Are there any Jupiter 3 in black?

[Robert Vote]

After MIR Zorki6 Fed3b Fed5 I received a Bessa R today.
It is a black one. Looks good.

I wonder if there are black J3? I have only seen silver ones on the
forbidden bay.

At the moment I am using a panda and my silver j8 (which is optically in a
nice condition but mechanically not so nice).

So I am lookin' for a good black j8 or better a black j3.

Thank you for your attention.
Robert

 

[lkgroup]

I was tracking one on ebay a few weeks ago. They seem to be les common than silver and a little bit more expensive. Keep looking I think you will find one. Lots of Jupiter 8's around. I have one That Brian Sweeney adjusted and it is very sharp.

Leo

 

[ZorkiKat]

The J-3 from the 1970s were black. Go for the earlier aluminium ones. They are better in the sense that they were built better and more mechanically sound. The front of the lens of a 1960s J-3 doesn't turn. The aperture ring seems to stay in place better too. The RF coupling cam doesn't rotate as well.

The 70s black J-8 and J-3 look to have been simplified. "Cheapened" is one description I can think of. Their front rings turn when focused, and
the aperture ring is more iffy. The coupling cam turns when focused- not exactly a comfy notion when it skids through and through on a fixed, wedge-shaped cam on a Zorki or FED.

Jay

 

[lubitel]

I use bessa R with black J-3 (bought from Kim) and they work perfectly together. The lens is smooth and focus is right on. I read somewhere here though that J-3s usually have to be adjusted to focus properly on Bessas. I think a silver lens looks pretty cool on a black bessa though, I use my silver J-8 sometimes. Makes it look a bit classier.