Jupiter 85mm f/2 · Jupiter-9

{"overview":"The Jupiter-9 is a Soviet 85mm f\/2 short telephoto prime based on the pre-war Zeiss Sonnar optical design, produced for decades in M39 (Leica thread), M42 screw and Contax\/Kiev rangefinder mounts. It was intended as a portrait and short-telephoto lens, prized for smooth out-of-focus rendering at wider apertures.","market_narrative":"At recent UK auction, hammer prices for the 85mm f\/2 Jupiter-9 have run from £50 to £106, with a median of roughly £80 across the eight sales recorded here. As of 2026, clean user copies typically sell for £70 to £100 at saleroom level, while tatty or fungused examples are worth closer to £50; the £106 top results reflect tidier bodies rather than any specific rare variant, and buyers should remember these are wholesale hammer figures rather than retail asking prices.","buying_guide":"Inspect the front and rear groups carefully for fungus, haze and cleaning marks, as the single-coated Sonnar-type glass is prone to all three after decades of storage. Check the 15-blade aperture for oil, check that the long-throw focus helicoid turns smoothly without stiffness or grease migration, and confirm the mount matches your camera, since M39, M42 and Contax\/Kiev versions are not interchangeable and rangefinder-coupled copies are often decalibrated.","specs":"An 85mm f\/2 manual-focus short telephoto prime for 35mm format, supplied over its production run in M39, M42 and Contax\/Kiev mounts.","faq":[{"q":"What is a Jupiter-9 85mm f\/2 worth today?","a":"On the UK auction circuit it is worth roughly £50 to £106 at hammer, with most clean copies selling for around £70 to £100."},{"q":"How much does a Jupiter-9 85mm f\/2 sell for at UK auction?","a":"Recorded hammer prices range from £50 for rough examples up to £106 for the tidiest copies, giving a median price near £80."},{"q":"Does the mount affect the value of a Jupiter-9?","a":"The sales data here does not separate mounts, but condition drives price more than mount in this range, with haze, fungus and aperture oil the main factors pulling a copy toward the £50 end."},{"q":"Is the Jupiter-9 a Sonnar copy?","a":"Yes, it is based on the Zeiss Sonnar 85mm f\/2 optical layout, which is why it is often bought specifically for its rendering on portraits."}],"confidence":60,"reasoning":"Eight UK auction sales give a solid price band, but SPECS and variant facts are empty, so technical claims are limited to widely-known public knowledge about the Jupiter-9 design and mounts."}