Jupiter 11,LTM mount lens.

[SCOTFORTHLAD]

Since first following the Forum in January,I have read many interesting discussions about the various FSU standard 50mm lenses,and the J12 and Orion 15 wide angles,plus the J9 medium telephoto,but do not recall any mention of the Jupiter 11, 135mm f4 telephoto.
It does not seem to be very widely discussed,and no doubt is not used too often,but for situations when it may be an appropriate lens to use,does anyone have any comment or experience of this lens.

Apologies if this has come up before.

Brian.

 

[lushd]

Hi Brian - I have the LTM and Kiev mount versions and I can't say I use them much these days. The handling is tricky for me as I haven't felt I have ever got the grip quite right and I have had a bit of camera shake. I used to use them for colour and I really like the smooth and natural colour (with Agfa film). They are a bit lower contrast than a modern lens (a good thing in my eyes) and need very careful focussing. Because of the Kiev rangefinder base being long, the results from the Kiev as opposed to the Zorki 1 or 4k are sharper. You don't get a whole lot of depth of field even at f22 either and you must have a viewfinder for composition. All this sounds a bit negative but actually it's a good lens and you've planted a seed in my head now ...

 

[wlewisiii]

I had it in Kiev mount and used it quite often. Well made & I found it easy to handle. I need to ponder getting one in LTM... 😀

William

 

[Stu W]

I just listed my Jupiter-11 for sale, as I no longer have a Contax body to put it on. Mine is sharp as a tack, and I found focusing to be very easy-at least on a Contax. Like Donald said, it really does a nice job with color, and I found it to be a nice portrait lens.

 

[vrgard]

I have a Jupiter 11 that I've shot with a Kiev 4A. As Donald said, the longer rangefinder base of the Kiev does help with this longer lens. Haven't had any problem with depth of field. Just checked a test shot I did with this lens last year and in sunny open light I got plenty of dof. And since I seem to be able to hold a camera fairly steady, I haven't noticed any camera shake issues with this longer lens. That being said, I don't do much long range shooting and for that reason have not used the Jupter 11 lens much. Guess my bottom line answer is if you need the length, then this is a very respectable lens. And you can't beat the price either (as I recall, it goes for less than the Jupiter 9 85 mm lens).

-Randy

 

[physiognomy]

Hey Brian,

I have a J-11 in Contax/Kiev mount & enjoy using it... I went to the zoo over the weekend & it was perfect for walking around taking candid people shots as well as getting some tight framed shots of the animals. I hope to get the roll developed sometime this week & maybe I'll have time to scan the good ones... (It seems I never get time lately). I think another reason I like this lens is that I get to use my fsu turret finder. Ok, so it is a little big, but the view through it is so bright and clear that it is a pleasure to use compared to the viewfinder/rangefinder of the Kiev.

Peter

 

[je2a3]

I have a J-11 in LTM and it produces sharp images with good contrast. 135mm at f4 can be a bit tricky to focus on the Barnack clones with shorter 38mm RF baselength but no problems on the Fed 2, Zorki 5/6 or 1:1 RF magnification of the 3 and 4.

Joseph

 

[SCOTFORTHLAD]

Thanks everyone!Your comments are much appreciated.One of my major interests is for photographing shipping in our local Port,unfortunately since 9/11 access to the dockside has been stopped and so photos have to be taken at a distance,so a telephoto would be useful. Portraits of the grandchildren are another nice possibility!
I will have to look out for one in LTM.,although at present those listed on Ebay are all Kiev/contax mount.

Cheers, 😉
Brian.

 

[brachal]

I have one in LTM that I use with my Feds and Bessa-R. I think it's a great lens, lots of character. I haven't had any problems focusing, even with the bessa. You will get some funny looks, especially if you add a turret finder, which I highly recommend. A huge help in composing shots.