Noobie with a question

[TVphotog]

Hey all,
First a bit about myself. I am neither new to photography nor rangefinders. I am relatively new to FSU rangerfinders and new to the board. FSU cameras that I own... 3 FED 3s; two as parts cameras and one as a shooter, 2 Zorki 4Ks; both junk right now... gotta remember how to put them back together(may just relagate to the parts bin); 1 Kiev 4 or 4A can't remember which and 1 Zorki 3, around which my question revolves. Oh yeah, I just put a bid in on a Zorki 6 on Ebay... don't outbid me please!!!😉
Anyway, back to the question at hand. I have had the Zorki 3 for about a year and love it. A fun little camera. The lense(a jupiter 8) has a small bubble in the front element. I haven't noticed any problems with images yet. I have not really given the camera a work out either. I image that it might cause some problems with backlit situations and situations when the lense is wide open. Is this a common problems with early J-8s? Should I even worry about it at all? I have a couple 'newer' J-8s from the 4Ks, but they are black and mess with the 'look' of the camera, so I prefer not to use them. I have included some pics of the camera and the lense. The 'bright' speck in the lense pic is in fact the bubble I am speaking of.

thansk for the help and I look forward to joining the community!

 

[radiocemetery]

Your camera has a vibe

Your camera has a vibe

Hey TVphotog,

It's pretty easy to tell that you aren't new to photography. I wouldn't worry about the inclusion in your lens, just think of it as adding to the character of your camera. I enjoy seeing these russian cameras because of their tool-like look, and the machine aesthetics. I am new here also and have learned a lot from the forum and other posters. The info. I have gathered here is a great help in choosing which camera(s) I will likely end up owning. Maybe a Zorki 1d or a Fed 2 or maybe....

Anyway, enjoy yourself,

Steve, at the radiocemetery

 

[w3rk5]

I wouldn't worry about that bubble. I've read somewhere that it won't cause any issues. I've also read that it was a common thing to have bubbles on the glass. I wish I can recall where I've read that. Anyway, maybe someone more knowledgeable will back me up or correct me.

 

[Hamster]

Unless it is very close to centre on the optical axis I won't worry so much about it.

I think any concern with bubbles in the (front) lens would be mechanical integraty more then its result on picture quality.

 

[mjflory]

I've heard it put even more strongly: that bubbles were a sign of the quality of the glass, an inevitable side-effect found in the best glass. This did refer to older lenses. I tried to track this down and came up with a couple of threads on photo.net: http://photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=004rbl and http://photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=0008vW. One reason for bubbles might be the addition of metals to the glass (giving it better refractive properties), which was done at low temperatures, which led to inclusion of bubbles. The consensus formerly seemed to be that the bubbles had no ill effects on the image, though the posts I've cited seem to reflect an unwillingness to allow any defect, however slight.
Remember that a defect of any sort in the front part of the lens (ahead of focussing) will have less visible (or at any rate more diffused) effects than a defect in the rear elements.

 

[rbiemer]

Welcome aboard, gentlemen!
TVphotog, I wouldn't get too worried about the bubble. As per w3rk5's post, it's likely not a big deal. The easiest thing to do, though, would be to shoot a few frames in just those conditions you're concerned about and see how the prints/negs look. One thing I reccomend for almost any lens: a good lens hood. The 40.5mm size the J-8 uses isn't too hard to find either vintage or new and there is a guy on ebay that sells new ones pretty inexpensively(I have 3 or 4, in different sizes, that I've got from him in the last year or so.). His id is "heavystar". Alternately, if you want to keep that lovely Z3 unsullied by any "western influences" there are Russian hoods. Push-on(mostly) and either round or rectangular. I kept knocking those off the end of my lenses and so went with the screw in hoods.
Again, welcome aboard TVphotog and radiocemetery!
Rob

 

[reagan]

Hey OKC! From what I understand, a bubble on the lens of a Jupiter.8 that is attached to a Zorki.3 automatically triples the value of both lens and camera... 😉 (That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.)

... ehh, anyway, it would have to have a very standout ill-effect on every shot before I would even consider sidelining it. You've got a great looking combo there and if you like the images it produces, hey, call it "Bubble-icious" and enjoy it!

 

[Xmas]

Lots of the early Ru glass was like beer or coke for *******, there are some ******* in the early Ge glass as well.

My J8 and J8m are better contra jour than my Leitz... Dont worry about where the bubble is either.

I do like your photo technique.

Noel

 

[ZorkiKat]

Welcome TVphotog!

Bubbles (or a bubble for that matter) shouldn't be cause for concern. These would have to be very big and many to really cause trouble. And glass found with big bubbles are rejected outright, before even being considered for making lenses. It's been said that bubbles in glass are signs of high quality- but fact is, certain manufacturing methods for high-quality glass can cause bubbles to form.

The following is a translation from a Kiev 4 instruction booklet about lens bubbles:

Bubbles may be found in complex Soviet and foreign lenses. The process by which the optical glass found in these lenses is made inevitably causes bubbles to form. The bubbles which may be found are very small in size and quantity, are within acceptable specifications. They are not considered as defects and will not affect the quality of images.

Jay

 

[TVphotog]

Well thank you very much Gentlemen! As most of the replies state, I have not seen any ill effects from the inclusion in the lense. I like CVBLZ4's take on it. Luckily the seller I bought from did not hold the same idea. I think the 3 cost me around 50.00USD shipping included. I have not had it apart yet... the two dismantled Zorki 4Ks have me a bit gun shy. This time I will take digital pics every step of the dis-assembly. The slow speeds don't seem to work, but that may be an easy fix. I will know the sooner I get the camera apart.
Thanks for the comments on the photo technique. Pretty easy to get good lighting when you work at a TV station. Most of my product-esque shooting is done here. Having several thousand watts and multiple softboxes at your disposal helps greatly!
I have already started to scour the archives and most of the forums here. Those Yashica Electro GSNs and GTs are starting to look fun... Although, the wife would not take kindly to another camera in the house... That is why they are sent to work.
"What, this old thing?? I have had it for years. It was just out in the storage."

 

[Xmas]

TV
Jay in the post above your last does a user maintenance manual for Zorkis and Feds and is (as you can see) helpful in other ways. Click in his signature.
If you have bags of bits people who live nearby may send money for onwards posting.
The optical glass technology has come a long way since the '40s even in the FSU and a modern lens should have fewer bubbles, better glasses, less Pb, no Thorium etc. But your lens looks better than all of mine.
Buy partner flowers on way home that is sure to get her suspicious, or a house plant.
Noel