Jupiter-11 question

[peter_n]

There are two versions of the 135mm Jupiter-11. One is long and thin, the other is short and fat (see pic below).

What's the difference? Is one preferable to another, made in a different factory, easier to use?

I'd prefer the short fat one because it might handle better, but my main interest is optical quality. I want the best optics I can get in the lens.

[jdos2]

I've never seen the fat one, but the skinny version, for the Kiev, is one of those "sleeper lenses." It's very sharp, and quietly so. It's got great color rendition, and I've never noticed any distortion. Again, it's a quiet over-performer for its price.

And of all the FSU lenses I've ever used, it's the only one that doesn't out-and-out need a constant minder of a lens hood.

JD

[Kin Lau]

That's good to know... I just bought one. I'm pretty sure it the skinny one.

[peter_n]

It appears that the long/thin version is the first version (at least going by the serial nrs) and is a clone of the Zeiss 135/4 Sonnar (see the pic below for similarity). The short/fat one has a beginning serial nr. that begins with 67 or 68 so they were made a few years after the Sonnar design and they may be a Soviet original. It would seem that the thin one is the one to get and the latest serial nr. I could find on sale for one of those was 61xxxxx.

Here's a brief snip from a post on a Russian camera web site that speaks to the resolution of this lens:

Elmarit-M 135/2.8 46 lp/mm 35lp/mm
Jupiter-11 135/4 52 lp/mm 35lp/mm

"According to these figures, Some of the FSU optics are comparable to the best brands of the world. We have talked about the very low resolution figures from some Soviet publications but in practice found some of the FSU optics were just as sharp as their western counterparts."

Interesting, eh? I think I'm going to try one...

[Laika]

While I'm not 100% on this I think the short fat one is for the M39 SLR mount (Zenit). A friend has two J-9 (85mm) lenses, one for a Zenit SLR one for the LTM RF's (leica)... The one for the Zenit has the same stubby profile as the one in your pic.

[Brian Sweeney]

I 2nd Laika. The short one is for the M39 Zenit SLR and cannot be used on an LTM RF camera. I do not see an RF cam on the short lens, but do see it on the long lens. With the lens at infinity like this, the RF cam should protrude out of the mount. The long lens shows the RF cam.

[peter_n]

Sorry guys, this is my fault. Neither the short fat J-11 in my first post or the Zeiss Sonnar in my second post are Leica mount. They are there for illustrative purposes only.

The short fat one is however sold on eBay in LTM mount. There's a pic of one below.

[Laika]

Originally posted by peter_n
...The short fat one is however sold on eBay in LTM mount. There's a pic of one below.

HHmmm... make sure you know your lenses if your buying off ebay. I've seen many Soviet M39 SLR lens auctions mislabelled as RF Leica fit lenses, I guess some seller often don’t know any better the thread/fit is the same.

Have a look here for some info in Soviet gear inc glass

http://www.commiecameras.com

[peter_n]

I've seen many Soviet M39 SLR lens auctions mislabelled as RF Leica fit lenses, I guess some seller often don’t know any better the thread/fit is the same.

Well you're absolutely right, Laika! Thanks for pointing this out and for the link. I spent my lunch hour scouring the auction sites and places like fedka.com.

It turns out that although these fat lenses are described on auction sites as "Leica, FED, Zorki" they are in fact not LTM lenses, and as you point out, maybe these sellers don't know the distinctions.

Here's a quote from commiecameras.com on the J-11 M39 Leica:

"The way to distinguish this rangefinder lens is that it is straight and the SLR lens is shaped more like a hand grenade."

So now I'm clear and the thin one is the one to get for Leica/Bessa/FED etc.

Thanks again for straightening me out, Laika. What a great site this is!