Blast From The Past.

Dale.

Dale.

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Dale.
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So yesterday, I dug this bad boy out. It's been sat in a drawer for years now. I've been doing a liitle project, bringing my older cameras out of their slumber and putting up shelves for them around my workstation. I was gifted this camera and the lens in 1991, ran a roll through it and whilst it all apparently worked, the film was blank when I got it developed. I didn't pursue it further as I had no interest in photography then.

I did keep it though as I appreciated how it looked and also, one day, I might get it fixed. That won't happen now as you can buy working bodies on auction sites for around £8.

I finished the shelves off yesterday and put some of my older cameras on them as well as some lenses.

Regarding the Zenit though, I took it out of its leather case, immediately that old camera smell hit me in the face, only old cameras have that certain smell. I knew the body had some kind of fault (it will still make a lovely ornament and additon though) but I did become very interested in the lens.

The lens is a Helios 44-2. it's a 58 mm and apparently, f2, with a m42 mount, all manual.

So today the search starts for an adapter (they seem to be readily available) so that I can try it on my EF mount cameras. Apparently, the lens has a 'swirly bokeh' which I can't wait to see.

Watch this space.


Untitled 2 tp.jpg
 
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It is a sight to see, that's for sure. Pretty sharp in the middle, but then you look at the edges... :D
 
Really nice lens. Valued by film-makers because of the clickless aperture. Set the "max" aperture with the clicky ring then the smaller ring adjusts between f/2 & whatever you set without any clicking. Quite unusual (& fiddly for stills). Apparently it's pretty soft at f/2 but once you get to f/4 it's not too bad. Good luck with it!
 
I have the 58 -2 and used to use it a fair bit, some shots used to make me go dizzy with the swirls. IIRC twigs and branches were horrid but foliage and short grass was very nice.
 
Harlequin565 said:
Really nice lens. Valued by film-makers because of the clickless aperture. Set the "max" aperture with the clicky ring then the smaller ring adjusts between f/2 & whatever you set without any clicking. Quite unusual (& fiddly for stills). Apparently it's pretty soft at f/2 but once you get to f/4 it's not too bad. Good luck with it!
Click to expand...
Isn't that the "Pre-set" mechanism? On some of my old M42 Pentax lenses you have this, the idea being to set the correct aperture for the exposure, use the other ring to open it up for focusing, then swing it back to match the pre-set value for pressing the shutter release. Or is this something different but similar on the Helios lens?
 
Just a bought a cheapo adapter, so effectively, £4-85 for a 58mm, f2. :banana:

Can't go wrong really and it will be fun finding out about this lens. (y)
 
I have a number of M42 PreSet lenses as I mentioned, operating as described. The precursor to the camera automatically stopping down for exposure. The number of times I forgot to do so...
 
It is from the era when the Yanks were telling us that Russia were a big threat and had technology far beyond what we could believe. And the best technology that they could sell in order to get precious western currency was Zenith cameras and Lada cars :rolleyes:
 
The lens on my first slr had click stops only - not even a pre-set ring. I used to focus wide open (of course!) and then with the camera still to my eye, use my fingers to spin the aperture ring whilst counting the clicks. Worked fine. You lot are spoilt! :D
 
droj said:
The lens on my first slr had click stops only - not even a pre-set ring. I used to focus wide open (of course!) and then with the camera still to my eye, use my fingers to spin the aperture ring whilst counting the clicks. Worked fine. You lot are spoilt! :D
Click to expand...

And if you had a Zorki or Fed you had to do all that whilst wearing welder's gloves to protect you from the swarf!
 
But with a Zorki or a Fed at least you could stop down in advance ... they are rangefinders so you didn't need to focus wide open ...
 
Just don't get the shutter speed setting and winding on in the wrong order... Or drop one on your foot!!!
 
Dale. said:
So yesterday, I dug this bad boy out. It's been sat in a drawer for years now. I've been doing a liitle project, bringing my older cameras out of their slumber and putting up shelves for them around my workstation. I was gifted this camera and the lens in 1991, ran a roll through it and whilst it all apparently worked, the film was blank when I got it developed. I didn't pursue it further as I had no interest in photography then.

I did keep it though as I appreciated how it looked and also, one day, I might get it fixed. That won't happen now as you can buy working bodies on auction sites for around £8.

I finished the shelves off yesterday and put some of my older cameras on them as well as some lenses.

Regarding the Zenit though, I took it out of its leather case, immediately that old camera smell hit me in the face, only old cameras have that certain smell. I knew the body had some kind of fault (it will still make a lovely ornament and additon though) but I did become very interested in the lens.

The lens is a Helios 44-2. it's a 58 mm and apparently, f2, with a m42 mount, all manual.

So today the search starts for an adapter (they seem to be readily available) so that I can try it on my EF mount cameras. Apparently, the lens has a 'swirly bokeh' which I can't wait to see.

Watch this space.


