Jupiter9 85mm f/2.0 Test Shots

hinman · 03-28-2008, 12:15 PM

Originally posted by JJJPhoto

Yes, the Jupiter 9 is an amazing miracle of German engineering "acquired" by the Soviets during WWII and put to wonderful use.

This is one of those lenses that has such a distinct quality to the bokeh (in no small part to the 16-bladed aperture) that I can almost identify photos taken with this lens on sight.

Granted, it's not the world's most practical lens on a modern Pentax camera, but it's still a great piece of glass.

I don't use my Jupiter 9 as much now that I have the DA 70mm f/2.4 Limited. I also have a friend who can lend me a 77 Limited when I need it, but I find the 70 handles everything I used to use the Jupiter 9 for on a regular basis.

Here's a snapshot I took with my very old, early production Jupiter 9 a while back:

The only thing you have to watch out for with the Jupiter 9 lenses is that many have less-than stellar Soviet-era workmanship and most of the older lenses have failed at some point and either been disassembled and put back together or they're being sold on ebay while they're still broken.

My particular Jupiter 9 shows tell-tale common signs of amateur repair work (oily aperture blades and a reversed aperture dial). However, it still produces great photos and I paid next to nothing for it.

Thanks for the valuable inputs. Your picture is lovely especially in the black color. My copy has a bit of oil on the blades and it is kind of awkward to operate the aperture ring and the extra ring that opens up the aperture ring in reverse direction.

JJJPhoto · 03-28-2008, 06:22 PM

Originally posted by hinman

Thanks for the valuable inputs. Your picture is lovely especially in the black color. My copy has a bit of oil on the blades and it is kind of awkward to operate the aperture ring and the extra ring that opens up the aperture ring in reverse direction.

Yeah. I've actually had two copies of this lens, one a black one that looks like the one you posted, the other an early production m39 mount lens with a silver metal body.

The newer black one had clean blades and a correct aperture ring, but it lacked optical coating and the color tone didn't look close to accurate (too yellow, not enough contrast and some ghosting). The older silver lens is the one I kept because it produces absolutely beautiful images ... but it has oily blades and the aperture ring is reversed (f16 is actually f2 and f2 is f16).

Still, there's something about this lens that prevents me from getting rid of it.

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03-28-2008, 12:15 PM	#16
hinman Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Fremont, CA Photos: Albums Posts: 3,473 Original Poster	Originally posted by JJJPhoto Yes, the Jupiter 9 is an amazing miracle of German engineering "acquired" by the Soviets during WWII and put to wonderful use. This is one of those lenses that has such a distinct quality to the bokeh (in no small part to the 16-bladed aperture) that I can almost identify photos taken with this lens on sight. Granted, it's not the world's most practical lens on a modern Pentax camera, but it's still a great piece of glass. I don't use my Jupiter 9 as much now that I have the DA 70mm f/2.4 Limited. I also have a friend who can lend me a 77 Limited when I need it, but I find the 70 handles everything I used to use the Jupiter 9 for on a regular basis. Here's a snapshot I took with my very old, early production Jupiter 9 a while back: The only thing you have to watch out for with the Jupiter 9 lenses is that many have less-than stellar Soviet-era workmanship and most of the older lenses have failed at some point and either been disassembled and put back together or they're being sold on ebay while they're still broken. My particular Jupiter 9 shows tell-tale common signs of amateur repair work (oily aperture blades and a reversed aperture dial). However, it still produces great photos and I paid next to nothing for it. Thanks for the valuable inputs. Your picture is lovely especially in the black color. My copy has a bit of oil on the blades and it is kind of awkward to operate the aperture ring and the extra ring that opens up the aperture ring in reverse direction.

03-28-2008, 06:22 PM	#17
JJJPhoto Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 419	Originally posted by hinman Thanks for the valuable inputs. Your picture is lovely especially in the black color. My copy has a bit of oil on the blades and it is kind of awkward to operate the aperture ring and the extra ring that opens up the aperture ring in reverse direction. Yeah. I've actually had two copies of this lens, one a black one that looks like the one you posted, the other an early production m39 mount lens with a silver metal body. The newer black one had clean blades and a correct aperture ring, but it lacked optical coating and the color tone didn't look close to accurate (too yellow, not enough contrast and some ghosting). The older silver lens is the one I kept because it produces absolutely beautiful images ... but it has oily blades and the aperture ring is reversed (f16 is actually f2 and f2 is f16). Still, there's something about this lens that prevents me from getting rid of it.