Are Fedka's Jupiters "problem-free"

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jett

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I've never gotten into FSU gear but I've heard many great things about the Jupiter glass when you get a good sample.

If I were to pay the "premium" and go with Fedka, would I expect my lens to be problem free or would I still expect them to need a shimming to focus right. I'm interested in the J3 (or J8) and J12 in LTM.
 
I've bought many items (lenses) from Fedka and never had a problem.
First rate and hand picked.
All worked perfectly on my Zorki 4 and IIIf.

"premium"... in reality is chump change.
 
I have had good luck with Fedka. I have four lenses (2 J-8 LTM, 1 J-8 Kiev/Contax, and 1 Helios 103 Kiev/Contax) from him and all are in decent condition (no scratches, mold, or haze). On the desk next to me is a very pretty "Red P" J-8 in Kiev/Contax mount. It was delivered with a defective diaphragm. Yuri replaced based on my description of the problem alone without me having to ship the old one back. I now use it as a loupe.

As for shimming...Yuri sells FSU cameras and the lenses to fit those cameras. Unless you make other arrangements, I would expect that the lenses would be dialed in to the Soviet rather than the Leica product. Ditto for the bodies.


Steve
 
jett said:
I've never gotten into FSU gear but I've heard many great things about the Jupiter glass when you get a good sample.

If I were to pay the "premium" and go with Fedka, would I expect my lens to be problem free or would I still expect them to need a shimming to focus right. I'm interested in the J3 (or J8) and J12 in LTM.
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Fedka has no idea what camera you want to use it on (nor do we) and so can't tell in advance whether to shim it.

You'll probably get a good sample but without any special customer-specific treatment or fairy dust. At $70 a lens ("premium", really?) that would be an unrealistic expectation to begin with.

If you're so anxious about this, wait until one appears in the classifieds here or buy from someone where you can inspect the lens in advance.
 
What I meant by premium is that these lenses can be had for much cheaper off of ebay. I didn't intend on using the word premium to describe the lens quality because I know that the build quality is rather low but the optics can be decent/good. Sorry for the confusion

Well I was thinking of going Leica Barnack and thought of using these lenses because they are cheap. I know nothing about shimming and what it entails but I've read that it usually has to be done. I had the impression that lenses were just shimmed to Leica LTM standard so figured that the process was the same for all LTM bodies. Is this task simple enough for anyone to perform; like someone who has never hacked into a lens/camera before?
 
jett said:
What I meant by premium is that these lenses can be had for much cheaper off of ebay. I didn't intend on using the word premium to describe the lens quality because I know that the build quality is rather low but the optics can be decent/good. Sorry for the confusion

Well I was thinking of going Leica Barnack and thought of using these lenses because they are cheap. I know nothing about shimming and what it entails but I've read that it usually has to be done. I had the impression that lenses were just shimmed to Leica LTM standard so figured that the process was the same for all LTM bodies. Is this task simple enough for anyone to perform; like someone who has never hacked into a lens/camera before?
Click to expand...

Factor in the shipping costs for the eBay stuff and most of Fedka's lenses don't look quite so expensive.

As for the shimming...there are instructions on the Web by our own Brian Sweeney on how to shim the J-8 and J-3. The process is not overly complex, but requires some way to collimate the lens to the body/rangefinder. This may be done with an SLR focus screen attached at the film plane and a loupe.


Steve
 
I've just bought myself an RD-1, not got it yet and not got any lenses either so I'll be looking to get probably a Jupiter 8 at first. With the R-D1 being digital I can just take photos to do the collimation rather than have a focus screen at the film plane?

Also waiting to receive a Bessa L so I will be picking up some LTM lenses and an adaptor to put them on the R-D1 I think. Looking forward to getting into this type of photography.

Sorry if this is off topic in this thread but is there any good reason to go for a Jupiter 8 over an Industar 61? The latter seems cheaper on eBay and found a thread on here giving it good review.
 
andephotographic said:
I've just bought myself an RD-1, not got it yet and not got any lenses either so I'll be looking to get probably a Jupiter 8 at first. With the R-D1 being digital I can just take photos to do the collimation rather than have a focus screen at the film plane?
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Yes. However, in that case it will help you to have a "known good" reference lens, to make sure that the rangefinder (by which you're focusing) is accurate.
 
