Sorry, we just need to make sure you're not a robot. For best results, please make sure your browser is accepting cookies. Show Type the characters you see in this image: Try different image Conditions of Use Privacy Policy © 1996-2014, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates So what about the lens!!?? Well, I must say I struggled with 85mm at first. My shooting preferences really lends itself to shorter/wider focal lengths. It was really a struggle to get what I wanted in frame at first, but after a few days, I figured it out for the most part and adapted to a different shooting style that accommodated this new and strange FL. OK -- so what about the freakin' lens!!?? Well, the lens is very sturdily built and has a nice "heft" without being difficult too heavy. It has a very reasonable close focus ability that allowed me to shoot my style of images (flora mostly) and has a well dampened focus that feels just right and a nice focus throw allowing for precise focus. The Aperture setting ring moves relatively easily throughout the stops and the adjustment ring dials the diaphragm open and closed smoothly and with minimal effort. Determining the aperture is a little awkward and does require you looking at the lens form the front and I do wish the aperture mark on the lens was a little more visible. There is also a trick to changing the aperture preset ring in that the diaphragm ring has to be at the wide open setting to allow the aperture preset ring to be moved. Once I understood that, it did not pose a problem. The Jupiter-9 85/2 renders beautiful images. It is a nicely fast lens at F/2 max aperture allowing relatively low-light photography and a nice shallow DOF for subject isolation. This lens has 15 curved blades making up the diaphragm and because of this renders beautiful creamy bokeh -- but don't forget it is also a Russian lens, so you can coax some pretty wild painterly and bubble bokeh on-demand. Images are rendered with a soft glow when shot wide-open (perfect for portraits) and sharpens up very nicely at f/4-5.6 and very sharp/crisp at f/11. The lens really is surprisingly sharp and images captured can withstand some pretty significant crops and still look great. Colors are rendered nicely and although not as bright and intense as SMC coated limited lenses, they are rendered nicely and accurately. In closing, I found it to be a rather versatile lens, once I learned how to work the FL and learned to exploit the Jupiter's versatility and capabilities. I have an awful lot of lenses and this one has certainly become a favorite! My advice ... BUY IT!! Forum Member Registered: September, 2013 Posts: 62 1 user found this helpful Review Date: December 27, 2013 Recommended | Price: None indicated | Rating: 8 Pros: cheap 85/2 lens! Cons: very difficult to work with (pre-set aperture) Sharpness: 7 Aberrations: 8 Bokeh: 9 Handling: 5 Value: 8 chip 85/2 lens, M42 connection. no any automatic. soft, if needed, if not needed - also soft. it can be useful only is You are working slow, tripod, steady model... pre-set aperture it is a issue. You can set it before focusing but it is so... who the hell is need it? I have one, I do not use it. but - it is still cheap 85/2 lens Veteran Member Registered: May, 2009 Location: Lithuania Posts: 344 Review Date: January 23, 2013 Recommended | Price: $160.00 | Rating: 9 Pros: Great bokeh, stepless aperture (always round bokeh), build to last forever, sharp when closed a bit Cons: softer at f/2, stiff focus ring, lacks contrast, flare Sharpness: 8 Aberrations: 8 Bokeh: 9 Handling: 8 Value: 8 This is my lens: New Member Registered: September, 2012 Location: Belo Horizonte Posts: 17 Junior Member Registered: August, 2009 Location: Lexington, KY Posts: 30 1 user found this helpful Review Date: February 1, 2012 Recommended | Price: $10.00 | Rating: 9 Pros: Tiny (in Kiev 10/15 mount), sharp, great bokeh Cons: Soviet build quality Sharpness: 9 Aberrations: 7 Bokeh: 10 Handling: 8 Value: 10 First off, my pristine 1981 Jupiter 9 is in Kiev-10/Kiev-15 mount, which explains the low price. I built my own adapter for it, which wasn't fun, but works. My adapter doesn't make changing the aperture easy, but this is a lens I'd shoot wide open as often as possible. My copy looks like a completely different lens from the one pictured above. In Kiev 10/15 mount, it is tiny with a small diameter barrel. It is perhaps 1/3 the volume of my Samyang 85mm f/1.4. However, optically it seems that the Kiev version is the same as any other Jupiter 9. This is actually