Helios 44M-4 58mm f/2 (Rehoused EF Mount)

The Helios 44M-4 is a slightly later evolution of the 44-2, same Soviet KMZ design lineage, same 58mm focal length and f/2 aperture, but with a slightly different element count and improved multi-coating that reduces the heavy flare and contrast loss of the original 44-2. Rehoused in Canon EF mount with a cinema barrel, hard focus stops, and 0.8 MOD gears. The swirl bokeh is still present but slightly tamer than the 44-2; the contrast and color rendering are closer to a modern lens, which makes the 44M-4 the more usable everyday option of the two Helios variants we rent. We rent it as the second Helios option when a project wants the swirl signature without the heavier flare and lower contrast of the 44-2. Manual focus, manual aperture, no electronics. Runs on R5C, R8, BMPCC 6K Pro natively; on the Alexa via the LBUS EF mount.