I have no complaints regarding my 44-2 copy.
The improvements were minor, probably improvements in coating, but I understand there is no dramatic improvement in the later models compared to the early ones. The Helios comes in many different versions, 44 were the first ones produced, then followed 44-2 and up to 44-7. There were MANY copies made, some for export, others for the local market, so you can get a copy from Russia or Ukraine where the “helios” is written with Russian letters – pretty cool! Although the ambition to make an “as good as zeiss copy” was not fulfilled, the Helios is still a good lens even with the standards of 2019. The Helios lens was made from sometime in the 1960s to the early 1990s in Russia, and rumors has it that it was an attempt to copy a zeiss lens from that time. So in short, it is so cheap that there is a copy for everyone, and this in combination with the myth around the bokeh probably makes this lens both realistic and attractive for a large crowd. Mirror less cameras have given a revival to vintage lenses with the focus aids like focus peak and focus highlight, making the vintage lenses in general more attractive than in the DSLR days.The lens is OK sharp if you you are so lucky to get a decent copy.Its bokeh is know to be swirly or at least different from what you see with other lenses.There were literally millions of copies made, so the supply is endless and gives a low price (I know some complaint the price has gone up, but really: 50 USD for a fairly good 58mm prime lens?).You can get a copy for 50 USD or maybe even lower with a bit of luck.
The Helios 44 is one of the most debated lenses in photography forums and youtube videos and I imagine the reason probably being:
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