Helios 40 (85mm f:1,5) and Helios 40-2

[Marco Gilardetti]

When a lot of ex-URSS photographic gear flooded the Italian flea markets, among many other things I also bought a Helios 40 (85mm f:1,5). It was an impressive piece of glass, but I never had the chance to use it very much, and when I did it was mostly with aperture stopped-down, so I must confess that I didn't even notice it had a Petzval-type behaviour at larger apertures. It came in a very nice box with a set of filters which were possibly the thicker and more robust I've ever seen. Eventually, however, I ended up re-selling the Helios kit - together with many other things - when I stepped up to the Mamiya RB system, which at the time was an expensive move.

I am lately getting more interested in Petzval-type lenses, and I am indeed tempted to re-purchase the lens I used to own (I agree it sounds pretty silly, but that's life!).

I see that both the older "40" version I used to own as well as the newer "40-2" version are readily available on feepay. The 40-2 is more convenient as it comes natively with a threaded M42 mount. I remeber instead that the Helios "40" had a M39 "Leica style" thread which needed a 39-to-42 step up ring which was quite annoying as the lens' figures and ticks didn't stay really upright.

Has anyone perhaps treid both versions? Are they optically equivalent, or the design of the "40-2" has been changed in some way?

 

[E. von Hoegh]

I use a Helios 58mm f:2, 44-2, M42 mount. It is not a Petzval but a double Gauss, large apertures and close focussing give that nauseating swirly effect. It is a Soviet clone of the Zeiss 58 f:2 Biotar, and stopped down to f:4 and smaller sharpens up nicely, I use it on a Practica LTL3.