which russian lens

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meezy

meezy
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hi guys.
i recently acquired a canon 7sz. it came with a humble 35mm/3.2 serenar lens. i would like to get a russian lens in the 28-65mm range that is faster and crisper. i almost impulse-purchased a jupiter 3, attracted by the 1.5 aperture, but balked after reading mixed reviews about inconsistent quality. any suggestions? i understand that some russian lenses fit my camera better than others, even though they're all LTM... something to do with shimming, which i am not interested in doing.

thanks and looking forward to your responses!

~m
 
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A correctly-aligned Jupiter 3 is a fine beast, others here like the Industar, but surely no lens can beat the Jupiter 8 on a value for money basis.

My photos, with an uncollectable 70s Jupiter 8m, the later version, which I use on a Kiev, have every bit as much tone and class as my Summicrons.
 
Paul T. said:
A correctly-aligned Jupiter 3 is a fine beast, others here like the Industar, but surely no lens can beat the Jupiter 8 on a value for money basis.

My photos, with an uncollectable 70s Jupiter 8m, the later version, which I use on a Kiev, have every bit as much tone and class as my Summicrons.
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now that's some good info. the 7sz is a collectible camera... lenswise - i only care about performance - i don't need a "collectible" lens - just one that performs excellently - i'll be keeping an eye out for that jup8m. thank you!

please expound on what you mean when you say "aligned right" on the j3. does this have to do with the shimming i've been reading about?
 
Jupiter-3 would be my choice too if you can find a good and clean example. Perhaps the best place to find such a lens would be the Classifieds section of this site.

You might also want to look unused "new old stock" Jupiter-8 50mm/2.0 lens which is almost as good as Jupiter-3. I've used it succesfully with my Canon P and Bessa R.
Search for a seller named "Moscowphoto" on eBay-site. They usually have them on sale for $50.
 
info if you go to `moscowphoto'. I got one from them , no problems and the postage was quite quick - i am 12,000 kms away, very good communication also, regards
 
I have both the Jupiter 3 and the Jupiter 8. They're both terrific. The Jupiter 3 is quite a lot more money, and on LTM lenses it is more likely than not they'll need adjustment (mine is the Kiev version, same optics, but different mount, which is more likely to be perfectly aligned).

The '3 is wonderful, especially the 50s KMZ ones, but if you go that route I would budget for getting it servied by someonle lie the excellent Mr Sweeney, who I am sure will pop up on this thread at some point...

Good luck, RUssian lenses are a mixed bag but the 50s generally represent amazing value.
 
Perhaps you should consider a lens like the Canon 50/1.8. The chrome versions are usually pretty cheap at 100- 125 USD or so (at least on USA eBay). I have sold a couple here on RFF for this amount.

Excellent lens, very good build quality, and not afflicted with the unpredictable reputation of the Russian lenses. Also, no problems focusing this lens on a leica (or your Canon 7sz)
 
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I have some of them and some are great, but the question is....

Does anyone really have a russian lens that focus properly on a Leica? I have had a lot of russian lenses and Leica bodies and NEVER found one that could perform good wide open and at 1 or 2meters. Only if adjusted to do just that, so no infinity focus.
 
Unless Brian helps you ....

... forget Russian lenses. Get a Canon 50/1.4, 50/1.8, 35/2.8, 35/1.8 and/or CV 35/2.5 or 28/3.5. A little more expensive, but really, really great value for the money.

I've tried a lot of Russian lenses, and out of the box, very likely, you will be unhappy.

Roland.
 
finns said:
jupiter 12, does anyone own one? what is the word on these?
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It's a soviet copy of a 1930s Zeiss design: excellent in the 30s, but probably out-performed (especially in resolution) by most 35mm lenses from half-decent manufacturers since the 1950s. At least if they're not f/1.5 or faster.

I always get hate mail for saying that it's not the finest lens in the world, but the simple truth is that it isn't. This doesn't mean you'll dislike it: just that you need to be wary of some iof the more overblown claims that are made for it.

Cheers,

R.
 
ferider said:
Unless Brian helps you ....

... forget Russian lenses. Get a Canon 50/1.4, 50/1.8, 35/2.8, 35/1.8 and/or CV 35/2.5 or 28/3.5. A little more expensive, but really, really great value for the money.

