FED and Zorki lens usage

[Pirate]

Question for you guys - Do FED and Zorki share the same lenses with Leica?

Such as the Jupiters and Zeiss and Leica's? Are they all interchangeable?

 

[wolves3012]

Unfortunately, it's a not a simple yes/no answer. FED and Zorki share the 39mm thread lens mount (apart from some very old models) that Leica used. However, the lens-to-film distance (registration) is slightly different from Leica's "standard". What that means is that lenses aren't 100% compatible.

The difference in registration affects longer/faster lenses more than shorter/slower ones and close-up/wide open more than further/stopped down. So, for (say) the Jupiter 12, which is a 35mm f/2.8 you're unlikely to see a problem. For a Jupiter 3 (50mm f/1.5), used close-up on a Leica-standard body the results might be mis-focussed. Likewise, using non-FSU lenses on FEDs and Zorkis is also a potential problem. FSU lenses can be adjusted, if necessary, to work better on Leica-standard bodies but not 100% under all circumstances.

There are some other things to be aware of. Firstly, all FSU lenses are (relatively) old and it's not unknown for them to have been tinkered with along the way - especially the higher-value or more complex ones like the Jupiter 3 and 9. Secondly, the FED and Zorki bodies don't use a roller-tipped RF sensor so it's important NOT to try and mount any non-FSU lens if it doesn't have a full, tubular RF cam. If you do, they can become jammed on the body. Lastly, the Jupiter 12 has a protruding rear element which is known to be too deep for certain non-FSU bodies.

Hopefully that helps clarify things. If you have specific lens/body combinations in mind, tell us which and someone will know if it's a good or bad idea.

 

[Pirate]

Thanks. I was looking at Jupiter 9's again, the 85mm lens. The seller said he found the original Russian paperwork and it says it's for a FED or Zorki. I have Leica bodies.

 

[Dez]

The J9 will fit your Leicas and work well, but will probably have a focus error at closest focus distance. This is fairly easy to fix- there are instructions on how to do this in several RFF threads, and as I recall, on the Kiev Survival Site.

Cheers,
Dez

 

[Pirate]

Thank you, Dez!

 

[S.H.]

The J9 will fit your Leicas and work well, but will probably have a focus error at closest focus distance. This is fairly easy to fix- there are instructions on how to do this in several RFF threads, and as I recall, on the Kiev Survival Site.

Cheers,
Dez

??

I always thought it was unfixable : either it focuses OK at infinity and is unusable wide open at close range, or it is calibrated to focus OK at one close distance and is wrong everywhere else...

http://www.dantestella.com/technical/compat.html

I has a J9 once, worked on the Zorki of a friend but unusable on my Leica.

 

[David Hughes]

Unfortunately, it's a not a simple yes/no answer. FED and Zorki share the 39mm thread lens mount (apart from some very old models) that Leica used. However, the lens-to-film distance (registration) is slightly different from Leica's "standard". What that means is that lenses aren't 100% compatible.

The difference in registration affects longer/faster lenses more than shorter/slower ones and close-up/wide open more than further/stopped down. So, for (say) the Jupiter 12, which is a 35mm f/2.8 you're unlikely to see a problem. For a Jupiter 3 (50mm f/1.5), used close-up on a Leica-standard body the results might be mis-focussed. Likewise, using non-FSU lenses on FEDs and Zorkis is also a potential problem. FSU lenses can be adjusted, if necessary, to work better on Leica-standard bodies but not 100% under all circumstances.

There are some other things to be aware of. Firstly, all FSU lenses are (relatively) old and it's not unknown for them to have been tinkered with along the way - especially the higher-value or more complex ones like the Jupiter 3 and 9. Secondly, the FED and Zorki bodies don't use a roller-tipped RF sensor so it's important NOT to try and mount any non-FSU lens if it doesn't have a full, tubular RF cam. If you do, they can become jammed on the body. Lastly, the Jupiter 12 has a protruding rear element which is known to be too deep for certain non-FSU bodies.

Hopefully that helps clarify things. If you have specific lens/body combinations in mind, tell us which and someone will know if it's a good or bad idea.

Hi,

I'll second that and add that if you intend to buy the one lens and use it on one body then a few test shoots, near and far subjects and open and closed aperture should tell you the answer. And getting a lens tweaked slightly to work with a specific camera is not a difficult task. Any competent repairer should be able to do it.

With one exception I seem to have been lucky with all my FSU and Leica bodies and FSU lenses. And the exception might have been the body (Leica IIIa) as I was never happy with it and got rid of it years ago.

I'm inclined to blame the previous owners, who think lenses and bodies can be repaired at home, for most of the problems I read about on these forums. Collimation at home without the proper equipment isn't easy...

Regards, David

 

[wolves3012]

Thanks. I was looking at Jupiter 9's again, the 85mm lens. The seller said he found the original Russian paperwork and it says it's for a FED or Zorki. I have Leica bodies.

The Jupiter 9 will fit but, as Dez points out, it's likely to have focus error. It can be re-shimmed, in the right hands, to work well at close or far distance on Leica-standard bodies BUT it's unlikely to agree with the RF over the entire range. If you're willing to stop down for further distances, it's usually possible to get infinity in focus by allowing DOF to reach to it.

Just as a caution, the internals of the J9 are relatively complex and they are well known for having been disassembled and put back together incorrectly. Not that that can't be resolved by a knowledgeable repairman but it's not for the fainthearted. We used to have a very good lens-guru on here but unfortunately he's departed the forum.