[frosti7]

Hello everyone, its my first real post in the forums,

I just got a jupiter-9 lens, chrome version, serial number starts with 56 so i'm guessing its a 1956 lens, the thing that doesn't add up is that the lens looks like the m39 version but it has m42 mount, and i couldnt find any marks of a conversion,
so is this really a converted m39>m42 lens?

The other thing that surprised me is that the lens looks like its Multi-coated, although i know it wasn't at those years, any info as to why im seeing that effect?

thanx guys!

Attached Images

View Picture EXIF

File Date

 

View Picture EXIF

File Date

 

View Picture EXIF

File Date

 

View Picture EXIF

File Date

 

[Laurentiu Cristofor]

Why do you think it is multicoated? That blue tint is likely due to single coating. Coatings were invented before WWII.

[frosti7]

Why do you think it is multicoated? That blue tint is likely due to single coating. Coatings were invented before WWII.

Your right, i just had the impression that the newer BLACK version's have no coating's at all (except for the "mc" versions of course)
any ideas if my lens is a m39(rangefinder) converted to m42?

thanx everyone!

[aurele]

on my black version, i have no coating at all, and that's a real pain !

I've been told that those Jupiter 9 were single coated only. However, it is better than no coating at all ...

[xjjohnno]

If you have infinity focus then the lens was not a conversion of range finder mount to M42 as the rangefinder lenses have a shorter register.
Not all Russian lens manufacturers followed the protocol of serial numbers starting with the year of manufacturer. According to a chap I know in another forum, the likelihood is that your lens was made in the 60s, the year being the first digit of the serial number so look at 1965. That hallmark on the right hand side of your third picture will identify the manufacturer.

[geoffox23]

This may help to identify.
Google Translate

[frosti7]

Thanx geoffox23, thats a very usefull link!

So it turns out that i have the rangefinder version but its converted to DSLR, according to that site's spec's of those lens are tad different in the minumum focus distance:
rangefinder version - 1.15 m
version of the SLR - 0.8 m

My lens got "1.15m" printed on it (another proof its a converted lens) but does the minimum focus distance got converted as well to 0.8?

Also does anyone knows if the conversion is reversible?

thanx allot!

[frosti7]

anyone?

[maxwest]

Sorry for digging op this 5 year old post, googeling around and this is the most relevant i could find. I'm very interested about the conversion done on the lens, but can't seem to wrap my head around wether i have the math right. I have a 1958 rangefinder j9 rf version, which i'm interested in having chopped up by an instrument maker friend of mine. Do i simply cut out the flange distance difference out of the hellicoid (45,5mm - 28,8mm = 16,7mm) if possible, or are there different factors i should consider?

Cheers! max

[Cuthbert]

Sorry for digging op this 5 year old post, googeling around and this is the most relevant i could find. I'm very interested about the conversion done on the lens, but can't seem to wrap my head around wether i have the math right. I have a 1958 rangefinder j9 rf version, which i'm interested in having chopped up by an instrument maker friend of mine. Do i simply cut out the flange distance difference out of the hellicoid (45,5mm - 28,8mm = 16,7mm) if possible, or are there different factors i should consider?

Cheers! max

Why do you want to ruin a classic lens?

[stevebrot]

or are there different factors i should consider?

Welcome to the Pentax Forums!

I believe that the OP on this thread was misinformed regarding his lens being some sort of conversion. The Jupiter-9 was made in multiple mounts of which two are superficially similar. Those two are:

• M39-Zenit (SLR)
• M39-LTM (Leica thread mount, rangefinder)

The OP had the Zenit SLR version. This is obvious due to the presence of a preset aperture ring. Edit: The OP's lens does have a manual aperture and may be something unusual. I won't rule out a cut-down Contax/Kiev J-9 except that the rear element should protrude farther. For now, I think it is a 1956 Zenit lens. The conversion for use on an M42 screwmount SLR as in the photo, involves a slender M39-M42 adapter ring (flange distance is the same). No machine shop required.

The rangefinder versions (LTM and Contax/Kiev) are designed for shorter flange distance and cannot be readily converted or adapted for SLR cameras, though they may be used without modification on mirrorless digital cameras with available adapters. These are readily identified by their having a fully manual aperture mechanism.

I should note that the J-9 was also made in M42 (SLR) and Kiev-Automat bayonet (lacks aperture ring).

