mind in the least.
If anyone is contemplating a 44M6 or 7, make sure that the serial number starts with something in the low 90s. Any in the 80s are likely to be rebadged fakes.
Mine, for example are (44M-7), 93410041 and (44M-4), 834083 and 833186.

Also, they are fully automatic, requiring a slight modification to get full use of the iris. You remove the back cover, having noted how the aperture pin works, and then remove this pin. You cut a 1.5mm length of electrical insulation tube that you have stripped off a piece of 30amp copper wire and push this over the pin shank. When you replace the pin and the back cover, the pin will be in a permanently depressed state, actuating the mechanism and causing the aperture to open and close manually. It's easy - no surprises and nothing will go Pyoiiing!

Finally, when you screw a 44M onto a K flange that has an M42 insert, the catch that releases a normal K fitting lens can drop into one of the recesses where the backplate securing screws are. The lens stops turning (either way) abruptly and might cause you to panic, thinking the lens has jammed on the mount. Just depress the locking catch to free it - it scared me silly until I worked out what had happened. It can do the same with the AF screw so make sure you have retracted it.

Don't ya just love old glass . Beautiful images .

Sean