KMZ Jupiter-9 85/2 - Lens review

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Hey, this is my video review of the KMZ Jupiter-9 85mm f/2 portrait lens, including a lot of photo samples and my personal impressions! The optics of this old Russian lens are almost identical to the famous Carl Zeiss Sonnar from the 1930s. It's really an all-time masterpiece reloaded!
Note that this is a vintage fully manual lens that needs an M39 (rangefinder screw-mount) adapter to be used on your modern mirrorless camera. There are M39 adapters available for all mirrorless systems.
Technical details:
I am using the Sony A7R2, so the resolution is 42 MP. All pics are edited to taste in Lightroom and exported with standard sharpness settings. However I don't correct for distortion, CA or vignetting unwise it is explicitly stated within the videos. So you can see the original character and also optical errors of the lens in the sample shots.
Also see my blog post review on tomscameras with a lot of additional image samples at:
tomscameras.wo...
Many special thanks to Takahiro Oda for filming! Follow him at:
/ @takahirooda

Опубликовано:

11 сен 2024

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Комментарии : 48

@mclarenf1V12 10 месяцев назад

Finally someone showing this lens at more F Stops than just 2.0 all the time. Very helpful. Thank you. My copy arrives tomorrow!

@tomscameras 10 месяцев назад

Many thanks for your feedback! I don’t believe in ONLY shooting a lens wide-open, especially as the Jupiter-9 is not a Noctilux that is so heavy and expensive that you would really just skip it altogether if you didn’t need the open aperture all the time … the Jupiter-9 is more a general purpose lens in my opinion, not perfect but with a lot of great character. I hope you will have a lot of fun with your lens!

@KimHojbergJensen 2 года назад

New to me (probably because I have been looking at Jupiter 9 and Helios 40 recently). I liked the disclaimer in the end. You are not of of all these KMZ sponsored youtubers 😁. Good video.

@tomscameras 2 года назад

Thanks for your feedback! Yes, I had some fun when adding this disclaimer 😃

@alexanderarendsen3796 3 месяца назад

Very nice video Tom!

@tomscameras 3 месяца назад

Many thanks! 🙏

@HaraldEngels 3 года назад

Today I received after a 7 months post odyssey a nearly mint 60 years old Jupiter-9 lens from Russia (with a rangefinder mount). I can't await to take it out for a photo shooting on my Sony A7 over the next weekend.

@tomscameras 3 года назад

Oh, how nice! I hope you'll enjoy yours just as much as I do mine!

@shirishpandey3503 3 года назад

A very good introductory video Tom , may I recommend that you add a small piece on the camera adapters available for the major brands please

@tomscameras 3 года назад

Thanks for your idea about the adapters. I have to admit that I do not have a huge experience with different brand adapters. Frankly, I almost always just go for the cheapest adapter I can find :) but maybe I should try out some others to get more insight on this topic, yes!

@EricFosterMedia Год назад

Thanks for the review, it was helpful. One fact of note, you mentioned a Jupiter 13 125mm f1.5 lens, which is a lens for a large format camera...can you even adapt those to a mirrorless digital?

@tomscameras Год назад

Thanks for your feedback, I'm glad you liked it. About the 125mm f/1.5: It's of course very rare and I think it was primarily designed for aerial / surveiiance photography. As you say it can cover large format so yes, it is certainly possible to adapt it to any smaller-format, especially any mirrorless camera. It won't work the other way round - small format lens on large format camera! The question is of course where to get the perfect adapter ... there are some large-format lens adapters from Fotodiox, here's the link: fotodioxpro.com/collections/lens-mount-adapters/4x5 However, that Jupiter-13 is not just a standard large format lens, it is a very special low-volume lens. I have no clue with what mount it came, maybe it was a fixed installation on some surveillance camera that was mounted in some reconnaissance aircraft ... I would think that IF you happen to have one of those rarities, you'd just look to someone with a lathe and have an adapter tailor made for you!