a very sharp lens. Not as sharp as the Samyang wide open, but still very good and perhaps better than the Samyang when stopped down... but nobody buys these to use stopped down. The real selling point is the bokeh, which is impressive. It doesn't take long to discover why the bokeh are so good. This lens has more spherical aberration than any other I've tested. That makes stuff beyond the focus point beautiful, but stuff closer looks almost like it was shot with a mirror lens. It also gives a nice, sharp-but-soft, feel to portraits. Definitely a great portrait lens... although I think the Samyang is optically superior. The Samyang's bokeh are at least comparably good -- but it's good both in front of and behind the focus point. Build quality unfortunately has all the smoothness of typical USSR products. It is very solid, but lacks elegance. Overall, there's a lot to like about this lens. It is probably worth the $100-$150 people pay for an M42 mount version. This and the Samyang are the only commonly-available 85mm lenses that really have the price/performance needed to make me want an 85mm. Veteran Member Registered: April, 2010 Location: California Posts: 484 1 user found this helpful Review Date: December 16, 2011 Not Recommended | Price: $115.00 | Rating: 5 Pros: Beautiful bokeh and out-of-focus highlights, sharp from f/4 onward Cons: quality issues degrading wide open performance Sharpness: 6 Aberrations: 3 Bokeh: 9 Handling: 6 Value: 4 My black 1988 M42 copy of this lens is a very mixed bag. On the plus side, it is very sharp from f/4 onward and renders out-of-focus areas beautifully, on the minus side, it is low in contrast and flares easily. This can be worked around in post-processing and by always using a hood, but to make matters worse, it produces a strong glowing artifact at f/2. Upon closer inspection, I found that one cause is light leakage from paint loss near the edges of the front lens triplet that is getting more and more exposed to the field of view as the aperture blades open past f/2.8. This is just shoddy workmanship and apparently a rather common problem, at least with the black Jupiter-9. To make matters worse, I found that there is a bare aluminum shim ring sitting in front of the rear triplet. How anyone can think such a highly reflective part belongs in a lens is beyond me. The lens can be a solid 9, if you find a good copy, but mine barely even deserves a 2 wide open. Based on this extreme sample variation and considering the current price level well beyond 100$, I do not recommend this lens, unless you have the option to try and return it. Forum Member Registered: October, 2010 Location: Klaipeda Posts: 77 Pentaxian Registered: February, 2008 Location: Hawkesbury Posts: 1,790 Review Date: November 8, 2011 Recommended | Price: $50.00 | Rating: 6 Pros: Cheap, lively images Cons: Difficult to work with and maintain Sharpness: 7 Aberrations: 5 Bokeh: 7 Handling: 2 Value: 7 I am guessing that the quality control on these lenses has varied considerably over the years. The copy I have experience with has most of the failings mentioned in the other reviews and it can be hard to remember its good features that have given the lens its cult status. That said, when everything goes to plan, I can achieve sharpish, colourful images with interesting optical effects when I dare to put the lens back on the camera. At the moment it needs pulling apart so as I can tighten one of the internal rings and stop an element flopping around. Despite all the difficulties, I'm still giving it a 6 (which is good) because it can capture good images and reminds me just how lucky I am that other lenses are not so temperamental. My yes recommendation is only if you can try before you buy and you don't mind getting your hands dirty. I've had much more luck using it on an old russian starlight scope both as the objective lens and as a massive ocular so as I can sit back a metre and easily view the nocturnal images. Senior Member Registered: May, 2009 Location: Sacramento Posts: 131 Review Date: April 8, 2011 Recommended | Price: None indicated | Rating: 9 Pros: Excellent for portraits, bokeh Cons: focusing can be a challenge This is the perfect lens to have on your camera when someone says, "You take such good pictures, you must have a good camera." Hand them your camera with this lens attached and let the fun begin. This is not, imho, the most forgiving lens. You need to have a plan in mind before you start shooting to make the most of it. The focus ring is alleged to have been originally