Jupiter 8m on contax?

[darinwc]

Will the Jupiter 8m 53mm f2 work properly on a contax iii?

 

[Patrick Robert James]

Yup.

 

[btaylor]

Provided it's in a Kiev mount of course.

 

[darinwc]

Yes it is in Kiev mount. I was not sure because the sonar for the contax is 50mm. And If this is 53mm, it should not couple with the rangefinder properly.
I did find another thread starting that the actual focal length of the sonar s is 53mm. So maybe that is the case.

 

[btaylor]

50 or 53mm will make no difference. The focusing helical is identical for Contax and Kiev. If it's a good example it should make great pictures. I use a Jupiter 9 (85mm f2) on my Contax IIa and it's outstanding. Unfortunately the Jupiter 12 (35mm) will not fit the post war Contax but it does fit the pre-war models. I had to buy a genuine West German Zeiss in that focal length, that was pricey.

 

[darinwc]

Thanks for he quick answers!

 

[BrianVS]

The Contax/Kiev "standard" is 52.4mm. Tolerance for the focal length of the Russian lenses was 1% during the mid-60s. Some of the Russian lenses require a little "fiddling with" and even some filing to get onto a Contax. The Helios-103 is a double-Gauss formula lens that is inexpensive and very good.

The J-8M is a simplified formula Sonnar, the triplet of the traditional Sonnar is collapsed into a doublet. I've seen a few good ones, several "okay" ones, some not-very-good ones..

 

[E. von Hoegh]

The Contax/Kiev "standard" is 52.4mm. Tolerance for the focal length of the Russian lenses was 1% during the mid-60s. Some of the Russian lenses require a little "fiddling with" and even some filing to get onto a Contax. The Helios-103 is a double-Gauss formula lens that is inexpensive and very good.

The J-8M is a simplified formula Sonnar, the triplet of the traditional Sonnar is collapsed into a doublet. I've seen a few good ones, several "okay" ones, some not-very-good ones..

My J8m made in 1959 has the triplet and performs well.
My understanding has always been that the "M" denoted click stops for the aperture.
My '83 H103 is just delightful, it cost $79 with a perfectly functioning (even the meter) K4 as a rear cap.

 

[Dali]

Be careful with Helios-103 as they are not 100% compatible with Contax or Kiev. For instance, I had a 1957 Kiev IIa and I could not use the Helios-103 with it (of course, the J-8 was OK). Different tolerance maybe...?

 

[E. von Hoegh]

Be careful with Helios-103 as they are not 100% compatible with Contax or Kiev. For instance, I had a 1957 Kiev IIa and I could not use the Helios-103 with it (of course, the J-8 was OK). Different tolerance maybe...?

Yes, my 103 mounts stiffly on the '36 Contax, OK on the 69 Kiev, not at all (with any force I care to apply) on the 59 Kiev.i

 

[btaylor]

Typical! My Helios 103 mounted and focused on my Contax IIa and '70s Kiev just fine. FSU Quality Control left a great deal to be desired.

 

[BrianVS]

On the Helios-103: the tolerances were not as tight in later years, I found 83~85 to be not as well made as the earlier 81~82 lenses. The Menopta 53/1.8 is a re-branded Helios-103 made in the early 90s, seemed to be better- several years ago I bought 7 of them and changed the shim out (and modified the focal length on a couple) to work with Nikon S-Mount cameras. Tom A (we all miss him) used one that I modified.

On the "Stubborn" Helios-103: I filed down the mounting flanges ever so slightly to solve the problem on some, and bent them outwards for others that were slightly loose. I also used a Black Sharpie to blacken the aperture blades, which increased contrast and decreased flare. It made a big difference.

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