Jupiter 9 lens for portraits?

[fidget]

Hi, I'm trying to buy a J9. Whilst looking at some of the items on thE bay, many are described as portrait lenses. I know that some lenses are good for portraits because they give a soft, flattering image (without high definition skin pores, zits, w-h-y). These lenses share the 80 to 100 mm range, which I understand is a good focal length for this use. So....is the J9 a 85mm lens with soft focus or is it capable of higher definition/resolution? (I would want to use it for almost everthing but portraits)

Dave....

 

[Ash]

It all depends from lens to lens. I've never used one but you might want to search sample images of j-9's.

I think its only called a portrait lens from the focal length, the rest is just a blag to make you think this 80mm ___ is better than that 80mm ____

 

[Bryce]

Dave-
I've got a J-9, though it's in Pentax screw mount. I believe the optics are the same, mine being new enough for multicoating. It is very soft wide open, though both sharpness and contrast clean up at about 5.6.

 

[clarence]

The J-9 makes a great portrait lens not only because it is not clinically sharp, but also because it is capable of focusing at close distances up to 1.15m. This capability allows for frame-filling facial portraits.

Clarence

 

[fidget]

Hmm, thanks for that. I hadn't thought about the lens softening up when wide open. But then, don't all, at least to some extent. I guess that there are also variations between examples.

Dave

 

[SCOTFORTHLAD]

I also used J9 in M42,for photographing merchant shipping and the local Docks,I found it fine, and sharp enough in reasonable light using 200 asa. colour neg.film.

Brian.

 

[varjag]

My J9 sample has that "soft yet sharp" wide open look that makes particularly flattering female portraits. The only drawback it has is poor flare resistance at large apertures.

 

[Pherdinand]

As varjag says. Somehow not soft, but still not as sharp as a macro or such.
I had problems with it, though, it had a (re)assembly issue. Someone put it together in a way that focus was off and impossible to focus past 10m. I've heard about misalignments with the J-9 far too often. You need luck with it, or the willingness to take it apart and fix it.
It was no big deal, really. If you are okay w a screwdriver, i mean.

 

[oscroft]

I've got a 1961 J-9 in LTM mount, and it's a bit battered but it's nice and sharp. (I also have a 1977 one that I haven't had a chance to use yet - must take it out this weekend)

 

[Michiel Fokkema]

Hi,

The Jupiter 85 is an excellent portrait lens. If you can find a good one.
Problem with the Russian stuff is that there never was good quality control.
There is a lot of difference between individual samples of the same lens.
I've had three. The first one fell apart, the second one was very prone to flare. The third one is very nice and performs good. Wide open a bit soft, stopped down sharp enough. I do use a big lenshood on it.

Cheers,

Michiel Fokkema

 

[Pherdinand]

Michiel (or anybody else):
What kind of hood do you use for the J-9? Where did you get it?

thanks

 

[dexdog]

The J-9 accepts a 49mm threaded hood. A couple of eBay sellers (e.g., American Eagle) have them pretty cheap, usually 10 to 12 USD.

 

[varjag]

I use a Soviet plastic slip-on hood for 85mm lenses.. one would say authentic 🙂

 

[Spyderman]

Jupiter 9 is a very good lens. I would say it's very underrated as well.

Regarding the soviet QC I think most of you are underrating that as well. All lenses that I have are fine (all checked by 2-camera-collimation-method). Also all my cameras are fine (except for some RF adjustment). Or myybe I am just lucky...

The problem of most of the Jupiter 9 lenses is that someone might have tinkered with them. And that they are very complicated to reassemble. Well, at least they were complicated before the God-sent manual appeared on http://www.pentax-manuals.com/repairs.htm 😀

With the manual in front of you - there is no problem in reassembly of the much-maligned Jupiter 9.

Regarding your original question about sharpness here is a shots from the Jupiter 9 - just an example how how sharp it can be...

J9 @ f/4

There are more shots with it in my Flickr gallery marked with tag jupiter9

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

I use a Soviet plastic slip-on hood for 85mm lenses.. one would say authentic 🙂

I've been looking for one of these, and no luck. Do you know where I could get one, specifically? Thanks in advance.

 

[varjag]

Spyderman, those were nice 🙂

Some examples of my '9 fully open too.

 

[varjag]

I've been looking for one of these, and no luck. Do you know where I could get one, specifically? Thanks in advance.

I got mine along with the lens, it is marked "For Tair-11 and Jupiter-9" IIRC. Try asking russian camera sellers perhaps? It's a penny item, and not particularly good to be fair.

OK, and one more shot from my J-9, this time at f/4 🙂

 

[Spyderman]

varjag: I admire your ability to focus at f/2. But maybe it's the Kiev.
Most of my shots (on Zorki 4) wide open have the plane of focus in front of or behind where I intended to focus. My solution is simple - just stop it down to f/2.8 or f/4.

 

[Pherdinand]

Spyderman,stop showing off woth your beauty!
And i don't mean the J-9!
😀

 

[Pherdinand]

dexdog: Yes i thought of a generic one, buit this lens has a huge front element, i'd like something as efficient as possible (thus not one made for normal or wide elnses)
-and still one that is not vignetting.
Bottom line, i want one that is made for it.
A zeiss, or a FSU one, i guess.