Jupiter-3 versions?

Has the Jupiter-3 been available in M42 mount in addtion to L39?

Thanks!

http://medfmt.8k.com/mf/ruslens.html

L-39, Kiev Contax.

The lenses are overpriced,of questionable quality, and often reasembled in an imperfect manner after cla.

Fidning a sharp one is difficult.Current prices are 75-150$ since they are rather rare and quite collectible.

I wouldn't describe J-3s as "overpriced,of questionable quality". There are some very good examples out there.

There are undoubtedly some good Jupiter-3 lenses available. The problem is the vast number of bad J-3's also being offered for sale.

 

My own experience is that the odds are against your obtaining a J-3 that will focus properly (if at all). This and the J-9 are Soviet lenses to avoid.

I know of three people who have J-3s and all seem very pleased with them. This nastiness about the lens sounds like yet another internet myth.

I recently bought a 5cm f1.5 J3 in M39 mount from Alex-Photo. The price was discounted due to several cleaning marks on the front lens. Cost me all of $20 along with a nice Zorki 6 body with I-61 L/D @ $37 ($57 total cost with shipping!). Using the J3 on a Canon 7, I compared the results under identical conditions (same subject, same exposure, same roll of film) with a like-new condition 50mm Canon f1.8 (newer black barrel) which is a highly regarded lens. My subjective opinion revealed that the J3 photos were somewhat superior. In this particular case the color rendition and contrast were better. I have also had excellent results with a J3 in Kiev/Contax mount on a Kiev 4AM. Near identical results to my pre WWII Sonnar 5cm f1.5. My experience with the J3 and several other Soviet products have been pretty good thus far in comparison with my experience / results using Zeiss, Leitz and other 'premium' lenses. I understand others have experienced J3 results quite to the contrary but that said, I too have had numerous mediocre results with a lot of classic Japanese and German cameras and lenses that were probably in need of servicing, may have been tampered with or damaged.

Alex-Photo is a particularly honest man and a fine FSU cmaera vendor with which to to business.

 

I have bought several J-3's and J-9's from Alex which did not focus properly on arrival as well as several lenses which were in fine condition when received. Alex refunded my purchase price when I returned the bad lenses and I would not hesitate to do business with the man in the future. All new Russian lenses which I buy are tested on a tripod photographing a newspaper classified ad section as the target at one meter using a recently CLA'd Leica IIIf and an electronic flash.

 

If you believe that the less than reassuring reputation earned by the J-3 is an "internet myth" then by all means go out and buy one (check Dante Stella's website on this point). For slightly more money (10% to 20%) you, if patient, can find a 50mm/1.8 Canon or 50mm/f2 Nikkor in LTM.

 

I have several functional J-3's but would be very much inclined to pursue a Canon 50mm/f1.8, Nikkor 50/f2, of J-8 50mm/f2(black) If I ever again decide to puchase a fast Russian 50mm (if I do buy some some J-8's, I'll get them from Alex (ask him about his cat, BTW which used to have his own eBay vendor name). J-8's that I've bought from several FSU vendors have been quite good and I really wonder why one take on the risk of a bad J'3 when one can raedily gain the extra f-stop through simple darkroom chemistry.

<img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/1507566-lg.jpg">

I can't find "Alex photo" - do you guys mean Arax Foto? They seem to sell only T/S lenses for the 35mm format: http://araxfoto.com/specials/

 

Veronica, do you have something similar for the M42 Jupiter 9? Thanks.

OK, alex-photo is an eBay seller, right?

I think, Wendell, that this shows the problems of generalising from the particular. You've had problems with J3s and I know several people who have not. All any of us can do is to describe our own experience and refrain from assuming that it represents the pure truth of the matter, especially where things like FSU lenses are concerned!

There do seem to be others who are less than enamored with the Jupiter 3.

 

You might check posting #35 (Brian Sweeney) in this recent thread from the Rangefinder Forum:

 

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13805&page=2

 

Or one might check the archives of the Russian camera users group on the Jupiter 3.

For the record I have three J-3s, two in Contax mount and one in LTM. One Contax mount is an obvious marriage of front cell with a different mount end (perhaps from a J-8) and cannot be made to work unless I start shaving metal off the mount end. The other two lenses are superb; the equal of my Zeiss F1.5 Sonnars (a pre-war aftermarket coated lens and a WWII era red "T").

 

In comparing the LTM J-3 to one of my I-61 the I-61 came off second best; I bet some of my other examples will equal or better the J-3. Here are comparisons between the I-61 and the Zeiss Opton f1.5 Sonnar.

 

http://www3.telus.net/public/kaylalyn/sonnar_opton_I61.htm

 

Clearly the I-61 is better but what does such a test mean?

 

Now in evaluating the meaning of any comparisons consider the following:

 

1) Body registration with Zeiss Contax and Kiev cameras are all over the place because it is impossible to meet the spec for a number of reasons.

2) Body registration on all Soviet bodies are also all over the place and it was common to have lenses fit to a particular body - Oleg will do that work and it's not a bad idea. FSU lens are also frequently out of register.

3) Many J-3 lenses are almost a half-century-old and were frequently maintained by users rather than technicians. Add to that the fact that elevated prices invite FSU residents to empty out their junk drawers and make Frankenlenses out of disparate pieces and parts.

 

Get real, I never use a 40-50 year old CZ lens on my Contaxes without having Harry Scherer clean and collimate them at a cost equaling the price of a J-3. I just found some receipts in a file that remind me that when I used LTM lenses 20 years ago I had Night on Bald Mountain clean and collimate them. The cost of a J-3 plus and Oleg CLA is still cheap. If you think that an old lens doesn?t need CLA you are just kidding yourself.

 

Now when you start comparing cleaned and calibrated lenses and bodies you make begin to get meaningful results (well there are still plenty of variables to tackle but you get the idea).