HELIOS-40 LENS FLARES
If you're a photography enthusiast, you're probably familiar with the joy of discovering unique lenses with interesting backstories. One such lens is the Helios-40 85mm f1.5, an old Soviet era lens with a fascinating history.
As part of the war reparations after World War II, the Soviet Union acquired factory equipment from German lens manufacturer Zeiss and started producing lenses with Zeiss technology. But acquiring the factory equipment and knowing how to use it are two different things resulting in lenses with a lot of unique characteristics. The Helios-40 is one such lens, and it has gained a reputation for its beautiful swirly bokeh. But what isn't talked about as much are the intense lens flares this lens can create.
Recently, I bought a Helios-40 and wanted to showcase one of its interesting characteristics: its lens flares. On a bright sunny day, I stacked two ND filters on top of each other so could cut down the amount of light getting to the sensor while maintaining a large aperture, and here are the results.
I got nice big sun spots on my photos, and you can clearly see the shape of the aperture blades outlined in the sunspots. It's not necessarily the most appealing look and might be distracting if I had a subject matter other than the sky. But personally, I really like it. The other thing I noticed is an intense beam of light streaking across my image when I positioned the sun just beyond the frame of the shot. Again, this would be super distracting if I had a subject in the shot. However, on the other hand, if I wanted to create a shot with a beam of light going through it, I doubt there are many lenses out there that could create a look like this.
The Helios-40's lens flares are intense, and if you're going to shoot in bright natural light and don't want all sorts of lens flares, your best bet would be to buy a lens hood. This lens has a strange filter size of 66mm, so you'll have to buy a 66mm to 67mm step up ring, then buy a 67mm lens hood for an 85mm focal length. The same goes for the ND filters I used. I had to use a 66mm to 67mm step up ring, then a 67mm to 77mm step up ring to get my 77mm ND filters onto the lens.
In conclusion, the Helios-40 85mm f1.5 lens is a unique and fascinating piece of photography equipment with a backstory that adds to its allure. Its intense lens flares may not be for everyone, but for those who appreciate this look, it's definitely worth checking out. Just be sure to use a lens hood and the correct filter size to get the most out of this lens. And don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel and hit the bell icon so you don't miss my review of this lens!
🏆 PRO TIP
There are two different types of M39 mount lenses with different flange distances. If you’re new to the M39 mount check out this video before you buy adapters.
