russian lenses for Leica M39

LeicaFoReVer

LeicaFoReVer

Addicted to Rangefinders
Local time
7:28 PM
Joined
Jul 10, 2008
Messages
1,372
Location
Turkey
View My Gallery
Brian, could you please make a list, or direct me if there is any list of the russian lenses with comments on which ones are ok to use without any adjustment and which ones need...It gets so confusing after some time looking for russian lenses. People keep asking the same questions to you over and over again...so it would be nice to have a sticky thread. Industars, jupiters...

I always wanted to try some but scared of them after your warnings (I keep forgetting the incompatible ones).

Thanks!
 
Last edited:
All of the Russian lenses were made to the Zeiss Contax standard. But there were deviations in actual focal length, and it was common to have individual lenses adjusted by a repair shop for each body. Many of these lenses are 30~60 years old, and could possibly have gone through adjustments.

But: A Russian lens built to the 52.4mm Zeiss standard, within spec, will benefit from being shimmed for the Leica 51.6mm standard. You have to pick the point of best focus, because it is going to deviate. A Leica "50mm lens" will travel 0.1mm less than a Russian "50mm lens" as you move it from 3ft to infinity. That is what the RF pickup of the Leica expects, and when you put the Russian lens on it- it does not change its motion. So to use the Russian lens close-up and wide-open, you have to move it out 0.1mm. That means you give up infinity focus. Stop down to F4, Sonnar focus shift (and Tessar focus shift) makes up about half the error.

SO: long story short,
J-3, J-8: benefit from shimming.
I50, I61, I22, I10: if you pixel peep, benefit from shimming.
J-12, usually you are Okay. If you pixel-peep, benefit from shimming.
J-9. You can only make it focus correctly over a few foot range when used wide-open. You can move the rear module in, later black lenses have a secondary shim. Then shim the main module. I gave up on the J-9 for use on a Leica and use the Nikkor 85/2 instead. The J-9 will go on the EP2.

J-11, stopped down- maybe, I have not tried on a Leica. I use mine on a Contax II.
 
Of course, if you use them on a mu-43 camera, no worries.

Jupiter-8 modified for close focus on the Olympus EP2. Fotodiox adapter.

4899084271_7f241bd756_b.jpg
 
russian lens J-9

russian lens J-9

Brian, When I screw in the J-9 the center mark, the red mark, triangle w/red line, does not center with my camera (a P) is this normal? Also when adjusting the lens, the front part that holds the lens and iris, will travel about 1/16" past the center focus adjusting ring. when on the camera the split image never lines up . Is this all normal? Do I have to send the lens and canon P away to be tuned? :bang: Hope this is in the right place. Red R.
 
A lot of screw mount lenses will screw in off-center. That was the advantage of the bayonet mount with a tab to click the lenses into place.

The J-9 moving off-center is not a problem as the RF cam covers any error: it is a ring, not a "tongue". As for the focus- try it and see if it is good.

The RF image not ever lining up, I would not use a J-9 for the benchmark. Does it work with other lenses on the Canon P?
 
It might be vertical rangefinder alignment of P. I had P in the past and it was always going off even after adjusting. You can adjust it by yourself by using the screw close to the RF window.
 
I adjusted three J-3's recently, one had been adjusted before being sent- needed some set screws replaced. The other two required an increase in the shim for close-up and wide-open. One required an increase of 0.14mm, the other required 0.08mm. Most tend to hover around the 0.1mm difference in focus throw between Leica and Zeiss. J-3's render just beautifully when used close-up and wide-open.
 
is industar-61 LD any different than the normal one?

I am trying to make a list/table of the lenses and planning to post in the first message of this thread. Thanks
 
And how are things with the Canon IVSB and Canon P (that are the ones I have, so that's why I ask for these) ? Are they Leica or Contax standard, or maybe something else ?

Stefan.
 
LeicaFoReVer said:
is industar-61 LD any different than the normal one?
Click to expand...
I don't think anyone knows for sure. The L/D version is not thought to be any different and the designation seems to have been added for the sake of it. I have both and can't tell the pictures apart (side-by-side comparison). The late L/D ones are poorly made and have printed markings that wear off - better avoided. The "Panda" earlier 61s are nicely made and have more iris leaves too. Best option. YMMV of course!
 
The Canon, Nicca, Leotax, and all other Japanese LTM cameras that I know of are made to the Leica standard. Interestingly, most Japanese SLR lenses are also made to the 51.6mm standard.

The I26 is the same story as the I-61, as mentioned. Made to the Zeiss standard. I always end up shimming them, I'm picky. Either pixel peep with the M8, scan at full resolution, or use a high-power loupe to set the focus.
 
Just tested a 1974 J-3 on the M8, modified for closer focus (~0.8m), and shimmed for close-up and wide open. The mod requires removing a stop screw, and allows focus to also move past infinity. SO: this lens works well at close-range and at infinity.

 
Brian Sweeney said:
Just tested a 1974 J-3 on the M8, modified for closer focus (~0.8m), and shimmed for close-up and wide open. The mod requires removing a stop screw, and allows focus to also move past infinity. SO: this lens works well at close-range and at infinity.
Click to expand...

I would like to learn how you do this: I have several russian lenses, and I would love to use them on my Epson R-D1s and analog RF's. Any explanation somewhere to point me to ?

Thanks,
Stefan.
 
I must not be fussy enough. I really have never noticed a problem with my I-22. Does the fact that it's a 3.5 lens hide it from me, Brian? Would your kind of work make it bette as a general purpose lens?

William
 
William: The I-50 that I worked on was off on any camera, A target at 5m required the lens be set to 3.5m, shown via the TTL finder. Two of the I-50's that I worked on were like that. Shimming this one made a big difference. Also- the M8 brings out the focus error, well beyond what is defined by DOF. It lets you really center the focus.

I-69: the flange distance is different from 39mm rangefinder mount lenses. The mount is made so that it will hang up on an FSU camera "RF following finger". The coverage is good enough for an RD-1, but not quite an M8 and NOT 35mm. I am never modifying another one again to correct for infinity focus on a Leica. I files down the inner portions of the mount to move the optics in closer. It worked. Never again.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom