Helios 44 - swirly vintage bokeh

Helios camera lenses were produced in the former Soviet Union from the 1950s to the 1990s. The most popular models were the 58mm f/2 Helios 44 series lenses, based on the revolutionary Carl Zeiss Biotar (aided by plans and machinery taken from the Zeiss plant in occupied East Germany).

The earliest Helios 44 lenses had 13 aperture blades. When the aperture was fully open, these blades created a dreamy, swirled bokeh effect in out-of-focus areas. Later models had eight or six blades, but the design of the lenses still allowed for a striking bokeh effect.

In recent years, Helios 44 lenses have experienced a resurge in popularity as an affordable entry point to retro photography. The lomography movement and associated aesthetic celebrates the analogue imperfections of vintage Russian cameras.

This LoRA was trained on photographs taken by a range of Helios 44 lenses, and reproduces the trademark swirly bokeh and centre sharpness of the Soviet glass.

Two versions of this model are available: one trained against the base SD1.5 model, and one trained against a specialised cartoon-style checkpoint. The former will work well with base SD1.5 and photorealistic checkpoints, the latter will work better for Western animation and anime style checkpoints.