Jupiter LTM Jupiter 3 or Jupiter 8?

Jupiter M39 lenses
Currently, I really love my J-3 (1960), just arrived 2 days ago. Very light, small, soft wide open but have a pleasing effect and character.

http://www.sovietcams.com/index.php?-1123596578

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That's what I'm worried about. With their prices you can go from 0-60 in well under Lada times...

I must test out the four cameras I have not so far used, I must use all my cameras more often, HELP, they're breeding!
 
CharlesDAMorgan said:
That's what I'm worried about. With their prices you can go from 0-60 in well under Lada times...

I must test out the four cameras I have not so far used, I must use all my cameras more often, HELP, they're breeding!
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Tell me about it! I recently told a photographer friend that I wouldn't be buying any more camera equipment this year. Well, since I said that, I've added two film cameras. :eek: (one FSU ;))
 
CharlesDAMorgan said:
Forgive me if this is a stupid question, but is there the same need to shim if using the lens on say a Zorki or a Fed rather than a Leica? I suspect the answer is of the how long is a piece of string type, but who knows!
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You would have to, if it will be necessary. I don't know anything about string type, but FSU collimation and following standards is not something written on the rock.
 
CharlesDAMorgan said:
Received and understood Ko.Fe!

Now to do my research on shimming.
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I used one manual from Brian Sweeny, but could find it anymore.
Basically with J3 you need to remove entire lens block from focus assembly and on lens block you will see shimming ring. I'm using it as template and cutting additional from paper. Most of the times I need to add one.
Only tricky part is to shift focus scale ring after it. It requires drilling three new locations to where three holding screws will screw in.
Those three screws are extremely small...
 
It's hard to believe I bought my J3 eight years ago. I was lucky, I had a camera friend who lived in Moscow. I asked him to find me a good one. He let me "audition" 3 or 4 different J3 lenses he had on hand. He sent me high quality photos taken at different stops, and I chose a 1956 one. The prices at that time were $100, which we thought were getting up there from their $25 days a few years before. I still have the J3, and it did not need shimming on my Canon P.
 
Ko.Fe. said:
I used one manual from Brian Sweeny, but could find it anymore.
Basically with J3 you need to remove entire lens block from focus assembly and on lens block you will see shimming ring. I'm using it as template and cutting additional from paper. Most of the times I need to add one.
Only tricky part is to shift focus scale ring after it. It requires drilling three new locations to where three holding screws will screw in.
Those three screws are extremely small...
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I've found Brian's guide https://rangefinderforum.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1151284&postcount=15.

My cunning plan is to have a very skilled friend who is insanely capable of dealing with tiny screws to do the job. He doesn't know this yet, but he owes me...
 
Your chances of finding a useable J8 are quite a bit better than a useable J3.

Quality control on the J3's was evidently poor. Many of them require shimming to focus properly on a Barnack Leica.

My own experience with ten J8's (then used to be inexpensive) was that they were all useable when they reached me (silver and black bodies both). Only one of four J3's was anywhere near good focus. All of the bad J3's were quite sharp lenses after having been shimmed properly.
 
IIIg said:
Your chances of finding a useable J8 are quite a bit better than a useable J3.

Quality control on the J3's was evidently poor. Many of them require shimming to focus properly on a Barnack Leica.

My own experience with ten J8's (then used to be inexpensive) was that they were all useable when they reached me (silver and black bodies both). Only one of four J3's was anywhere near good focus. All of the bad J3's were quite sharp lenses after having been shimmed properly.
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You have odd description of bad and quality control. Sounds like total newbie in RF. :D
 
The strange thing is that none of the old USSR made lenses were intended for the Leicas in any shape or form. And the J-3 and J-8 design was from CZ in the first place then modified to use with Zorki cameras. And Zoris were based on FEDs and FEDs were based on Leica II's. By "based on" I mean starting out like them but being modified along the way, sometimes for the better. (I'm thinking of take up spools, RF colouring and cable release arrangements and so on.)

A lot of people selling them on ebay etc say they are for Leica, FED and Zorki and when they don't work or the original design works the way it always did the makers get blamed.

Then there's the other factor, which is the age and condition of the camera bodies. I doubt if there's any normal (non-billionaire) user who has had the RF and the registration of all his FED, Zorki and Leica bodies adjusted and standardised and the same goes for the lenses.

Add in focus shift and you get a real dog's dinner...

Regards, David
 
Very sage David. It's also the case that many of the FSU cameras and lenses, being so inexpensive, will not have had the same care, attention and expense lavished upon them as more valuable things.

I'll await my lens with interest. I have, in my normal fashion, succumbed and bought a Zorki 3 from 1954. I am entirely certain that both lens and camera will have issues that need sorting. Neither set of issues will be in as serious need of sorting as my expenditure on things I don't need!
 
David Hughes said:
The strange thing is that none of the old USSR made lenses were intended for the Leicas in any shape or form. And the J-3 and J-8 design was from CZ in the first place then modified to use with Zorki cameras. And Zoris were based on FEDs and FEDs were based on Leica II's. By "based on" I mean starting out like them but being modified along the way, sometimes for the better. (I'm thinking of take up spools, RF colouring and cable release arrangements and so on.)

A lot of people selling them on ebay etc say they are for Leica, FED and Zorki and when they don't work or the original design works the way it always did the makers get blamed.

Then there's the other factor, which is the age and condition of the camera bodies. I doubt if there's any normal (non-billionaire) user who has had the RF and the registration of all his FED, Zorki and Leica bodies adjusted and standardised and the same goes for the lenses.

Add in focus shift and you get a real dog's dinner...

Regards, David
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The fact is that QC has never been a thing in FSU and many things did not properly work right of the box. Been there, seen it many times, including cameras...
 
Never had a Jupiter 8 or a Jupiter 3. Did have a Jupiter 9 for a spell. Smashing portrait lens. Didn't mind that delimiter ring -- thought it an interesting work-around. Sonnar design too! (Though I never thought Sonnars were "all that", really... Could never really see a difference from a plain ole planar...) But my favorite Jupiter was the Jupiter 2. It, along with that robot, got the Robinson family out of many a jam on distant planets!
 
valdas said:
The fact is that QC has never been a thing in FSU and many things did not properly work right of the box. Been there, seen it many times, including cameras...
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Interesting but I'd like to know how many brand new cameras you have bought in the old USSR, make, models etc...

Regards, David
 
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