Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1997/01/30
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]The 2.8/35 Jupiter-12 is a clone of the Prewar Carl Zeiss Jena Biogon, one of the titanic designs by the great Ludwig Bertele, arguably the finest optical designer of the century (the Ermanox, Sonnar, Biogon, Aviogon, and the second Biogon designs all descended from his genius). In 1945, the Soviets took the machinery from Jena and moved it East: they are still making the Prewar Zeiss lens line even today, the latest of them being multi-coated. The lens DOES have a large protruding rear element which requires great care, and the location of the aperture ring INSIDE the filter is a pain. Otherwise, the lens is a superb performer. I have a couple of these, one in Leica thread-mount and another in Contax RF bayonet, and use them both. (I also have a CZJ Biogon T in LTM, a Wartime cobble-together if ever there was such!) The chrome mounts were produced until 1974 or so; the black mounts thereafter. Black paint was used to 1987, after which a mount redesign on all these lenses led to a much nicer mount with matte paint, though I've not yet seen such on a Jupiter-12. I'd be interested in the factory logo and serial number from these lenses. Incidentally, the first two digits of the serial number are generally the year of production. Marc msmall@roanoke.infi.net FAX: +540/343-7315 Cha robh bas fir gun ghras fir!