Jupiter 8 - optimal aperture

[kchan]

Folks,
Just picked up 1955 Jupiter 8. What would be an optimal setting to get a sharp contrasty image but with that "classic sonnar bokeh"? Due to where I was at when I took my first roll most of the shots were 2-2.8 and were consistently soft and dull. Used a hood so I'm not sure if flare is a contributing factor. What's your typical usage for people shots? [best to start at 4/5.6?]

Thanks,
Ken

 

[lkgroup]

When I use My Jupiter 8, I almost always use it at 5.6 if I can. It is sharp at that aperature and the depth of field allows the main subject to stand out.

Leo

 

[xayraa33]

here is my 1956 J-8 at f5.6 on a 1971 Zorki 4:

 

[peter_n]

My experience is f4 or f5.6.

 

[ed1k]

My Jupiter-8M (Kiev/Contax mount, made by Zavod Arsenal) is reasonably sharp @f/2. Here are some examples:
@2
@2
@2.8 (I had to rotate this pic by few degrees, so I was farther from the subject than you may think)
@5.6 or @8 (I didn't make note)
@8 or @16
I would say f/2 is good for close up (1-3 meters) and f/2.8-f/4 for 5-6 meters.
Eduard.

 

[colyn]

I've found that most lens including the J-8 seen to work best at f/4-8.
My J-8 looks real good at f/5.6

 

[RML]

IMO the J-8 isn't a really very sharp lens to begin with. It's rather soft all over. I never realised it much until I won the fab Zeiss Ikon Planar T* 50/2. That lens is razor sharp. My trusty J-8 is no match for it at all. But I love the lens and the results it gives. I mostly shoot between f5.6 and f11, depending on the amount of light available.

 

[Marc-A.]

IMO the J-8 isn't a really very sharp lens to begin with. It's rather soft all over. I never realised it much until I won the fab Zeiss Ikon Planar T* 50/2. That lens is razor sharp. My trusty J-8 is no match for it at all. But I love the lens and the results it gives. I mostly shoot between f5.6 and f11, depending on the amount of light available.

What's the point in comparing a Jupiter 8 which is a copy of the classic Sonnar and the new Planar with new formula, with modern optics, with high production quality and which costs 20 times the price of J8? Don't understand.

Anyway, Ken, your J8 should perform great, since the 50's (and the 80's) are the best years of production. The sharpness - though nothing like modern lenses of course! - is better between f5.6 and f8 but it depends on the lens. I strongly recommend personnal test: find a place outside where you can shoot streets, buildings and signs (like in the picture of xayraa33), use a tripod, or put the camera on a steady surface, and shoot the same subject at all the different apertures, twice. even if it's not a "scientific" test, it should be significant for the quality of your own lens.
The J8 is great for different uses; I regret I sold my last one with my Zorki 3M.
A few samples taken with a J8 from 1955; they're no good, but they show at least different kinds of photo (the differences of grain are due to the film and the processing):

Best,

Marc

 

[Xmas]

The glass used is low refractive index so the edges are softer than a similar modern formulation, especially wide open. Not all examples are completely treated with black paint internally, stop below 2.2 if this is critical.

The front elemsnt is not well located, in some models and depends on the skill of the last person to rebuild it.

But it is a inherently a high contrast lens and will give good results, ignore theory unless you have a really solid tripod or concrete block, you or your technique (film/dev) are the biggest limit, do you do 20x16" on bromide paper?

Use a lens hood to keep fingers of the glass and protect it if you drop the camera, even a filter will protect the lens to a degree, dont worry about the hood getting in the finder view. The hood will hold the contrast in contra jour situations...

Oh and shine a flash light through it it may need a clean internally.

Noel

 

[ampguy]

Marc-A -- how much better are the '80s versions? Mine is a '75 and I thought it was pretty good!!

What is a good metal hood for the Jupiter-8?

 

[kchan]

Thanks!

Thanks!

Folks .. thanks for the great replies and pictures. I'll try my next roll in better lighting conditions and see how it goes.

