lxmike
M2 fan.
What FSU lenses do you rate and/or recommend, l have an Industar 10 to go along with my 50mm LTM Elmar, I want to add a 61ld and a J8 to my collection but would you recommend any other FSU optics.......GAS attack coming on
gb hill
Veteran
What camera do you plan on using it on Mike, Leica III & M2? A good J-8 is all you need. The click stops are nice on the later I 61lds but IMO not as good as J8
Ko.Fe.
Lenses 35/21 Gears 46/20
Orion 15, Russar 20 and Jupiter 3. J-3 is available brand new and R-20 as well. All three lenses are offering something special in the images.
I-61 and J-8 are good substitute to Elmar 50 2.8 and Collapsible Cron.
I-61 and J-8 are good substitute to Elmar 50 2.8 and Collapsible Cron.
gb hill
Veteran
I shot this with my J-8. If I had of used my I 26m 52/2.8 the fence bright white would of been blown out. I recently shot a roll of Arista EDU 100 & the reflection off bright surfaces for some reason was blown out. With that I did get some satisfied shots when not shooting in wickedly bright sunlight with a white BG. Great thing about these lenses they are not expensive.
lxmike
M2 fan.
lxmike
M2 fan.
lxmike
M2 fan.
I shot this with my J-8. If I had of used my I 26m 52/2.8 the fence bright white would of been blown out. I recently shot a roll of Arista EDU 100 & the reflection off bright surfaces for some reason was blown out. With that I did get some satisfied shots when not shooting in wickedly bright sunlight with a white BG. Great thing about these lenses they are not expensive.
yes you are spot on, these lenses are cheap enough tp play around with
rfaspen
[insert pithy phrase here]
I got quite a few of them.
The J-8s are adequate performers overall. Easy to repair/tweak.
I only have one I-61LD and its probably my least FSU lens. Build quality is awful making it difficult to use. Mine is not as sharp as the rumors. It sits in the drawer and doesn't come out.
Got my J-3 from a fellow RFFer and I quite like that lens. 1957 vintage, so not likely any genuine Zeiss components, but it has the potential to make rather nice images. Not the easiest lens to use, but it definitely comes out to play from time to time.
I like the J-12 for its performance. However, I don't use it because I have many other 35's that handle so much better. Plus it won't safely mount on all my bodies. On a IIIc, it could be a fun lens.
The collapsibles are worth owning. I somehow managed to end up with 4. Unless you get a bad copy the I-22, I-10, Fed-50 group give you honest results.
What should you get? Well, that's of course up to you, but I'd push for the J-3, and possibly the J-12 if you don't want a 50. I get the feeling you would really appreciate the unique and high-end performance possible with a J-3. Oh, and you increase your low-light possibilities...
The J-8s are adequate performers overall. Easy to repair/tweak.
I only have one I-61LD and its probably my least FSU lens. Build quality is awful making it difficult to use. Mine is not as sharp as the rumors. It sits in the drawer and doesn't come out.
Got my J-3 from a fellow RFFer and I quite like that lens. 1957 vintage, so not likely any genuine Zeiss components, but it has the potential to make rather nice images. Not the easiest lens to use, but it definitely comes out to play from time to time.
I like the J-12 for its performance. However, I don't use it because I have many other 35's that handle so much better. Plus it won't safely mount on all my bodies. On a IIIc, it could be a fun lens.
The collapsibles are worth owning. I somehow managed to end up with 4. Unless you get a bad copy the I-22, I-10, Fed-50 group give you honest results.
What should you get? Well, that's of course up to you, but I'd push for the J-3, and possibly the J-12 if you don't want a 50. I get the feeling you would really appreciate the unique and high-end performance possible with a J-3. Oh, and you increase your low-light possibilities...
goamules
Well-known
I've used all the FSU over the years. The J-3 is the most memorable and has a unique capability and look, for it's price. All the others give you a "pretty good" image, considering they cost about 1/5th what a period German or Japanese rangefinder lens costs. But those countries built WAY better lenses in all regards. Actually, the Industar-61 I had was quite good, very sharp, with click apertures. But looked and felt like something you'd get on a kids toy camera.
Can you take a nice picture with an FSU lens? Of course you can. But if you COMPARE exact duplicate photos taken with two different lenses, an FSU and a "good" lens, you'll instantly see the difference. Of if you feel the aluminum barrel, the funky non-click aperture on some, or the generally poor workmanship, you'll see why you pay $22 for an FSU I-22 but $200 for an Elmar.
Can you take a nice picture with an FSU lens? Of course you can. But if you COMPARE exact duplicate photos taken with two different lenses, an FSU and a "good" lens, you'll instantly see the difference. Of if you feel the aluminum barrel, the funky non-click aperture on some, or the generally poor workmanship, you'll see why you pay $22 for an FSU I-22 but $200 for an Elmar.
tbhv55
Well-known
What FSU lenses do you rate and/or recommend, l have an Industar 10 to go along with my 50mm LTM Elmar, I want to add a 61ld and a J8 to my collection but would you recommend any other FSU optics.......GAS attack coming on
I have only two types of FSU rangefinder lenses - a J-8 and an I-61, and luckily, mine are both good examples. They are also fairly similar in performance. However, if pressed to choose one of them, I'd keep the J-8. There are two reasons for this:-
1. The J-8 has the wider maximum aperture - which can, of course, sometimes be useful, even if it is a little 'dreamy' wide open.
2. The J-8 renders overall slightly more to my liking.
Other than that, I don't see much to choose between them. However, I've read that sample variation can often present larger differences between individual examples.
lxmike
M2 fan.
I got quite a few of them.
The J-8s are adequate performers overall. Easy to repair/tweak.
I only have one I-61LD and its probably my least FSU lens. Build quality is awful making it difficult to use. Mine is not as sharp as the rumors. It sits in the drawer and doesn't come out.
Got my J-3 from a fellow RFFer and I quite like that lens. 1957 vintage, so not likely any genuine Zeiss components, but it has the potential to make rather nice images. Not the easiest lens to use, but it definitely comes out to play from time to time.
I like the J-12 for its performance. However, I don't use it because I have many other 35's that handle so much better. Plus it won't safely mount on all my bodies. On a IIIc, it could be a fun lens.
The collapsibles are worth owning. I somehow managed to end up with 4. Unless you get a bad copy the I-22, I-10, Fed-50 group give you honest results.
What should you get? Well, that's of course up to you, but I'd push for the J-3, and possibly the J-12 if you don't want a 50. I get the feeling you would really appreciate the unique and high-end performance possible with a J-3. Oh, and you increase your low-light possibilities...
many thanks, l am certainly now in the hunt for a J8 and a J13
lxmike
M2 fan.
Hi thanks for taking the time to reply, l will probably hunt out a J8 first and save for a J3, (l have a canon LTM 50mm 1.4 for my low light work).
lxmike
M2 fan.
Now hunting out a J8 would you recommend a chrome version over a black version or vice versa
tbhv55
Well-known
Apologies... I'm not 'qualified' to answer that, since mine is the black version (1974), and I've never used a chrome J-8. I've read differing reports on the differences between the black and the chrome versions, so I don't know what to think.
Hopefully, someone who has experience of both will post an opinion.