My CV Nokton 50 and Jupiter-8 comparison

[chenick]

Hi all,

I compared my CV Nokton and Jupiter 8 this week, just got the roll developed. I am impressed very with the Jupiter 8, chrome from 1964, cost about $15.

Attached are 4 comparison photos, first is the Nokton, second is the Jupiter 8.

Film: Fuji Reala 100 rated @ 80
Scans: Minilab Fuji Frontier medium resolution, resized to 700x469 pixels, minor USM.

Cheers,

Nick

[chenick]

second samples

[ampguy]

nokton seems to have brighter yellow, higher contrast, both look nice.

[chenick]

Third lot,
F2

[chenick]

last lot
F 2.8, 1/60

[chenick]

Bokeh on the Nokton seems a bit smoother, especially in the 3rd photo
And the Jupiter seems slightly warmer.
Anyway, I will have no problems using my jupiter 8 when I want something smaller to carry.

-Nick

[Stephan]

Yep, the jupiter is definitely warmer and out of focus highlights are more circular and visible but not particularly ugly (just a little distracting). The nokton seems sharper to me too.

[John]

The bokeh of the Jupiter is more sharp than the bokeh of the Nokton. This is unexpected because the bokeh of the Nokton does not always garner praise. :)

[jmilkins]

Interesting set of images Nick - you've taken shots that illustrate the differences in these 2 lenses very well. I'd be happy with both!

[David Murphy]

Excellent test, thanks. The Nokton is a slightly better performer, but for the money the Jupiter is amazing. I wonder how long they will really remain at the $15 price level. I'd really be interested to see one of these lenses pitched against a Summicron on an M body.

[chenick]

thanks for the comments. To be honest I am very pleasantly surprised at how good the Jupiter actually is.
I knew they had a good reputation, but I was expecting much lower contrast/sharpness. I expected the bokeh to be smoother, although it don't find it objectionable by any means.

I did use the clip-on hood, which was very annoying as it made it harder to adjust the aperture without knocking it off. I might try it without the hood some time or look for a screw in hood.

-Nick

[ampguy]

Nick,

Thanks for taking the time to do these tests and post the results. I now know I need a Jupiter 8 lens!

[fgianni]

The bokeh of the Jupiter is more sharp than the bokeh of the Nokton. This is unexpected because the bokeh of the Nokton does not always garner praise. :)

If I remember well it is usually the Nocton 40mm f1.4 that gets cited as an example of harsh bokeh, not the 50mm f1.5.

But again, I might be wrong.

[mr_phillip]

Fascinating experiment, I've been meaning to do the same thing myself but I've been too lazy to do it. The Nokton certainly looks sharper, and the bokeh is a little smoother, but the Jupiter's still very impressive. I'm really surprised at how close the colour rendition is.