View attachment 444301
Click to expand...

My first SLR was a TTL, should have been called a T55 it was so solid.

gramps said:
Remember having one of these many, many years ago! :eek:

https://flic.kr/p/9n5h3N
View: https://www.flickr.com/photos/57440951@N05/5489334994/in/pool-camerawiki
Click to expand...

Not sure I'd want to be seen using one of those these days. :police:
 
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gramps said:
Remember having one of these many, many years ago! :eek:

https://flic.kr/p/9n5h3N
View: https://www.flickr.com/photos/57440951@N05/5489334994/in/pool-camerawiki
Click to expand...
Ah, the old "Photosniper" kit. Remember those in the back of my Mothers old Kay's Catalog. Even back in the 1970's I was a bit iffy about carrying something like that around - probably why I ended up with the marginally more upmarket Practika.

Nod said:
... Or drop one on your foot!!!
Click to expand...
Never dropped my Practika on my foot. I did drop it the bulk of the Couturier Couloir on the Aig. Verte and left it embedded in the moraine at the foot (I guess, it was about 1200m down and by that time wekk and truly out of my line of sight.
 
Topsy said:
Not sure I'd want to be seen using one of those these days. :police:
Click to expand...
Nor in those days.

I worked with a chap who'd been in the Military Police and did a couple of tours in Northern Ireland during the troubles. He had stories about people using the Zenith Photosniper or the even more gun like Novoflex follow focus lenses. The army guys, he claimed, stood as far away from them as possible. :wideyed:
 
gramps said:
Remember having one of these many, many years ago! :eek:

https://flic.kr/p/9n5h3N
View: https://www.flickr.com/photos/57440951@N05/5489334994/in/pool-camerawiki
Click to expand...


I remember seeing those in catalogues, Freemans, Marshall Ward and the like. You could even buy air weapons from them back in the day.

I did fancy a Photosniper, despite not being into photography as a kid but it was almost irresitable. I'm not sure if I actually went as far as asking for one for Christmas though but it was certainly on my radar.

I wouldn't carry one in public these days.
 
Dale. said:
I remember seeing those in catalogues, Freemans, Marshall Ward and the like. You could even buy air weapons from them back in the day.

I did fancy a Photosniper, despite not being into photography as a kid but it was almost irresitable. I'm not sure if I actually went as far as asking for one for Christmas though but it was certainly on my radar.

I wouldn't carry one in public these days.
Click to expand...

No, I wouldn't carry a Zenit in public either.
 
My adapter arrived yesterday and I have tried the lens on my old 350D. I've gotten mixed results so far, it does seem very soft but I think that's just a case of me getting used to it.

When I do crack it, I will post the results.
 
Talking about getting arrested or shot, Novoflex did some squeeze-trigger follow focus lenses with shoulder stock, interchangeable mounts and 400 & 600mm lens heads.

A couple old lenses

A neighbor of mine is a widow and I'm helping her sell a few of her late husbands lenses. I'm down to these two last lenses, and I really don't know much about them. Make an offer, I have not idea how much they're worth, if anything at all. If they're not worth the cost of shipping I'll...
www.getdpi.com
 
Zenith EM was also my first camera...........enjoyed using it.
 
As a brief aside, I have a Zenit and it's got a dirty great black line dividing the viewfinder. Is that a thing with Zenits?
 
Harlequin565 said:
Really nice lens. Valued by film-makers because of the clickless aperture. Set the "max" aperture with the clicky ring then the smaller ring adjusts between f/2 & whatever you set without any clicking. Quite unusual (& fiddly for stills). Apparently it's pretty soft at f/2 but once you get to f/4 it's not too bad. Good luck with it!
Click to expand...
That was not how the lens was designed to be used.
The F stop is set with the click ring for the correct exposure say f8, the other ring without any click stops is then used to open the lens to F2 so that the photographer can focus the lens as it would be too dark at f8. The ring is then spun back to F8 and the photo is taken. Nothing to do with film makers at all, they would not be able to focus unless they shot everthing at F2 which then means there is no need for the clickless ring.
 
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Plain Nev said:
As a brief aside, I have a Zenit and it's got a dirty great black line dividing the viewfinder. Is that a thing with Zenits?
Click to expand...


MIGHT be that the lens you're using is either too slow for a split focussing screen or stopped down to a point where the screen can't handle it. Or a cracked screen!
 
Plain Nev said:
As a brief aside, I have a Zenit and it's got a dirty great black line dividing the viewfinder. Is that a thing with Zenits?
Click to expand...

Yes, it's a thing, mine has it too.
 
focusing screen looks a bit like this ?

Screenshot 2025-02-02 120506.jpg
if so, it's a focusing aid.

put the circle over a vertical line, and move the focusing ring clock/anticlockwise until the vertical line is straight when the horizontal line in the circle passes through it - if your out of focus fore-or-aft, the vertical line will have a "step" in it.
 
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