FSU cameras , none at the moment FSU lenses , the collection is growing

-doomed-

-doomed-

film is exciting
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I tried FSU rangefinders , for now the actual bodies aren't for me , but the lenses , im gaining quite the selection .
Right now i've got Three 50's and a J-3 on the way
Industar 50/3.5
Industar 61 53/2.8(scratched to hell, have yet to try it)
Jupiter 8 50/2
One half frame Industar 69 28/2.8(tried it but havent developed the roll)

I love my Industar 50 and my J-8 , and use them all the time , but i feel like im a FSU 50mm junkie, who else has this addiction?

All my examples for the most part have worked perfectly (with the exception of the I-61, which needs help) I feel like these lenses are underestimated , when one finds a good one they are worth the price paid. Theyre a bargain and cheap to get into , so is it the QC horror stories that keep people away or something else ?


 
The FSU lenses lenses are built to the Contax standard, and the focus can be off on a Leica. Typically, the DOF covers the error. Shimming the lens for use on a Leica typically yields good results.

Quality tended to vary on lenses. I've used great J-3's and "So-So" J-3's. I have the best luck with those from the 1950s.

http://ziforums.com/album.php?albumid=97

My best one is from 1953.

http://camwk.com/album.php?albumid=47
 
yeah im hoping i get lucky with the J-3 on the way its a 1968 so i could get lucky , if not i might have to ask for your help
 
Adjusting them is not hard. Post back on how the lens performs. They are fairly easy to adjust, the J-3 has variable stand-off ring.
 
Well , i got the lense today, I am surprised that it was in better shape than the Ebay seller's photos showed.Clean glass ,smooth focusing, aperature ring moves easily. I immediately mounted it on my R2A and it seems to line up at infinity. I shot a roll of kodak gold 100 and now I just need to have this roll developed , Im hoping for decent results.
 
I quite like FSU lenses. For several years now the J-8 has been my main 50mm lens. I did recently get a J-3 I know is good [Thanks, Brian!] and am getting to know it. But I also have a few others: 2 I-50s--one collapsible and one rigid, an I-26 and an I-61. I also got very lucky and found a well working J-9. And I like, but don't use very often the J-11.
I liked the J-12 I had but since I couldn't use it on the Bessas, it found a new home. With the return of my Zorki 3m, I will be looking for another one later this year.
I'm bound to say that I like that most folks stay away from these lenses; they are still a very good bargain, I think! And the Kiev mount versions are pretty good as well. And mostly seem not to suffer with the common issues of their LTM comrades.
Rob
 
oh i will , ive got quite the backlog of film to have developed , im going to have to start doing it myself so im not going broke all the time.

This roll and the roll I just shot out of my new to me cv 35/2.5 are my top priorities.
Between this hobby and my car hobby I'm going to need to get a few extra jobs .
rbiemer said:
I quite like FSU lenses. For several years now the J-8 has been my main 50mm lens. I did recently get a J-3 I know is good [Thanks, Brian!] and am getting to know it. But I also have a few others: 2 I-50s--one collapsible and one rigid, an I-26 and an I-61. I also got very lucky and found a well working J-9. And I like, but don't use very often the J-11.
I liked the J-12 I had but since I couldn't use it on the Bessas, it found a new home. With the return of my Zorki 3m, I will be looking for another one later this year.
I'm bound to say that I like that most folks stay away from these lenses; they are still a very good bargain, I think! And the Kiev mount versions are pretty good as well. And mostly seem not to suffer with the common issues of their LTM comrades.
Rob
Click to expand...

Luckily these FSU lenses are'nt mega expensive, plus I've had great luck with them so far.
Fast lenses under $500 are for me even if i have to cross my fingers that i dont have to open them up.

I also have a Industar 69 28/2.8 lense off a chiaka , but ive been reading that it wont really work well on my bessa . Im aware it will vignette but it wont focus correctly
 
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Industar 69 will be out of focus - I have already tried it, but someone made it working on digital Epson RF.
IMHO Kiev mount lenses are better built than LTM (Zorki, FED). That's why I have bought Kiev and Jupiter 3 for this one.
 
I made an Industar-69 work with a Leica mount camera.

LOTS of filing on the internal mount to remove a physical stop, you have to get the optics about 1mm closer to the film and then reset the distance scale. I traded it to someone using an M8.
 
I've got a J-8 and a J-9 on the way, can anyone suggest a good, easy to setup way to check focus accuracy on my R3a?

Also, if it turns out they're out of whack, is there anyone in the US that services them?
 
-doomed- said:
I so is it the QC horror stories that keep people away or something else ?
Click to expand...

If we continue to discuss FSU RF lenses only* - then QC is a minor thing. Most of FSU rangefinder lenses, especially J-3 and J-9 suffer not from bad quality check, but from very low quality and tolerance of lens barrel. Both lenses share pretty complicated helicoid constructions which are made from pretty weak alloy. So practice shows very simple thing: If you get Like new J-3 - it will be quite good in optical quality (except flare), but 1 year of active shooting will turn lens condition to `bargain` or `ugly`.

*Or we can turn our attention to dreaded stories about Helios-44 (or Mir-1) Quality Control. I saw quite many such lenses, that make me bitter laughing.
 
This is kind of reverse topic, but should I expect any problems using a new CV lens on a Fed-2? I understand the slightly different pitch but would like to get a CV 21mm; it seems to me the focus difference would easily be covered by DOF. I also assume that using it on a Fed won't damage it in any way.

I would like to pick up an m-body or bessa at some point in the future, but for the moment don't feel the burn.

Follow-up question: I have access to find and try out FSU lenses and bodies fairly easily (when I have time), if I wish to acquire, how difficult is it to shim them? Are there instructions anywhere?

Thanks for the thoughts.
 
Murray Kelly said:
Don't forget the Helios-103 with a rear lens cap called a Kiev4(or 4a)
Muray
Click to expand...

These guys?
2537982565_47043ca430.jpg


:)
 
My 1953 J-3 is still in pretty good condition. I shored up the focus ring using a little double-sided sticky tape under the set screw hole. Same stuff modern cameras use for the stick on leatherette. The metal of the helical was quite good, little wear. Cleaned out the dried up lubricants, cleaned the parts in an ultrasonic cleaner, relubed, shimmed, re-assembled.

picture.php


I suspect it will outlast me. It's four years older than I am.

Some notes on adjusting the J-3.

http://ziforums.com/showthread.php?t=97
 
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