Soviet Union · 6 lenses
Helios and Industar (Soviet lenses)
These are the Soviet lenses that came on Zenit cameras, and the two names cover several factories. The Helios-44 is a copy of the Zeiss Biotar 58mm f/2, made from 1958 to 1999 and one of the most produced lenses in the world. KMZ in Krasnogorsk and MMZ (BelOMO) in Minsk built it first, and in the late 1980s production moved to the Jupiter plant in Valdai. The M42 Helios-44-2 arrived in 1967, when the Zenit-E switched to the screw mount, and kept a preset aperture ring. The 44M versions added a pin-driven automatic aperture, and late versions got multi-coating, marked MC. Like every Biotar-formula lens, the Helios-44 and the 85mm Helios-40 are known for swirly backgrounds. The Industar-61 L/Z is a different design from a different plant, LZOS in Lytkarino. L stands for lanthanum glass and Z for SLR cameras, and many Soviet photographers preferred its sharpness and contrast to the Helios-44.
6 lenses we cover.
- 50mm f/2
Helios & Industar · Nikon F (AI / AI-S)
Helios 81N 50mm f/2
$100–$130 typical ask
17 on eBay
Helios & Industar · M42 screw mount
Industar-61 L/Z 50mm f/2.8
$100–$150 typical ask
21 on eBay
Helios & Industar · M42 screw mount
Helios 44-2 58mm f/2
From 1966
$110–$180 typical ask
45 on eBay
Helios & Industar · M42 screw mount
Helios 44M-4 58mm f/2
1980s–1990s
$95–$130 typical ask
29 on eBay
Helios & Industar · M42 screw mount
Helios 44M-7 58mm f/2
From 1991
$120–$160 typical ask
10 on eBay
Helios & Industar · M42 screw mount
Helios 40-2 85mm f/1.5
About 1969–1990, reissued from 2012
$525–$675 typical ask
4 on eBay
Keep exploring
Mount