Zenit 12XP + Helio-44m-5 58mm f2 MC + AGFA vista+ 400 film Test (expired 10 yrs.) 過期10年底片測試

2025/3/22

The Zenit 12XP from the Soviet era found its way into my collection mainly because it came bundled with the Helios-44M-5 58mm f2 MC lens. I think most enthusiasts familiar with the history of M42 cameras probably know that the Helios-44 series is derived from the Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar lens. Under certain apertures and backgrounds, it can produce a unique swirling bokeh effect. Unfortunately, due to the limited number of shots I had with this roll of film, I wasn't able to achieve that effect this time.

蘇聯時期的 Zenit 12XP 會出現在我的收藏中，其實是跟著 Helio-44m-5 58mm f2 MC 這顆鏡頭一起來的。我想大部分知道M42相機歷史的同好，應該都知道 Helio-44 這一系列的鏡頭是源自 Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar 鏡頭，在特定的光圈與背景下可以拍出背景旋轉的特殊效果。很可惜在這次有限的底片張數測試下，我沒有成功。

Back to the Zenit 12XP itself — compared to Japanese SLRs, its body is narrower but taller. The shutter advance feels quite snappy, and after using it, switching back to a Japanese camera makes the film advance feel surprisingly heavy. Judging from this roll, the Helios-44M-5 58mm f2 delivers very sharp image quality. Below are a few test shots. The film used was AGFA Vista Plus 400, which had been refrigerated and expired for 9 years and 4 months.

回到 Zenit 12XP 這台相機，相較於日本血統的單眼相機，它的機身較窄但高度較高，快門過片算是輕快，剛操作完轉回日本相機時，會覺得日本相機過片還真是費力。從這次拍攝的底片來看，Helio-44m-5 58mm f2 的成像相當銳利。以下是幾張測試照片，底片是冷藏保存過期9年4個月的 AGFA vista plus 400。