Russkiy ob'yektiv kamery...who knows Jupiter3 ?

[martti]

Hello,


A friend of mine is in love with all kinds of exotic lenses from faraway countries and from yesteryear.
He was very proud presenting me a picture he had taken with his Sony A6000 using an off-center Jupiter 50mm lens. While it is true that the girl was (still is) pretty, I really had a hard time to understand why he would knowingly spoil his pictures right from the start, foobar-style.


If you want to spoil your picture, you can very well do it using various post-processing plugs and apps while still having the usable original in case you might need it later on.

On eBay there are numerous sellers from Belarussiya, Ukraine and Russian federation who have fixed adapters on these lenses. Of course you do not get autofocus or full aperture AE but you get something...for like 150 dollars.
I found from Germany Voigtländer Color Skopar and Zeiss Tessar from the fifties equipped with Sony E mounts.
Digging a bit deeper, there were people having converted the Canon FD 55 f/1.2 to EF –to be used with the mirror locked up with Live View as the mirror hit the protruding back element of the lens if focused further than 7 metres.

Is anyone doing something of this kind here and what kind of results you get to justiify such madness?

No, I did not order the Jupiter 3. I do not think I will.

 

[Tanispyre]

In this age of digital perfection I think it is easy to understand the nostalgia of working with old lenses. Older lenses offer a unique look that can be difficult to reproduce in post. Sure you can sharpen, soften, increase background blur, add vignette, or create tilt like selective focus zones, but often there are aspects of old lenses that are difficult to reproduce. Take for example the Trioplan and its soup bubble bokeh... http://petapixel.com/2015/07/10/trioplan-100mm-f2-8-rebirth-will-bring-soap-bubble-bokeh-to-modern-cameras/ That look would be almost impossible to recreate in photoshop, another is the swirly bokeh of the Petzval lens.

Old lenses also offer more tactile involvement in capturing the image. There is a je ne sais quoi enjoyment in turning a manual focus ring and watching the image change in your view finder, having to set the aperture ring and seeing the depth of field change manual lenses make me feel more involved in the image capture process. As an old slide film shooter, much of my enjoyment comes from the capture of the image, not from the final image. Making adjustments in post processing, is taming the image, capturing the image on the sensor the way you want it is taming the light. An old lens is just another paintbrush in our tool box. Are they something I use when photographing my 1 year old, no. I need the speed and convenience of my auto-focus auto-aperture lenses. But for other projects I really love my old Takumars. Some may enjoy it, others may not.

 

[NancyP]

I repurposed my old M42 screw mount manual lenses (Mamiya-Sekor, Vivitar, Yashica) from the late 1960s-early 1970s and my dad's manual AIS Nikkors from the same era. They are fun to shoot with. Canon may be the best DSLR platform for using old 35mm format SLR lenses from other mounts, due to the short sensor to lens flange distance and the very wide lens flange diameter - many lenses can be adapted.

However, I have no experience with Zenit or Jupiter or other Russian lenses, some of which are said to be quite good. The best place to find information, especially about brands that have been discontinued, is the mflenses forum ( forum.mflenses.com ).

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Hello,


A friend of mine is in love with all kinds of exotic lenses from faraway countries and from yesteryear.
He was very proud presenting me a picture he had taken with his Sony A6000 using an off-center Jupiter 50mm lens. While it is true that the girl was (still is) pretty, I really had a hard time to understand why he would knowingly spoil his pictures right from the start, foobar-style.


If you want to spoil your picture, you can very well do it using various post-processing plugs and apps while still having the usable original in case you might need it later on.

On eBay there are numerous sellers from Belarussiya, Ukraine and Russian federation who have fixed adapters on these lenses. Of course you do not get autofocus or full aperture AE but you get something...for like 150 dollars.
I found from Germany Voigtländer Color Skopar and Zeiss Tessar from the fifties equipped with Sony E mounts.
Digging a bit deeper, there were people having converted the Canon FD 55 f/1.2 to EF –to be used with the mirror locked up with Live View as the mirror hit the protruding back element of the lens if focused further than 7 metres.

