Overview of the non-retro focus lens JUPITER-12 2,8 / 35

This review examines the version of the legendary JUPITER-12 lens - JUPITER-12 2,8 / 35 with external mount Contax-Kiev RF, manufactured by LZOS (Lytkarinsky Optical Glass Plant) in a 'black' body with serial number N7311221 (most likely 1973 Year of release).

You can find a lot of useful information about the Contax-Kiev RF mount in the review JUPITER-11 1: 4 F = 13,5cm P with external mount Contax-Kiev RF.

JUPITER-12 2,8 / 35 with mount Contax-Kiev RF

JUPITER-12 2,8 / 35 with mount Contax-Kiev RF

With the Contax-Kiev RF mount, the JUPITER-12 lenses were produced in several modifications at three factories:

  1. BK 1: 2.8 F = 3.5cm P, the so-called Biogon Krasnogorsk. It was produced in the period 1947-1948 at KMZ from German blanks.
  2. ZORKIY BK 1: 2.8 F = 3,5cm P, almost the same BK 1: 2.8 F = 3.5cm, but with the added prefix 'ZORKIY', was produced between 1949 and 1950 at the same KMZ, most likely from the same German blanks ...
  3. JUPITER-12 1: 2,8 F = 3.5cm P of the KMZ plant, has three subversions, distinguished by the frame of the case. They began to produce under this name since 1950. Since 1952, the lens has been manufactured from domestic optical glass. At KMZ, this lens was produced until 1961.
  4. JUPITER-12 1: 2.8 F = 3.5cm P of the LZOS plant in a white metal case.
  5. JUPITER-12 1: 2.8 F = 3.5cm P Arsenal factory in a white metal case. Released since 1957.
  6. JUPITER-12 2,8 / 35 LZOS factory in a black case. This version of the lens is shown in this review.

'JUPITER-12' would be copied from German Carl Zeiis Jena Biogon 1: 2,8 f = 3,5cm... The first lenses were produced from German blanks, later the lens was recalculated for the domestic grade of optical glass. JUPITER-12 is the most common Soviet wide-angle lens for rangefinder cameras.

JUPITER-12 2,8 / 35 with mount Contax-Kiev RF

JUPITER-12 2,8 / 35 with mount Contax-Kiev RF

The JUPITER-12 2,8 / 35 is interesting primarily because it is not a retrofocus wide-angle lens. The distance from the rear element to the focal plane is much less than its focal length. All lenses for full-frame cameras with a focal length of less than 40 mm are retrofocal. It is believed that non-retrofocus lenses such as this JUPITER-12 2,8 / 35 have certain advantages: compact size and a fairly simple optical design. Some users add here some more 'fabulous' drawing of such lenses.

JUPITER-12 2,8 / 35 and JUPITER-12 1: 2.8 F = 3.5cm P (both with Contax-Kiev RF mount)

JUPITER-12 1: 2.8 F = 3.5cm P and JUPITER-12 2,8 / 35 (both with Contax-Kiev RF mount)

A copy of JUPITER-12 2,8 / 35, which I visited in my review, looks quite decent in appearance, without signs of wear and other injuries, but has tangible backlash focus rings. My copy of the Arsenal plant is in a much more deplorable state, but it does not have such a backlash. JUPITER-12 2,8 / 35 body is completely metal.

Focusing is performed by moving the entire lens block. The focus ring rotates approximately 300 degrees. Focusing is smooth, while focusing, the front lens rotates. There is a scale with a focusing distance in meters. The minimum focusing distance is as much as 90 cm, and the maximum magnification ratio is approximately 1:24.

The depth of field scale is available for F / 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16, 22. The depth of field for F / 22 is so large and the focusing ring travel is so small that the depth of field at this value occupies almost the entire frame of the body - two marks for F / 22 stand side by side.

The diaphragm is adjustable by the inner ring. The aperture ring sets any value from F / 2.8 to F / 22. The aperture value scale is shown for F / 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16, 22. Aperture consists of only five blades. Petals are poorly blackened.

The diaphragm control ring is very uncomfortable. To understand what the value of the F number is, you have to turn the lens with the front lens towards you. In addition, the ring very narrow. And the worst part is that during its rotation you can knock focusTo prevent this from happening, you have to hold the focusing ring with one hand, and rotate the aperture ring with the other. In addition, in fact, the filters are screwed into the rim of the aperture control ring. And if you install a polarizing or gradient filter on the lens, you can go crazy trying to rotate the filter adjustment ring so as not to knock out the set aperture and focusing distance. Working with filters on this lens is sheer hell.

The lens can only use a threaded hood that is screwed into the thread of the filter. The diameter of the front light filter is small - 40.5 mm, such a diameter is used by all common lenses with a Contax-Kiev RF mount. The lens cap is plastic, fits snugly to the frame of the case, but does not have latches, it is very easy to lose such a cap. The cover can be installed on top of the filter.

