Jupiter-9 vs. Samyang/Vivitar/Rokinon/etc 85mm

deadwolfbones · 10-23-2009, 03:17 PM

Anyone tried both of these lenses? How do they stack up, in your opinion?

(I know the Samyang doesn't have the J-9's ridiculous bokeh--more smooth, as I've seen from examples)

wallyb · 10-23-2009, 03:54 PM

You mean the helios 40? I think it's called both. The 85/1.5 m39/m42 lens. I have indoodily tried both. Key points:

-Samyang is small and fairly lightweight, while the 40 is an absolute terror of a beast to hold and use.

-Samyang never gets "tack sharp" but is thoroughly sharp enough at *all* apertures -- a trade off, I suppose. The 40 is soft wide open and gets blisteringly sharp past f/2.8, easily outresolving any APS-C sensor made today.

-Samyang is available as an A-mount for automatic (including flash) aperture adjustment lens with smooth focus, the helios is sometimes hard to focus and a manual preset diaphragm.

-Samyang is ~$275, Helios is anywhere between $300 and $800 (lolol), depending on what version you want. M39s cannot focus to infinity on most DSLRs.

-Samyang is available brand new with a warranty, Helios is almost 50 years old and prone to mechanical failure.

-Helios has AMAZING bokeh, some of the best of *any* lens I've ever seen. The Samyang has very average and boring bokeh, though it is still very pleasing at wide apertures.

-Samyang has low contrast due to the relatively inexpensive materials used, Helios has excellent contrast right out of the lens.

That's the meat of it. I personally am using the Samyang now, because of three main reasons: 1) It didn't set my wallet on fire, 2) It has excellent resolution (even if so-so other image quality factors, all of which can be adjusted to a degree in editing), and 3) It is auto-aperture meaning more ease of shooting.

It depends on what you want. The main selling point of the Helios is that the bokeh really is astronomically good. That means a lot to some people.

deadwolfbones · 10-23-2009, 05:36 PM

The Jupiter-9 is an 85/2 and is a different design than the Helios-40 (also about $400 cheaper). But thanks for the comparison, it was informative anyway.

wallyb · 10-23-2009, 05:47 PM

Originally posted by deadwolfbones

The Jupiter-9 is an 85/2 and is a different design than the Helios-40 (also about $400 cheaper). But thanks for the comparison, it was informative anyway.

Ah of course. I thought you'd be comparing the more similar apertures. My mistake. Well it turns out I've also used the Jupiter-9 85/2. Here you go:

-Jupiter is cheaper
-Jup has only slightly better contrast than the Samyang
-Jup has about the same sharpness wide-open, but gets sharper stopped down unlike the Samyang
-Jup is smaller and lighter than the Samyang
-Jup is fully manual unlike the Samyang
-Jup has just average bokeh, a little better than the Samyang, but nothing like the Helios -- of course, this is subjective

10-23-2009, 03:17 PM	#1
deadwolfbones Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: La Crescenta, CA Posts: 7,450	Jupiter-9 vs. Samyang/Vivitar/Rokinon/etc 85mm Anyone tried both of these lenses? How do they stack up, in your opinion? (I know the Samyang doesn't have the J-9's ridiculous bokeh--more smooth, as I've seen from examples)

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10-23-2009, 03:54 PM	#2
wallyb Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: The Untied States Photos: Albums Posts: 1,881	You mean the helios 40? I think it's called both. The 85/1.5 m39/m42 lens. I have indoodily tried both. Key points: -Samyang is small and fairly lightweight, while the 40 is an absolute terror of a beast to hold and use. -Samyang never gets "tack sharp" but is thoroughly sharp enough at all apertures -- a trade off, I suppose. The 40 is soft wide open and gets blisteringly sharp past f/2.8, easily outresolving any APS-C sensor made today. -Samyang is available as an A-mount for automatic (including flash) aperture adjustment lens with smooth focus, the helios is sometimes hard to focus and a manual preset diaphragm. -Samyang is ~$275, Helios is anywhere between $300 and $800 (lolol), depending on what version you want. M39s cannot focus to infinity on most DSLRs. -Samyang is available brand new with a warranty, Helios is almost 50 years old and prone to mechanical failure. -Helios has AMAZING bokeh, some of the best of any lens I've ever seen. The Samyang has very average and boring bokeh, though it is still very pleasing at wide apertures. -Samyang has low contrast due to the relatively inexpensive materials used, Helios has excellent contrast right out of the lens. That's the meat of it. I personally am using the Samyang now, because of three main reasons: 1) It didn't set my wallet on fire, 2) It has excellent resolution (even if so-so other image quality factors, all of which can be adjusted to a degree in editing), and 3) It is auto-aperture meaning more ease of shooting. It depends on what you want. The main selling point of the Helios is that the bokeh really is astronomically good. That means a lot to some people.

10-23-2009, 05:36 PM	#3
deadwolfbones Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: La Crescenta, CA Posts: 7,450 Original Poster	The Jupiter-9 is an 85/2 and is a different design than the Helios-40 (also about $400 cheaper). But thanks for the comparison, it was informative anyway.

10-23-2009, 05:47 PM	#4
wallyb Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: The Untied States Photos: Albums Posts: 1,881	Originally posted by deadwolfbones The Jupiter-9 is an 85/2 and is a different design than the Helios-40 (also about $400 cheaper). But thanks for the comparison, it was informative anyway. Ah of course. I thought you'd be comparing the more similar apertures. My mistake. Well it turns out I've also used the Jupiter-9 85/2. Here you go: -Jupiter is cheaper -Jup has only slightly better contrast than the Samyang -Jup has about the same sharpness wide-open, but gets sharper stopped down unlike the Samyang -Jup is smaller and lighter than the Samyang -Jup is fully manual unlike the Samyang -Jup has just average bokeh, a little better than the Samyang, but nothing like the Helios -- of course, this is subjective