Leica Showcase Jupiter 8

"The Jupiters adjusted for an M-Mount camera should work fine on a screw-mount camera"- is generally true IF the cameras make the same assumptions for the image plane. Some manufacturers made different assumptions of how film sits in the chamber. The famous one: Konica Hexar M-Mount was "ever-so-slightly-different" from a Leica M-Mount.

With your lens: my M9 has always been in good agreement with film cameras. The M Monochrom- slightly different optimization for shooting with various filters. I increase the shim slightly for optimizing a lens for Orange and Red filters. With a film camera- not as critical.

Leica M7 with Jupiter 8. Kodak Tri-X

My lovely Jupiter 8 from Brian

That is looking really good!

I always get a sense of satisfaction with these lenses in the right hands.

Suboptimal shooting experience with the VF-2 on my Leica MP240 but it gets the job done, and accurate focusing.

A casual shoot up at 2.8 or 4. Weird levels of clarity



At f/8, the clarity remains strong as expected!

The Sonnar 5cm F2, and others- have a lot of field curvature. With the center of the image focused for infinity, you can expect the 2/3rds point and edge to be focused at closer point. Imagine a dampened sine wave running through the image.

I'll try to find the diagram, have it from a very old book on optics.

Nice light out there so I went out with J8 and remained at f/8 for the most of the walk. The clarity of the rendering again surprised me big time.

No sharpening (USM) applied to the raw at all. Nor any extra contrast or clarity, other than what contrasty curves darktable applies by default, plus a LUT.

Caught today in the West Mooring Basin "up on the hard." 1957 Jupiter 8, KMZ.

PS - Just scooped up a 1951 J8 KMZ for US$99. Wish me luck. This '57 is nice. If the '51 is Zeiss J8 better I will be quite happy.

Let me add this one in, taken on the same day, which is quite nice in resolution and sharpness. It is a color photo but we here have used up all our colors for this month so had none to use for this photo. I am not sure if I really got lucky with this '57 KMZ copy of a Jupiter 8 or whether it was a good year. Regardless I am quite pleased with it.

The 1950s Jupiter-8 with the focus tab are the best of the ones I've seen.

The 1951- has German glass in it, probably Zeiss elements.

Brian said:

The 1950s Jupiter-8 with the focus tab are the best of the ones I've seen.

The 1951- has German glass in it, probably Zeiss elements.

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That is what I suspected but feel much better having it validated. It is being sent by mail with a tracking number. I just hope it is truly a '51. The seller, in Russia, assures me it will get here but will take a bit longer. With ~100 Rubles to the dollar he is happy to get the hard currency. If the lens is good and legit I may send on some more money.

The '57 is a focus tab, too. I was really surprised at the color accuracy. I will do more comparisons just to see if this one instance was a fluke.

I have a very recent black one that, alas, is a stinker on my M 240. If I ever get around to replacing it, I'll have to look for a 50's tabbed one then.

Sample variation...

William Lewis said:

I have a very recent black one that, alas, is a stinker on my M 240. If I ever get around to replacing it, I'll have to look for a 50's tabbed one then.

Sample variation...

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Do some Google searches. There are items on the internet which lay out the four different groupings and their hierarchy. Early '50's are good. The black ones are not. An honest mistake if you had not done some research. Brian knows about as much as any mortal about the Jupiters. My '57 showed up as better than the very good Canon 50mm LTM f/1.8 in terms of color accuracy. It renders detail very well, too, without making your eyes hurt. I am really falling in love with this '57. If the '51 gets here from Russia and is, indeed, a '51 I pulled off a small coup.

As for you, there are plenty of Jupiter 8's available on eBay for good prices, ones with the tabbed focus. Most hover around US$75 or less. I got a black Jupiter 9, an '88, that is sharp as a tack and good color for around US$135 IIRC. It came from Istanbul and the seller was a great guy who bought and shipped two ibriks with it for me. But, I have been incredibly lucky with eBay. Never buy from someone with less than around a 98% satisfaction rating. The fellow with the '51 Jupiter 8 has a 100% rating. The satisfaction rating is key. For the price of a tabbed Jupiter 8 you cannot go far wrong. Well, let me amend that to I have not gone wrong, yet. And the Jupiter 8 is first a Zeiss and later a Zeiss copy. That's a good lineage.

