BETTER than the HELIOS 44? Helios 81N 50mm f2.0 Review

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Everyone knows about the Helios-44, but the Helios-81N (52mm) is the often-overlooked younger brother of the famous Soviet nifty fifty. Find out how this Nikon-mount lens incorporated cutting-edge Soviet technology to set new benchmarks in resolution, even matching it's contemporary German competitor at the time, the Carl Zeiss Planar.
Here's a few Helios-81N's I'd recommend purchasing on eBay:
1. ebay.us/33YwaA - Brand new, made in '89
2. ebay.us/9zcf8R - Good copy
3. ebay.us/bAMc7a
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FYI:
My eBay links usually are referral links! It means I get a tiny bit back from eBay if you purchase something from them, at no extra cost to you. All proceeds will go towards funding rare and exciting lenses for review!
0:00 - Introduction
0:25 - Tech Specs
1:35 - Lens History
3:46 - Lens Ergonomics
4:31 - Lens Sharpness
5:28 - Sample Photos
6:12 - Flaring and Aberrations
7:09 - Conclusion
Songs used: Acacias Time - Interstellar Expedition

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Опубликовано:

21 июл 2024

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Комментарии : 49

@zk96 2 дня назад

I found my dad's old Kiev 19 and attached this lens to my Nikon D5300, amazing lens, the bokeh is fantastic, sharpness is amazing and it's built like a tank, real piece of photography magic

@SovietLensReviews 2 дня назад

@@zk96 Nice! It really is a great lens

@nicusorapostol 2 дня назад

I purchased this lens 2 weeks ago and I love it , definitely is a keeper

@campbells0ups 10 месяцев назад

thanks, i am now considering this lens. i love the 2/50 configuration and the images here do not dissapoiint. i am in particular a fan of the colors and swirl in the bokeh

@SovietLensReviews 10 месяцев назад

Thanks! It really does have a fantastic character to it, between the bokeh and the colours.

@theprinceentertainment6401 3 года назад

Granit 11N 80-200mm F4.5 had also Nikon mount. Great review, by the way.

@SovietLensReviews 3 года назад

Thanks! And the Kaleinar-5N 100f2.5. I still have to find myself a good condition Granit 80-200 to review actually!

@alexblaze8878 3 года назад

@@SovietLensReviews isn’t the kaleinar 5n a 2.8?

@SovietLensReviews 3 года назад

@@alexblaze8878 Good catch, it is! I was thinking of the Mir-47K

@user-de8ub2dr1x Месяц назад

Also Telear-N 3.5/200

@maxsingh9770 2 года назад

Don’t mount this lens on a Nikon FA as it will get stuck and will need to be disassembled to be removed as a result of a pin on the mount of the FA, it needs to be modified for the FA.

@gallimaufry13 5 месяцев назад

Can I use it on my Nikon FM2? Or do I need an adapter?

@myblueandme 2 года назад

hi thanks for this informative video! I found a copy with written ARSAT H 50 f2 on it. What this could be ?

@SovietLensReviews 2 года назад

Hi! ARSAT is the brand name that lenses made at the Arsenal plant in Ukraine took after the fall of the Soviet union. It is the exact same lens as in this video.

@myblueandme 2 года назад

@@SovietLensReviews thank you

@RivieraUnivox 2 года назад

It is my number one favourite Soviet lens and a close second to my Nikkor S•C 50/1.4 for favourite classic lenses that I own. I have disassembled and cleaned the blades twice and my aperture still sticks open. The swirl is there but it's not as pronounced as any of my 44's. Most copies of the 81h have three rows of knurling, for some reason mine has seven. The lanthanum glass make for excellent colour, contrast and sharpness and I've never had any issues with fairing.

@bzztbzztboy Год назад

How do you find it? My aperture lever keeps getting stuck, which stressed me out quite a bit- I'm scared it might damage my camera if it fails to actuate.

@himangshumahanta5398 Год назад

Does it produce swirly bokeh like the 44-2?

@SovietLensReviews Год назад

Yep, it does - maybe ~10% less swirly, but still swirly.

@himangshumahanta5398 Год назад

@@SovietLensReviews Awesome. 😁

@xejogear1136 3 года назад

For me best helios i ever used is 77m4 But i never tried 81N so i try to find it on the flea market =) Greetings from Belarus!

@SovietLensReviews 3 года назад

Жыве беларусь! I haven't tried the 77m4 either, so many Helioses to try!

