The Holy Trinity of Analogue Lenses

It must be at least five years since I inherited a collection of analogue lenses (yes, analogue is the right term, unlike vintage) from the grandfather of a family friend. As the title and former lens owner might suggest, our subjects of focus are not from this century, but rather from the second half of the previous one. We will be taking a look at the marvelous and quirky Flektogon 35mm f/2.4, Helios 44-2 58mm f/2, and Orestor 100mm f/2.8.

Flektogon 35mm f/2.4 (left), Orestor 100mm f/2.8 (middle) and Helios 44-2 58mm f/2 (right)

Each lens in this holy trinity has a very specific and unmistakable look. The most recognizable aspects are probably their unique bokeh, exceptionally shallow depth of field, and behavior against direct sunlight.

In photography, bokeh is the aesthetic quality of the blur produced in out-of-focus parts of an image, whether foreground or background or both. It is created by using a wide aperture lens.
-Wikipedia

The best way to understand why this old junk is worth our attention is to take a look at some visual examples. In the demonstration video below, I tested the mentioned lenses with our main camera, the Sony A7 IV. Because the mount on all of these lenses is basically just a screw thread, I had to use an M42 to E-mount converter. There are no contacts for autofocus, exposure, or aperture—just a simple screw. The combination of a contemporary mirrorless camera, an external monitor, and analogue lenses is a particularly remarkable experience.

The available focus peaking and decent screen size of the Atomos Shinobi 5" monitor allow you to appreciate the charm of the delightful analogue lens bokeh and color rendering in real-time. This is a huge step up from having to wait for post-production, which I had to do back in the day when I only had a Canon 6D—a DSLR without any focus support. One of the main reasons you'll appreciate a larger display and focus peaking is the exceptionally shallow depth of field, that I will get back to later.

Helios 44-2 58mm f/2

Helios 44-2 58mm f/2 with Lumix GH6

Helios 44 is well-known for the wonderfully imperfect bokeh it produces. To increase the volume of these bubbles, working with vegetation is great; trees in direct sunlight can create surreal yet sharp images. With certain appeture and light conditions, you might get almost an anamorphic looking bokeh, just line in the example bellow.

Despite it's debatable construction, it is worh mentioning it's accurate colour rendering, especially midtones and shadows.

Flektogon 35mm f/2.4

Flektogon 35mm f/2.4 with Canon 6D

Quality-wise, the Flektogon probably boasts the most supreme construction. The lens is very sharp, and it can focus from a very short distance of 20 cm (for comparison, the 1800 EUR Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM lens has a minimum focusing distance of 27 cm!). The construction of the lens is very solid, and unlike the others on this list, it has a more contemporary aperture-switching mechanism: a simple dial. The lens breathing is also acceptable.

This already shallow depth of field can be easily amplified through a set of extension rings mounted between the camera body and the lens. In combination with the Flektogon 35mm—which can start producing sharp images from as close as 2 cm by default—we are dealing with a very fun macro setup.

Orestor 100mm f/2.8

Orestor 100mm f/2.8 with Lumix GH6

Even though the Orestor 100mm was manufactured in East Germany (DDR)—which was often a source of innovation and inspiration for Soviet engineers—it ranks last on this list in terms of construction and quality. Yes, it is a very compact lens for a 100mm focal length, but the aperture mechanism is a bit tedious. When you open it all the way to f/2.8, you have to press a spring that pushes it back to f/22, from which you can then open it back up to a wider aperture.

However, there is a certain quirk of the Orestor that we shall call a feature: its focus imperfection when shooting wide open. Finding the right focus can be tricky. Even when you hit the focus range perfectly, it might feel like you just missed it due to the very soft aura right on the borderline between the focused object and the background - just like around the cheeks of the model above.

Not only does this lens trio look great in a forest during the day, but they have also been essential partners throughout my professional career. With a bit of practice and a sharp eye, these lenses have handled portraits, concerts, events, and stills better than many of my modern digital pieces.

In conclusion, there are hundreds of M42 mount lenses manufactured in the last century, offering an infinite spectrum of focal lengths, apertures, and flares just waiting to be tried out. If you are looking for another exceptional analogue lens, I would point you toward the Carl Zeiss Pancolar, famous for its ring of fire, or the 85mm member of the Helios family, which elevates the bubble bokeh introduced here by its little brother to a whole new dimension.