Sink Waste (Helios-44)

Photographed using one of the relatively early Helios-44 lenses, a preset with unusual positioning of the aperture ring at the front and a scalloped focussing ring close to the camera end. The filter ring is 49mm and there are 13 aperture blades. When I bought it on eBay it was screwed into a Zenit-E. The logo engraved at the front reveals it was manufactured by the KMZ company. It is quite good, if a bit counter intuitive in use.
It was a more up-to-date auto version of this lens that was on my first SLR, a Zenit-EM. I don't think I realised at that time just what a special optic I had.

I have been reading a blog about the Helios-44 used in combination with a Fuji-X camera - www.sharkandpalm.com/photography-tips/walking-through-washington-heights-on-a-rainy-afternoon

The writer enthuses about ‘the gorgeous lo-fi bokeh the Helios 44-4 offers wide open’ and remarks ‘Something I understand more every time I shoot with this lens is the limits of it's sharpness. Even when focus is spot-on, a subject on the edge of the frame hazes and blurs out of focus.’ He is surprised ‘that this cheap vintage glass can perform so well for architectural and landscape shots!’

In a blog reviewing the Helios-44 at www.sharkandpalm.com/camera-reviews/helios-44-4-lens-review-swirly-bokeh-for-portraits he opines that ‘for $30’ it is ‘one of the best portrait lenses for a mirrorless body you can find.’

Regarding the ‘Helios 44-4's Swirly Bokeh’ he finds that, ‘Funnily enough, this optical quality was also considered an engineering defect: newer versions of the Helios lens phased it out. The Helios 44-4, being one of the earliest models, exhibits some of the most dramatic swirly bokeh.’

Camera: Fujifilm X-E1.