Is anyone doing something of this kind here and what kind of results you get to justiify such madness?

No, I did not order the Jupiter 3. I do not think I will.

I think its the spirit of tinkering and taking pride in making something work when it shouldn't. Being able to make a lens of your own design for little or nothing. Experimenting. I used to do a lot of experimenting. When I was just 8 or 10, I tool old radios apart, piece by piece, and put them together at random thinking I was going to have something that works. Fortunately, nothing happened when I plugged it in. Then, Mom signed me up for monthly science kits to do things like build your own radio (It Worked), build a telescope and microscope out of cardboard tubes and little glass lenses. Then, a photo negative developer and a contact printing / developing kit. There were variations using the same components, but every month a small box of parts and instructions arrived. I was also given a book of plans for all kinds of projects from gasoline powered boats to book shelves. Those fed the desire to experiment as a way of learning firsthand about designing and building things which led to me later getting my engineering degree.

Back on topic - I have adapters for almost every lens to EF, and several copies of many different brands and types of lenses. The easiest to adapt are M43 lenses, and there are many different brands and designs to play with. I have a reverse lens mount, and sets of adapter step up and step down rings, so I can reverse almost any lens. Many used lenses found at garage sales are missing caps or rear covers, so I've purchased at least 100-150 from ebay and have boxes and drawers full of them plus accessories.

Now, if I could only find time to tinker with them. I have so many varied projects varying from restoring a vintage commercial embroidery machine so I could do caps, shirts and jackets for my daughter to vintage stereo HiFi equipment just about anything that involves technical expertise. I have a tool kit for repairing lenses, but don't fool with my "L" lenses.

I've been selling off my big collection of Heathkit electronic service Equipment, I even built a Heathkit TV set in days gone by. I also have a couple of remaining Eico kits.

 

[kirispupis]

For me it's the idea of doing something a bit different. What I love about some of these niche lenses is they provide the ability to get a different angle or mood to a shot than otherwise possible. It gives me a different perspective on things and provides a nice break from typical shots where I am pixel peeping and demanding the utmost in distortion and CA control. Lately I've been playing around with a Lomography Petzal 85 and am really loving this lens.

Lords of Spring by Joseph Calev, on Flickr

Beach Log by Joseph Calev, on Flickr

Going in Circles by Joseph Calev, on Flickr

Looking Back by Joseph Calev, on Flickr

 

[martti]

There are maniacs on YouTube as well. This guy Blunty takes some very beautiful shots with the Jupiter3 which is a 52.5mm f/1.5 Sonnar type lens. I found others as well. Got to love the enthusiasm of Blunty, though!


I tried to put the link here with various methods but only got some blurred je ne sais pas quoi. Now better?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OC-VFAf9P_s


PS. Nice shooting, Joseph. Should I or shouldn't I? I know I will but what...

 

[IglooEater]

I agree with you in principle- I'd rather do my effects in PP. however I can kind of sympathize also. Sometimes limiting ourselves is a way to push our own creativity, in the same way that leaving home with just one prime lens- it forces us to think through our shots more, which is always a good thing. In this age of digital perfection, using less than perfect gear can be helpful to focus on content instead of technical quality. If one uses a soft lens on purpose, it frees one from the temptation to worry only about sharpness. Just my 2c

 

[martti]

PP is too easy! It cannot be good if it is too easy...
Well, I ordered a Jupiter3 from Ukraine. If I understood correctly, there is the original warranty slip there, written with a leaky ink pen. An important detail.

Had I not watched clips from Tarkovsky's magic 'Mirror' I probably would have resisted temptation.

 

[zim]

I think I've just tuned in to a foreign language channel

I do like those pics though especially the second one, I do like a bit of wood

 

[slclick]

Lensbaby is a gateway drug to vintage and other bokeh selective glass.

 

[Ozarker]

I'd like the Petzval and the soap bubble lens. Really, all the mentioned. Especially for boudoir and fine art nudes.

 

[martti]

Got the Jupiter 3