Different lens illumination in JUPITER-12 2,8 / 35 with a Contax-Kiev RF mount and JUPITER-12 1: 2.8 F = 3.5cm P

Different lens enlightenment for JUPITER-12 2,8 / 35 and JUPITER-12 1: 2.8 F = 3.5cm P (both with Conta-Kiev RF mount)

The JUPITER-12 2,8 / 35 is the first lens that I got my hands on, and the rear lens is visually much larger than the front.

The JUPITER-12 2,8 / 35 in a black rim of the case has always been produced with the name written in Latin - 'JUPITER-12 2,8 / 35'. It is generally believed that this is an export version of the lens, but is it really so?

JUPITER-12 2,8 / 35 with mount Contax-Kiev RF

Disassembled JUPITER-12 2,8 / 35 with mount Contax-Kiev RF

JUPITER-12 2,8 / 35 with mount Contax-Kiev RF

Disassembled JUPITER-12 2,8 / 35 with mount Contax-Kiev RF

JUPITER-12 2,8 / 35 with mount Contax-Kiev RF

JUPITER-12 2,8 / 35 tags with Contax-Kiev RF mount

JUPITER-12 2,8 / 35 with mount Contax-Kiev RF

Enlightenment of the front lens JUPITER-12 2,8 / 35 with mount Contax-Kiev RF

Jupiter-12 on the Kiev-4 camera

Jupiter-12 on the Kiev-4 camera

The lens is quite capricious in operation. First of all, you immediately run into the problem of working with side and back light. In backlight, the lens can very easily produce multi-colored highlights, basically similar to the shape of the aperture opening. Also in the frame there are always flashes of edges and corners, 'rainbows' and color stripes.

The sharpness in the center of the frame is quite adequate even at F / 2.8, but the edges and corners of the frame at F / 2.8 are very, very weak. There may be a loss in image quality, including sharpness at the edges and corners associated with color shift. Be that as it may, but the sharpness in the corners returns to normal only after closing the aperture to F / 8.0. At F / 11-F / 16, the lens gives good sharpness over the entire field of the frame.

Also, the lens creates a noticeable vignetting at any values ​​of the number F. Perhaps most of the vignetting is due to the fact that I used the lens not on a film, but on a digital full-format camera, where color shift made itself felt.

As for the distortion, everything is fine here. In addition, the lens has nice bokeh and, in general, nice picture.

Example photo JUPITER-12 2,8 / 35. Easter review

Example photo JUPITER-12 2,8 / 35. Easter review

Source files can download from this link (40 photos in the '.ARW' format, 761 Mb). On camera Sony a7 I used a lens with a makeshift adapter. Part of the photo was taken in APS-C cropping mode. Please note that many photos were taken with unfocusing ad infinitum due to unsuccessful adapter settings. The archive shows only those photos that were taken using the correct adapter settings.

JUPITER-12 2,8 / 35 with mount Contax-Kiev RF

JUPITER-12 2,8 / 35 diaphragm petals with Contax-Kiev RF mount

My experience. Personally, I do not share those praises that sing about non-retro-focus wide-angle, especially since such lenses on digital matrices can suffer severe color shift. And JUPITER-12 2,8 / 35 is not so compact. For instance, Lens EF-M 22mm 1: 2 STM noticeably shorter than the lens from the review. The JUPITER-12 2,8 / 35 is in many ways a very uncomfortable lens, and problems with backlight cannot be treated in any way. I don’t even know how some photographers shot this lens for twenty years in a row. With this lens, there’s too much excess, useless hassle that takes precious time.

JUPITER-12 2,8 / 35 with mount Contax-Kiev RF

JUPITER-12 2,8 / 35 with a Contax-Kiev RF mount on a Sony a7 camera

Catalog modern brand lenses 'Zenitar' и 'Helios' can look at this link.


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JUPITER-12 2,8 / 35 is very unusual and specific. By many amateurs and professionals extolled almost to heaven. In fact, from a technical point of view of image quality and control, this is a rather mediocre lens.

UPDATED

Another interesting one appeared on Radozhiv review Jupiter-12 2,8 / 35 (LZOS, 1973) for Kiev / Contax cameras.

Material prepared Arkady Shapoval. Training/Consultations | Youtube | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Telegram

Add a comment: Oleg R

 

 

Comments: 81, on the topic: Overview of the non-retro-focus lens JUPITER-12 2,8 / 35

  • anonym

    Thanks. Instructive

  • Valery is not evil

    Oh! It's good that I don’t have it.

  • Oleg

    And the picture is even nothing in some photos, even the quality mark is (where in the backlight) by order of the party

    • Arkady Shapoval

      Yes, apparently the diaphragm was made just for automatic imprinting of the Soviet quality mark :)

  • Konstantin

    Before the review, I thought that I had a native hood, I looked closely at the marking, turned out to be from Jupiter-9 for 28 kopecks, it is very well put on. Thanks for the review!

  • StudioRAK

    comparing Jupiter 12 35 / 3.5 with Fujinon 35 / 1.4 in the work on Fujik X-T1 found that Jupiter can be put on the shelf :) as a historical fact :)

    • anonym

      Did you really compare these lenses? ”We sing a song to the madness of the brave.”)

