Buying a Jupiter 3: Where to Begin?

jarski said:
J3's from 50's, 60's, 80's.. even ones with elements mixed, but was 70's left unmentioned intentionally ? 😉 how does this vintage and factory (logo in second picture) usually stand compared to others ?
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Quoting Alfred Komp's website about the factory : "ZOMZ : Industrial Amalgamation Zagorsk Optical-Mechanical Factory. Zagorsk (now known as Sergeiev Posad) is located about 45 miles NE of Moscow, and is famous for its monasteries. The plant has produced many accessory lenses for 35mm RF and SLR cameras, and appears to have been associated with KMZ. Current status unknown."

Can't answer about how the ZOMZ Jupiter-3's perform.

I had a 1956 MMZ Jupiter-3 that was terrible.
 
I've never owned a J-3 from the 70s, but have collimated them before. The optics are fine, construction better than those from the 80s. The rear module comes out, and is not cemented in like the later black lenses from the 80s.
 
thank you both for the data. physically I dont find any problems with the lens, perhaps very light cleaning marks in front element. metal feels lighter and cheaper compared to similar German lenses, e.g. Summarit. gues I have no option than try how this works for me 🙂
 
The J-3 that Brian put together for me was a 1963 J-3 that was made by ZOMZ. After Brian's adjusments, the J-3 was very sharp, with a beautiful out of focus behavior for the backgrounds.
 
Highway 61 said:
Quoting Alfred Komp's website about the factory : "ZOMZ : Industrial Amalgamation Zagorsk Optical-Mechanical Factory. Zagorsk (now known as Sergeiev Posad) is located about 45 miles NE of Moscow, and is famous for its monasteries. The plant has produced many accessory lenses for 35mm RF and SLR cameras, and appears to have been associated with KMZ. Current status unknown."

Can't answer about how the ZOMZ Jupiter-3's perform.

I had a 1956 MMZ Jupiter-3 that was terrible.
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The ZOMZ J-3 from late 50s/early 60s is one of the better ones.
the worst is the late 1980s black VALDAI made J-3.
Max, aka darkavenger, used to own a Contax/Kiev mount 1970s J-3 that was the cat's meow.
he might remember the factory logo on that one.
 
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sorry I could not resist, call it "Jupiter porn" if you want 😀

I recently bought a book of Soviet propaganda photos from the early 1900's to the bitter end of 1991. Posing on top of book are my Jupiters, 3 & 11.

even had to find USSR hymn to play few times when putting this down 🙂 ... so times change.
 

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jarski said:
sorry I could not resist, call it "Jupiter porn" if you want 😀

I recently bought a book of Soviet propaganda photos from the early 1900's to the bitter end of 1991. Posing on top of book are my Jupiters, 3 & 11.

even had to find USSR hymn to play few times when putting this down 🙂 ... so times change.
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Any pictures of uncle Joe man of steel in that book?🙄
Your 1971 Zomz J-3 might be a good one, only trying it out will tell.
If anything, it just might need the Sweeney shim treatment and a helical relube.
 
I hereby declare my 1963 J-3 as a tribute to Valentina Tereshkova. She just made the news this month -again-.
 
xayraa33 said:
Any pictures of uncle Joe man of steel in that book?🙄
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no Joseph, and not so many other political leaders as well. its mainly photos of Soviet advances in space race, in agriculture, dam constructions, nuclear plants.. and that sort light subjects 😛

Your 1971 Zomz J-3 might be a good one, only trying it out will tell. If anything, it just might need the Sweeney shim treatment and a helical relube.
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yes, this J3 will be in test drive coming weekend, perhaps earlier. Leitz glass is on wait list this time.
 
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Raid: aside from the cost factor

Raid: aside from the cost factor

would you choose the J3 over the Nokton 50 f/1.5? I'm waiting for B&H to reopen so I can order one from there. For the time being I'm getting a J8 from Fedka... but, if you have thoughts on the J3 over the Nokton, I'd like to know them. If you've explained your thinking in this thread.... sorry to have missed it.

Mary in Fort Myers

raid said:
The J-3 that Brian put together for me was a 1963 J-3 that was made by ZOMZ. After Brian's adjusments, the J-3 was very sharp, with a beautiful out of focus behavior for the backgrounds.
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> would you choose the J3 over the Nokton 50 f/1.5?

1) I suspect you mean the modern Cosina Nokton 50/1.5. The original Voigtlander 50/1.5 is from the 1950's and is one of the finest lenses of that decade. The new one is one of the finest lenses of the 21st century using aspheric surfaces. The new one will cost about 3x the price of a J-3. The Old and New Nokton's are Planar formula lenses. The J-3 is a Sonnar lens. The "look and feel" of the Sonnar are unique, unlike most modern lenses that went the way of the Planar.

2) Which would I choose- I prefer the look of the older lenses. For the money, a good J-3. The last $300 that I spent on a lens was a a 1950's Collapsible Summicron in perfect condition.
 
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I think I'd look around for a Canon 50/1.5 - I wanted one for too long and settled on a 1.4 instead. All the Canon rf lenses are underrated, I think.
 
The Canon 50/1.5 is a first rate lens, and is closer to the original Zeiss Sonnar look than the Nikkor 5cm F1.4. The Canon is made with very heavy brass, feels like a rock. It's one of the smallest fast-fifties that you can find. It's also about 3x the price of the J-3. My Canon 50/1.5 was optimized for F4, I changed the shim on it.

I have a "complete Canon 50/1.5", and a hacked one. The formula of the J-3 and Canon is close enough, that I made a lens out of the left over parts from a junk Canon 50/1.5 and a J-3. Used the rear optics of the J-3 with the front optics of the Canon. It worked.
 
xayraa33 said:
The ZOMZ J-3 from late 50s/early 60s is one of the better ones.
the worst is the late 1980s black VALDAI made J-3.
Max, aka darkavenger, used to own a Contax/Kiev mount 1970s J-3 that was the cat's meow.
he might remember the factory logo on that one.
Click to expand...

I have a '61 J-3 from ZOMZ that is superb. Focuses beautifully, and not even a cleaning mark on the glass. The pre-1963 ZOMZ logo is hard to describe. It is supposed to represent three lens elements glued together. The later ZOMZ logo looks like an eye with an arrow through it.
 
brachal said:
I have a '61 J-3 from ZOMZ that is superb. Focuses beautifully, and not even a cleaning mark on the glass. The pre-1963 ZOMZ logo is hard to describe. It is supposed to represent three lens elements glued together. The later ZOMZ logo looks like an eye with an arrow through it.
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Bill,

I recently ordered a 1961 or 1960 J-3, so if it is a ZOMZ made lens, it should display that logo too. Can be there be another factory making a 1960 lens?
 
raid said:
Bill,

I recently ordered a 1961 or 1960 J-3, so if it is a ZOMZ made lens, it should display that logo too. Can be there be another factory making a 1960 lens?
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Raid,

According to Princelle, the LTM J-3 was made by KMZ until about 1956, after which production was moved to ZOMZ and MMZ-Belomo (in Minsk). He lists no other sources for LTM J-3s at all.
 
This was confusing till a member pointed out that the three lens element logo and the eye with the arrow logo are both ZOMZ.
 
If it's any help, the 1956 J-3 I recently got for my Kiev 4a has the 3 element logo. Commiecameras.com has a page with the logos on it.

William
 
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