gb hill
Veteran
Here's why Wulfthari
Well-known
I confirm that the Leningrad is the best choice for the J12, alternatively KMZ produced a nice a small viewfinder for 35mm...that lens has such a deep DOF so at close apertures I just set it with an hyperfocal and I don't use the main viewfinder/rangefinder at all.
Lawrence Sheperd
Well-known
Dez sez
"I believe it is one of only two RF cameras ever made to have a true split-image rangefinder, the other being an obscure east German make whose name escapes me at the moment."
That would be the Carl Zeiss Jenna Werra.
"I believe it is one of only two RF cameras ever made to have a true split-image rangefinder, the other being an obscure east German make whose name escapes me at the moment."
That would be the Carl Zeiss Jenna Werra.
David Hughes
David Hughes
Hi,
If you've already got an ex-USSR made camera body* then the Jupiter 35mm lens will fit it but the view-finder will be for 50mm and so you'll need an external finder. There's lots of them about but the USSR made version of the original Carl Zeiss one is perfectly OK. No better and no worse than any other solution unless you have very deep pockets. (Several of the other solutions are a bit worse imo.) It has two or three marks for eack lens and covers one metre and infinity for each one. You need to buy the correct version** for your camera to clear the shutter speed dial.
Regards, David
* If you haven't already got one then the FED 2 is the best place to start imo.
** Meaning with the optics on the left hand side of the accessory shoe when seen from the rear.
If you've already got an ex-USSR made camera body* then the Jupiter 35mm lens will fit it but the view-finder will be for 50mm and so you'll need an external finder. There's lots of them about but the USSR made version of the original Carl Zeiss one is perfectly OK. No better and no worse than any other solution unless you have very deep pockets. (Several of the other solutions are a bit worse imo.) It has two or three marks for eack lens and covers one metre and infinity for each one. You need to buy the correct version** for your camera to clear the shutter speed dial.
Regards, David
* If you haven't already got one then the FED 2 is the best place to start imo.
** Meaning with the optics on the left hand side of the accessory shoe when seen from the rear.
KnipsOmat
Established
Carl Zeiss Werra 3, Werra 4, Werra 5 or Werra matic. Other Werra models 1, 2 and Werra mat did not have rangefinders.
By the way, despite the name of the combinate - Carl Zeiss Jena - the Werras were not manufactured in Jena. They were assembled in a separate plant in Eisfeld.
Werra 1 - viewfinder only. No meter, no rangefinder. Fixed 50/2.8 Tessar or 50/3.5 Novonar lens
Werra 2 - viewfinder and uncoupled meter. No rangefinder. Fixed Tessar lens
Werra 3 - coupled rangefinder. No meter. Interchangeable set lenses.
Werra 4 - coupled rangefinder and uncoupled meter. Interchangeable set lenses
Werra 5 - coupled rangefinder and coupled meter. Interchangeable set lenses
Werra mat - viewfinder and coupled meter. No rangefinder. Fixed Tessar lens
Werra matic - coupled rangefinder and coupled meter. Interchangeable set lenses.
For the interchangeable lenses models, there were 3 set lenses available: 50/2.8 Tessar, 35/2.8 Flektogon or 100/4 Cardinar
There's various submodels available for the 1 - 1A, 1B, 1C. This is mostly about different shutter versions, in case of 1C also about an additional accessory shoe. Then there's submodels "E" of 1, 2, 3, mat and matic models, that's a newer "striped" exterior design and also accessory shoe. but speaking about rangefinders and meters, it's all the same as above with all the submodels.