Helios 44-2 - Insane Story Behind this Historic Lens
Channel: Connor McCaskill 2
Date: 2020-04-30

The Helios 44-2. The history behind this lens is fascinating and had me delving through a ridiculous number of websites/documents to properly research. Its intriguing path involves World War II, the Russian Red Army, stolen designs, and more. It was honestly a joy (even if it took forever to research/edit) to create this video! I hope you all enjoyed it. Please share it with a friend who enjoys interesting history. 

Sources:

CARL ZIESS
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Zeiss_Planar_50mm_f/0.7\
https://casualphotophile.com/2019/02/13/carl-zeiss-jena-biotar-58mm-f-2-lens-review/
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Carl-Zeiss


HELIOS 44-2: 
https://tightcamera.com/helios-44-review/
https://radioreality.city/2019/01/01/a-brief-history-of-optical-formulas-in-the-early-20th-century-and-review-of-the-helios-40-2-lens/
https://alikgriffin.com/helios-44-2-review-king-character/
https://camerapedia.fandom.com/wiki/Helios-44
http://vintage-camera-lenses.com/helios-44-2-58mm-f2/
http://www.legacylens.eu/lens-database/soviet-lenses/helios/

KMZ:
https://shvabe.com/en/about/company/krasnogorskiy-zavod-im-s-a-zvereva/istoriya-kmz/
http://camera-wiki.org/wiki/KMZ
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krasnogorsky_Zavod

My Notes:

History / Development 

* 1958, the original Helios 44-2 was manufactured. 
* Developed by Krasnogorsk Mechanical Works or KMZ
* KMZ was founded in 1942 to develop Optical instruments for the Soviet Army WWII
* Originally in Sverdlovsk Russia, but moved to Krasnogorsk Moscow in 1944
* Stolen Biotar formula, modified and put to work as an M42 mount lens.

How was it Stolen?

* When occupying East Germany in WWII, the Red Army stole the Biotar formula from a Zeiss factory
* Found themselves with the latest in German optical advancements

What’s the Deal with the Biotar Formula?

* Zeiss Biotar 58mm f/2 was released in 1936
* Designed by famous lens designer Dr. Willy Walter Merté
* Utilized a 6-element lens with 3 wide outer elements
* Significant Improvement over their old Planar formula which debuted in 1896
* Previous lenses used a strictly symmetrical glass design

Who is Carl Zeiss?

* Born September 11, 1816, Weimar, Germany
* Eventually created a company with a World Wide reputation for fine optical instruments / Originally microscopes
* Most interesting Zeiss lens: The Carl Zeiss Planar 50mm f/0.7
* The Planar 50mm f/0.7 was designed specifically for the Apollo lunar program to capture the far side of the Moon in 1966.

What makes Helios 44-2 Special?

* Definition of Helios: Greek god of the sun
* One of the most mass produced lenses in history
* That Swirly Bokeh
* It’s soft-dreamlike look
* CHEAP

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Canon EOS R
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