Ok, I understand.
The camera was described as being good condition and the rf working properly so fingers crossed it is. I have a friend who also has an R-D so can borrow a lens from him to check.
 
andephotographic said:
Ok, I understand.
The camera was described as being good condition and the rf working properly so fingers crossed it is. I have a friend who also has an R-D so can borrow a lens from him to check.
Click to expand...
Doing the standard RF test (measure out and check 1m, check infinity focus) should be the first thing you do. Doesn't mean the cameras' flange to film distance is set right, but it's a start.

Why Jupiter 8 over Industar 61? Extra stop of speed, (generally) better build quality, and that lovely sonnar rendering. I have (and like) both, but when I need a rigid 50mm, it tends to be the Jupiter I pick up.
 
My I-61 had mechanical issues. It was in very good overall condition, but the design of the bits that hold the LTM mount to the rest of it is inherently prone to slop. I noticed when I found that the lens was tilting under its own weight - I could push the front up a bit and the movement was enough to cause the RF cam to change the overlap at the RF patch in the viewfinder. After some attempts to close the gap by machining tiny slivers away on a lathe (I reduced the slop a lot, but still wasn't happy), I gave up and turned it into a loupe. It was no biggie - at £25 or so, it's a superb loupe for the money.

I don't think it was bought from Fedka - random eBay purchase, but can't remember where from.
 
My personal experience (which is neither wide nor deep) says that if you order from Fedka then the lens is matched to the body pretty well (for all three I bought, that was the case) but it's a bit of a gamble mixing and matching. The one I've kept (a Zorki 4 with J8) is the one I like best, but all were good. As long as I didn't mix and match bodies and lenses.

...Mike
 
I'd have to agree, it would probably focus fine (assuming the lens is OK, and we are talking about FSU gear here) unless you're wide open at closest focusing distance. My preference is for the 61LD lenses, as they image more like a Leica. Next would be an older chrome J8. Fedka will take a return if there's issues, and if you live in the US that would be a small charge. Of course, when you figure in what it cost to ship to you, and what you'd pay if you had to ship it back, it can add up.

I have no connection to this seller, but their prices look pretty decent.

http://top35mm.com/industar-61ld-russian-lens
 
jett said:
What I meant by premium is that these lenses can be had for much cheaper off of ebay. I didn't intend on using the word premium to describe the lens quality because I know that the build quality is rather low but the optics can be decent/good. Sorry for the confusion

Well I was thinking of going Leica Barnack and thought of using these lenses because they are cheap. I know nothing about shimming and what it entails but I've read that it usually has to be done. I had the impression that lenses were just shimmed to Leica LTM standard so figured that the process was the same for all LTM bodies. Is this task simple enough for anyone to perform; like someone who has never hacked into a lens/camera before?
Click to expand...
The common problem is that there is a small difference in standard focal length between the FSU lenses and the "true" LTM ones. It depends on the lens and how you will use it whether this will be a problem. For wider angle lenses and slower lenses, it's not usually a problem. For faster/longer lenses it can matter a lot, especially if you use them close-up and wide open.

Re-shimming the more common lenses such as the J-8 is an easy task, if tedious. The optical block simply unscrews from the lens body and the shim resides behind it. The thickness of the shim may have to be altered for best results, usually by quite a small amount. A digital camera makes it easy to check before and after adjustment; if you don't have access to one then you need to arrange some sort of collimator check or do it by trial and error with film.
 
Like said earlier, Jupiter 8 and Jupiter 3 are easy to re-shim by yourself. You only need the shims, two pairs of hands and a ground glass on which to check the focus on a loupe (you can take the back door off from your Leica if you like), that's it. Its only trial and error really, and getting used to screwing and unscrewing the optical block off the other half many times :)
 
You make your own shims. Bits of aluminum foil will do. You should find all the info in the Brian Sweeney subforum here on RFF.

Unfortunately, Brian recently decided to leave RFF and has also taken down his flickr gallery. I haven't checked lately but I'm afraid a lot of those threads have lost their illustrations as a result.
 
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