Jupiter-9 lens results

Earlier I posted a question about the effect of bubbles in one of

the elements in my 1960 Kiev/Contax mount Jupiter-9 (82/2). Well,

I've shot a roll through my Kiev 4 using the lens, and the results

are great! Even wide open this lens is crisp and contrasty (see the

tree shot). The wide rangefinder helps a great deal with the focus,

too. All shots are on Kodak HD400 (because it's cheap), scanned on

a Fuji Frontier, and unretouched.<div></div>

This one shows the lens wide open at f/2 and gives a sense of the 'bokeh'.<div></div>

Another one, showing good edge-to-edge sharpness.<div></div>

And a final one, showing colour rendition.<div></div>

There you go, Ben! I told you those bubbles would add a bit of quality... ;) Nice lens. Some of this Russian glass can be very good if you look carefully. I have a Jupiter-11 on the way for my Leica M6 and I'm really looking forward to seeing what it's like.

I should probably post a shot of the lens on the camera too! Note the authentic squinty 8.5cm viewfinder.<div></div>

Ben ,,,in my dreams I would like a 35mm zeiss Biogon for my contax IIIa ,in reality I am thinking of the voigtlander 35mmCS lens from cameraquest, what I will end up getting is a Jupiter 12. Do you have one of these russian lenses and what do you think?

You cannot mount a Jupiter-12 or a (prewar) Biogon on a Contax IIIa. The shutter mechanism protrudes and does not allow clearance for the deep rear element.

 

Other than that, the Jupiter-12 is a good lens, and a god way to see what the Biogon could have done with AR coating. But you'll need a Contax II or III or a Kiev to use it.

 

:)=

The Jupiter 12 is a terrific lens, even if you have to buy a couple to find a good one. Also well worth buying a cheap Kiev or Zorki just to try one out, or maybe a Contax II if you have some mad money. My little <a href="http://www.zianet.com/connealy/krispykreme/index.html">Krispy Kreme</a> essay was done with the 12 on a Kiev IIa.

Richard, that bad news for the jupiter 12 and Biogon, I guess I will have to try the voigtlander. Mike the Krispy Kreme photos are very sharp ,although I think I gained 3lbs looking at them.

Yes the postwar Biogon prices are off the map and this compatability issue plays a role. I'm not sure it was here but somebody that owns the three lenses ranked their performance as postwar biogon, jupiter 12 and prewar biogon in that order.

Ben have you seen Russ Pinchbeck's "Kiev Survival Site"? There's detailed instructions how to check your rangefinder accuracy including a link to a site with a printable focus target. If you're feeling up to it, there are also instructions on how to adjust the rangefinder.

 

Do you live in British Columbia? (first shot flags) I lived in Vancouver for 8 years; grad school then work.

Ben have you seen Russ Pinchbeck's "Kiev Survival Site"? There's detailed instructions how to check your rangefinder accuracy including a link to a site with a printable focus target. If you're feeling up to it, there are also instructions on how to adjust the rangefinder.

 

Do you live in British Columbia? (first shot flags) I lived in Vancouver for 8 years; grad school then work.

Nice results Ben. I've been interested in picking up the Jupiter-9 since acquiring the Kiev 4a, my only restraint has been the potential for redundancy since I already own a 105mm f/2.5 for the Nikon so I don't exactly *need* another short telephoto lens. I do like the bokeh rendition from your shot though Ben; it's subtly different from how I'd imagine the 105mm would act in that situation (less of the double edge effect that Nikkors seem to produce in their out of focus areas in detailed backgrounds).

 

How hard was it to find the accessory viewfinder? I've been toying with the idea of knocking together a very crude selectable frameline feature for the Kiev 4 by marking out rough crop marks for an 85mm lens onto a thin piece of clear perspex or plastic and securing that in front of the viewfinder. Doesn't have to be accurate, just enough to get a rough idea where the edges might fall.<div></div>

Regarding the mask, there was an actual Zeiss accessory that did this exactly. Rick Oleson has cooked up a clone of the same thing <a href="http://rick_oleson.tripod.com/index-26.html">here.</a>

Forunately buying a Jupiter-9 in Kiev/Contax mount isn't a great outlay of cash. They tend to be cheaper - selling at around $60 - than the LTM version of the same, plus they have a reputation for being much more likely to focus properly due to a simpler construction.

 

The viewfinders are easy to find on that auction site, and should cost around $9-15, plus a bit of shipping.

 

I'll put in a plug here for my favourite seller: Kassiapeya, from the Ukraine. I've bought quite a few cameras and lenses from him over the last year, and he has proven very reliable and true to his descriptions. In fact, the only bad experience I've had buying Russian gear was when I bought from someone in Canada who sold me a gimpy Zorki-3m that's now a paperweight.

 

In regard to the Jupiter-12, I've got one in LTM and one in Kiev mount (both early 1960s silver ones), and I really like both. Images are crisp and very natural-looking. It's too bad that they aren't compatible with more cameras, though. I'd be more tempted to pick up a Bessa if I could use my J-12 with it.

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