FED 3 Type B
- Thread starter MrDrizz
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The Jupiter 12 is optically good for the money (lets say under £100). The aperture adjustment is fiddly - the numbers are recessed, and the filter thread is in the same ring, meaning a darkish filter can make the numbers hard to read. If you get one, make sure it comes with the deep rear cap - the rear element protrudes like a big, glassy mushroom and is vulnerable to damage without the cap. Also, make sure you buy M39/L39 - they come in Contax/Kiev mount as well, and won't fit a screw mount camera derived from Leica.
I don't think there's much else at the cheaper end of things. Canon would have made one or two wides around the same time, but are likely to cost more. In the early lenses, there wasn't much that was wider than 35mm - I think there's a Russian 28mm f/6.3, and Canon might have done a 28mm (with a more sensible max aperture) as well. Other than those, there are the modern Voigtlanders made by Cosina in Japan. Several to chose from, probably starting at around £200 used. Note that some models have appeared in both screw mount and the later Leica M bayonet. The 35mm f/2.5 Color Skopar is very well regarded and very compact.
Note that there is potential for issues with critical focussing when mixing Russian and other gear. There is a small difference in the pitch of the focussing helicoid between Russian and everybody else, which means that something like a Voigtlander lens won't be correctly focussed when the rangefinder images are coincident. The difference is quite small - close focus and wide aperture is where it's likely to show up.
Most (if not all) of the Russian rangefinders had viewfinders with a field of view that matches a 50mm lens. If you want to use a wide angle, an auxilliary finder can help. At the cheap end, there is a Russian Bakelite 35mm finder, and there's the turret finder which covers several focal lengths. Beyond those, they can get quite pricey. The turret finders come in two versions, where the bulk of the finder sits out to the left or right of the accessory shoe - pick the one that leaves your shutter speed dial accessible.
I don't think there's much else at the cheaper end of things. Canon would have made one or two wides around the same time, but are likely to cost more. In the early lenses, there wasn't much that was wider than 35mm - I think there's a Russian 28mm f/6.3, and Canon might have done a 28mm (with a more sensible max aperture) as well. Other than those, there are the modern Voigtlanders made by Cosina in Japan. Several to chose from, probably starting at around £200 used. Note that some models have appeared in both screw mount and the later Leica M bayonet. The 35mm f/2.5 Color Skopar is very well regarded and very compact.
Note that there is potential for issues with critical focussing when mixing Russian and other gear. There is a small difference in the pitch of the focussing helicoid between Russian and everybody else, which means that something like a Voigtlander lens won't be correctly focussed when the rangefinder images are coincident. The difference is quite small - close focus and wide aperture is where it's likely to show up.
Most (if not all) of the Russian rangefinders had viewfinders with a field of view that matches a 50mm lens. If you want to use a wide angle, an auxilliary finder can help. At the cheap end, there is a Russian Bakelite 35mm finder, and there's the turret finder which covers several focal lengths. Beyond those, they can get quite pricey. The turret finders come in two versions, where the bulk of the finder sits out to the left or right of the accessory shoe - pick the one that leaves your shutter speed dial accessible.
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The 39mm Jupiter 12 seems the obvious choice.... if you want to gamble (might get it for just over a fiver) there is is a 28mm lens on the bay and mentioned it's 39mm, I've never heard of the make or what sort of lens it is..but for a fiver?
39 MM Thread 3.5 28 Mm Lens DDA Optics Japan Condition Acceptable | eBay
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 39 MM Thread 3.5 28 Mm Lens DDA Optics Japan Condition Acceptable at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products!
www.ebay.co.uk
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MrDrizz
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Thanks for a fantastic reply. Very informative [emoji106]
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MrDrizz
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Cheers, I'm going to keep an eye on that. Might be worth a punt. [emoji16]The 39mm Jupiter 12 seems the obvious choice.... if you want to gamble (might get it for just over a fiver) there is is a 28mm lens on the bay and mentioned it's 39mm, I've never heard of the make or what sort of lens it is..but for a fiver?
39 MM Thread 3.5 28 Mm Lens DDA Optics Japan Condition Acceptable | eBay
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 39 MM Thread 3.5 28 Mm Lens DDA Optics Japan Condition Acceptable at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products!www.ebay.co.uk
It’s not rangefinder coupled, so would need be focussed by estimating the distance.
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Well I wouldn't pay much more for it as the results might be poor..erm well unless you want to join the Holga type threads
AndrewFlannigan
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I found the Jupiter 12 to be a very useful lens on both a Leica IIIc and a M3 so a 
from me ,,,
from me ,,,
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Well I wouldn't pay much more for it as the results might be poor..erm well unless you want to join the Holga type threads
The guy selling this lens has copied photos from a sale in Japan, even the serial number is the same, it can happen if the guy lives in Japan and Uk or if a Japanese (or British) seller is selling the lens in different countries.
https://www.sekaimon.com/itemdetail...Mm+Lens+DDA+Optics+Japan+Condition+Acceptable
So if the lens you receive has a different serial number, you can reject it.....well after testing to see if the lens gives poor\good results or any other problems mounting etc
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