Bessa R3A Modification?

[jamais]

As far as I understand FSU lenses with LTM are not compatible with Leica / Bessa focus metering. Is there a way to make an ordinary R3A generally capable of providing accurate focus metering with FSU-LTM-lenses?

[Kozhe]

Hi,

you´re wrong Fortunately you can use FSU lenses with Leicas and Bessas. Only some models like early feds which were matched couples (I think the body was adjusted for the lens, with no standard) can´t be used properly, but that´s not the typical fsu lens you find out there.

Another problem are the russian wide lenses (like the 35mm Jupiter 12) which can´t be used on Bessas due to their huge rear element which would touch the shutter curtains, damaging both camera and lens.

[philipp.leser]

Hi,

Originally Posted by jamais

accurate focus metering with FSU-LTM-lenses?

Do I understand you correctly when I think that your point is accuracy, not the general ability to focus?

I found my J-8 sample to have a noticeable discrepancy between what their scale markings say should be sharp and what the rangefinder of my Bessa said was sharp. In practice, it wasn't noticable in the pictures even at f2 so I decided to just use it as it as and stop worrying about it, but generally you might have to adjust the shims that provide a distance between the optics and the focusing block of the lens and calibrate it that way.

Regards,
Philipp

[jamais]

Originally Posted by philipp.leser

...Do I understand you correctly when I think that your point is accuracy, not the general ability to focus?...

Hi Philip,
my point is the general ability to focus.

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/foru...65&postcount=5

If Jupiter 3's don't focus correctly on Leicas, they won't do on Bessas either. Or am I wrong? Or is it just a problem of the J-3 and not of any other FSU lens?

[jamais]

Originally Posted by Kozhe

...you´re wrong Fortunately you can use FSU lenses with Leicas and Bessas...

Great! I might have misunderstood the information in the quotation above.
Thanks!

[rbiemer]

Originally Posted by jamais

Great! I might have misunderstood the information in the quotation above.
Thanks!

I would consider that post you referenced an opinion more than information.

I own and use several FSU lenses on my Bessa cameras--I have an R and an R2A--and most of the lenses I own were fine when I got them.
I did have to have two adjusted. My J-9 and my J-3. That was more an issue of previous mistreatment than the design. And those two have very shallow DOF at wide apertures and close distance.

If you want to use the FSU lenses on Bessa/Leica/Zeiss Ikon/Canon it would make better sense, I think, to adjust the lenses if needed rather than the camera body; if you adjust the camera, then you are likely to have focus issues with the vast majority of Leica, CV, Nikon, Canon, etc lenses.

The focus issue with FSU lenses and Leica standard bodies is real but not, I think, a huge problem with most FSU lenses. Mainly because the slower lenses seem to have enough depth of field at their widest apertures to cover the focus error.

As well, the two lenses that seem to give the most trouble--the 85mm/f2 Jupiter 9 and the 50mm/f1.5 Jupiter 3--do work well once correctly adjusted.
The more usual lenses--the various 50mm/f3.5 (Industar 10, 22, or 50), the Industar 26 or 61 (f/2.8), and the 135mm/f4 Jupiter 11 haven't given me any focus trouble on my cameras. I did try to get well working examples and I think I've been sucessful.
The Jupiter 12, 35mm/f2.8 is has a different problem with the Bessa bodies: the rear of the lens protrudes too much into the camera body and will at least block the meter cell and may well interfere with the shutter blinds.
Explore the FSU forum here and you will find lots of info and opinions about using these lenses on modern bodies.
Rob

[minoltist7]

With FSU lenses it is a matter of luck. It seems they are not calibrated to standard, as there was no strict quality control.
I have 3 Jupiters, one of them focuses perfectly on Bessa, and 2 other are off .
Sometimes it can be corrected with thin shims added between the lens and LTM adapter.

[jamais]

Thank you everybody so far!

[-doomed-]

I use a J-8 mainly as well as the industar 50 (ugly as sin but decent results) I use these on my R2A with no issue , if you look at most of the images in my gallery they are mostly shot with the I-50 or the J-8 .

As with what most are saying its a matter of luck with these lense's due to varying quality control standards.

With that said you cant use the j-12 as stated earlier , but everything else is fair game . I would like the j-9 , since i've seen good results and its an 85/2.

But enough of my rambling , buy some FSU lenses and enjoy.

[nome_alice]

i have a jupiter-8 and an industar 61L/D and i've used both occassionally on a Bessa R2a, Leica M3 and M4-P and while the distance scales do not seem to correlate with the actual distance to the subject, both lenses have proven to focus just as accurately as my voigtlander lenses when focusing through the viewfinder.