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Zorki!


Brian

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I?ve sung the praises of the Zorki 3M several times on this forum and others, so

I think it?s about time I backed this up with some results. Here first is my

beloved 3M. It is of course based mechanically on the Leica, but has a much

bigger and brighter viewfinder than the Leica III (and also has dioptre

adjustment!). I regard it as a classic in its own right rather than a Leica

knock-off.<div>00Onhi-42294784.jpg.a1fa4560e99cde3dcd55df53bb159132.jpg</div>

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the first is really nice! Overall, they all exhibit the flare/low contrast I get from my J-8 as well. It's not so bad in these shots, but always seems to degrade my b&w work. I've never been willing to pay the premium for the Z-3M, but it is certainly a nice body (I have a particularly beautiful 50th year commemorative Z4). Have you tried one of the I-61 lenses yet? Very nice and lots of pop for when you don't need J-8's f2.
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Great pix Brian. I have a Zorki 4 and a newer J8. An outstanding lens, IMHO. Never tried B&W, happy with the color options, especially Kodachrome.

 

This pix has some sunlight which the J8 "tames" pretty well. Oleg worked on my Z4 and it operates "smoothly". I'd like to try a Leica someday for a comparison. Regards.

 

 

<img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/7060403-md.jpg">

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I have a Zorki-4k that looks a bit similar, except for the addition of a lever advance.

 

Haven't used it yet - the slow speeds were goosed, had to get them fixed.

 

That said, my first FSU camera was a FED-5B (hated the ergonomics), which came with an Industar-61 L/D (55mm) - that lens is very, very sharp and contrasty. Every lens has its own charm, as it were, but if you want supposedly "Leica-like" lens characteristics, I'd try the Industar 61 L/D.

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IMO, you never really want to test out the slow speeds or self timers in these cameras... always the weakest part of the design and will risk locking up your camera.

 

For lenses, I really like the little Fed-50 and Industar-22's optical performance as well... collapsed you can get these cameras into the pocket of a baggy pair of shorts! Much better RF and VF than say my Retina IIa or even an original Leica.

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<P>Ralf, I agree this lens is prone to flare and a good lens hood would help a lot. I will see what I can find.</P><P>Mark, yes, they put all the speeds on one dial on this model, unlike the earlier ones, but the slow ones can still be troublesome. I don't go there.</P>
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