Here is a related thread:

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/10-pentax-slr-lens-discussion/266755-woul...y-k-mount.html


Steve

[Cuthbert]

Welcome to the Pentax Forums!

I believe that the OP on this thread was misinformed regarding his lens being some sort of conversion. The Jupiter-9 was made in multiple mounts of which two are superficially similar. Those two are:

• M39-Zenit (SLR)
• M39-LTM (Leica thread mount, rangefinder)

The OP had the Zenit SLR version. This is obvious due to the presence of a preset aperture ring. The conversion for use on an M42 screwmount SLR as in the photo, involves a slender M39-M42 adapter ring (flange distance is the same). No machine shop required.

The rangefinder versions (LTM and Contax/Kiev) are designed for shorter flange distance and cannot be readily converted or adapted for SLR cameras, though they may be used without modification on mirrorless digital cameras with available adapters. These are readily identified by their having a fully manual aperture mechanism.

I should note that the J-9 was also made in M42 (SLR) and Kiev-Automat bayonet (lacks aperture ring).

Here is a related thread:

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/10-pentax-slr-lens-discussion/266755-woul...y-k-mount.html


Steve

Yes Steve you are correct, those who are interested can find here the versions for Zorki (L39):

Soviet and Russian Cameras - Jupiter-9 (Zorki)

The lenses for M39 SLR (Jupiter 9, Industar 50, Tair 11, Mir 1) can be used on M42 cameras with an adapter, that because when they introduced the Zenits with Praktica mount they wanted to ensure communality, but the flange is the same, for the RF it is not.

This is a Zenit 3m with some M39 lenses:

[maxwest]

Hold yer horses there haha, i should have probably used a quote there as i was referring to the guy who actually had a converted lens - i'm quite new to forum use so sorry about that.

I'm very aware of the differences between the L39 and M39 versions, i'm actually quite obsessively collecting. I currently own a near complete m42 20-200mm set, and now working on getting my hands on early slr versions. The list currently includes a not so old mir-1, a 13 bladed 00xxx helios 44, the very first helios 44 with a 000xxx serial, tair 11 and a massive jupiter-6.

Along with a lot i bought there was a jupiter-9 RF version, it is the last version with the 8,5cm marking so i believe it's from around 58. As the slr versions came later i don't think ill find an older one than this (with my small budget atleast), so i'm very interested in making this lens EF mountable (i want to have other full frame options than an a7s). Either chopping out those 16,something milimeters, or inserting the optical block or glass elements into an slr version. I'm just not sure if any of this is possible?

Cheers again! Nice to see the ussr enthousiasm

Oh and the lens is already a rescue operation, have to tap new screws after someone assembled it wrong and ruined them, it's definitly not collectible.

[stevebrot]

As the slr versions came later i don't think ill find an older one than this (with my small budget atleast), so i'm very interested in making this lens EF mountable (i want to have other full frame options than an a7s)

EF as in Canon EF? The only way you are going to convert a J-9 in LTM or Contax/Kiev mount to EF is to make serious modifications to the lens body and figure out a way to operate the camera so that the mirror goes up and stays up. Edit: Perhaps, not so. See note below.

I took another look at the OP's photos of his "converted" lens and realized that despite initial appearance, it does have a manual aperture. I will correct my previous post. The Soviets had been making M39(Zenit) cameras since the early 1950s so a J-9 in that mount for 1956 is not improbable. While the lens does have a manual aperture and 1.15m minimum focus distance, the body is dissimilar to photos of early LTM versions and has the wrong focus direction. It is fairly similar to my Contax/Kiev J-9 except that if my lens were cut down to the dimensions of the lens in the photo, I believe the rear element would extend almost a full centimeter past the mount flange. I believe his lens was likely made for a Zenit camera.

Edit: I have found photos on the Web of other lenses similar to the OP's. These are identified as Contax/Kiev mount cut down to size. Apparently there is adequate rear element clearance to allow for the conversion to M42 or M39(Zenit) making this one of the few (only?) rangefinder lens where this sort of conversion is possible.

Back to your project...
If yours is the LTM version, you will find that it has a complex focus helicoid with inner and outer faces. The two have different thread pitch with one to drive the optical block and the other the rangefinder coupling cam. There are disassembly instructions on the Web. For conversion to EF mount you will need to shorten the barrel 1.58cm. The Contax/Kiev version has a simple helicoid and only needs to be shortened 0.92cm.


Steve