    • anonym

      Found something to compare, funny. Look at the price, it actually differs by an order of magnitude)

    • Andrei

      I compared the rubber overshoe with the Paraboot shoes. Shoes are better.

  • Madness scif

    nuts and in truth "LEGENDARY")))

  • Natasha

    Very colorful and rich review turned out)

  • Rustam

    I didn’t even know that you were in our city of Ternopol. Otherwise, we could meet, have a coffee, take a sunset from the rooftops in the vicinity of the lake)

    • Arkady Shapoval

      There are still pictures of Chortkov and Zalesye.

  • Bogdan

    Uh Ternopil =)

    • Sashko

      I was very impressed with me, I’ve only written, but Arkady Buv in Ternopol I didn’t admit :)

  • Sergei

    And the drawing on the open reminds me of Sigma 35 1.4 Art

  • Rodin

    It’s interesting, what will happen if we add a meniscus to it in the optical circuit, like Mir-1?
    In Mir-1, this meniscus is relatively painlessly removed to obtain 37 mm (normal ha except) non-retrofocus lyrics for the UPC. This was a newcomer. Hence, the meniscus practically does not introduce distortions into the scheme. So, it can be added to the finished scheme. Has anyone dodged this way?

    • Rodin

      Damn typos.
      "Normal crop"
      "Retrofocus width"

  • Amateur photographer_

    Chi not the first time Shanovny Arkady said without embellishment, that the greater number of old Radianskoy optics is a good thing.

    • 10111

      In this case, it all depends on the dancer.

    • anonym

      You yourself are online ... and for a long time ... here no one is interested in the composition and state of your worthless brain ... well, or what is left of it (communicate politely and to the point) ...

  • Vladimir

    Thanks Arkady for the review. We were very pleased with your pictures ... But how to make such an adapter for Fuji-X?

    • Arkady Shapoval

      It’s hard to answer. I just bought an adapter.

  • Oleg R

    I have such a lens, only with M39 thread. I bought it at one time in Vasilkov for FED. Used mainly for photo slides. And he carried 2 cameras. I used Kiev-19 with a native lens and a telephoto lens. And FED for tight spaces and landscapes. It still lies. I had no complaints about him. With the exception of one time I used a hood not at its angle ... Vignetting was visible. Then I changed the hood - everything is fine! Yes, and bought it at a cheap price, which was not very expensive. In the photo department. In general, he left a lot of memory.

  • Caelwyn

    I read somewhere the legend that sellers sometimes change the rear lens of such lenses to make everything look beautiful. Which is not very good for image quality.

  • 10111

    “The copy of JUPITER-12 2,8 / 35, which I visited in my review, looks pretty decent outwardly, without signs of wear and other injuries, but has a noticeable backlash in the focus ring.”

    I would like to understand what this means. In principle, there can be no backlashes, if only the screws are loosened on the ring itself.

    • Arkady Shapoval

      This means the ring is loose.

      • 10111

        In which plane?

  • Maksim

    I will sell a lens of Jupiter-12 35 mm f / 2,8 http://fotoselling.ru/products/18366702
    Novosibirsk + by mail in Russia and abroad
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    Our website: http://fotoselling.ru

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    Have questions? Ask! http://vk.com/id13311029

  • Elena

    Is it possible to put it on the Nikon D60? (eu but with preservation of infinity is necessary)

    • Jury

      No, it doesn't work on DSLRs at all, on mirrorless cameras - only with a full frame.

  • Alexander

    An interesting review. And what a cunning adapter KIEV / SONIA? Can I talk about this in more detail?

  • Arthur

    I found that the details of the Industar-61 L / D lens are ideal for creating an adapter for the Jupiter-12 lens with the Kiev-Contax RF mount.
    True, while I photograph on a cropped mirrorless, and therefore made the adapter on a temporary basis. When I buy a Sony A7, the design will be fixed forever
    Work steps and assembly details are shown here:
    http://mihanev.ru/perehodnik-na-yupiter-12-ot-kieva.html

  • Olgertovich

    Thanks for the review. The question arose, why can’t you put Jupiter on Sony Nex 3-5-7? The working segment seems to allow it.

  • Arthur

    It will rest against the frame (beyond which the matrix)
    The Sony A7 has a larger sensor, so, as I understand it, they managed to bring the lens as close to the matrix as possible

  • ealnye-otzyvy.info

    While a bit pricey at $ 650, it should be noted that Lomography is now selling brand-new Jupiter 3 lenses with better coating and in sturdy brass, rather than flimsy aluminum casings, and they are properly shimmed for Leica and focus down to 0.7 meters. Mr. Sweeney posted some images from his, and I have since ordered mine. Also how many .kowsky or vich or some other famous and significant people with russian surnames are in America?

  • Sergei

    In my opinion this is a very good lens. Sharp, the picture is clear.

  • history

    Maybe someone will come in handy, on the Canon EOS M it gets up normally, it passes into the frame frame without problems. I myself have a U-12 under L39 / M39 (early LZOS 1961 white), but it seems that Kiev / Contax RF will also get up without problems.

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