J8 or I26...is there a clear winner?

[Stradibarrius]

Of these two lenses is there a consensus of opinion as to which is the best? Maybe they are equal?

 

[wlewisiii]

Depends on what you want. One is a good Tessar clone & one is a direct copy of the 50/2 Sonnar.

The I-26, I think, was an intermediate design between the earlier Tessar clones and the final Industar-61 design. That lens, especially the L/D version, is generally considered quite good. If compact appeals, the Industar-22 collapsible 50/3.5 is a very nice lens.

That said, a good Jupiter 8 is probably the best investment you can make - cheap, fast enough for most purposes, & with a very classic "look". The key is a good one so buy from a known seller - I like Fedka.

Search the galleries & I think you'll see what you're looking for.

William

 

[-doomed-]

I personally like the J-8 because I dont own an I-26 , i do own an I-50 which I also feel is a fantastic lense as well. I still always seem to return to my J-8 which i got from fedka(i feel hes your best bet when buying FSU gear since he knows what he is selling you and its always as described.)

I have a few FSU lenses but for my money id go for the J-8 unless you can get your hands on a good J-3.
All of the FSU lenses are cheap enough to buy and try to see what you like best , for me its been the I-50,J3,and J8.

I've gone off track a bit here ,but i guess thats why we spend time here. Its all discussion

 

[brachal]

As has been noted, they are different. I use my J-8 or J-3 far more often than any of my Industars. I like the extra speed, and I generally prefer the images from a Jupiter.

 

[Warren T.]

I own two i-26, one i-61, and one j-8. my favorite is the j-8 because of the little bit of extra speed, and the j-8's "look". The i-61 seems sharper than the i-26 or j-8. While the i-26 is very good, I prefer the other two more.

--W

 

[Roger Vadim]

J-8 all the way... but I am a Sonnar adict

 

[ZorkiKat]

Industar-50.

J-8 is fine and fast.

I-61 can be snappy. But too snappy sometimes.

The I-50 is right there in between.

 

[Dave Wilkinson]

J8 or I26...is there a clear winner? ~ ....not really - with a few exeptions - they are just mediocre, but in a different way! .....if you like 'old fashioned' and get lucky with one - it's a few bucks well spent!
Dave.

 

[Stradibarrius]

Here is a shot taken with my Zorki4 and the J8. It was the first roll of film I ran through it so I slapped a roll of Kodak BW400CN in the camera and just took a bunch of test shots. Took the roll up to the corner drug store so they could process, print and scan for me and I was pleasantly surprised with the results.

I have a test roll in my FED 2 with the I26 on it and I am shooting that roll now.

 

[Stradibarrius]

Here is a shot that I like for some reason. The entire roll was shot guessing the exposure as something based off a sunny 16.

 

[Stradibarrius]

The photo will not attach for some reason

 

[wolves3012]

Zorkikat sums it up nicely! The I-26 and to a greater extent, the I-61 are sharp and contrasty. The J-8 is softer and has a more "old-time" look and a one-stop advantage. Horses for courses, there is no "winner".

If you don't need the speed then the I-22 or I-50 are hard to beat and compact, in collapsible versions. I disagree that they are mediocre unless you have a poor sample.

 

[nzeeman]

if you shoot architecture take i26 or i61 - they have some nice sharpness and contrast even wide open.
for portraits take j8 - i love j8 look when it is at f2 and f2.8.

 

[fidget]

They're cheap enough for most to own both, so you can be the winner.
For me, I like the click stop aperture of the I61. I've messed up many shots on the J8 by nudging the aperture whilst focussing....maybe I need more practice!