Should I buy a Jupiter 3?

[mravigna]

Is it worth buying a J3 and replacing my J8 on my Kiev's? What would be the advantages to using this lens instead of the J8? The J3 is more expensive but is it really better than the other 5cm lenses (like helios 103, etc)? Fedka has them for 95 dollars. Any advice will be appreciated. Thanks

 

[brachal]

My personal experience is that the J3 is a slightly better overall performer than the J8, but not by much. Given that FSU lenses are prone to wide swings in quality, any two examples could validate or disprove that assertion. Of course the J3 is f/1.5 vs the f/2 of the J8, so it's worth the investment if speed is important to you.

The Helios-103 is a very good lens. At f/1.8, it's faster than the J8, but slightly slower than the J3. It's optical formula is different from the Jupiters, so its images have a different feel. Personally I like it -- very sharp and more "modern". Considering the price, there's absolutely no excuse not to have a Helios.

If cost is a serious factor, and if the extra half stop isn't essential, I'd recommend buying the Helios.

 

[brachal]

At $95 you're almost halfway to a used 50mm Nokton. I've had 3 J3's and they were all in need of adjustment to even perform adequately. I would save the money and save up for a Nokton.

The Nokton is in Nikon mount. It'll probably fit on a Kiev, but focusing will be off.

Were your J3s LTM or Kiev? I've always thought Kiev 50's were more reliable since all the focusing aparatus was in the camera, not the lens.

 

[darkkavenger]

It would be very hard to find a Contax bayonet mount Jupiter-3 in poor condition.

Most of them are excellent performers, and I've had the pleasure of shooting with mine for a long time before I was forced to sell it. It is tack sharp, has an excellent OOF render and is simply superb to use at f/1.5 in available light conditions. That's the very best 50mm lens you'll find in CBM for this price.

If you feel like investing more, go for a 50/1.5 Sonnar. The best would be the post war Zeiss-Opton model, as I've read & heard that latest models marked "Carl Zeiss" suffer from decementation of optical elements due to the use of a synthetic adhesive material that didn't age well.

 

[Kim Coxon]

I haven't heard of a problem with the Kiev mount J3's. The problem always seems to be the LTM ones.

GAS away!

Kim

 

[40oz]

the only reason I'd have for NOT buying a J-3 is if you don't like using max apertures for whatever reason. The main reason to buy a J-3 on top of a J-8 is for the f/1.5. You can use the J-3 for every shot you'd use a J-8, and also have one more stop.

The J-3 at 1.5 is very nice, but the virtues of the 1.5 Sonnar design are sung everyday on the internet, so no need to go into the creamy smooth images it generates. 🙂 Don't think the J-8 is somehow a poor cousin, however. It simply lacks one stop. And f/2 isn't a slow lens, either. The J-8 is a real winner, in my book.

 

[raid]

I have the J-8 and the J-3, and I find that each has its place and use. My J-3 was adjusted by Brain Sweeney for optimal performance.