Kiev experience

[FrankS]

I shot 1/2 roll with my new Kiev 4am and Helios lens this afternoon. I quite enjoyed it. I like the sound of the shutter curtains. I'm weird that way. I"ll finish the rest of the roll trying the J12 35mm lens. I have an external 35mm finder to use with it. I was just wondering, how much do 50mm f1.5 Zeiss Sonnar lenses go for? (Contax mount) I may be perfectly happy with what I've got, but a curious mind would like to know.

 

[FrankS]

Here's the J-12.

 

[newspaperguy]

Nice looking finder, Frank

(Yeh, yeh, nice camera, too!)

Who was the maker of the finder?

Rick

 

[FrankS]

Thanks Rick. It is a Komura finder.

 

[Pherdinand]

Zeiss Sonnars, the coated 50/1.5's are about $200 if in good shape. You can try your luck with hazy,fungussed,scratched or oily-apertured ones for less. Uncoated ones tend to go for a bit less. The best deal might be to buy it with a non-mint contax and sell the body. However, there's the catch: if the contax body works you will never sell it, lol.

 

[JoeFriday]

I recently saw a T coated lens go for $125 on the 'bay.. I planned on bidding on it, but totally forgot.. LOL.. B&H will have one come up once in a while, too.. generally between $150-200.. I'm casually looking for one, too.. but when I consider the value and performance of the J8M, I'm not sure I really need the Sonnar

btw, there's also the Jupiter 3 version of the Zeiss f1.5, but finding one in mint condition is pretty hard.. they're going for about $80-100 if you can find one.. and it won't be T-coated

 

[wlewisiii]

Frank:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=30062&item=7520091703&rd=1
or
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=30062&item=7520635619&rd=1

The Jupiter 3 is much safer to get in Kiev than in LTM as there is much less to go wrong. It is a direct copy of the original Sonnar rather than a modified copy. If I had the money, I'd already have BIN'd the Jupiter. Lousy shots in the ad though.

A nice CZJ 135/4 here if you'd like a long lens:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=30062&item=7521143027&rd=1

William