Some Jupiter-9 shots

[luketrash]

When I bought my M2, it came with four lenses. One of them was the 85mm f2 Jupiter-9.

I type this while I'm waiting for a 90mm Rokkor-M to show up that I purchased on ebay last week. I decided to pull my J9 out over the weekend to actually use it. I don't know why I had discounted it, but I had. I must have been mistaken, because I think it's a pretty nice performer. It might be off about 4" at minimum focus distance with my M2, but here's some wider open shots with it I made on Saturday:

f2:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3630/3322233846_2269c552fa.jpg

f2:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3592/3322233438_47001387b7.jpg

f2.8:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3649/3321406289_a380595282.jpg

f2.8:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3604/3322235344_3803380183.jpg

f4:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3614/3322232998_f74b1e3db7.jpg

[yanidel]

I got one last week and I am selling my 75mm and 90mm Hexanon ... they might be sharper but the look of the Jupiter 9 suits way better the rendering I am after.
Here is one of the first shots I took with it :
http://blog.yanidel.com/2009/03/02/the-tektonik-swann/

[luketrash]

I do like that quite a bit. f2 is f2. It'd be hard to blur the background as much with even spendier lenses. I figured that I would use a longer lens on my leica for portraits moreso than to reach out and take photos at the zoo or whatever.

So perhaps I should consider the same. I'm anxious to see what the Rokkor 90mm does. If I'm not impressed, I'll probably send it down the road. I'm keeping the lenses that came with the M2 indefinitely.

[Peter_Jones]

Fantastic shots - and a lesson not to dismiss less expensive lenses :)

[julio1fer]

They are nice for color shots as well. I have a good one in Kiev mount:

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a11/julio1fer/Kiev%204M/08.jpg

[Erik L]

looks great, i sold my 90 tele elmarit for one.

[payasam]

The Rokkor, like the Elmar (and about like the CV 90 I have), is a fine lens but two stops slower. Those two stops can give killer backgrounds when those are what you want.

[dovevadar]

I love this lens especially on my pimped up zorki:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3108/2869067411_3afb91bd30.jpg

heres a recent picture taken with it:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3317/3311572164_640ccbfecc.jpg

Trusty little vixen. but im not impressed with its minimum range :rolleyes:

[Florian1234]

Some very good shots you show here. Tonight I'll soup two rolls, among their frames are also some with my J-9. I'm looking forward to see them. I will then post them here after scanning.:)

[blazejs]

Great shots! Is your J-9 shimmed to work with Leica or do you have some tricks so it works? I've just tried my J-9 with Bessa R and my pictures got some front focus.

[bolas]

Amazing photos ! Keep 'em coming ;)
Next thing i will buy to my Kiev will be J-9 for 100% ;)

There are two versions of J-9 silver and black. Black is later production ? Is there any difference between black/silver J-9 ?

[luketrash]

Great shots! Is your J-9 shimmed to work with Leica or do you have some tricks so it works? I've just tried my J-9 with Bessa R and my pictures got some front focus.

How much front focus did you get? I get about 4" of back focus at minimum distance.

[Hibbs]

dovevadar...what is the film in that second shot?

i like it a lot.

~ hibbs

[blazejs]

This might be something around this. I was testing it with Bessa at range ca. 1 - 3 metres. Here are some samples (before retouching, unsharpened):

I was focusing on my son's eyes, f2

http://artscape.pl/jupiter9/j91.jpg

http://artscape.pl/jupiter9/j92.jpg

I was focusing focusing on branch, I think it was f2.8 or f4

http://artscape.pl/jupiter9/j93.jpg

Object of focus is not accurately that sharp. This might be no problem when stopped down, but this is not this lens' purpose :-)

[dovevadar]

Thanks mate! Its the lovable Portra 400VC :eek:

dovevadar...what is the film in that second shot?

i like it a lot.

~ hibbs

[januaryman]

Here's the only family member to allow me to photograph her at a moment's notice, never complaining she's not "ready" to be photographed. Taken with my 1977 J9 on my Bessa R.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2328/2400152802_37f68d359e.jpg

[cysasam]

Here's the only family member to allow me to photograph her at a moment's notice, never complaining she's not "ready" to be photographed. Taken with my 1977 J9 on my Bessa R.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2328/2400152802_37f68d359e.jpg


Ah, got to get me one of those in my family.:)

[januaryman]

Ah, got to get me one of those in my family.:)

Can be expensive for upkeep over a lifetime, but worth it. You can pick up a quality used model at your local animal shelter! A wonderful investment. :D

[monocyte]

I received a J-9 yesterday from alex-photo. It appears to have only mild signs of use (eg fine scratches on the front element) and to have been recently re-lubricated and adjusted by the presence of marks on the barrel. Rangefinder function appears to be correct on my FSU cameras, but I haven't done anything else with it to this point. What should be the 'checkout process' for this lens, given its tendency to maladjustment? Just run through the focal range, or are there things I can do before shooting a roll?

[januaryman]

Alex is reliable, but these lenses are old - try taking it outside in cold weather. It may seize up. But that's just a sign it needs re-lubing. Take some shots wide open at the closest range and same for medium distance and infinity. Jot down your point of focus, trust me, you won't remember when the film is in your scanner.

Then look to see if the sharpest detail on each frame is what you focused on. You may just have gotten lucky.

[Hibbs]

Well...now trying to find some Kodak Portra 400VC.
Seems rarer than hen's teeth.

May have to order online.

~hibbs

[Erik L]

at min focus mine focus about 2" behind subject.
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e77/erty0/Ima555ge3.jpg

[Florian1234]

All right, as promised, here are some of my latest shots with my Jupiter-9 lens (please ignore the black border, this comes from scanning).

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3369/3328586974_e2ca85f6e3.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3590/3327748737_cc39998b57.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3573/3327742583_737476b9f4.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3342/3327672371_3f41066261.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3567/3328509636_e52df0f5ec.jpg

Comments are welcome.:)

[wdeskiew]

I have both versions of this lens. My observation is that the Kiev mounted one performs better (but only a little bit) than M39 version. I can't really say it is a focusing issue, maybe it is the way they were assembled?

[Florian1234]

I have both versions of this lens. My observation is that the Kiev mounted one performs better (but only a little bit) than M39 version. I can't really say it is a focusing issue, maybe it is the way they were assembled?

No clue, mine is a M39 version. Maybe it is shimming to fine-tune?

[Krosya]

I used to have a J-9 and I think it's a superb lens if it is calibrated well. Mine was. I only sold it because I get similar results with Hex 90 and Nikkor 10.5cm yet with a higher hit rate. At f2 Jupiter 9 can be a challenge to focus. But when you get it - it's awsome - sharp with beautiful bokeh:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3008/2544225077_6081954d48.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3173/2544225035_47bd34bd25.jpg

[fanshaw]

I think that that focussing issues with Kiev mount lenses are less common than with LTM because of the bayonet mount. It is well known that users of Soviet LTMs were advised to have their cameras/lenses adjusted every time the lens was changed. No such procedure was advised for Kiev cameras.

[Erik L]

this is f2 a few feet away from min focus
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e77/erty0/Image192.jpg
looks fine

[Erik L]

this was somewhere near f4
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e77/erty0/Image97.jpg