Here's another pic from sunny Astoria. Man, I need sun creme just to go out and get the mail. LMAO

Most of the Jupiter, Helios, and Industar lenses on Ebay are out of Russia and the Ukraine.

Given what is going on there- a very bad time to be buying from those two countries. Banking and Shipping are at a stand-still. I bought a wartime Sonnar out of Russia a couple of weeks ago, arrived fine- just as the war broke out. That will be the last item from that area until things get back to normal- which may not be for a very long time. I have one item bought the week before from the Ukraine- that seller is shown as "Away" now. I hope he is alright. I am surprised that Russian and Ukraine sellers are allowed to list on Ebay, as Ebay has suspended sales to Russian and Ukrainian buyers because the major shipping companies have suspended services.

Brian said:

Most of the Jupiter, Helios, and Industar lenses on Ebay are out of Russia and the Ukraine.

Given what is going on there- a very bad time to be buying from those two countries. Banking and Shipping are at a stand-still. I bought a wartime Sonnar out of Russia a couple of weeks ago, arrived fine- just as the war broke out. That will be the last item from that area until things get back to normal- which may not be for a very long time. I have one item bought the week before from the Ukraine- that seller is shown as "Away" now. I hope he is alright. I am surprised that Russian and Ukraine sellers are allowed to list on Ebay, as Ebay has suspended sales to Russian and Ukrainian buyers because the major shipping companies have suspended services.

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All of what you say is true. The lens I have ordered has a tracking number but does not show as "In Transit." That is normal, too, so I cannot say I will not get the lens but I am apprehensive. I took a chance. On a '51 why not? The seller says it will get here but take time. No international shippers are servicing Russia so it is air mail from Russia, hopefully with love.

PayPal has suspended transactions to Russia.

I have been having pretty good luck with a 1957 KMZ. Here is some work being done at the mooring basin:


same lens, cropped image:



Let me append that these elk wander around here like tame deer. Sometimes loners like this bull and sometimes in large herds wandering through fields and across lawns. Until hunting season opens. Then they all vanish. Elk are supposed to be great eating, a lot like beef. More than one family here has made it through the winter on elk in this area. Wardens sometimes do not see that elk taken without an elk tag if it is for sustenance.

Another compulsive porch photo post. Just getting ready to crash and saw the flow of fog over the river. I believe when the night air is colder than the river we get the fog. I am sure someone here will know better than I. Anyway, here it is, M240, Jupiter 8 (KMZ '57) 50mm f/2.0, f/2.0.

Brian said:

Most of the Jupiter, Helios, and Industar lenses on Ebay are out of Russia and the Ukraine.

Given what is going on there- a very bad time to be buying from those two countries. Banking and Shipping are at a stand-still. I bought a wartime Sonnar out of Russia a couple of weeks ago, arrived fine- just as the war broke out. That will be the last item from that area until things get back to normal- which may not be for a very long time. I have one item bought the week before from the Ukraine- that seller is shown as "Away" now. I hope he is alright. I am surprised that Russian and Ukraine sellers are allowed to list on Ebay, as Ebay has suspended sales to Russian and Ukrainian buyers because the major shipping companies have suspended services.

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This is a late follow-up to your post. But I am pasting in the reply I have from the seller in western Russia, very near the Ukraine border. He is doing all he can do. I hope it all works. The deal was done before PP and eBay shut down connections with Russia. Here is his note:

"Hello.
I want to inform you that due to the unfriendly actions of the Russian leadership towards Ukraine, delivery services cannot work in the same mode and quickly deliver goods to customers. The delivery time of international shipments will definitely be increased, with closed skies in Europe and the USA, this is inevitable. But the delivery service assured me that they will take all measures to deliver parcels through other countries. I apologize for the inconvenience. The goods will be delivered 100 percent. but with a delay . I'm sorry again.
best regards"

This is from a fellow with a 100% rating on eBay. The only trick now is for the package to get out of Russia. Once that is accomplished it should be a cakewalk. I am always struck by the decency and kindness of strangers. It does help to treat them that way, too.

If too much time goes by and you do not receive the item, you can go through Ebay for a refund.

I cannot understand why Ebay has not shutdown operations in Russia and the Ukraine.

I also have a delivery in limbo- and will go through Ebay if necessary. Ebay itself should be more proactive in this situation.
I will be doing much less business on Ebay.