When I took the first picture with the Helios 44-6 I was like meh, it wasn't great. My focusing ability wasn't 100% at the time, again, this was due to my eye, but I had a general idea of what I was doing. The next few shots weren't impressive either. The lens was soft, even in the center. At f/2 it performed horribly, what made it even worse was that the sun was really out during the session... It couldn't handle the flare at all.

I stopped the lens down to f/2.8, being that it was so bright outside I figured I'd do so to ensure my shots weren't overexposed. This changed the game. My first shot was a bit out of focus, but that was a personal error on my end, as I continued shooting I gradually became comfortable with the lens. The focus ring again is extremely stiff, this can be a pain when trying to grab accurate in time sensitive situations, but during a photo session, I actually think I prefer this focus ring... It makes for a more controllable shot. I used the Lens Tab Focus Tab to assist me on this adventure, an addition I recommend any vintage lens user adds to their kit.

Related: Krissie @ Mies van der Rohe

Heads up for everyone, I'm not going to be the guy who does a lens test on a wall from f/2-f/16... I'm going to give you my honest opinion. I've never used this lens past f/5.6 and typically my most popular range is f/2.8-f/4. The lens isn't tack sharp at any F-Stop. It's always going to have that soft look to it, and the swirly bokeh is only apparent at f/2-2.8...

Speaking of swirly bokeh, let's talk about that for a second. When I first picked up the Helios 44-2 I read online that it was the best lens of the series. It provided the most swirly bokeh, which is the main reason why most of us own this lens. Again, this is why I was so hesitant in using the Helios 44-6 upon acquiring it, no swirly bokeh, no point in using it right?

Wrong, it definitely provides the effect. Is it as swirly as the 44-2? No, but the entire image is sharper when using this lens, sharp subject, plus swirly bokeh (even if less apparent) makes for a much better picture in my opinion. Both cameras I used this lens on were APS-C sensors, so I could imagine it's much more visible on a full frame body.