Industar 55/2.8 in LTM

tedwhite · 04-02-2006

Anyone have one of these? What's their reputation? Are they any good? The one I'm looking at is apparently a recent one. It's black.

Ted

Scarpia · 04-02-2006

I think you are referring to the Industar 61 L/D which ove the years has evolved from a metal barrelled 53mm lens to a 55 mm black plastic barelled lens. Many RFF members including myself have this lens. It is known for its high contrast which makes it appear to be sharper than it actually is, but all in all it is a very good lens which can be bought very cheaply attached to a Fed 5 bought from a reliable seller in the former Soviet Union.
Kurt M.

xayraa33 · 04-02-2006

they are considered to be very sharp lenses, too sharp for some photographers, but that depends on what you like to photograph. all in all, a great lens for the money spent.

tedwhite · 04-02-2006

Thank you. Certainly the price is right. Thirty bucks. Is there a better - and faster than f:2.8 - Russian lens in the 50-55mm focal length?

Ted

Chaser · 04-02-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by tedwhite

Thank you. Certainly the price is right. Thirty bucks. Is there a better - and faster than f:2.8 - Russian lens in the 50-55mm focal length?

Ted

perhaps a Jupiter 8, or jupiter 3 f2 and f1.5 respectively better is subjective though./

FrankS · 04-02-2006

Ted, many folks, myself included, like the J8, a 50mm f2 Sonnar clone. It has a softer, vintage look. See Raid's 50mm lens testing thread for results.

wlewisiii · 04-02-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by tedwhite

Thank you. Certainly the price is right. Thirty bucks. Is there a better - and faster than f:2.8 - Russian lens in the 50-55mm focal length?

Ted

There are also the Jupiter 8 50/2 & the Jupiter 3 50/1.5 lenses. The 8's are almost always good right out of the box, but the 3's generally need adjustment by someone like Brian or Kim to be able to be used successfully on a non-FSU body. I've got all three and use all three - each has a different place in the lineup. If you want the best all around daily shooter, then the Jupiter 8 is the one you'll want. Mine is, at present, my primary lens on my CL.

OTOH, if you're shooting with a FSU body, the Jupiter 3 is usually an excellent lens and 1.5 is a nice speed boost at times. A bit more of a risk than the 8 though.

Heck, with any of these lenses, the biggest rip-off these days is in the shipping

William

tedwhite · 04-02-2006

You're right about the shipping. Won't be using an FSU body. Got a new Bessa R. Will the J8 work OK on it?

wlewisiii · 04-02-2006

Yes.

I use a J8 that hasn't been futzed with on both my CL (primary lens for it) and my Canon 7. The problem is nicely explained at http://www.dantestella.com/technical/compat.html however the most important fact is that at F2, DOF for a 50mm lens is just deep enough to hide the problem. On a Jupiter 3 at F1.5, it isn't and it can cause all kinds of grief.

I've actually had the best luck with the most recent black Jupiter 8s - mine is from 1985 - but as with everything FSU, your milage will vary. However, I have only had one bad Jupiter 8 and it was obviously trashed by some idiot over the years (1956 lens).

The I-61L/D is a good lens too. It's just that in normal day to day photography the battle of a Sonnar vs. a Tessar for is going to go the Sonnars way. Just a much more capable design. Now - I do love the Tessar and for 1903 it really was a revolutionary design. But a coated Sonnar will always have more capability. It you want the classic Tessar look, well, that's a very different story...

Get a J-8 for that Bessa. It'll give you a glorious 50/2 lens for pennies and that camera will be more than able to get the best out of that lens.

HTH,

William

Fedzilla_Bob · 04-05-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by tedwhite

You're right about the shipping. Won't be using an FSU body. Got a new Bessa R. Will the J8 work OK on it?

Yep-
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/phot...11023&cat=5039

Shameless plug

Graybeard · 04-12-2006

The FSU 50mm lenses were originally made in a silver-colored (aluminum) mount and then, in recent years, were made in a black anodized mount.

Some of these were subsequently made in plastic mounts. I have a J-8 in which the aperture and focus rings are clearly plastic.

rbiemer · 04-25-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by tedwhite

You're right about the shipping. Won't be using an FSU body. Got a new Bessa R. Will the J8 work OK on it?

The J-8 lives on my Bessa R more than any of my other 50s. Until I got a Canon 50/f1.8, the Jupiter was the fastest 50 I owned. And I like the results. The J-8 I'm using now was not, however, the first one I've owned. An earlier purchase didn't work out so well. But that lens had been dis-assembled--presumably to re-lube--and re-assembled badly. This doesn't seem to happen with the J-8 very often(unlike the J-9). The one minor thing I'm not so happy about is no click stops for the aperture. Not a deal breaker for me just something to be aware of.
The one I'm using now is "silver" from '54. Not perfect condition but close. And no one's taken it apart. IMO the Jupiter-8 is the best bang for the buck in 50s.
Rob

rxmd · 04-27-2006

30 USD sounds expensive. For that amount you can have it with a FED-5 rear lens cap. Just for comparison: an I61 L/D 2,8/53 went for five euros on German eBay last week.

The I61 is a great lens, beautiful bokeh and razorsharp, if a bit slow.