#Best bokeh lens helios lenses manual#
#Best bokeh lens helios lenses full#
#Best bokeh lens helios lenses series#

Like I mentioned above, I was first drawn to the bokeh this lens produces. Just a reminder to be gentle on yourself and embrace the look. You can definitely have an in focus and out of focus image, but even the in-focus ones will be just a tad softer than if you were using a newer lens. One more thing to note before we get going, this is a vintage lens, and as amazing as it is, it’s not going to be super tack-sharp like the more modern lenses.

#Best bokeh lens helios lenses manual#

Also, because it’s manual focus, I like to use the live view on my camera with focus peaking turned on. Once I received it (about 6 weeks later, due to international shipping), I pretty much left it on for close to a month.īecause this is a manual focus lens, and a slow-to-focus one at that, I highly recommend starting out with stationary subjects: flowers, other nature items, abstract, or the like. Here are my tips, tricks and some inspiration for creating with the Helios 44-2 lens! After a few weeks of this I got curious enough to go try to find one and promptly purchased one. Nearly every time it turned out to be this unknown-to-me lens: The Helios 44. and seeing all these absolutely amazing bokeh filled images. Flashes, studio strobes & various access.Way back last summer, I was scrolling my recommendations page on Instagram.

The sensor of FF cameras also tend to give smoother gradations, which can enhance background blur.įinally, there are ways to enhance background blur in your images after the fact, with software.Īlan Myers 'Walk softly and carry a big lens.'ĥDII, 7DII(x2), 7D(x2) & other cameras.

#Best bokeh lens helios lenses full#

However, to frame the same thing the same way with the same lens, you have to move closer with a full frame camera, which reduces DOF and throws the background further out of focus. There is no difference in DOF and background blur just from changing image sensor size.

You have to find the right compromise of working distance/focal length vs aperture that gives you what you are looking for. An 85/1.8 or 1.4 or a 100/2 or 135/2 might be even better able to render even more blurred backgrounds, depending upon working distance. The 50/1.4 would be a significant step up from your 50/1.8, in terms of background blur or bokeh (8-blades vs 5-blades). You may want to give a less expensive, smaller, lighter 50/1.4 a try first (probably the Canon, the Sigma more often seem to need some Micro Adjust and is almost as big & heavy as the Canon 50/1.2).

A 50/1.2L might be a bit challenging to use on it. it doesn't have Micro Adjust, for example. Your camera doesn't have the most sophisticated AF system. might not be as useful for landscape and such. Also, it's likely optimized for distances out to about 20 feet. Don't expect a big aperture lens to be the fastest focusing (most emphasize focus accuracy over speed). and pretty hard to use well, it's got such shallow depth of field. It's a pretty well made lens, as are most L-series. I've never heard of a 50/1.2L falling apart. Some are specifically designed and optimized to be used wide open, or nearly so. Many are not at their best, are a little soft overall, when wide open. If wanting to use a lens at or near wide open, another factor is whether or not the lens is ideal for wide open use. Also, many modern lenses use a curved aperture blade, further enhancing the roundness of any setting and making for nicer blur effects. Generally speaking, more blades is better, forming a more perfectly round aperture. all lenses give a round aperture when used wide open, but stopped down at all the number and shape of the aperture blades start to come into play. the bigger the aperture possible with a lens, the more blur that's possible.ĥ. the farther away it is, the more it will blur down.Ĥ. Distance from the subject to the background. the closer you are, the shallower the depth of field, the more potential background (and foreground) blur.ģ.

Distance from the image plane to the subject. Conversely, shorter focal lengths have a harder time really blurring down a background.Ģ. the longer a lens, the more it can potentially blur down a background.

#Best bokeh lens helios lenses series#

That mysterious thing called 'bokeh' is determined by a whole series of factors.ġ.