Okay, so today I’m gonna talk about something kinda cool I messed around with recently: getting that swirly bokeh effect with an old Helios lens. You know, that vintage vibe? It’s pretty neat, lemme tell ya.
First off, I had this old Helios 44-2 lying around. Probably snagged it off eBay or something ages ago. Heard these things were famous for their “special” bokeh, so I thought, “Why not give it a shot?” Plus, I was bored. Real bored.
The Gear I Used
- Helios 44-2 lens (obviously!)
- My Sony mirrorless camera (with an adapter, ’cause, duh)
- A tripod (helps keep things steady, especially when messing with manual focus)
The Setup
So, I went out to this park nearby. Lots of trees, which I read is key for getting that swirl. I wanted something with a busy background, you know, branches all over the place. Found a decent spot, set up my camera on the tripod, slapped the Helios on, and started fiddling.
The Process (Trial and Error Galore)
Okay, this is where it got interesting. I remembered reading somewhere that you need to have your subject pretty much in the center of the frame for the best swirl. So, I found a random flower, plonked it roughly in the middle, and started messing with the aperture. Wide open, of course! Gotta get that shallow depth of field.
Manual focus, of course. These old lenses are all manual everything. Took a few test shots. Meh. Not much swirl. Just blurry background. Tried moving the flower around a bit. Nope.
Then I remembered something else I’d read: distance matters. I was too close to the flower. Backed up a bit. Took another shot. Hmm, maybe a little something, but still not that crazy swirl I was hoping for.
I kept playing around with the distance, the aperture (though mostly kept it wide open at like f/2 or something), and the background. The trick, I found, was to get the right balance between a busy background and a decent distance. Too close, and it’s just blurry. Too far, and the swirl gets lost.
The Breakthrough (Kind Of)
Eventually, after like an hour of messing around, I started to see it. The edges of the background were getting that stretched, swirly look. Not as intense as some of the photos I’d seen online, but definitely there. I think the key was finding a spot where the background was just chaotic enough, with lots of overlapping branches and leaves.
Some Things I Learned
- Center subject is important (ish).
- Busy backgrounds are your friend. Think tree branches, lights, anything with lots of detail.
- Distance matters. Experiment to find the sweet spot.
- Wide open aperture is almost essential.
- Manual focus is a pain, but worth it.
- Patience is key. You’re not gonna nail it on the first try.
The Results
So, did I get those insane, super swirly bokeh shots you see online? Nah, not really. But I got something pretty cool. A nice, vintage-looking effect that I can definitely use in some of my photos. Plus, it was fun messing around with an old lens and learning something new.
Would I Do It Again?
Definitely! It’s a fun way to get a unique look, and it’s a good excuse to dust off those old lenses. Plus, it’s a good reminder that photography isn’t always about having the latest and greatest gear. Sometimes, it’s just about experimenting and having fun. Now I’m thinking of trying it with Christmas lights. That’ll be wild!
So yeah, that’s my Helios bokeh adventure. Give it a shot sometime! You might be surprised what you can get out of those old lenses.
