FOR SALE: Anamorphic/Anamorfake Russian Lenses (NOT LOMO)

Tito Ferradans · October 17, 2016

I've been into modding my Russian primes lately and ended up with too many mods. So I'm selling sets of them. Lenses are being shipped from Vancouver - BC (Canada). Payment through PayPal only, and shipping is already included in the price.

These were tweaked to fake the anamorphic look (anamorfake) through the addition of an oval aperture disc, a flare thread INSIDE the lens and tinting of various bits and pieces to make them unique. I have two sets. One with polished glass, resulting in less contrast, more bloom and a more diffused look overall, and a non-polished set, in which I didn't alter the original glass for better contrast and color rendition. I'm keeping one of my non-polished sets, so now you know which one is my favorite.

The tint applied is amber, for an endless magic hour.

Since nobody buys weird optics without seeing tests first I took them around the block for another sunset - not as dramatic as the Helios'. Color correction has been kept to a minimum (curves for contrast and boosted up saturation, since I shot at SLog3).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLZkIlnzjYM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lrl1ZejekY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3OEBmrBdVU

AMBER 3-LENS SET (polished or unpolished)
Photos of the lenses - https://www.flickr.com/photos/ferradans/sets/72157675191311296

Tech specs: Each set consists of three lenses, Mir 1B (37mm f/2.8 - aprox f/4), Helios 44-2 (58mm f/2 - aprox f/2.8) and Jupiter 9 (85mm f/2 - aprox f/2.8). The second aperture values are because of the oval disc inside, which limits maximum light transmission. They all feature 49mm filter threads, non-rotating front element while focusing, clickless (preset) aperture rings. All lenses come with front and rear caps. Focus and iris rings are smooth. Multiple elements and inner parts have amber accents for flaring and tone. All three lenses have oval aperture discs inside (while maintaining fully operational apertures) and inner red flare threads for better anamorfaking. They're natively M42 mount, but come with a rotating M42 to EF adapter so you can realign the oval and flare according to your wishes. Lenses are fitted with seamless focus gears. The Mir 1B has also been modified for a little bit more of close focusing. As for the original lenses, they're all non-MC models with black bodies.

PRICE: USD600 (shipped)

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HELIOS 44 MODDED. AMAZING CONDITION
Photos of the lens - https://www.flickr.com/photos/ferradans/albums/72157671783410163

In the process of making these, I came across a VERY GOOD, warm coated Helios 44 (not 44-2) that I modded too.I'm selling this one separately from the other modded Helios 44-2 for a few reasons. First, because this is a Helios 44, predecessor to the 44-2.

Second, mechanical condition. This is the smoothest and nicest feeling Helios I've ever had. I fought the idea of selling it for almost three months, but since I don't use it, it has to go. There's a bit of oil on the blades, but nothing that affects performance.

Third, the golden coatings. While most Helios are either neutral or blue/purple-ish, this one has a strong amber tint. I considered harvesting the glass for a mod, but I also couldn't bring myself to do it as it would be hard to match it with other coatings. Since the coatings are so nice, I didn't polish it at all, or modded its inner parts. All I added was a subtle oval aperture with light orange tint and a light orange (almost beige) streak thread inside, to fake the anamorphic look and give it a colorful spin when light sources are inside the frame. The original aperture still works perfectly.

The lens comes with a M42 to EF adapter and rear cap. The front thread was slightly bent so I jammed a thin 49-52mm step-up ring to fix the issue.

Lastly, another upgrade from the standard mods, this one comes with seamless follow focus gears. Silver to match the lens. These were designed and 3d-printed by myself, and are tightly fit to the lens.

Both front and rear elements have a few marks, but nothing that shows up in the resulting images. Very sharp at maximum aperture - I'm repeating myself - this is one of the best Helios I came across.

It has a more subtle effect and tint, but the images follow the same base as the ones posted above.

PRICE: USD165 (shipped)

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LASTLY, if you don't wanna buy one, you can make your own by following my tutorials.
Helios Mod Part 1 - http://www.tferradans.com/blog/?p=8920
Helios Mod Part 2 - http://www.tferradans.com/blog/?p=9379