Jupiter 8 and Leica M6

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javimm

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Hi. I'm thinking about buying a Jupiter 8 for my M6, just to have a 50mm. I'm planning to buy a 35 Biogon in the future (I have a J12 now, my only lens), so it could be a long time until I have a 50, and I thought a cheap J8 could be the answer for now.

I like the J12, but I hate to use a hand held meter, as the rear lens element hides the photometer cell. Does this happen to the J8 too?.

I've been reading about the J8, and found a quite cryptic and technical page by Dante Stella, about some problems of FSU lenses in Leica bodies, regarding rangefinder coupling. These lenses seem to focus badly on Leica bodies due to some arcaine reasons. This problem affects the focusing in close distances at open apertures. How does this affects the J8 and the M6?. I've seen pics taken with the J8 and they are really nice.


Any tip really appreciated.
 
First the good news: The J-8 will not block your meter; there are no protruding rear lens elements.

As far as focusing issues are concerned: maybe. The concensus on this forum is that Soviet lenses were made to a different focal standard which leads to a focus error of 2.5 to 5 cm if everything is "right" with the lens. Usually only noticeable at widest apertures and close ranges. In practice, some lenses require slight adjustment, some require no adjustment at all, some are virtually unusable -- a lot depends on the example. I've used numerous Soviet lenses on my Bessa R without noticeable problems; maybe I'm lucky. Your best bet is to buy the lens from a reputable seller like www.fedka.com or www.okvintagecamera.com.
 
More good news: if there is a focusing issue with a J8 on a Leica, it will only be an issue at close focus and when using f2.

With the J12, have you tried metering with the lens focused as close as possible? This moves the protruding rear lens element forward and lets the meter do its thing. (Of course you focus on the subject before taking the picture, the close focus step is just to get a meter reading.)
 
Thanks both for the info. I'll have a look at the websites you pointed me, brachal.

Frank, I have to try that. Seems like a great way of getting rid of the handheld meter. I'll check the metering using your tip, to see how well it works.

So a J8 seems to be a good option. I'm quite happy with the J12 (apart from the meter problem). It's very well constructed, and doesn't feel cheap at all. Sturdy metal almost, so if the J8 is constructed in a similar way, I'll be happy.
 
I recently bought a M2 with an Elmar and mounted my Jupiter 8 on it. Rangefinder and scale agreed on infinity. When I set the lens to 1m, the rangefinder showed coincidence at 96cm (on my Zorki 4, which gives correct focusing even at 1m and f/2 this is 1m and 1m).
A calculation based on the optical formulas showed, that the focusing error is roughly constant and about 4% of the distance. With greater distance or stopped down a bit, the DOF covers this.
Just remember to focuse on the nose instead of the eyes when you take a close up portrait.

OTOH, close distance and f/2 is not the best idea with the Jupiter 8, because pictures get quite soft (which could be desired for portraits?).
 
I recently bought a M2 with an Elmar and mounted my Jupiter 8 on it. Rangefinder and scale agreed on infinity. When I set the lens to 1m, the rangefinder showed coincidence at 96cm (on my Zorki 4, which gives correct focusing even at 1m and f/2 this is 1m and 1m).
A calculation based on the optical formulas showed, that the focusing error is roughly constant and about 4% of the distance. With greater distance or stopped down a bit, the DOF covers this.
Just remember to focuse on the nose instead of the eyes when you take a close up portrait.

OTOH, close distance and f/2 is not the best idea with the Jupiter 8, because pictures get quite soft (which could be desired for portraits?).
Click to expand...

Yes, that is the issue I read about. Backfocus due to differences in design. Your tip of focusing the nose is very useful. I'll try that. Apart from that, that close focus at 1 m shots are only a low % of what I intend to do, so no big deal for me anyway.

I've visited fedka and the other webpage, and thier prices seem to be quite high. Maybe it's because the lenses are CLA'ed, or are good performers?. I'll try the Bay to see if something turns up.

Thanks again,
Javier
 
javimm said:
I've visited fedka and the other webpage, and thier prices seem to be quite high. Maybe it's because the lenses are CLA'ed, or are good performers?. I'll try the Bay to see if something turns up.

Thanks again,
Javier
Click to expand...

Their prices are higher, but their gear is cleaned and checked before it's sold. You can be confident that you'll get good, working lenses. the auction sites are much more risky. If you search on the forum, you'll find plenty of stories about people buying FSU lenses that are completely unusable without major (or minor) work.

I'd second buying an Industar 61LD -- it's a great lens. The differences between the J8 and the I61 are:

J8 is faster and slower, f/2 => f/22 vs f/2.8 =>f/16 for the Industar
Industar is sharper and has more contrast.
Industar aperture has click-stops, J8 does not.

Both are worth having.
 
The J8 is fine on my M6 except wide aperture and close focussing. I'll try the 'nose not eye' trick. I find the biggest problem is the lack of click stops, it's easy to moved the aperture ring when you adjust the focus.

You may find the cheapest way to buy a J8 is to buy a Zorki complete withJ8 from ebay. About 6-10 UKP (12-20 $) in UK
 
Thanks for the info on the Industar. Now I don't know what to buy. I'm considering even buying a Zorki 4K!!. Haha. I'll probably stick to the J8 buy, and then buy a 4K with the Industar. Problem is buying such a camera/lens from ebay and getting a good one is a matter of having very good luck, and buying from Fedka defeats the cheapness somewhat, as he has high prices and the s/h would add up too much.

Now, I don't know if buying a Zorki having a M6 is a good move.
 
A J8 will have resonable contract and won't iris image like a J12. A J8 really needs a hood and improves from f/2.2 or smaller.

Unless you buy a modern leitz (or zeiss) lens you will be sorry you did not stick with a J8.

Noel
 
Hey I have a question. From what I understand I can use an M6 with a J-12 and the only issue is the meter won't be useful anymore. Do I need anything to mount the J-12 onto the M6?
 
Hey I have a question. From what I understand I can use an M6 with a J-12 and the only issue is the meter won't be useful anymore. Do I need anything to mount the J-12 onto the M6?
Click to expand...
I have the J-12 too. You only need an adapter for thread to bayonett mount. I have the one that CV makes, and it's perfect. I use it too with the J8, but it brings the 35-135 lines, so I have to use the preview lever.
 
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