lubricated with Russian tank grease, probably a tall-tale although it's likely not the smoothest focusing lens out there. I also believe that this lens would benefit from an aftermarket split focusing screen (Katz-eye,etc.) as it "fools' my k20d into a false sense of focus. That being said, I have been having a great deal of enjoyment learning to "zoom with my feet" and frame my shots clearly. This lens encourages the photographer to think creatively and work with the lens, not against it. I gave it a 9 due to the fun factor and that it is definitely a lens with a soul. Note:I purchased a lens hood through Ebay which has greatly aided in lessening flare. Senior Member Registered: December, 2010 Location: Missoula, MT Posts: 175 Review Date: December 25, 2010 Recommended | Price: $65.00 | Rating: 9 Pros: speed, relatively sharp Cons: grease odor, stiff focusing Got this several years ago on ebay as part of a 3 lens package ($65 for the trio), although the J9 was what I was really after. My lens was built in 1989, has a strange odor, and stiff to focus, but it takes nice pictures, and sharp when stepped down to f/4, 5.6, etc, although I like the bokeh wide open to, just soft. Honestly, it would probably be perfect with a CLA, but I'm afraid of misaligning the focus or something when putting it back together. Review Date: July 20, 2010 Recommended | Price: $25.00 | Rating: 9 Pros: Portrait lens, sharp , bokeh (15 blades ) Cons: a bit slow f2 I own the M39 version ( the metallic one) it was designed for FED or leica , i use it on my pen ep1. Fantastic lens, it is very close to Helios 40 on day to day use , the helios wins at night or in low light situation. The jupiter is a bit sharper than the helios , the bokeh is very good and creamy. The difference in price between the Jupiter and Helios is not justified both give almost the same image quality. Veteran Member Registered: May, 2009 Location: Vancouver, B.C. Posts: 6,513 Review Date: April 19, 2010 Recommended | Price: None indicated | Rating: 8 Pros: good IQ, small and light, 15 aperture blades (preset), nice bokeh, 3D effect , CA control Cons: aperture indicators can really be confusing. I bought this lens out of curiosity. the bokeh is unusual but really nice and smooth and gives that 3D look even at f2. colors are cooler and looks really great. as for sharpness, it is far better and sharper than the Rokinon 85/1.4 from f2 onwards. although it is not as sharp as it's other 85mm counterparts but close or equalizes at f5.6 and over. this lens could flare up easily, so it's necessary to install a deep hood with it. without a hood, the contrast suffers a lot. also the lens has greasy smell due to being a russian made lens. also, you might find some oil on the blades but those are normal and shouldn't be a concern unless the apertures becomes sticky or wouldn't move or the oil spills on the glass which I haven't heard of any reports yet. the focus ring is smooth and runs freely (being a preset lens). that means aperture adjustments can be made at the tiniest intervals at your disposal. it has 15 blades which makes the OOF highlights consistent circular which is very useful in portraiture work with lighted backgrounds. I prefer this lens more now compared to my Rokinon, since this is much sharper, lighter, smaller and easier to use. the DOF focus at f2 is pretty easy to nail. and the closer minimum focusing distance of the J-9 at 80cm makes it much easier and convenient to use for nailing and shooting closer shots compared to the Rokinon at 100cm. I might sell my Rokinon pretty soon. Where are Jupiter lenses made?The first official Jupiter 3 lenses were developed by the Soviet Russian factory called Zenit located in the town of Krasnogorskij, Russia, just on the outskirts of Moscow. They were made using German Schott glass and initially named the Zeiss Sonnar Krasnogorskij. Not long after, it was rebranded as the Jupiter 3. What is the history of Jupiter 9 lens?The Jupiter 9 is an 85 mm f/2 lens made in the Soviet Union. It is based on the design of the Carl Zeiss Sonnar, after the technical information, and machinery were taken from Carl Zeiss in reparations at the end of the Second World War. What is the focus distance of the Jupiter 9?The objective Jupiter 9 is a classified optics as "High aperture half telephoto lens ". It was essencially developed for face and bust pictures 35mm cameras such as Zorki, Kiev and Zenit. Has its heritage from the Sonnar originally conceived for the Contax. Its focal distance is 85mm with an aperture f2. |
