Spiral bokeh lens
![spiral bokeh lens spiral bokeh lens](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/27/e0/5a/27e05a9a57b3e54658ed6d221b6b915d.jpg)
This lens design was one of the first portrait lenses and is. Bokeh is defined as the effect of a soft out-of-focus background that you get when shooting a subject, using a fast lens, at the widest aperture, such as f/2.8 or wider.
Spiral bokeh lens full#
I hear there are no mirror hang issues when used on Nikon bodies? Also, no issues with my cropped sensor body but the swirly bokeh is much easier to get when the lens is mounted on a full frame body. SWRLY is a modern take on the original swirly lens, the Petzval, created in 1840 by Josef Petzval. There are suggestions online to shim the adapter but that creates other issues - the inability to focus at infinity for one. I can only use it up to about 8m from the subject - good enough for portraits. The lens renders really nicely and has many imperfections which lend the images character but I cannot focus to infinity on my Canon full frame body because the rear element protrudes too far back and the mirror will hang on it. I really like the Helios 44-2 and I also have a chipped adaptor to get a focus confirm which works pretty well. HOWEVER, a: you have to work it a bit and get the right kind of busy background/back light b: you probably need to use a full frame camera and c: you have to shoot wide open.
![spiral bokeh lens spiral bokeh lens](https://i.pinimg.com/736x/37/15/ec/3715ec80115bd84121cf907217861299--bokeh.jpg)
There is also another focal length of Helios that can produce this effect, albeit not as well, and is MUCH less expensive (I paid $47 USD for mine ordered from Ukraine but if you look hard you can find it cheaper) version of this lens the Zenit Helios 44-2 58mm (f/2). If you are adventures enough you can convert the Cyclop night vision 85 mm f1.5 device (does not have a diaphragm built in) but it is apparently the same glass for 10% of the price. You can find this lens on ebay for ~$600. There are some lenses known for this this characteristic, most notably the soviet made Zenit Helios 40-2 85mm F1.5 which is still being manufactured. This is a swirl-y bokeh, an often desirable flaw commonly found in some vintage lenses and lenses.