@xejogear1136 3 года назад

@@SovietLensReviews Жыве! Oh, I hope you triy it someday, it's an amazing lens, I love it very much. It's an amazing pair to fuji xpro-2. And I also like my heli 44-3 interesting lens too.

@0x00000101 Год назад

Будете ли сравнивать "helios 81H" и "гелиос 81н"? У нас говорят, что на экспорт шли объективы высокого качества

@SovietLensReviews 10 месяцев назад

Я не верю. Но, может быть, если я нашёл экспорт вариант.

@angelfoto4795 3 года назад

I own the two versions of the lens. The 81N and the 81M. Are there differences between the two? The 81M normally comes single coated but there are MC versions, the 81M is bigger too.

@SovietLensReviews 3 года назад

Aside from the multi-coating, they are the same, particularly if they're both made at Arsenal. Some of the earlier Helios 81 prototypes/early production was made at KMZ, who decreased the MFD by 5cm, as far as I know, but I have never seen any of those copies in the wild. Either way, I would love to get my hands on an 81M! Can imagine with the single coating it is even tougher to use when it comes to backlighting/flares though.

@angelfoto4795 3 года назад

There was a North Korean version of the 81M called Mokran-86 (950017) that came with the Hakmujong-1 (950130 🔥 858) camera, the camera was like a Kiev 17 mixed with a 19. I think Arsenal exported pieces there and them the cameras were manufactured locally.

@SovietLensReviews 3 года назад

@@angelfoto4795 Amazing! I didn't know that the North Koreans made any lenses, that would be a very interesting piece of kit to get my hands on and test.

@angelfoto4795 3 года назад

I highly suspect it was just a rebranded lens because it was identical to the 81M. But yes, it would be cool but only one two photos document this lens.

@PIR0kaR Год назад

Так держать, товарищ = )

@vme3000 3 года назад

Can this be adapted to canon ef?

@SovietLensReviews 3 года назад

I would get the M version, the Helios-81M and adapt it with something like this, yes: ebay.us/MmDwgZ

@vme3000 3 года назад

@@SovietLensReviews Thank you, very much. I came close to buying the old helios 44 8 blades. But I think I will go with the 81m. It looks much sharper.

@sidekickbob7227 2 года назад

Vme3000, any Nikon F lens can easily be adapted to Canon EF. The flange focal distance of the Nikon is larger than the canon (and almost every other brand), so the adapter-ring doesn't need any correcting glass. You will not loose any "character" (flaws) of the lens, as long as you use a FF sensor.

@YB12388 10 месяцев назад

Vostok on your wrist?😊

@SovietLensReviews 10 месяцев назад

Good spot, yep 😁

@stevenkerr1455 10 месяцев назад

Didn’t know there was another Russian lens but in Perth that spoke Russian as well!

@bradl2636 2 года назад

Gotta Like and Sub to a Perth RU-vidr. Have you compared to Nikkor 50/2 or 50/1.8 (various flavours)? Any features that differentiate from the Nikkors generally?

@SovietLensReviews 2 года назад

Thanks! I have used a mates old (but still post-2000's) Nikkor 50/1.8 on his D850, definitely sharper around the edges than the Helios, and looks a bit more 'modern'. I prefer the Helios for portraits though.

@0x00000101 Год назад

Отличный объектив сам по себе, но жаль, что он вам попался в таком состоянии. Начал интересоваться советской фототехникой именно с этого объектива в связке с nikon d5100

@SovietLensReviews 10 месяцев назад

Я начался с этого объектива тоже, на Nikon D3400

@Qgo1 27 дней назад

I advise you to take a new modification made in Ukraine 90-2000s. Arsat 50mm f2. This is a Modified 81 from the same factory.

@SovietLensReviews 26 дней назад

Did they change it at all or was it just a rebrand? Either way, will look into, thanks.

@Kyraleks1 20 дней назад

@@SovietLensReviews Here are the lens differences: 1. Arsat H 1: 2 50mm has a rubberized focus ring, MS Helios-81H 2/50 has a metal focus ring 2. Arsat H 1: 2 50mm is an AI lens for Nikon cameras. MS Helios-81H 2/50 is something remotely reminiscent of an AI lens. 3. The lenses have different diaphragm blacking. At Arsat H 1: 2 50mm aperture blades are blackened much better than MS Helios-81H 2/50. Diaphragm blackening affects the reflection of light when shooting on closed diaphragms. 4. Different years of release. Logical that the lenses Arsat H 1: 2 50mm newer, which increases the chances of their normal preservation.

@SovietLensReviews 20 дней назад

@@Kyraleks1 Interesting, thank you!