@TASMADIGITAL Год назад

Спасибо Товарищ за рассказ

@tomscameras Год назад

You're welcome!

@user-id2bm9hw3i 3 месяца назад

Nice voice and music. Important for a good video ;)

@tomscameras 3 месяца назад

Well many thanks! Though this is the second video I ever produced, hence the sound quality is not that good yet. I have to apologize for that! :)

@superj1977 2 года назад

Are you sure this is KMZ? Looking at the lense in the video you have there it looks like I can see an LZOS triangle in the top right. Also KMZ say 8.5cm usually and not 85mm.

@tomscameras 2 года назад

Yes you are right. It is very likely and possible that my lens was, in fact, made by LZOS. Here is some very short information about LZOS: camera-wiki.org/wiki/LZOS It says there about LZOS: "It was at one time part of the same production unit as KMZ, and made lenses for KMZ Zenit and Zorki cameras." So I assume that the factories worked together very closely back in the day. I am sorry if I created some confusion in my video!

@superj1977 2 года назад

@@tomscameras yes its confusing because there are quite variations with different mountings and flange distances etc. Yours is an LZOS. You can tell it was made at a specific factory by its symbol. The KMZ versions are extremely difficult to find even in a poor condition. The KMZ tends to be the sharpest even wide open, I suppose its sought after because its both sharp wide open yet has that magical bokeh that people do pursue

@fotoflorian 7 месяцев назад

@6:13 you need an m39 to m42 adapter and THEN an m42 to whatever native mount you have to be able to focus to infinity.

@tomscameras 6 месяцев назад

The lens I am using here was for M39 / LTM (rangefinder cameras). So it just needs that one adapter from M39 to Sony or whatever camera you're actually using. It will NOT work on any SLR or DSLR camera! The Jupiter-9 was made for different mounts and yes, also for M42 SLR - in that case a M42 adapter would be needed to mount it on the Sony. M42 adapters are also available for many SLR / DSLR cameras, in contrast to M39.

@Zejakov 5 месяцев назад

i tried it like that and it doesnt work, i think thinner adapter should work

@Ben_Lichtfaenger 3 месяца назад

The Jupiter 9 from LOMZ from 1960 to around 1972 has a M39 but not a Leica one. On that one you need a ring for M42 and an M42 Adapter. But maybe this design works with the LTM cameras. Sometimes, I had this problem with other vintage lenses. On some lenses you can adjust very simple the focus ring for example on a Minolta.

@colnagocowboy 10 месяцев назад

I use mine on my Zorki 4

@tomscameras 10 месяцев назад

That should be a perfect combo :)

@colnagocowboy 10 месяцев назад

@@tomscameras next stop Jupiter 11

@jmoss99 3 года назад

Tom, is there a serial number on the side of the lens? What color is the lens coating? I just bought a Jupiter 9 that has a blue/purple tint to the lens coating. This would put it in the 1970s. After this version I understand the lens coating was not applied until the mid 1980s to 1990s. About your problem with infinity, you need another adaptor that is a ring with threading on the inside and outside. This will match another adaptor. These two together will let you get to infinity. This is not true for all the Jupiter 9 lenses though. Take a look at this video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-WeE4Ncf8zhU.html&ab_channel=RetroFotoHouse Tom, what country are you in?

@tomscameras 3 года назад

Hi! I'm located in Cologne, where this video was filmed :) My lens is #8701170 so it should be made in 1987. The lens elements don't have any significant color tint (not blue/purple as yours). According to this video, my lens should be single coated: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-WeE4Ncf8zhU.html

@jmoss99 3 года назад

I don't think the first 3 types in that video have serial numbers. That started later. That seems to be one of the things that tell where in the series a lens was made. So, on mine no serial numbers and blue/pink lens coating. At least that is what the guy in the 5 types video said.

