Jupiter 3 conundrum

[rudolfkremers]

Hello!

So, I accidentally bought a Jupiter 3 lens. Accidentally because stupidly I did not realise it was a rangefinder lens and I don't have a rangefinder camera.
This leaves me with two options:

1: Buy a camera. In which case, what camera should I buy? I am worried that the f1.5 dof will be useless on most rangefinder cameras. Does it have to be a Russian one? Zorki? Fed? Or maybe a Canon 7? I KNOW NOTHING!

2: I try and trade/sell the Jupiter 3. Maybe swap with a Sonnar 1.5? Anybody interested in that?

All advice welcome.

R

[kds315*]

Consider first about what you might be giving up on: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kds315/albums/72157668001696442
(this is my 1957s copy)

[calvin83]

There is some difference between the early J-3 and the later copies. I have heard the later ones are sharper at WO but the bokeh is more busy than the early one.

Normally, the lens should works fine on any camera with LTM. However, you may need to adjust the lens or the camera if the rangefinder coupling is off.

[rudolfkremers]

Mine is a 1967 copy.
I am literally a complete newbie wrt 35mm rangefinders. "Adjusting the lens/camera" means very little to me. Is this hard? Is this going to be precise enough for the dof at max aperture?

Which cameras do you recommend?

Thanks!!

[kansalliskalaCafe]

Fed 2 is really cheap these days, it has a long Contax-type rangefinder and you can get them in brown/red, blue and green also.

Click here to see on Ebay

[luisalegria]

Advice on FED -
Get one with adjusted rangefinder, because its a $$#&# to do it yourself, because that little screw is not likely to be where its should be. I had to dismantle mine to even attempt it.
Maybe a nice Canon P or Canon 7?

[uddhava]

I like my Zorki 6. It has a diopter adjustment, a hinged door for loading film and at least for myself I found the rangefinder very easy to adjust.

[rudolfkremers]

Thanks guys. So how usable are fast lenses on rangefinders?

[scsambrook]

Fast lenses on rangefinder cameras are fine IF the coupling is properly adjusted. The Russian rangefinder lenses were meant to be compatible with Fed and Zorki bodies which - seemingly - have a lens/film register distance which is slightly different to the Leica and all other types which are built to similar standards. My own experience suggests this indeed is so - none of my Russian lenses (35/2.8, 50/2, 85/2 and 135/4) coupled correctly with either my film M2 or digital M8, even when used with Leitz screw bayonet adapters.

The 50/1.5 will almost certainly need to be adjusted for proper functioning on Leica or Canon (and Voigtlander Bessa) bodies. Adjusting their rangefinders to suit the lens will then make non-Russian lenses fail to couple correctly. A good condition Zorki of Fed will indeed be the most cost-effective solution.

[rudolfkremers]

It seems the cheapest and least hassle way to use this lens.

I quite like the idea of having a camera dedicated to a very specific classic look without distracting lens choices.

Is there a trick to figure out if a rangefinder camera and lens combo is properly adjusted, or should I just buy a nice Russian camera and give it a go?

[kds315*]