raid
Dad Photographer
So my black J-8M was made by Arsenal after all.
What was the number of elements in the original J-8 then?
Thanks for the info, Bill.
Your 56 numbered lens was made in 1956.
brachal
Refrigerated User
Raid,
I can't find any reference to the 8M ever being made by anyone other than Arsenal. Does yours have the onion-shaped Arsenal mark?
As far as I know, the original J-8 also had six elements. Princelle doesn't go into any detail about how the 8M formula was changed.
julio1fer
Well-known
Design of Jupiter 8M, from a Russian 1970 lens catalog posted here some time ago:
If I understand correctly the manual, it says that this lens was made for cameras of Kiev type.
julio1fer
Well-known
Design of Jupiter-8 from same source:
The manual says this lens is for cameras FED, Mir, Zorki, Leningrad, Drug.
The designs of J-8 and J-8M are very similar but not identical. Maybe some technical person could comment on the differences?
The manual says this lens is for cameras FED, Mir, Zorki, Leningrad, Drug.
The designs of J-8 and J-8M are very similar but not identical. Maybe some technical person could comment on the differences?
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raid
Dad Photographer
Thanks, Julio!
The last two rear elements in the J-8 M are symmetric and they are asymmetric in the J-8. The coverages differ slightly. Else, I need someone who understands optics to fillus in.
The last two rear elements in the J-8 M are symmetric and they are asymmetric in the J-8. The coverages differ slightly. Else, I need someone who understands optics to fillus in.
ethics_gradient
Well-known
Question: where can I pick up a cheap front cap for the J8? I've got one rear LTM cap between that and my J-9 which is fine for now, but I'd like something to keep the front element from getting potentially scratched.
raid
Dad Photographer
Place a lens hood on the J-8 until you get a cheap front cover.
brachal
Refrigerated User
Any cap that clips into 40.5mm filter threads will do the trick. Front and rear caps for these lenses are available from fedka.com.
cweg
Well-known
relistan
Established
I don't have any really useful information to contribute, but since we're making guesses here: I would guess that the serial numbers that don't seem to match up with the year of manufacture are from a different plant. Did KMZ operate more than one plant at some point? I realize they all have the KMZ logo so I don't think it was a different manufacturer. But the font and styling on the letters don't seem quite right either.
Cheers,
Karl
Cheers,
Karl
raid
Dad Photographer
Karl,
I also would make such a guess. It sounds very reasonable.
I also would make such a guess. It sounds very reasonable.
brachal
Refrigerated User
As far as I know, mostly from reading Princelle, there was/is only one KMZ facility. I'll reread the KMZ chapter when I get home, just to refresh my memory. ZOMZ could probably be considered a satellite plant, but they never made the Jupiter-8 and their work is clearly marked.
relistan
Established
I think Alfred's Camera page (here: http://cameras.alfredklomp.com/kmzintro/) has some information that seems pertinent here:
In Septem*ber 1976, KMZ was re*named to PO KMZ, PO stand*ing for "Proizvod*stven*noe Obyedi*ne*nie", a Pro*duc*tion or In*dus*tri*al Union. A PO en*gulfed more than one fac*to*ry: it was the name for an en*tire line of fac*to*ries and sup*pli*ers. That's why plants as Vilieka, Ros*tov and Val*dai are known as "KMZ's sis*ter fac*to*ries" and not as sep*a*rate plants: they were cogs in the PO KMZ ma*chin*ery. In 1979, the gov*ern*ment re*named KMZ "PO KMZ imeni S. A. Zvere*va", the PO KMZ in the name of S. A. Zverev.
So there was more than one plant. I really think the difference in numbering is that some came from another assembly line. Maybe you'll see more about it in Princelle's book, I don't have a copy.
The Wikipedia article on KMZ (here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krasnogorskiy_Zavod) mentions that Zenit production was outsourced to other plants to keep up with demand, as well. Jupiter lenses for Zorki may have had the same.
Cheers,
Karl
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bolas
Established
Speaking about "M" in J-8M ... i believe that could mean "модернизация" (modernisation). It is standard meaning of "M" in russian gear ... for example renewed Kalashnikov AK-47 had a name AKM and so on ... 
David Hughes
David Hughes
I said a while ago "Somewhere at the back of my mind a message came up that the 2 digits prefix for the year started in 1959 but I can't be sure" and so thought I'd better come back and say that I traced it back to http://www.sovietcams.com/index.php?-1620130885 and - if you scroll down to Type C3 you'll find something the effect that the Fed 2 numbers started 9 in 1959 and then 0 in 1960 etc.
Thought I'd mention it as I hate loose ends.
Can anyone expand on this?
Regards, David
Thought I'd mention it as I hate loose ends.
Can anyone expand on this?
Regards, David
raid
Dad Photographer
Hi David,
There exist lenses from 1955 and 1956 .. etc. that started with numbers 55xxxx and 56xxxx, so maybe some lens brands started after 1959 but not all FSU lenses did.
brachal
Refrigerated User
Fed definitely followed their own system for serial numbers. As far as I know, they never adhered to the 2-digit rule. They also tended to reset serial numbers between major models ... so it's not at all uncommon to see a Fed-2 with a lower serial than a Fed-1, for example.
David Hughes
David Hughes
Raid, Bill,
Thanks and I'll add to it that the wicked dealers just love to mix and match the bodies and lenses. Even cameras I have with the original lens baffle me at times.
Regards, David
Thanks and I'll add to it that the wicked dealers just love to mix and match the bodies and lenses. Even cameras I have with the original lens baffle me at times.
Regards, David