I've tried a lot of Russian lenses, and out of the box, very likely, you will be unhappy.

Roland.
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My Jupiter-8 was less than $30 shipped and has worked perfectly since the day I got it. I'll never sell it.
 
meezy, the Jupiter 8m is only available for the Kiev mount as far as I know. The Jupiter 8 was made for both systems and for a long time. And is currently my primary 50mm lens. I use it--successfully if not well--on my Bessa R and R2A, have used in on a Canon P, and on the FSU cameras I have.
The J-3 is potentially a very good lens. At f1.5 it is twice as fast as the J-8 at f2. I had one for a while and ultimately passed it along; the j-8 just works better for me.
The Canon 50mm/f1.8 suggested above is another excellent lens and is much less likely to have problems.
There are some other 50mm FSU lenses you might consider as well:
Industar 26. This is a bit slower at f2.8 but is fairly cheap and a good performer, I think.
There are a couple of collapsible 50's that I like but they are slower yet at f/3.5 and might or might not collapse fully on the Canon7. They are the Industar 22 and Industar 50. Effectively the same lens, the 50 is an update of the 22.
And there is an Industar 50 rigid lens. That lens was made in versions for both rangefinder and SLR cameras so be aware of which version you're looking at if you want to buy one. And that lens takes a tough to find 33mm filter size.
The Industar 61 is another underrated, in my opinion, FSU 50. And it has click stops for the aperture.
The first question I think, and continue to say, you should answer is not what to buy but who to buy from.
To that end the post linked to below may be helpful to you:
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1041913&postcount=12
Good luck!
Rob
 
Roger Hicks said:
I always get hate mail for saying that it's not the finest lens in the world, but the simple truth is that it isn't. This doesn't mean you'll dislike it: just that you need to be wary of some iof the more overblown claims that are made for it.

Cheers,

R.
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I suspect that comes down to poor reading and comprehension skills on the haters' parts more than anything else.

I like the J-12 quite a lot but no longer own one; it won't fit my Bessas and the CV 35 Color Skopar has filled the J-12's spot in my use very well indeed. If I succumb to the temptation of the Kiev 5, I will get another J-12 to use with it. If I could afford a modern version of the J-12(if there is one?) and it would work on the Bessas, I would be very glad to have it. I think--never know for certain until I've used something for a while.

Rob
 
Hi Meezy

Yet another reccomendation for the Jupiter 3. I have a 70's example which I bought from ebay and had CLA'd by Fedka( which in total cost more than buying straight from the shop). I have a range of modern Voigtlander lenses inc the 1.5 Nokton but the J3 remains my favourite. I love the low contrast and tonal rendition of this lens, its not the sharpest knife in the box but certainly has plenty of style.

As others have indicated the downside is undoubtedly the quality control when they were made - good ones are great - bad ones are pretty bad. Buying from ebay is always going to be a bit of a lottery. With this in mind it is a safer bet to buy from one of the specialist traders. Atleast then you will be buying a lens which has been re-lubed and re- collimated as nearly all of these lenses need. Once set up they are a joy to use.

Chris
 
Jupiter 8, f/2 and Industar 61 ld f/2.8. They are both seriously good lenses. I would suggest buying from Fedka. If you live in the US it will arrive very quickly, and you'll know that they work.
 
I'd go with a Jupiter 8. I have 2 of them, which happen to be the only russian lenses I have ever bought/owned, and they're both flawless, with the exception of a hair or something in one of them. I've had no problems with close focusing or focusing to infinity, and they focus closer than my summarit, are lighter, and are more flare resistant.

I wanted a Jupiter 3 for the extra stop, but due to the quality issues I opted for some jupiter 8's for a fraction of the price and just push my film a stop. If i really need 1.5 I just use my Summarit.

Here are some shots from my first roll shot only with the J8. All at F2, most at 1/15th. First one is cropped, all the others are full frame. They are all shot in bars with very poor lighting.

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Anyways, for a $30 lens (shipped) I'm very happy. This is all shot on Tri-x at 800, stand developed in Rodinal for about 70 minutes while I ran some errands.
 
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