Helios lens for Nikon Question....

[Lonnie1212]

Hi Folks,

A friend at work has offered to give me a Helios 44-2 lens. He said that I would have to buy an adapter. I found adapters on eBay for $6.00. Then I read about people having problems with the adapters sticking to their cameras and not fitting properly. I do not need the headache of all that. It might be fun to play around or experiment with a Helios lens though. Does anyone have experience with adapters or Helios lenses?

Thank you,

Lonnie

 

[petrochemist]

I've played with Helios lenses a reasonable amount but never on a Nikon. Nikon DSLRs have longer registration than M42 (the usual Helios mount) so an adapter will need optical elements to focus to infinity. I think a 58mm lens will focus to about 7 yards without these extra optics.

Most reviews of nikon-M42 adapters with optics say the optics ruin the character of the lens but I did once read one that thought they were fine.

As a keen adapter I've used loads of adapters on multiple cameras (certainly over 20 different adapters) and I can say that issues with them sticking to cameras are extremely rare even with the very cheapest adapters. I have met a few adapters that seem a little loose but even this rarely effects the usefulness of the system. If you're still concerned about sticking mount the lens with a short Nikon extension tube before the adapter & just use the lens for close-up macro (with a 10mm tube max focus will be a little over a foot) If some bizarre issue causes the adapter to stick you can still remove the extension tube & have your camera as before.

 

[Lonnie1212]

I've played with Helios lenses a reasonable amount but never on a Nikon. Nikon DSLRs have longer registration than M42 (the usual Helios mount) so an adapter will need optical elements to focus to infinity. I think a 58mm lens will focus to about 7 yards without these extra optics.

Most reviews of nikon-M42 adapters with optics say the optics ruin the character of the lens but I did once read one that thought they were fine.

As a keen adapter I've used loads of adapters on multiple cameras (certainly over 20 different adapters) and I can say that issues with them sticking to cameras are extremely rare even with the very cheapest adapters. I have met a few adapters that seem a little loose but even this rarely effects the usefulness of the system. If you're still concerned about sticking mount the lens with a short Nikon extension tube before the adapter & just use the lens for close-up macro (with a 10mm tube max focus will be a little over a foot) If some bizarre issue causes the adapter to stick you can still remove the extension tube & have your camera as before.

Thank you Petrochemist, it is good to hear your opinion.