Chasing Perfection

This artistic image characterized by its dreamy glow, soft focus, swirly background and vivid colors was obviously based on reality but then something happened. Was it 'Shopped' by an aspiring artist? Could it have been rendered by an AI program? Actually these unique characteristics were created by a vintage lens adapted for use on modern digital cameras. To make things more interesting, the lens was also modified to accentuate the very optical flaws designers worked hard to minimize.

Optical imperfections make images interesting and rarely exist in today's optically sanitized lens designs. In our quest for technical perfection, have modern lenses lost the very characteristics that differentiates them?  Given the rising demand for 'flawed' vintage lenses on modern mirrorless cameras, is a market developing to remanufacture these vintage classics? Let's begin examining the world of vintage lenses with the Helios 44m 58mm f2.0 lens and the industry's ongoing quest for perfection.

CONTENT WARNING:

The remaining post contains excessive technical material non-geeks may find boring.

Leading camera manufactures are always striving for perfection, especially with lenses and image quality.  Despite best efforts to produce 'The Perfect Image,' the task of converging light into a single point is difficult if not technologically impossible.   It never worked quite right and any slight imperfection produced aberrations noticed as variations in focus, brightness, sharpness, magnification and/or color inconsistencies within the image.  So, from a manufactures perspective, the lenses were not perfect and viewed as flawed.

These image defects not only varied between lens designs, but also between manufactures.  They were very distinctive and those in the business could quickly identify the lens manufacturer and design simply by viewing sample images.  Many of these same individuals quickly learned, when used correctly, lens aberrations could add interest to images and set their work apart from competition. Although still debated, photography was becoming an art form.  So, from a photographers perspective, the lenses were not perfect but, viewed as creative tools.

In later posts we will review several vintage lenses including their design, distinctive image qualities and their role as compositional tools.  But first we will look at a very unique vintage lens with an interesting pedigree, the Helios 44m 58mm f2.0.

The Helios 44m 58mm f2.0 is a Soviet copy of the Carl Zeiss Biotar 58mm f2.0 German lens. The Helios is known for its unique 'swirly' bokeh, as well as its relative sharpness.  It was mass produced in the Russia for several decades, making it a popular and inexpensive vintage lens.  This is all very interesting, but nothing compared to its history.

You may have noticed the Helios 'is a Soviet copy of the Carl Zeiss Biotar 58mm f2.0 German lens'.  The Germans didn't exactly give permission to copy their Biotar design it was more or less taken.

The first Biotar was designed in Jena, Germany by Carl Zeiss in 1927.  Since Jena is located in eastern Germany, after WWII the Zeiss factory fell under Soviet control.  Eventually lens production resumed with existing old new stock.  German lenses were precise instruments and required attention to detail. Under Soviet control quality began to suffer.  Stock soon depleted and equipment began showing it's age.  Sample variations increased.  The popular Biotar design was also ported to several additional Soviet locations to mass produce inexpensive copies of the lens.  This went on for decades flooding the market giving everyone a chance to own this vintage classic.

Now with the lens history and Soviet mass production topics covered there is one remaining item yet to cover.   Earlier the statement 'the lens was also modified to accentuate the very optical flaws' was mentioned.  The mod known as 'Reverse Globular Modification' is simply flipping the front lens element.

The results of this mod on a Helios lens are quite obvious in this post's image.  What is not obvious is how aperture affect the results.  With the lens stopped down, image rendering is similar to an unmodified version.  Opening the aperture gradually increasing the effects.  This image was close to wide open.

The Helios 44m 58mm f2.0 lens is a fun lens and well worth owning in both the original and modified versions.  As with all vintage lenses, shooting is full manual, but that makes it fun.