Legend of the last century, the national lens - Jupiter 37A 3,5 / 135. He is called a small telephoto or a large portraiture, which is true. Jupiter 37-A takes first place in my vote on the best Soviet portrait lens in the range of 85-135mm.
Jupiter 37A Lens Overview
Jupiter-37A has interchangeable shank, which is marked on the lens with the letter "A". Replaceable shank allows you to change the "rear" part of the lens, which attaches it to the camera mount. Regarding the replaceable shank, it is necessary to erect a monument to domestic manufacturers for this ingenious move. With the help of an interchangeable shank, this lens can also be attached to cameras under the M42 thread or "H" mount.
Changing the size of the lens Jupiter-37A 3.5 135 when focusing from infinity to MDF
How to use with modern cameras?
'A' lenses with an interchangeable shank, such as the one in this review, are very easy to use on almost any modern digital camera (both DSLR and mirrorless), just select correct adapter. The replacement 'A' shank usually has an external M42 thread and an 'H' mount (similar to Nikon F). For use on modern cameras, the easiest way is to add the required adapter from M42 to the desired system or from Nikon F to the desired system to this shank.
Jupiter-37A on the ZK
In times of mass use, version with MS was twice as expensive as usual, which actually affects the quality of work. Nevertheless, a lens without an MC feels great with the hood installed. The lens hood can be worn backwards, the hood has special grooves that allow it to be screwed in the opposite state into the thread for the light filter. I know of only one Soviet lens that allows you to put on the hood backwards - and that is Jupiter-37A.
Enlightenment of the lens Jupiter-37A 3.5 135
Most likely, Jupiter 37A became a copy Carl Zeiss Jena DDR MC Sonnar 3,5 / 135 (Sonnara / Zonnara). Both lenses are pretty good, but narrowly focused experts say that the Sonnars are nevertheless better assembled and give a slightly sharper image.
Enlightenment of the rear lens of the Jupiter-37A 3.5 135 lens and the view of the aperture blades
Positive aspects and their brief description:
1. Cheap. Of course, in our time it can be obtained at a fairly low price. This is due to its mass production. This allows novice photographer to get a great picture for low cost.
Interchangeable shank and lens Jupiter-37A
2. Normal enlightenment. But even such enlightenment avoids unnecessary glare, Zaitsev. Removes fear of back and side light. But nevertheless, Jupiter-37A is a little afraid of flare and gives a light veil in the generated image.
Hood on Jupiter-37A dressed back to front and in normal position
3. The lens came with a wonderful case with the emblem of the 80s Olympiad. The lens hood and lens hood are conveniently placed in the case. You can see how the lens cases look here и here.
Difference in enlightenment MS and not the MC version of the lens Jupiter-37A 3.5 135
4. Lens hood in delivery. The metal hood is quite long. It sits very well on the lens. But here is one minus of the lens hood that it is metal, it adds extra weight and when screwing the metal into the metal, the lens hood wedges and then it takes a lot of effort to unscrew it back. So I do not advise tightening it up much.
5. With interchangeable shank. I wrote about this at the beginning of the article. Allows you to use photo systems with different working lengths.
6. As many as 12 aperture blades. Therefore, it can act as an excellent portrait lens with smooth circles to blur the background (it has good bokeh).
7. Non-fixed stroke of the iris ring. Let me explain - the ring does not have fixed aperture values of type 4.5, 5.6, 8, but has a continuous stroke ring. This is very useful when shooting video, when you can smoothly close and open the aperture (and not jerkily at fixed values)
8. The large stroke of the diaphragm F3.5-F22. Pretty maneuverable lens. Jupiter-37A has a function of preset diaphragm... To use this function, you need to strangle the aperture ring towards the camera and release it at the desired aperture value. After that, the diaphragm will close only to the specified value. This is quite convenient when working with manual optics - to focus on a fully open aperture, quickly close to the desired value and shoot.
9. Metal case... As they say - give the people bread and circuses, and here - give glass and metal.
10. It works in minus 15 to plus 45 ° C, it is nice to read about it in the instructions before going on a winter photo walk.