Ken

 

[Spyderman]

Just for an idea of how the lens behaves at different apertures - look here http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=25762

I like my J-8. Actually I have 2 of them, but I think that properly adjusted they are pretty sharp.

here's a shot at f/2

 

[rolleistef]

My 57 J8 is quite soft at f:2, but I assume my focusing wasn't perfect. But you still get good details at that aperture.
It's true it lacks contrast a bit, but you just print it with a higher grade...
Marc-A, I like your photos very much. The Luxembourg one, though often taken, is really nice. The gull and the Pantheon Dome adds that little something I usually like on pics. Where was the 2nd one taken? (Ici Londres...Les Français parlent aux Français...)
Kchan, what you need to do is using 3 different apertures each time (ie : 2.8, 4, 5.6, or 4, 5.6 and 8) and make you own mind about what you like best... Since the lens were mostly hand made at that time, I guess results may variate from a lens to another.
Cheers,
stéphane

 

[Diomedes]

My small contribution... J8 at f/2 and f16
Btw, my late black version of KMZ J8 has s/n 0186147. Does anybody know a a year of production ?

 

[ampguy]

hmmm

hmmm

I read that the year was the first 2 digits of the s/n, mine starts 75xxx so I think mine is a '75. I don't know if these were made in 2001, but I doubt if they were made as early as 1901 ... ??

My small contribution... J8 at f/2 and f16
Btw, my late black version of KMZ J8 has s/n 0186147. Does anybody know a a year of production ?

 

[pshinkaw]

I have one black Jupiter-8. The SN is 7302978. I bought it without a body, so I assume that is was made in 1973 to be sold with a Zorki-4K.

If I'm photographing people up close I try to optimize my exposures with my Jupiter's at f4-f5.6. If I'm not photographingprinciplayy people I use f8-f11. This one was at f11.

-Paul

 

[Xmas]

Ken
You might need to try the J8 where focusing is not a dependency and/or try a ground glass (or magic tape) in the film gate to confirm the rangefinder & lens fit, the lens may have been missassembled. Ive had a j12 with the focus follower out by 180 degrees - among other problems. This stopped it mounting...
Noel

 

[Marc-A.]

Marc-A -- how much better are the '80s versions? Mine is a '75 and I thought it was pretty good!!

Hi Ampguy, sorry for my late reply. I shouldn't have talked as if I were an expert of FSU lenses, now I'm really embarrassed Ah those pretentious froggies
Anyway, my answer is: it's all relative! But '80s (and '50) production is better, due to more rigorous control than in the '60s and '70s and better coating ...etc. Now, a good J8 is a good J8, no matter when it was produced, so don't worry!
If you want to read an interesting test of different FSU lenses, here's a link to a French site (there's a English translation on the right side): http://www.collection-appareils.com/avoscrayons/html/50mm.php

My small contribution... J8 at f/2 and f16
Btw, my late black version of KMZ J8 has s/n 0186147. Does anybody know a a year of production ?

Hello Diomedes,
From what I know, which is about zero , your lenshas been produced in 1981. The black version is the late version of the J8 (true also of the J3), and a lot of '80 J8 s/n start with a 0 instead of a 8; you'll see a lot of 02xxxx for black J8 from 1982. Diomedes, you have a good J8.

Best,
Marc

 

[colyn]

IMO the J-8 isn't a really very sharp lens to begin with. It's rather soft all over. I never realised it much until I won the fab Zeiss Ikon Planar T* 50/2. That lens is razor sharp. My trusty J-8 is no match for it at all. But I love the lens and the results it gives. I mostly shoot between f5.6 and f11, depending on the amount of light available.

If the lens has not been tampered with it is very capable of producing sharp images. My J-8 produces very sharp images.

Comparing an older lens to a new high end lens is an unfair comparision..

 

[ed1k]

Btw, my late black version of KMZ J8 has s/n 0186147

Is it an export version of J8 like this? There is only one thing I can tell for sure that your J8 is a good one

But '80s (and '50) production is better, due to more rigorous control than in the '60s and '70s

Where did you get this info? I don't think in 80's was better control than in 70's or 60's. There was slightly better control for export production but it doesn't matter now. In general, it was already mentioned in some discussion at this site, with FSU lenses you don't deal with soviet QC issue but rather with generic issue related to buying used item for bargain price. (I specifically didn't put second hand but used, because you'd be very happy to be exact second owner of old FSU lens which hit second hand market God knows when).

P.S. I forgot to mention my J8 is from begin of 1979, if someone looked my gallery and interested. It has a few scratches on front element about 4 mm off the edge, like someone tried to drill a hole, but after few attempts gave up when drill slide to the edge due to the spheric lens surface. Other than that glass is perfectly clean. Very often front element has a lot of small scrathes everywhere on it and that would affect image quality IMHO.

Eduard