February 4, 2021

From Gerald R. Lucas

’Nother Russian covid-19: day 318 | US: GA | info | act

Another after-school shoot with Henry, who seemed more enthusiastic today about the camera than usual. Today, I put the Helios 44m-4 2/58 on the SL. It’s turning into a week for the Russians. The weather was not as nice today as it was yesterday—a bit overcast and cold—but we captured quite a few, and I even got one 5-star image, which is a rarity.


Even under overcast skies, the colors are pretty good on the Helios. We’re getting a bit of the bokeh swirl early versions of this lens are known for. The contrast is higher than the Jupiter-8, reminding me more of a contemporary DSLR lens. I’m not quite sure I nailed the focus here, but you can see individual strands of hair, so you know the lens is plenty sharp.

When I converted to black and white, the lens produced a different kind of magic.


So which one of the above is the 5-star image? Autumn thinks it’s the black and white portrait on the left. Do you agree? I know which one I would print and frame.

Leica Camera and Lens Information
📷: Leica M8 (09/2022–) • Leica M (Typ 262) (01/2017–12/2020) • Leica SL (Typ 601) (12/2020–). Leica Lenses: Leica Summicron-M 2/50 (Typ IV)Leica Summicron-M 2/35mm ASPH (Typ V). Other Lenses: Asahi Super-Takumar 1.4/50 8-ElementAsahi Super-Takumar 1.8/55Asahi Super-Takumar 2.5/135Canon 1.4/50 LTM Helios 44m-4 2/58Industar 61 2.8/55Jupiter-8 2/50Jupiter-9 2/85Konica Hexinon AR 1.8/40Meyer-Optik Görlitz Trioplan 2.8/100Olympus Zuiko 2.8/24Olympus Zuiko 2.8/28Olympus Zuiko 1.8/50Olympus Zuiko 2/85Vivitar 2.8/28 • Voigtländer Nokton Classic 1.4/40 MC • Voigtländer Ultron 1.8/21Voigtländer Ultron 2/28. Processed with Capture One Pro.