Features and their brief descriptions:
- The weight. Over 400 grams, makes you feel all the "power" of the telephoto. But still heavy.
- The location of the diaphragm ring itself is rather inconvenient.
- Close focusing from 1.2 meters, you can forget about macro. The focus ring rotates 270 degrees.
- The thread of the filter is 52 mm, which is a fairly popular diameter.
- The lens has 4 lenses in 3 groups
On the fully open F3.5 aperture, you get slightly soft excellent portraits, but if you close it, then the sharpness is enough with the head for almost all tasks. What does my copy without MS, 1980.
From personal experience using:
I shoot on Jupiter-37A, even when there is very little time to set the sharpness. The picture is excellent. I really like its contrast, although sometimes it seems dull, in the editor it can be made simply incredible. At aperture of 3.5, you can shoot portraits without fear for the soapiness of the glass. Impressions are pretty positive. Here's another interesting comparison of Jupiter-37A and Kaleinar-5N. Jupiter was slightly better.
But if you need to shoot at least slightly moving scenes, then I would prefer any autofocus telephoto, even if it is a zoom and even if it is very dark (does not have enough aperture) and even if from the manufacturer’s know-how, for example, similar to very cheap Quantaray 70-300mm 1: 4-5.6 D LDO MACRO.
Sample photos on crop (APS-C, Nikon DX)
All photos in the gallery below were shot on the APS-C Nikon DX, crop 1.5x. No processing. Reduced size to 2MP, imprinted data from EXIF.
Sample photos on crop (Canon APS-C)
All photos in the gallery below are shot on APS-C Canon 350D, crop 1.6x. No processing. Reduced size to 2MP, imprinted data from EXIF.
Full-frame sample photos (FF, Nikon FX)
All photos in the gallery below are shot on APS Nikon D700 FX Without processing, in JPEG L, VI mode, the size is reduced to 3MP, data from EXIF.
All photos in the gallery below, too, were shot on APS Nikon D700 FX Without processing, in JPEG L, VI mode, the size is reduced to 3 MP, data from EXIF.
UPDATED
Photographer shared examples of photos on Jupiter 37A 3,5 / 135 with readers of Radozhiva Lilia Nemykina:
UPDATE 2
Examples of photos on Jupiter 37A 3,5 / 135 (This one) and the camera Pentax K10D a photographer shared with readers of Radozhiva Yuri Leo.
UPDATE 3
More sample photos on Canon 600D and Jupiter 37A 3,5 / 135 for Radozhiva kindly provided Alexander Frolov.
There are several modifications of JUPITER-37, produced at different times:
- MS Jupiter-37AM 3,5 / 135, 1990-2002 (prefix 'MC' is placed before the lens name)
- Jupiter-37A 3,5 / 135 МС, 1983-1986 (the prefix 'MC' is placed after the lens name)
- MC Jupiter-37A 3,5 / 135, 1986-1989 (prefix 'MC' is placed before the lens name)
- Jupiter-37A MS-N-30 3.5 / 135, 1983-1984, very rare
- Jupiter-37A 3,5 / 135since 1978
- Юпитер-37AМ 3,5/135, 1990-2002
- MC Yu-37A 3,5 / 135, from about 1978
- U-37AM 3,5 / 135 MS
Catalog modern brand lenses 'Zenitar' и 'Helios' can look at this link.
Comments on this post do not require registration. Anyone can leave a comment. Many different photographic equipment can be found on AliExpress.
Hack and predictor Aviator
Jupiter 37A 3,5 / 135 - good lens. The lens has a pleasant background blur and excellent sharpness starting at its widest aperture. Jupiter-37A is one of the best Soviet portrait lensesIt is easy to install on modern DSLR cameras with an interchangeable shank system.
Material prepared Arkady Shapoval. Training/Consultations | Youtube | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Telegram
Yes, a good lens! I use through adapter rings with a Sony VG 10 camcorder. The video image is very beautiful. I want more of this myself.
Interested in Jupiter 37a.
