Jupiter 9 Opinions

[Xmas]

I think the main problem with SU lenses is not the quality control when they were made, but how they were treated through the years: we are talking about 40 years old glass that was cheap even when new and often was neglected or mistreated, while the Leica glass was expensive then and it's expensive now, so few people would dare to scratch the elements, or drop a lens etc...

RARELY I was able to find SU lense in NOS or mint condition and they always performed well, for instance the Industar in the previous shot is a '61, one of the first in production and it looks like brand new. I have another from the 80s with a sticky focusing ring and scratched front element that doesn't perform so well.

Another example is the NOS Helios 81 I used with my Nikon F2A to take this pic:

Good, isn't it?

This is the same subject with a Nikkor lens that has been used for long decades

I prefer the Soviet glass in this instance.

So...in the end for me it's a matter of choosing the right lens (being made of aluminium it's easy to see the ones who had an hard life) and buy from competent people. I spend $200 for my Orion 15 and I am satisfied with that wide angle, on the other side I agree that the price of a good Jupiter 3 is getting close to a Summarit that's the reason why that one along with the Russar is the only soviet lens I don't have.

Nice A series...

 

[Dali]

Like Ko.Fe, I don't see how one can draw any conclusion from tiny pictures on a screen... From what I see, any lens could do the job. :munch:

 

[cuthbert]

Like Ko.Fe, I don't see how one can draw any conclusion from tiny pictures on a screen... From what I see, any lens could do the job. :munch:

I agree this board makes pictures look smaller than what they are but if you can't see a difference between picture 1 and picture 2 of the A engine you need a eye check!

 

[Dali]

I agree this board makes pictures look smaller than what they are but if you can't see a difference between picture 1 and picture 2 of the A engine you need a eye check!

The question is not to acknowledge if there is a difference between these 2 picture but to state if one is better than the other as they were taken with different lenses and you assumed that FSU lenses were first class, hence the comparison with a Nikkor. To me, small pictures are NOT a decisive test to rate lenses.

 

[cuthbert]

The question is not to acknowledge if there is a difference between these 2 picture but to state if one is better than the other as they were taken with different lenses and you assumed that FSU lenses were first class, hence the comparison with a Nikkor. To me, small pictures are NOT a decisive test to rate lenses.

I assume nothing I am simply comparing ONE lens against ANOTHER lens to show that not all SU lenses are trash like a lot of people think.

While the pictures are small a difference is visible and I can't post a 30x20 enlargement for obvious reasons, however I think they are enough to judge not just sharpness but also colour, distortion and general look, the alternative is just writing and writing opinions and spending time in sterile debates.

 

[Dali]

Who said they were trash???

I owned (and still own) too many FSU lenses (M42, LTM and Contax/Kiev mount) to NOT know what they are capable of, I don't need your insistence, thanks! To me , they are overpriced compared to the risk I would take to buy one, that's all. Were they poorly stored, maintained or not, I don't care, what is available on the market TODAY is what would matter to me if I were to buy one. Again, I would bet $25, not $200.

 

[Lamar]

I found a much cheaper solution to meet my needs. I bought an Auto-up for my Summitar. This should be interesting.

 

[Fixcinater]

Auto-Up as in clamp on filter or do you mean something like the SOOKY/NOOKY?

 

[Lamar]

Clamp on. https://flic.kr/p/7qznaB

It lets me shoot at 50cm, if the IQ is good I'll be happy. Looks more like a novelty item but at $30 US I figure it was worth getting just to experiment.

 

[Lamar]

An instruction sheet.
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