Now this is WEIRD (Jupiters, Zorkis and Leicas)

[Kozhe]

Hi everybody,

I just got some new lenses, Jupiter 3, 9 and 12. I have a Leica M2 and a Zorki I which I use to test them and for some weird reason I don´t get, the Jupiters seem to be out of focus with the Zorki (like 2mm in the vf at infinity) while they do fine with the Leica.

Crazy thing is, the Industar 22 I had on the Zorki is working perfectly in both cameras 😕

I guess they´re possessed...

 

[payasam]

Which is more likely, three lenses wrong or one camera wrong?

 

[Spider67]

Could it be that the I 22's maximum aperture of 3,5 compensates for the aberrations?
For the other lenses: Lucky you!!

 

[john341]

Can't say I have come across this problem-worst I had was a J12 contax mount which fits on half my Kievs and not on the other half. Check the age of the Zorki and that of the lenses,,could be an age issue..good luck

 

[Pickett Wilson]

It does sound like the camera needs adjusting, not the lenses.

John, I've had the same experience with Kievs, with some lenses that would fit and others that would not.

 

[ZorkiKat]

It's really like this: the Jupiters were not considered standard for the early Zorki. In fact, somewhere in the original instruction manual is an admonition that in case the original Industar 3,5 lens is replaced, the camera has to be recalibrated for the replacement lens.

Your Jupiters likely have the correct (Leica-wise) 28,8mm register and camming pitch so they work with your Leicas.

However, your Zorki is likely still calibrated for the Industar-22. When the cameras left the factory, they were matched to the lenses they were issued with. Subsequent repairs would have also matched it to the lens it was found with.

When matching the lens to camera, the usual procedure ws to adjust the camera and not the lens. Adjustments were easier done on the camera than the lens.

With a Zorki which has been recalibrated to suit Leica standards, the I-22 you have will still likely focus right. Its modest f.3,5 aperture will likely cover for the discrepancy.