@tomscameras 3 года назад

@@jmoss99 It is very interesting that your lens does not have any serial number! In that video about all the different Jupiter-9 versions, they all have a serial! It is on the ring around the front lens. I know from Russian lenses that the first two digits refer to the year of manufacture. I don't currently own many Russian stuff, but my oldest is a Jupiter-8 from 1967 with a #67..... serial.

@jmoss99 3 года назад

No. The number around the lens is not the same. That ID starts with a letter for example N7606084. The video only shows the serial numbers on the side that we are talking about.

@tomscameras 3 года назад

@@jmoss99 Yes the number on my Jupiter-9 starts with N so it reads N8701170 but that "N" maybe just is an abbreviation of "number"? Here's a lens where it even says "No" not just "N"...: www.pentaxforums.com/forums/10-pentax-slr-lens-discussion/152232-jupiter-9-version-do-i-have.html On my Jupiter-8 (serial 67.....) there's no "N" in front of it. Just the 7-digit number. Also on the ring around the front lens. If the number is not tied to the year of manufacture - then it seems to me that you have to guess when it exactly was manufactured. Both my Russian lenses don't have any additional number on the side or anywhere else. Only the one on the ring around the front lens.

@jmoss99 3 года назад

Soooo, tell me something. I just noticed this on my 1976 Jupiter 9. There must be a backstory here. Why do the f-stops go backwards? Wide open is f-16. What the heck? Classic! Jim

@tomscameras 3 года назад

Well! That sounds strange. Maybe something is wrong with your lens? It surely should not be wide open at f/16! The only explanation for me would be - but that's a wild guess - that the aperture ring was exchanged with one from another lens, or something else was changed / replaced in your lens at some point in the past?

@jmoss99 3 года назад

I don't know, maybe. The third and later editions of this lens do not act this way. Have you checked yours? You have one of those. I think they work right. I don't use that part of the camera. So it doesn't bother me that much other that to cause me to wonder why. This is what, in International Marketing, is called cultural differences. This was a planned economy. I don't get it. Mine is not the only one though. I have heard others doing reviews on RU-vid talking about this too. Question, why are there so many washed out photos in this video? Check it out. There are others who have posted here on RU-vid with videos that have great contrast and blacks. Take a look. I want to avoid that hazy look. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-euhIu2MiVgs.html&ab_channel=FJHPhotography

@jmoss99 3 года назад

Mine looks like the others of this type. Maybe I just don't understand their thinking. They might have had a lot of parts they had to use up before ordering more. I like the lens, but this issue is weird.

@tomscameras 3 года назад

@@jmoss99 I only have the lens from this video, and the aperture ring works normally on this one, thankfully! As for the look, well the Jupiter-9 is not a lens for maximum contrast. It flares and if you don't shade the front lens elements very carefully against stray light, it will often give this more soft and dreamy look. I do like that! Personally, I'd rather use a more modern lens design if I wanted a more modern look. But it is possible with the Jupiter-9 as well if you use a lens hood and also adjust your post processing.

@jmoss99 3 года назад

So, if you put your preset to f8 it doesn't stop you from using f2 ? Mine does. Check yours. It is appearing more and more that you are right about the lens hood and post processing is needed to get a dark black and not a haze. I don't associate haze with dreamy look. I associate haze with poor exposure from my B&W film days. That guy in the link I sent still has that dreamy look only he has contrast. Well, I am still learning about this lens. I like it a lot so far. For what I am currently doing I am looking at Takumar, Fujinon and Rusky lenses as opposed to my modern lenses. These lenses have flavor and texture. So, in these two quick shots from my computer desk to the living room on the Jupiter 9 on a crop frame sensor. This was done handheld, with this lens is something. I can get good darks with no haze at night. I will get some time to do outdoor shots in the near future. audiogearfortheartist.com/IMG_1103s1.jpg and with Photoshop Auto Color audiogearfortheartist.com/IMG_1103s2.jpg