First Impressions: vicuna on the New Jupiter 3+ Art Lens

If this is the first time you're hearing about vicuna then you are welcome. This avid photographer and enthusiastic community member has one of the most prolific camera collections, most beautiful albums, and most loved LomoHomes. This time, he takes us on a remarkable journey to Burkina Faso with his new Jupiter 3+ Art Lens.

How was your experience shooting with the Jupiter 3+?

It was a great experience to shoot with such a beautiful lens. It's light, compact, very well built and easy to use.

What was your first impressions about the lens?

I loved it at the first sight. The vintage silver look of the lens gave me the feeling that it was special and I expected some unique pictures I couldn't get with other lenses. And coming in M39/LTM mount means that you can shoot it with old cameras and also adapt it easily to more modern M-mount ones.

What are the things you liked about it?

I like the smoothness of the aperture ring — it allows you to shoot in a very intuitive manner. There are no stops or clicks, it's just a continuous movement to achieve the best exposure and depth of field for the subject you chose. The focus ring is also very smooth and intuitive, but still very precise.

What camera do you pair with the new Jupiter 3+?

Well, I have used 3 different cameras with this lens. The Canon P, with LTM mount, is a great one for this lens, as you simply screw it on and the silver look of the lens matches perfectly with the vintage look of the camera. The viewfinder has 50mm frame lines and a 1:1 ratio, so it's a perfect combo.

I also tried it on the Minolta CLE with the M-mount adapter and it works great together as well, but as the effective base length of this rangefinder is a bit narrow, it isn't the best choice to get a perfect sharpness when shooting at a wide aperture.

And finally, the one I really prefer is the Konica Hexar RF, a fantastic m-mount camera, with great features, very high-speed ability (up to 1/4000s) and a clear precise viewfinder: when shooting wide open at f1.5 it's great to have such a camera paired with the Jupiter 3+!

What's your favorite feature of the new Jupiter 3+?

I was immediately attracted by the f1.5 aperture and the possibility to get a beautifully soft, creamy and round bokeh.

How would you describe the photos you took with the lens?

The pictures are very soft, especially in the background of the subject with a beautiful bokeh that always amazes me. And in the same time, the lens is also very sharp on the subject you focused on. The texture is a unique one that has this vintage mood I really love!

In your opinion, in what area of photography does the new Jupiter 3+ excel in?

Without any doubt, I think this lens is perfect for portraits. The combination of a 50mm lens, with the closest focus at 0.7 and aperture at f1.5 is the perfect combination for dreamy and intimate portraits. I took a lot of portraits while I was traveling in Burkina Faso earlier this year and I was stunned by the ability of this lens to render a kind of emotion I looked for while shooting these portraits. But I also tried to shoot some flowers and nature close-up shots with the Jupiter 3+ and that's also another area where this lens can achieve great results.

Any favorite trick you use with the new Jupiter 3+?

Not really a trick but more a technique: when you shoot portraits or flowers with the Jupiter 3+, try to focus on a very precise and unique point. Then open your lens at the maximum aperture you can have according to the top speed of your camera (many analog cameras have a 1/1000s top speed, but with the Hexar RF at 1/4000s you really can open it wide). And that's how you get the most creamy backgrounds with beautiful bokeh.

What's your advice for new users?

Get close to your subject, don't be shy!

What's your final take on the new Jupiter 3+ Art Lens?

A piece of advice to everyone: please, shoot film with such a fantastic lens. You can't get all the beauty of texture, grain and bokeh the Jupiter 3+ delivers when using it on a digital camera. Use some Fuji Velvia 50 film and you'll see the difference...

written by cheeo on 2016-12-14 #gear #culture #portrait #vicuna #jupiter-3-art-lens