I wonder if they had to file down the scribed numbers that are often on a J-3.
Do not buy this lens!
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Räuber
Well-known
I'm unsure about this item. Sure the cartouche is something never seen. But what everyone does wrong is right on this lens. The serial is valid and the FONT matches the CZJ font. The serial is from a batch that 100% went to Krasnogorsk. So all unfinished parts and lenses of this batch ended up in the KMZ factory. They started to train people finishing those lenses. But they engraved a lot of unfinished parts by themself. BUT the font used by KMZ employees differ from the CZJ font. When they engraved parts the numbers do not match those of the Jena factory. Maybe they don't cared about those details. Maybe the CZJ stuff that had to train the KMZ employees made sure the parts that were engraved in Krasnogorsk would differ from the Jena parts. (I would have done this)
If you look at the other fake lenses in this thread the font is totally different than the wartime CZJ fonts used on valid Sonnar lenses. Soviet fakers do not care. They use the later CZJ font that was introduced later after the war. Most buyers can not see those little hints that a lens was produced in the FSU so why bother when creating a fake.
Look at the 3 of the rear end. This is a CZJ (wartime) 3. Look at the 4. This is a valid CZJ 4 too. Look at the 3 of the name ring of the Jupiter. That is a ZOMZ 3. The aperture ring looks like a typical Zorkii engraved ring. The 4 is very close but it is missing the slight bow on the left top line that a CZJ 4 has. The engraved rear 4 has this bow. I'm not sure who build this Jupiter. the name ring looks like made by ZOMZ and not KMZ. KMZ would have engraved it Zorkii. But the engraved rear numbers look like they were engraved in Jena and not in the FSU.
dexdog
Veteran
Rauber, thanks for the analysis of the fonts and other aspects of the lens. I agree that the CZJ serial number is correct as per Thiele's book. The lens may be partly built with seized components, but I would never trust such a lens from this seller given his history of posting fakes on eBay. Nice to have a friendly forum to discuss these issues!