Hi! Several PDMLers turned to me with the same question/request: "How to make a single element lens out of Helios 44K lens".
I have few points to make as a collective response: 1. The procedure is irreversible. That's putting back the lens elements with optical precision is not easily done, though of course possible. 2. I am being told by my friend who can actually do it (you did not think I could do such a thing if I cannot quite load the film into manual camera, did you <vbg>?) that it is very important that front element and filter ring are in perfect shape. 3. There are two varieties of Helios 44K lenses. One has automatic diaphragm (Helios 44K-4 that I have), another has two aperture rings (one sets and one actually closes) - probably it is Helios 44K-2 or 44K-3. I had such a lens for my Zenit camera. Anyway, for automatic aperture flavor the modification keeps aperture mechanism intact. 4. The procedure as it is spoils the focusing range. The usable range markings become 0.5-0.8 where 0.5 corresponds to something like 1 m and 0.8 corresponds to infinity. Everything beyond 0.8 marking becomes unusable. I hope that in a matter of few weeks I will have a page on my web site dedicated to the procedure so that you would be able to try it. --- Boris Liberman www.geocities.com/dunno57 www.photosig.com/viewuser.php?id=38625
