Can I use the J-12 on any LTM body safely?

[OldNick]

Raid- I have used a black, 1987 J-12 on my Leica IIIf RD for over a year now with no problems at all. I am careful when mounting and removing the lens to avoid rubbing the sides of the rear element. For me, it has become the standard lens for the IIIf. Many of my pictures are of airplanes, and the 35mm lens allows me to get the entire subject in the photo without backing off as I must do with a 50mm.

Jim N.

 

[raid]

Hi Jim,
The lens fits the IIIc that I have. I am noticing focus issues at infinity with Zorki-5 and Zorki-4k cameras. In one camera, I can not attain a perfect RF patch overlay at infinity [slightly short] whereas in the other camera I can focus beyond infinity.

 

[Jocko]

Hi Jim,
The lens fits the IIIc that I have. I am noticing focus issues at infinity with Zorki-5 and Zorki-4k cameras. In one camera, I can not attain a perfect RF patch overlay at infinity [slightly short] whereas in the other camera I can focus beyond infinity.

Raid, in my experience that's routinely the case when swapping lenses between FSU cameras. Adjustment of the rangefinder is almost inevitable for critical focusing, although with a J-12 DOF will soak up a multitude of errors.

Cheers, Ian

 

[raid]

Helo Ian,

Is it easy to adjust a RF?
I am glad that this is a wide angle lens. DOF will be important here.

 

[rxmd]

Is it easy to adjust a RF?

Yes. On most FSU cameras it's quite easy, but instructions tend to be model-specific. One general note is that the rangefinder has to be adjusted for infinity and for close focus separately; infinity is done using the rangefinder alignment screws etc., close focus is done by adjusting the wedge of the rangefinder following cam. Because adjusting one affects the other, adjustment sometimes is a little fiddly.

However, if you adjust all your bodies to one "reference lens" it may mean that all your bodies are slightly off with all other lenses 😉 In that respect FSU bodies are no different from other rangefinders.

Philipp

 

[raid]

Thanks, Phillip.
I have been using my FSU cameras mostly with 50mm lenses,and even that, quite less frequently than my other cameras. With wide anglelenses I may save myself the headache of adjusting the RF on each camera and for a certain lens.

 

[mike goldberg]

Hi All,
I want to gain clarity without seeming to "hack into" Raid's Thread:

J-12 on Bessa R... obviously a no-no.

Most FSU lenses [including J-12] on the popular Fed-2 and Zorki-4's... OK.

Earlier this year, I bought an excellent Jupiter 8, 50/2 collimated, or modified to the "Leica standard" to prevent back-focusing. Trying that lens on a Fed-2c was a disaster, yet this modified J8 works perfectly on the Bessa R... and hopefully on a IIIf which will be here soon.

I also have a late 80's black J-12 with it's protruding rear element. Here, it seems to make sense to open the shutter on 'B' with FSU bodies, and see just where that rear element falls.

Feedback welcome.

 

[rxmd]

Hi Mike,

two notes just for the sake of clarity:

J-12 on Bessa R... obviously a no-no.

Since this is supposed to be for the sake of clarity, it isn't really a no-no:

Taken with a Jupiter-12 on a Bessa R. It's a very boring picture, but I was mainly trying out the camera and lens combination. The problem with this combination is that the rear element hits the shutter when focusing beyond a certain point. You can see that when you open the back, screw in the J-12 and see the shutter bulging. On my J-12 it meant that focusing beyond 10m or so was impossible; this distance varies with individual J-12s from what I read here. The picture was taken with focus set at 5m or so, and letting DOF take care of the rest, meaning at least f/8 in this case.

The meter doesn't work at all, because the Bessa's metering cell is completely blocked by the rear element of the lens.

Firing the shutter on a Bessa R with a Jupiter-12 at infinity will at least ruin the lens by giving vertical scratches on the back element. Note that unlike scratches on the front element, these do show up in the picture. There is a fair chance of ruining the shutter, too.

So for the sake of precision:
- yes, the J-12 basically works on a Bessa,
- but only if you work in the close focus range and stop down for everything beyond a certain point, which depends on the individual J-12 - when using the rangefinder for focusing, you have to think of that!
- no, the Bessa's light meter won't work.
- no, it's probably not a good idea in general, only for the really desperate. Looking for a used Canon wideangle or a Skopar is a much, much better idea

I also have a late 80's black J-12 with it's protruding rear element. Here, it seems to make sense to open the shutter on 'B' with FSU bodies, and see just where that rear element falls.

Feedback welcome.

I guess on practically all FSU bodies in circulation you don't have to worry about the Jupiter-12's rear element. Since the J-12 was the only wideangle option for those cameras (discounting the Orion-15 and the Russar, which very few photographers had, as well as obscure experimental lenses), the cameras were probably designed with the J-12 in mind. If there's a thing to be worried about, it would probably be the vertical positioning of the rangefinder cam; I've seen cameras where that needed a little bending up or down to fit a particular lens. That is not a J-12-specific problem, though.

Philipp

 

[Kent]

Hi Kent,
It's good to see you here again.

Thanks. 🙂

It looks as if using the J-13 on FSU cameras [with care] is the best way to avoid problems.

Yep, here is an example shot, taken with the J-12 at my FED-3b.

 

[longw]

Hi,
Wondering if J-12 can be used on FED-1.

There is a J-12 on the way to me. I bought it for my Zorki-4 and FED-2. But I hope it can be used on my FED-1 as well. I tried to screw J-8 on FED-1, failed. So, I doubt if J-12 can be used on FED-1.

tao

 

[rxmd]

Hei,

early FED-1s had non-standard screw threads, standardisation came later. So if you have an early model camera (and judging by your J-8 experience this seems to be the case), no LTM standard lenses will fit.

Philipp

 

[longw]

Thanks, my FED1 S/N is 356xxx.