Do you sell it? If Yes, where does the lens live and how much do you want for it?
We are selling Soviet optics. Our location is in Kiev. Similar information can be found by going to the appropriate section in the upper left corner of the site.
Great lens. Just bought from you)
A completely different feeling at work, perfectly blurs the background
Yes, indeed, Jupiter-37a is one of my favorite Soviet lenses. By the way, there was a review of the legendary Jupiter-21A though it is heavy and long for crop.
Who needs this lens, call 0986063248 (anytime)
price 350-400 UAH (depending on where you live)
A good, not expensive lens. I rent them a daughter on the playground (from under the silence) and flowers. The colors give vivid, the picture is sharp. The diaphragms are all quite working. I use it with the eos 350d.
Maestro, thanks for the interesting review, but please clear the spelling, for ...
which one?
Good afternoon! I bought the D3100 a couple of months ago, I didn’t take a photo on the whale lens for a long time, because comrades suggested Jupiter37A as a portrait painter. The time has come to take a picture of a couple of weddings with comrades, deciding that due to my lack of experience in using manual optics I will not have time to turn everything manually, today I ordered a nikkor 55-200, the first thought - the money will go away, I need to replenish the budget, I thought to sell Jupiter, but after rereading your review on it several times, changed my mind to sell))) tk. I really like this copy myself, it's a pity that there is not always time to go for a photo walk ((and this is why I am writing all this here: I want to express my gratitude for the worthy tests and reviews of Soviet optics !!!
Thank you Photographing weddings is not an easy task, I personally managed to make a couple of interesting shots on Jupiter 37a a couple of times in a frantic wedding running around, though there are always two cameras with me, one is hanging on something interesting and manual, and the other is aft-focus so that you don’t miss a moment . My girlfriend takes a lot of photo shoots on Jupiter-37a too, here photo session example. I also wish you good luck in photographic work.
Can I put this lens on a SONY DSLR A290L 18-55 Kit?
If yes. Then where can I buy adapters in Ukraine?
It is possible that kit 18-55 has nothing to do with installation. The adapter, for example, can be taken in http://www.fotofond.com.ua/index.php?productID=1783 (shop on Shota Rustaveli)
I JOIN THE HIGHEST RATES. I have a Ju-37 with the usual enlightenment. It is more stable than a multilayer, which can “float” over time: the layers have different coefficients of thermal expansion and, with frequent and large temperature changes, begin to crack and crumble - rainbow spots appear on the surface. Single layer coating - especially chemical etching - is much more stable.
Valentin, you have excellent technical knowledge of lenses. Thanks for the helpful comments.
If a dandelion is installed. then when changing the aperture on the lens, do I need to program each Kaz in the corresponding dandelion?
You can do without this, the camera will think that the aperture does not change, but the illumination of the scene changes and accordingly adjusts the shutter speed. The only exif meta data will indicate the programmed aperture value. By and large, a dandelion is needed so that the camera measures the exposure, and does not look at what aperture is.
The lens is really cool, but I need your advice. I have a Nikon D5000, with this lens I can only shoot to the waist (by the way, quality, color is very good), if I move on and try to shoot at full height, I get a very blurry picture. I suspect this is because of the adapter, which reduces the shooting distance. Tell me, please, how to choose the right transitions, so that the distance does not decrease
Jupiter-37A has a replaceable shank. Most likely, KP-A \ 42 + KP-42 \ N now hangs on it, instead you need to unscrew the three retaining screws and install a replaceable shank KP-A \ N, then it will work as described in the article.
Arkady Shapoval, thank you so much for your answer ... But I didn't understand anything ... (((please explain how for a blonde ... what is such a “locking screw”, “replaceable tail”, “screwing” ??? ((
Retaining screw - The screw that secures the shank. There are three of them.
Interchangeable Shank - The back of the lens, which, as the name suggests, can be different and interchangeable.
Unscrew - Unscrew the three set screws and remove the shank.
