Russian Lenses: Personal preferences

Bam Cocjin

Bam Cocjin

Point, Shoot and Suck
Local time
1:38 AM
Joined
May 19, 2008
Messages
30
Location
Manila
View My Gallery
What are your preferences amongst the Leica screwmount copy lenses from FSU? Industar or Jupiter or Orion? What specific models?
 
I have 4 of these, a ruff one, another okay and two in excellent condition.

If you get yourself a good one, well adjusted for its user camera they can give superb results.

50mm J3 f1.5

IMAG1906-1.jpg
 
J 12 and I 22 ( the latter one on bright days). The J8 is my satndard lens. I never tried the Industar 52´s or 26´s on the Zorkis.
 
All are good and some are excellent. That is if you get a good copy. Lenses like J-3 or J-9 are wonderful!
 
Bam Cocjin said:
What are your preferences amongst the Leica screwmount copy lenses from FSU? Industar or Jupiter or Orion? What specific models?
Click to expand...

Soviet rangefinder lenses have the same issue as SLR ones: primes and tele are fine, wide lenses are either trash or very rare.
So choice is: All Jupiters:-8, -3, 11, 9 + Industar-61 and perhaps Industar-22. Forgotten lenses are rigid Industar-50. I26 - forget about it (imho)

Orion is scale trash.

Russar... living in Russia I saw it once. People said it is very good, but why just buy some CV lenses?

So the good choice is Jupiter-8 + Jupiter-12 + Jupiter-9
 
My preference is for well working ones...
More seriously, I have and use regularly several and like all of them. In my bag are a J-8, J-9, J-11, Industar 22, 26, and 61 l/d(some times these are marked l/z). I have two J-3 lenses and am still looking for one that is adjusted to focus correctly. When I get a good one it will likely be my main 50mm lens. For now it is the J-8.
I have had a good example of the J-12 but it wouldn't fit my Bessa R so I let it go. And am missing it.
Never owned an Orion; 28mm isn't a focal length I favor.
The I-22 is a somewhat under rated lens, I think. I have two--one rigid and one collapsible. The rigid I use on the Bessa and the collapsible mostly lives on my Zorki 3m.
Filters/hoods are mostly easy to find: The Jupiters 3, 8, 11, and 12all use 40.5mm (as does the I-26 and 61) filters and the J-9 uses 49mm filters/hoods.
The rigid I-22 uses a 33mm filter and those are tough to find. I got lucky and the lens I have came with the correct hood.
The I-22 collapsible uses a36 slip on or clamp on filters so I can use the same filters for that one as I use for my 9cm Elmar.
There are absolutely better (better built, better coatings, newer optical designs) lenses around but for me the FSU lenses work very well indeed for my needs.
Rob
 
Jupiter-3 and Jupiter-9, with all the caveats. It seems like these lenses were lubed with bearing grease when produced, which today has dried to a thick, sticky varnish. Figure on a CLA and an adjustment, and the results can be quite good.

Personally have not been tempted by the other Jupiters, Industars, Helios or Orion - not focal lengths and speeds that interest me.
 
Jupiter-12 is enough for me. Plus the accompanying FSU finder that will rattle a bit if you shake it but fun to use as long as I remember that parallax error. 😀
 
I have Industar 22, 26M, 50, 61 and 61L/D and Jupiter 8, 11 and 12. For me the J-8 gives a little bit of a soft look but all the others are sharp. The J-12 gives nice contrast and colour saturation and is a favourite, along with the I-22 which is sharp and compact. I rarely use hoods and tend not to get flare, although I'm careful because I know there's no hood!
 
I've had great luck with all of my Jupiters -- 3, 8, 9, 11 -- and the Industar 61. One lens that is often overlooked is the 50mm FED f/3.5 that used to come on the Fed1 and early Fed2. It is a collapsible gem! I love it. I suppose it's very similar to the I-22 and I-50, but I've never used those.
 
I like the Fed 3,5/50 and the Industar 61 the most. I use the chrome Jupiter 8 with the infinity knob the most, its looks the best in combination with the Zorki 4 and Zorki 3. An Industar 26M is on its way. I have a J9 as well, but I have to readjust the rangefinder when its mounted. All the FSU lenses I have are good, exept for 2 Industar 22's which have too many scratches and cleaning marks on the front element.
 
What do you think about the older lenses (chrome or pure aluminum) compared to the newer black lenses? .....the older are of better quality?
Some of the very old J-3's are made with Zeiss glass? ....but pure russian glass may be better?
I am just started using russian rangefinders. The J-8 I have for my Kiev2A (1957) is very good. Also the J8 for my Zorki 4 is great. I was also impressed by the sharpness of the collapsible 50/3.5 for my Fed 1g. It as a bit of red/blue CA in the corners but center very sharp. I am in a calibration process with other rangefinder/lens combinations.....
 
I think it really is down to individual samples to make the difference - most can be good, and all can be bad if the example was assembled on a bad day by someone full of vodka.

I have a J-8, which I like. Also a J-12, which I also like - it has a little barrel distortion but sharpness and contrast are pretty good.

Unlike some others, I like the rigid I-50 and the I-26 too - they're Tessar copies, and I just like the look that design gives.

The one I really want to try is a J-3 - I just haven't seen a good one going cheap enough.
 
all can be bad if the example was assembled on a bad day by someone full of vodka
Click to expand...

Sorry Alan, but don't you think we're all too old for jokes like this ? Are you in the U.K. allowed to "be full of whiskey" at work ? Then why do you suppose the workers in F.S.U. were ?

Now back to the original question: J-8, J-3, J-9. If in good condition and well adjusted they can be exceptional picture-takers. A good J-3 can be as good as a good Canon 50/1.5 or CZ Sonnar 50/1.5. J-9 the same, plus the added benefit that it focusses closer than the original LTM Zeiss. And J-8's are so cheap that everyone can have a Sonnar these days... get one and you'll love it!
 
Last edited:
Because many were!

I'm sure the U.K. is much different today than it was under Communist Soviet rule (did you ever travel through the FSU? did you talk to people working there? why do you even think drinking on the job is morally wrong? people everywhere "party" after work... geez.)

>>Sorry Alan, but don't you think we're all too old for jokes like this ? Are you in the U.K. allowed to "be full of whiskey" at work ? Then why do you suppose the workers in F.S.U. were ?
 
I like my I-22 the very best, but mainly because I have it, it was cheap and (I believe) it is about as good as an uncoated vintage Elmar that will cost 10X as much... good only stopped down IMO... is are I-26 and J-8's (my J-8 is only ok).
 
Hi
Maybe just luck, but I am very pleased with all the FSU lenses I use: Industar 26M and 22, Jupiter 8 and 12, Menopta (for my Kiev 4AM). Fixed Industar 70 (Sokol 2), T32 (Junost) and T35 (Estafeta) Industar 56 (Iskra) also perform very well for me.
What I really need is better skills, not better lenses...
Joao
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom