Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Haiou-64 (Seagull) 58mm f2 Biotar Clone

China is certainly not known for producing photographic equipment.  A little while ago, I saw a 58mm f2 lens that was made in China, I was partly fascinated, and partly because it was very cheap (probably something like $10) so I bought it. Definitely not a common lens in North America, as I don't think this lens and the camera it came with was for export to the West.  This lens is a Biotar 58mm f2 clone (or it could be a clone of a clone, the Helio-44) in Minolta MD mount, and was probably made in the 70s and 80s.  It's optically clean, but something is not quite right, because as soon as I start focusing, I can feel the there is some play, like something is loose inside.  Very annoying.   But then again, this lens is a few decades old.  It might have been abused before.

The lens mount and barrel is made of metal, and the focusing is still relatively smooth with a tiny bit of coarseness.  The aperture has 6 blades, like most old East German lenses from the same era.  I really shouldn't complain too much for such a cheap lens.

I am quite surprised the lens is optically quite good.  Very sharp even wide open, and by f8, sharp across the frame on the A7.  In terms of characteristics, no surprises here.  It's similar to the pictures rendered by the Helios-44 or the Biotar 58mm f2, and this is a good thing!  These lenses are known to produce creamy smooth bokeh.

At the end of the day, it's good value for the money.

Grafitti & Wildflower - Sony A7 & Haiou-64 58mm f2. Click for larger.

Port of Toronto - Sony A7 & Haiou-64 58mm f2. Click for larger.

Milkweed Pots - Sony A7 & Haiou-64 58mm f2. Click for larger.

Haiou-64

Milkweed Pots - Sony A7 & Haiou-64 58mm f2. Click for larger.

12 comments:

  1. I've bought one too, to play with my Minolta XD7.
    I have to test it now, and compare it with my 2 Helios (a 44M-2 and an older, earlier one).
    I love these old lenses !

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    1. It's not a bad lens. The Helios are great too.

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  2. There is also a 75MM/3.5 from TLR camera which is good too.

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    1. Thanks for the tip. Probably a clone of the Zeiss version :)

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  3. I recently compared this one with a Helios 44m-4 and Haiou was clearly optically better,shame about 0.6m MFD, but suprisingly good lens!

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    1. I wish mine was a bit better mechanically. Lots of play when mounted and with focus ring. Maybe one day I will take it apart and see if it can be fixed.

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  4. I recently compared this one with a Helios 44m-4 and Haiou was clearly optically better,shame about 0.6m MFD, but suprisingly good lens!

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  5. I have one, too. It has fungus. I want to clean it myself. Does anyone have a repair manual or a video showing it being disassembled? TIA.

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    1. These are simple lenses to take apart, but might be a bit of a challenge if you have never done it before. Sometimes I just go ahead and do it, despite not having any information available. Only way to learn. Yes many were ruined, but valuable experience gained as well.

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  6. Hey, where do suppose I could get my hands on one of these to play with?

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  7. Hey, where do suppose I could get my hands on one of these to play with?

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    1. I bought mine at a camera show (flea market). They are not terribly common in North America so finding one may not be easy. Perhaps eBay is a better source.

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