Helios 44-2: The Most Popular Camera Lens in History

If you’ve been around photography for long enough, you have likely heard of the famed Helios 44-2. A favorite of the most “hipster” photographers, this historic lens comes from a line of Soviet lenses that actually got its start in Germany as a copy of the famous Carl Zeiss Biotar 58mm f/2 lens. The Soviet Helios 44-2, created in the 1950s, started out as a copy on the popular Zeiss lens of the time, but as the years passed the Helios took on a life – and legacy – of its own.

In a way that was unique to the Soviet optical world, cameras were most often categorized by their lenses. Telephoto lenses were known as Tair, while wide-angles were called MIRs, and the run of the mill standard lens of 35mm Zenit cameras was the Helios. The 50, 58, and 85mm were the first Helios lens options built. It was this 85mm that would become the most famous of the trio over time.

September 1939: Germany invades Poland from the West, sparking WWII. Something that affected the entire globe, and specifically reached the Soviet Union June 22nd, 1941 when Hitler invaded Russia. Russia was suddenly in need of optical instruments for the Red Army. The primary suppliers of these optical instruments were companies like Zeiss, Leica, Canon, Nikon, Pentax, and Fujifilm. And these are all compabies in Axis Power countries. On February 1, 1942, by the order of People’s Commissariat of armament of the USSR, a state optical plant known as Krasnogorsk Mechanical Works or KMZ, a was born in Sverdlovsk Russia.

Fast forward a couple of years and the Red Army now occupied East Germany. Specifically Jena, Germany, where Zeiss glass is manufactured. There, the Russians helped themselves to the Zeiss Biotar lens formula. They proceeded to use this stolen Zeiss equipment to develop their own optical devices for the War.

Zeiss Biotar 58mm f/2

One of the most popular Zeiss lenses was the Biotar 58mm f/2 designed by Dr. Willy Walter Merté in 1936. This lens utilized a 6-element design with 3 wide outer elements which significantly improved their old Planar formula from 1896. And this Biotar lens was wildly popular and highly regarded for its fast aperture and incredible image, which out classed a majority of the market at that time.

This was a nice little war prize for the Soviet Union. They were suddenly in possession of the latest in German optical advancements which they later, in 1958, used to make the original Helios 44-2. A 58mm f2.0 six element lens.

So the Helios 44-2 is Just a Knock Off??

That’s right, the Helios 44-2 is just a cheap knock-off of the better built, sharper Carl Zeiss Biotar 58mm. The KMZ mass produced this lens and sold it at a significantly cheaper price. But even though it was cheap, it still was able to produce a highly pleasing image. It was almost dream-like. The bokeh of the image would swirl around the slightly softened subject creating a unique look. A look that is one of the main reasons you’ve probably heard of this lens already.

And there you go, the history Behind the Helios 44-2, produced from 1958 through the early 90s. And there are several iterative versions, but they are all essentially the same and everyone has their own opinions on which one is the best. Let us know in the comments below what you think of the Helios 44-2! And of course if you have one to sell, head over to Gear Focus and list today!