(Almost plunked down a few rubles for the above lens before I noticed the mount.) At least one example made in 1994 has the issue (reported by lens owner on the Flickr Helios 44 group). So.before you contract to buy from a Russian or Eastern European seller where a return might be difficult, be sure to request a detailed photograph of the lens mount from the side.Įdit: Apparently date of manufacture is not a reliable indication of whether a lens has the incompatible design. The physical design varied over the years. Note that this is not true of all Helios 44-3 lenses. The fix is to machine the back of the focus ring down a couple of millimeters so that it is forward of the mount flange. With many non-Zenit M42 bodies as well as all K-mount cameras (adapted), the focus ring will not clear the mount face on the body to allow for a clean mount. On some models of the 44-3, the focus ring nests OVER the lens mount.

The focus ring on a pre-set lens is nearest the camera body with the aperture ring being towards the far end of the lens.

Now you are scratching your heads and muttering 'huh?'.let me explain further. These bodies have a M42 lens mount with an unusually narrow body flange to accommodate the focus ring on the Helios 44-3. The Helios 44-3 was originally designed as the normal lens to be shipped with various Zenit 35mm SLR cameras. While this lens is desirable, the potential buyer should be aware of a serious compatibility flaw with some (not all) Helios 44-3 lenses. The Helios 44-3 often features multi-coated optics and was manufactured well into the 1990s by the Belomo plant. Although these are the more common variants, there is another version with pre-set aperture, the 44-3, that is highly regarded. Most of the happy Helios owners on this site have one of the M42, automatic aperture versions (44M, 44M-x) or the earlier 44-2 with preset aperture. As many of you are aware the Helios 44 is based on the optically similar Zeiss Biotar 58/2 and is available in a number of different variations based on mount, manufacturer, and diaphragm automation.

The Russian Helios 44 58/2 lens has received a lot of raves on this site and is somewhat of a cult classic.

Helios lens flickr