the unofficial Cosina-Voigtlander User Community

Hi,

I'm new to rangefinders and film photography. For what it's worth, I've been shooting digital the last three years as a hobby.

Since I've gotten my Bessa-T with a 35/1.7 Ultron, photography has become very enjoyable and I've invested in a 21/4, 75/2.5, and a 135/4.5. Many people that I've spoken to suggested that I should get a nice 50. Well, I wouldn't mind trying this focal length and I really like the photos I've seen taken with the Nokton. The problem is that because of my recent spending spree on my other lenses, funds are a bit tight at the moment.

However, I've read many nice things about the Russian Jupiter-3 and I really liked some of the pictures that I found taken by this lens. I found a webpage by Dingo Lee with a direct comparison to the Nokton and I was really impressed with how the J3 performed. I know that Russian quality control is iffy and there is a good chance that I may end up with a dud but the prices are very attractive.

What do you guys think? If you were in my shoes, would you consider getting a Jupiter 3 now instead of waiting to save up for a 50 Nokton?

Thank you for your time,

Hi Nando, I was in your position 6 months back, I scrimped and saved and eventually purchased a 2nd hand Nokton (ex-demo). Straight away I was put off by its large size and it made my M3 unbalanced; it is a really big piece of glass. I shot a lot of film in a short space of time and was never really happy with the results; it is very sparp and has a lot of edge contrast, perhaps a bit too much. It produces nice bokeh, but not exceptional. I got hold of an old Canon 50mm 1.8, which is less than half the size of the Nokton, equally as sharp, nicer bokeh and about 1/3 of the price! I recently sold the Nokton on ebay and don't miss it one little bit; I happier with the 'look' from the Canon. I have only tried the Russian 35's and it really is pot luck with what you get. The black finish lens' seem to be better in the build quality, but I don't know about the glass. The Nokton is $340USD at Camera Quest, there are plenty of LTM's in 50mm for less than that, there are occasional old Summicrons for less than that. An average good Canon 50 f1.8 will sell for about $150USD and is a much safer bet than a Russian lens IMO. If you check out Camera quest there is a picture of the Nokton on an old Leica, you can see how it dwarfs the little old Leica; you won't be carrying your T in your pocket with the Nokton fitted. Cheers N.S.

Thank you for your comments. After talking to Brian Sweeney about his services for adjusting Soviet lenses, he suggested that I look into a Canon 50/1.8 too. I'm seriously considering that now.

Hey Nando, I'm happy to email you scans from both lens' and of my leica with both lens' fitted to see the physical size of both. As per my user name, never satisfied, that's usually the case, but in reference to the Canon 50 1.8, I am satisfied! Cheers N.S.

That would be very nice of you.

My email addy is This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

I'm very much liking the idea of the Canon. I don't mind a lens on the heavy side but certainly the lighter the better. I just got to have the patience to wait for a decent one to show up somewhere and usually I'm not good at that.

When I go on trips (mainly to Portugal but also to Spain, France, Italy and Morroco) I usually focus on architecture. The reason why I originally went for an Ultron 35/1,7 instead of a Nokton was because I thought something wider than a 50 would be more suitable for interior shots in cathedrals, palaces and other grand buildings found in the Mediterranean. Many of them are dark and do not allow flash or tripods. Now that I've been thinking about getting a 50, I can imagine that a fast one could be useful when taking portraits of, say a worshipper, in low-light or a sculpture or painting on a wall.

How do you find the Canon 50/1,8 in low-light?

I missed a Canon 50/1,5 Sonnar-clone on RFF and I'm kicking myself for reading the classifieds a bit to late. A colleague of mine who has been into RF's much longer than me suggested a Nikkor 50/1,4. They seem a bit pricey though.

Hi, thought I'd chip in with a vote for the Jupiter 8.

My black model cost £20 from a UK dealer in the city I live (I had the choice of three, and got to pick the best). I bought it as a stop-gap until I could get a Nokton and... well, there's still no Nokton in the cabinet.