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.
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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
Today I took my Jupiter 37A on Novaya Pochta (I bought it for 350UAH in excellent condition, only a little shaken, 1987 after all :)).
For its age and price the glass is just super, sometimes I would even say you can equate it to the modern 135-ke.
The lens is very sharp already starting from 3.5, 5.6-8 in general, like razors, to be honest, I was even pleasantly surprised. Focusing is also very easy.
Of the minuses, you can notice that he is very afraid of backlight (although this can also be used sometimes), there is no jump, but you can easily clamp the aperture to the desired value after focusing (the aperture ring can be fixed to certain values by pulling it towards you).
In general, I liked the lens very much ... I am once again convinced of the quality and durability of Soviet optics.
Now I will look for Jasper-4 :)
Hello, I acquired this lens a few days ago. I immediately started experimenting, trying what I can. The NIKON d 5100 camera. First impressions: the lens is dark, does not hold back light, it’s convenient to control it. First conclusions: it’s problematic to shoot indoors, very sensitive to light and because of this, you need to constantly change the shutter speed. even with minor changes. When it is already fairly light, achieving a fast shutter speed is almost impossible even with the aperture fully open. th light and make sure the tripod or monopod.Esli conditions for shooting met, the pictures are otlichnye.Pokupkoy satisfied.
For more than a year, they gave me a miracle glass. Made in the USSR Jupiter-37A. I could not use it on my Nikon D90 due to the lack of an exposure meter, I had to fiddle for a long time, set test shots on the histogram to set the exposure. Changing the apparatus with glass became much more pleasant to work with.
Nikon D7000 Examples:
http://bearomanlifeinpics.blogspot.com/2012/11/blog-post_6.html
Arkady good afternoon, there is an opportunity to purchase Jupiter 37AM almost unused, but there is no “KP-A / N” adapter! But there is M42 / N with a lens and a dandelion! Will there be any problems when shooting?
A corrective lens slightly degrades the image.
Hi Arkady! Have a question Jupiter-37A OLYMPIC 1979g.v. Does glass enlightenment have? because on the lens itself where I looked there is no inscription MS.
It doesn’t, I have one.
Then is it worth taking the Olympian or is it better to search with ms?
Better than MS, but Olympic ones are very good.
Yes, it's cool when there is plenty to choose from)) I want to take one myself. Once in Kiev in one place I saw the 37th, which I didn’t like because of the fact that there were a lot of bubbles inside it on the front glass. And so it seemed small compact and not heavy.
how to make Jupiter-37A work with flash on d90
It's not the lens, but the camera. In the built-in flash menu, set the manual power, or in the external flash menu, set the desired power. You will find more details in the section about flashes in the article about Soviet lenses.
Will there be autofocus on the Nikon D3100
No, it will not.
Hello! on D7000 will metering work?))
Yes, it will work. More details in the section Soviet lenses.
Privit! At the D7000 озkspozamіr bu pratsyuvati? )))
Yes, it will.
Privit! At D7000 expozamіr bu pratsyuvati? )))
Good afternoon!
Today I bought such a lens at a flea market, in almost perfect condition. The problem that worries me is that the liner has dried butter or something like that. Is it dangerous for the camera matrix? And what can be cleaned?
You can clean it yourself. If it is dry, it is not dangerous.
how is it better to take this Jupiter or Kaleinar 5H as a portrait lens? for Nikon D5000 ...
which is easier to use?
Better Kaleinar, easier to use and less 'long'
I recently acquired this lens, it seems like it’s in good condition, I like the picture =) But the focus ring is very tight, even the fingers begin to hurt during shooting. Is this normal for him, or is something clearly wrong with him? What can be done to fix this? thank you in advance)
This not normal. It can be developed by itself, otherwise you need to turn in for grease / repair.
Thanks for the review, encouraged me to purchase this lens. I managed to buy for a ridiculous price.
Honestly, I am impressed with the quality of this glass. I use it on crop. Remarkably sharp with an amazing (from my point of view) pattern and blur.
Backlight holds really bad, but you can live.
Here are examples taken this morning. http://www.flickr.com/photos/pasharome/sets/72157632192293794/detail/
Arkady, thank you very much for your reviews!
Not at all :) good luck in photo creativity!
I have been using this lens for over 3 years now. There are two versions of the usual with a feolet spraying of 84 years of release and the ms version with green dusting on lenses of 91 years of release. The photos are excellent from both. I didn’t feel the difference between s37 and s37 and ms. Although I read your review, in the reviews you wrote that the usual ju37 does not have enlightenment, although I have it there and there, only it is different in color. Yes, in the ms version, the meniscus also has a green coating.
Arkady good afternoon. Today I purchased this lens of 83 release (peer). Outwardly very good, only a little oil on the diaphragm blades. But I will not disassemble and clean it yet. How is your instance dry?
My little oil is, but it does not get on the lenses.
And here is the KP-A / N adapter. It has two locking screws. One I know is stopping the reverse when removing the lens from the camera in the desired position (larger white), but the second (black small) for what? The passport simply says to unscrew the 3 screws and install on the lens. Thank you very much for the answers and the whole project.
KP-A / N has 3 screws for fastening, there is nothing else on it.
On mine there. Here is a picture http://vk.com/photo59618017_293606421?all=1
This is the production of Arsenal 1988. On the left you can see a small screw, which is recessed into the adapter, but why?
Ivan, this is a shank rotation limiter in the camera - without it, the lens during installation will be able to rotate in the camera at a greater angle than it should - and fall onto your knees, legs, floor ...
Whoop-p-ps, hurry! The limiter is white, and black (there should be three of them in a circle every 120 degrees) this is just for fixing the shank on the lens. Of course, for this, you must first remove the threaded (M42) shank from the lens by unscrewing three similar screws on it. And do not be afraid - everything can be returned to its place, and "infinity" will remain in both versions. Yes, and do not tighten these screws "until they rattle" - they hold so well ...
I can also add that you need to tighten the screws in turn each, and not first clamp one, then the second and third.
Arkady, good day! Used on Zenith E-122 in addition to the regular Helios, Jupiter 37A. In many pictures, a fairly pronounced back focus was noticeable. Recently I tried the same lens on Nikon d5100 with an adapter ring without a lens. The same back focus. When using Helios44-6, everything is fine. Tell me, am I so squinty or can it be a lens defect?
Try Live View. Usually on the body the lens is difficult to catch the eye focus.
I tried it. There is no big difference. If the aperture is more than 5,6, then it is not so noticeable - the depth of field allows, but if it is less ... I will try.)) Thank you!
Good day. Happy New Year. Tell me if the lens peeling off a bit inside the lens does this affect something? Thank you in advance for your reply
If the paint moves, as in a kaleidoscope, then it affects. If it is a little, then the difference may not be noticed.
very nice and useful site. indeed reviews of experts and not imagining themselves
Thank you Arkady for the advice. I’m not a rich person, I just want to do photography for my own pleasure. I studied in my youth (schoolchildren. change. Zenit-e. Kiev.) from developing the film to color photo. Excellent color slides came in place, by the way. and now in old age I want to remember all this. the film of reagents laboratory, etc.
Is it possible to paint the lens and hood from the outside with paints such as in spray cans (after disassembling or carefully gluing the lenses), otherwise the quality of the lenses is excellent, and the appearance is very dead. Somehow I have not seen anywhere on the Internet, what would anyone paint, or vice versa, the older the lens looks, the more prestigious. Interestingly, what do you think about this?
I think that you can paint and there is nothing wrong with that.
Friends, tell me please, where can I get the KP-A / N adapter for this lens?