Affordable lens for Bessa-R?

[Austintatious]

I started out with the J8. A nice lens IMHO. I have added the 35mm color Skopar also.

BESSA-R and Jupiter 8 by carlosyashinon, on Flickr

Here is an image I made with the J8. Mostly use the Skopar now, J8 is on my FED 2.

Magnolia #2 by carlosyashinon, on Flickr

 

[Cameron]

I started out with the J8. A nice lens IMHO. I have added the 35mm color Skopar also.

BESSA-R and Jupiter 8 by carlosyashinon, on Flickr

Here is an image I made with the J8. Mostly use the Skopar now, J8 is on my FED 2.

Magnolia #2 by carlosyashinon, on Flickr

Man, that must have been a mint J8. Awesome looking setup.

 

[rfaspen]

I think the consensus here is in favor of the J-8, with the I-61 as a contender. Of course the CV lenses are all nice too, just a bit more expensive.

I really like the J-8 more than the I-61. Although, I should say I don't own an I-61, just borrowed one for a bit. Comes down to personal preference. I think I see "Sonnar" when I use my J-8. Again, that could all be in my head. However, it is a tad faster and I use it at f2 often enough.

pdx... My Bessa R did come from Pro Photo. I got it at $150 because I was buying lots of other stuff as well. I consider it one of my best value purchases. I use that camera so much, and it is one of the least expensive of my "herd".

I think I looked at that 35/2.5. pdx, was yours a silver version?

One more thing about the Bessa R, it will keep you thinking about LTM lenses. I believe all my lenses are LTM (except one in M) mostly because I try to exploit the fullest capabilities of them among all my gear. I just use an adapter to put them on my M-mount gear. Thanks to CV, I have some very capable lenses in LTM. I also have some wonderful vintage lenses from Leitz, Canon, FSU, and 3rd party Japanese brands to choose from. My black-rim Summar (scourge of the Leitz lenses) sees a lot of use on the Bessa. By the way, those can be found for prices approaching the J-8, but I'd still get the J-8 if you're looking for your first lens.

 

[ferider]

I vote against the J8 and for a good Canon 50/1.8 that you can have for around US 150, and that - in contrast to the typical J8 - will work out of the box and save you some frustration. And is much better built to boot.

 

[rfaspen]

I got one of those (Canon 50/1.8). I'm looking at it right now. It is a nicer performer than my J-8, but not that much. Definitely better built. Much better.

One thing I dislike about my Canon 50/1.8 is that darned 40mm filter thread (very uncommon size). Yes, I bought a stepping ring and put 40.5 hood on it. If I insert a UV (or other) filter in the stack, it starts to get unwieldy. The J-8 has the very common 40.5mm filter threads.

I do see Canon 50/1.8 going for as little as $150 these days, but often a bit more. I sometimes see Elmars (50/3.5) going for as little as $150 too, but usually more. My Elmar is sharp, but 3.5 is a tad slow. I also worry about collapsible lenses on the Bessa.

The original poster can get into his/her rangefinder for cheap with a J-8, start making images and generally be happy with using a rangefinder in short order (I can relate) then pursue a lens with nicer performance characteristics at their leisure. There should be no problem finding an adequate J-8 right now. You might have to search and wait for a Canon 50/1.8 at $150. The J-8 should not cost more than $100. I haven't checked with Yuri (Fedka.com) lately, but I know that if you purchase a J-8 (or even I-61) from him, it will be good. And, it will come from New York. Assuming the original poster is North American, that means the lens will arrive quickly and without *any* uncertainty of buying from an "unknown" seller, regardless of whether they're in the former Soviet Union or not.

Just checked Fedka.com: chrome J-8 $73.50, black J-8 72.50. The I-61 is $49.00. For some reason, he wants $289.00 for a chrome J-3 -- that's too much in my opinion.

 

[ferider]

Due to the Fuji X10, 40mm filters are now widely available.

And yes, Yuri (Fedka) is a great seller. And he will collimate a J8 to work properly at infinity. But most J8 copies are calibrated to Contax standard and won't work properly at close focus.

Roland.

 

[mretina]

J-3 has become kind of cult. Given the risk of not good copies, it is in my opinion not worth because at that price you can get a lot of stuff in LTM. I think for a J-8 / I61 you should spend 30-40 USD. I have two J-8s and I paid less than that for both.

I am very keen on russian gear, but at around USD 100 i would definitely look for a 50/1.8 canon (150 USD) - it is a next level up both in terms of construction, performance and a piece of rangefinder history - although they are not easy to find in very clean condition/ no front lens marks.

 

[rfaspen]

Ah, hooray for the Fuji X10! I would love it if 40mm filters and hoods (am I dreaming now?) became easier to find. Are the new ones Fuji branded? Any leads on where to find? Thanks.

I'm aware the J-3 is becoming a cult item. Most of us know that it's a copy of CZJ Sonnar 50/1.5. A great lens, so I'm told. The funny thing is I can find the real thing (Sonnars) for just over $300 (usually a bit more). Why pay nearly $300 for an aluminum copy that has a reputation of spotty quality control when I can get a real one? My guess is Yuri wouldn't sell a bad apple, but still...market dynamics, I suppose.

I don't remember what I paid for my J-8 or any other Russian lens, but I wouldn't feel bad paying $73.50 for a Fedka J-8. It will work nicely or Yuri will send you another that does. He's very good about that.

As for those $150 Canon 50/1.8 lenses. I just don't see many of those. I keep my eye out too. I got lucky with mine. It came attached to a Canon IIF that "didn't work" so bargain priced at $50. I rarely come across such deals, but very happy my luck was with me that day. Happened to have $50 cash in my pocket (that's unusual!). Anyway, seems the typical price for a clean Canon 50/1.8 is usually higher than $150. Last one I looked at was $225. Funny thing is these old Japanese LTM lenses used to be very inexpensive. Then along came m4/3 and Nex...

 

[ferider]

Ah, hooray for the Fuji X10! I would love it if 40mm filters and hoods (am I dreaming now?) became easier to find. Are the new ones Fuji branded? Any leads on where to find? Thanks.

: : :

As for those $150 Canon 50/1.8 lenses. I just don't see many of those.

I can recommend Marumi 40mm filters. 40mm hoods are available from non-brand sellers, sometimes together with filter. For instance, 150858938008@ebay, or similar. That being said, I still use 40->Series VI filter and hood, since I have some good series VI filters for other lenses, too.

Agree with you on the 150$ Canon lenses: one has to be patient. I just got another one a couple of weeks ago, 261184931664@ebay. More often than not they run for more, though.

Cheers,

Roland.

 

[Cameron]

Happy to say that I have a setup now. Bessa-R w/ I61LD 53/2.8 - will invest in a Color Skopar or Canon when the time comes.

Thank you all for your tremendous help.

 

[Dez]

Another vote for the Canon 50mm f1.8.

It has several advantages over the J8:
- MUCH better build quality
- Comparable or maybe a bit better optically, and doesn't need to be adjusted to focus accurately at close range, as do many J8's
- The aperture ring turns in the same direction as the indicating arrows in the VF. In the J8 it is reversed
- The aperture ring stays put when focusing, unlike the black J8
- The aperture ring has clickstops

If you are looking at a black barrelled Canon 1.8, be careful of internal haze. This often cannot be cleaned; as far as I know that particular problem does not occur with the older chrome barrelled ones.

Cheers,
Dez