On business - they will explain everything to you when you buy, or you can take a more super-duper 135mm Nikon 135mm f / 2.0D AF DC-Nikkor lens and not fool yourself :)
I apologize wildly, but you compared x ... with a finger)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))) the pricing policy is crazy)) I'd rather add another 10 thousand and buy myself a fur coat)))) hih))
The site for fur coats is not here. Focus equals - you can and should compare :) If you add one thousand and a half, you can take Helios-40 and work wonders :) Thank you for your good mood
a good lens, a 100% copy of Zeiss, but for less money :) I put it on a nikon through a dandelion, I use it mainly for portraits.
The better Jupiter with MS than without. Buy this device not too long ago, the front frame says MS-N-30.
What does it mean? Thanks. Photos turn out really better in all respects.
Better version with MS. MS-N-30 means a certain modification of the lens, the details of the change and differing from the standard Jupiter-37A are unknown.
Here you write “... Weight. Over 400 grams, ... But still too heavy ... "
I use Tair 33, its weight is 1,7 kg, this is the weight, but I want to say that the quality is worth it, I think that in your case the same.
In photographs taken by Soviet optics there is a soul, they knew how to make optics in the USSR
in the USSR they only knew how to copy like everything else. and often not so much. and so yes. modern goods, everything, including lenses, as some say, do not have a soul. a photo even on a digital camera, but on an old German lens, it will be very different from modern sharp and colorful glasses and will resemble the cinema of an early era in the picture, which gives off incredible romanticism, charm and soul!
Super review. I like everything!
Explain to me only when setting with dandelion what aperture value is preferable to set?
And is there someone in Donetsk from local inhabitants who would dare to help with setting up a dandelion to a young, growing, but very promising generation?)))
I advise you to set the maximum 3.5 and focal 135, although it will not actually affect the metering, even if you program 1000mm in the dandelion and the F36 will still work correctly, by and large it’s just a snag for the camera that it has its own glass. It’s not a big problem to mess up yourself, although you need to play a bit. More details in my article Dandelion Lushnikova.
I already sold a lens
Do not call me
Thanks, great lens! I purchased and installed on the NIKON D3100 guided by your article!
Example photo of Jupiter 37A:
http://s03.radikal.ru/i176/1111/43/3fd30cde530a.jpg
http://s017.radikal.ru/i418/1111/f0/f9e77a3c1c15.jpg
super photos)
Good afternoon, thanks for the review.
The description indicates that the lens has multilayer enlightenment, it turns out that enlightenment is also a simple version, or is it only available in the MS version?
MC is multi-layer enlightenment. The regular version has simple enlightenment and is referred to as the unenlightened or non-MC version.
The lens is really wonderful! My 1975 release. The state of the new. Apparently, it was lying and was not used much or not at all, judging by the appearance. Unfortunately, I could not buy it in the original case and without a hood in addition, it was packed in a simple but rather sealed case, apparently not from it, I can’t check it on my own It focuses on me very softly. I would say that my feelings and those of 3 others who tried it on my canon 550 camera coincided, we all came to the conclusion that the lens is standing and very interesting! The question is, since I bought not the original packaging, I don't get the hoods axis, where it can get?
Arkady thanks for the answer, tell me did you use the simple and ms version, if so did you feel the difference between them or not?
Just easy to sell a lot and cheaper, for ms you need to chase and pay more, so is it worth it to overpay?
Thanks, Regards Ivan
There is a difference, but it will not always be tangible. I still use the simple version and am very pleased.
http://s002.radikal.ru/i200/1111/45/4f2634b61ed7.jpg
Here is a photo taken from Jupiter. By the way, I found out what is the difference between MS and without. MC - not afraid of glare from backlight.
Well this is the default. The review for this is indicated.
As far as I understand, the flash does not work when this object is put on…. and the photos are very, even not at all sharp ... I put the adapter to that INTO. Can the lens be installed incorrectly ?? or what's wrong with me ???
The flash works in manual flash control mode (not to be confused with manual flash control). The sharpness of the lens depends on the instance and the aperture value. This lens is not interesting for super sharpness, but for other, more specific parameters.