What type of Jupiter 8 do you have?

[Roman]

As for the lack of some shutter speeds, most folks never use those at the low end anyway, especially if you are hand holding out on the street.

My thoughts exactly! Using an RF on a tripod never made sense to me - if I'm going to carry a tripod, I might just as well take along an MF SLR; so the speeds below 1/30 are kinda superfluous on a rangefinder camera...

Roman

 

[2maneekameras]

Nice pioneer Wayne, do you have the flash attachment for yours? I still like the Z4 better. My opinion is also based on ergonomics. I don't like the placement of the shutter release on the Z6. I find the film wind knob easy to use if you roll the side of your index finger against it rather than try to grasp the knob between your fingers. I also think the finish is better on the Z4(mine are both 1957, with the raised bezels around the rf/vf windows), also the vulcanite instead of the nylon? My only complaint about my Z4s is the loosness of the film take-up spool. I like my Fed 3a almost as much as the Zorki, but I like the Zorki's larger VF. I would encourage all to try both and form your own conclusion.

 

[tedwhite]

Paul:

I thought I'd shoot the first half of the roll with the FED 2 collapsible and the second half with a black J8 and see what the differences are.

Ted

 

[tedwhite]

Oooh, in the mail this PM arrived a Jupiter 9 (85/2) in M42 for my Pentax Spotmatic. What a hunk of glass, virtually doubled the weight of the camera. I has this weird double ring. You set the first ring to the aperture you are going to use and then turn the aperture ring and it automatically stops where the first ring is set. Then you open up the aperture ring, focus, and merely turn it until it stops. Voila! Ready to shoot. Of course it's a preset and the camera body meter won't work with it. So a handheld is a necessity (with color).

Ted

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

Sorry to say, none.

 

[Doug]

Ted, I've had preset lenses (what a pain!), and they work fine with the Spotmatic's metering. Just stop it down to the taking aperture with the freely-moving ring, turn on the meter with the slide switch on the mirror box, and you're in like normal. 🙂 Easier to use it in "aperture priority" mode, centering the meter by changing the shutter speed, but it's possible to stop down a bit more by moving the freely-moving ring (just put a little muscle on it), and open a bit by moving the click-stop ring. The only thing that doesn't work as usual is that pushing up the meter switch doesn't stop the lens down automatically at the same time.

One of mine was a Spiratone 105mm f/2.5... Not too bad, especially for the price, and its interchangeable mount meant I could make it fit the new Pentax H3 that replaced my Petriflex V that I originally got it for. I've also had several Auto-Takumar lenses, including the 85mm, which actually have a semi-auto diaphragm -- It stops down automatically when you snap the shutter, but you have to crank it back open manually afterward. I have a couple of 55mm lenses now that are like that, but no presets any more.

 

[tedwhite]

Doug: Thanks for the tip. I tried it and it works. I just choose an aperture (after focusing) and adjust the shutter speed to center the needle. If I missed (not a wide-enough aperture), then I adjust it. I think that's right.

Of course you and I both know that every photographer worth his or her salt ought to have at least one pre-set in the kit. Gives one a topic of conversation at cocktail parties. "Hey, lemme show ya how my Russian preset lens works." Always a grabber.

Ted

 

[Doug]

LOL, Ted... I guess I'm lax in not having a preset any more. Y'know, I believe a bunch of DSLR users these days are essentially using preset lenses, and willingly! It's popular to adapt screw-mount Pentax Takumar prime lenses to these digimonsters, but of course the adaptors don't retain the auto-diaphragm feature. I guess they use the Manual-Auto switch on the lens to stop down to the preset aperture before shooting the image. But I'm shaking my head at the idea these lenses' optics are so desirable that these guys are willing to routinely put up with that inconvenience!

 

[2maneekameras]

I have a 28mm/ƒ2.8 soligor tmount preset that originially had a m42 adapter on it. I bought this lens for $5.00 at a thrift store about ten years ago. I had sort of forgotten about it untill I got a LTM tmount adapter. I first started using this lens on my fed 3a with an accessory shoe mounted vf. More recently I put an M mount adapter on the LTM adapter and used it on my m3. It works when I want a WA lens wider than my J12. Of course, the rangefinder isn't coupled on this set up but the focusing scale works. Most things are in focus on a WA lens at higher ƒ stops anyway. It isn't my ideal choice for an ultimate Wa , but the price was sure great.

 

[chambrenoire]

I would like to trade my chrome J-8 for a black one, with green numbers + indicators. Anyone? 🙂 Mine is in absolute mint condition (never been used). A black one would be nice om my Bessa R2.

 

[Florian1234]

How is the J8 compared to the Industar 26M lens? Which one is better and why?