Zorki 4, Zorki 4, Zorki 4! Are you out there?

<p>Hi,</p>

<p>The name Zorki 4 just rolls off the tongue. It is sounds like the name of a sci-fi flick Ed Wood would have made! Zorki 4, Zorki 4, Zorki 4! Are you out there?</p>

<p>This is my second Russian rangefinder and once again I am a little stunned by the quality of the photos. I also have a Fed 5V. I am still trying to get around to getting the rangefinder mirror aligned and the lens re-lubricated! Yes, SP I still have not found the time! The Zorki 4 on the other hand is in great shape. No need to work on anything.</p>

<p>I like feel of the camera. It feels solid. It feels heavy. It feels like someone took the time to make it. I am sure there are people out there who will malign the Zorki series of cameras, but the one I have is a great camera. I must say that I like it better than the Leica I, II or III series cameras. Though I have not owned any of the Leica series cameras I have held them and got to use a few because a friend has a huge collection. I like the Zorki 4 over the Leica LTM cameras because it is easier to load, the viewfinder is easier to focus and compose with and the price is easy to live with!</p>

<p>In there series of photos below I used two different lenses. The black and white were with a Industar collapsible 50mm f3.5 Elmar copy. The color photos were with a Jupiter 8 f2 (I think that is the f-stop). I really am impressed by the Jupiter`s color rendition and sharpness. I like the Industar for is vintage look. The photos it produces are fine.</p>

<p>The color photos were with Superia 400 and BW were Fuji Neopan Presto 400.</p>

<p>I hope everyone enjoys the photos.</p>

<p>Mike</p><div></div>

<p>Photo 1</p><div></div>

<p>Photo 2</p><div></div>

<p>Photo 3</p><div></div>

<p>Photo 4</p><div></div>

<p>Photo 5</p><div></div>

<p>Photo 6</p><div></div>

<p>I have two Z-4 and one Z-4K all are great they do not have craftsmanship of Leica or Canon 7 but on the other hand I do not have any Leica or Canon-7. Pictures are great. BTW I also have Z-3C which eventually evolved into Z-4, that one feels more solid.</p>

<p>Lovely sharp pictures; Thanks for posting. I have a few Zorkis including a newly acquired Zorki-S; it is smaller than the Zorki 4; but it is bottom loading. I have renewed all of them to look and work like new. Love the butter-smooth shutter and film advance. I am surprised, often, when people say that the Zorkis and Feds are rough and tough to handle! I am tempted to tell them "send them over to me...; I shall make them smooth for a few $$$". :) Regards, sp</p>

<p>SP,</p>

<p>I agree with you they are wonderful cameras. My Fed and Zorki have wonderfully smooth film advance and feel that makes me want to hold it and use it. I am interested in Leica glass, so I bought a 50mm Leica LTM to fit onto to either the Fed or Zorki. Is that sacrilegious? I do not know. I figure the glass is what makes Leica special not the cameras. The Zorki and Fed give me an inexpensive, but reliable way to explore the world of Leica. ;-)</p>

<p>Thanks for the positive comments SP and Kozma.</p>

<p>Mike</p>

<p>This shows again the remarkable achievement of taking a hand-crafted product of elite character and producing it for the masses under the conditions of socialist production. Does anyone know how many of the Soviet Leicas were made for each real Leica?</p>

<p>The Industars and Jupiters are really very good, and the pictures are more than worthy of the instruments.</p>

<p>Bravo!</p>

<p>JDM,<br>

Actually Z-4 1715677copies, Z-4K 524646 copies. I think that would be 1:50 or 1:100 to all Leicas. And they were more then affordable. When they stopped the production of Z-4K people were not very happy.</p>

<p>Mike, you don't need to sell me. I have two Zorkis, a 4, and a 4K. The biggest difference between them, is that the 4K has a one stroke thumb film advance. They are truly capable, and sometimes outstanding cameras. I have heard that like othher FSU cameras, that the QC was never quite that good, but if, like you, me, and many others, get a good one, it's a joy to use. I too have been blown away at the quality of the optics, and I have a coule of other lenses that I use with both Zorkis, and my Fed 2. My favorite(and most exspensive) is the Orion 15 28mm f6. It is kind of a slow piece of glass, but it has given me amazing results. Great shots, and wellcome to the slightly addicting world of the FSUs. Oh, and I'm truly impressed by the color shots. I almost never use color, and after seeing yours, I may just try a roll. </p>

<p>Another slippery slope, Mike, the world of FSU cameras in general and rangefinders in particular. I don't possess a Zorki, much as I'd like to, though I do have a couple of Feds and a Kiev 4. The Russian glass I've found to be fairly consistently excellent, the Jupiter you're using being a particularly sharp lens. Of my two 55mm Industar 61's I one is a much better performer than the other, though they seem to be in an identical condition and state of repair. Great pics, as usual; "White Flowers" really appeals.</p>

<p>Michael, the color balance on the color shots is expertly done.</p>

 

<p>I have a lovely looking Zorki-4K which I bought recently. The seller said it's stuck but I wanted to see if I could free it. I think someone has been playing with the shutter speed dial without cocking the shutter first. I also found out that the renovation process is more complicated than I initially thought...<br>

I have another Zorki too. It's a Zorki-1d, a small Leica II copy from the fifties. This one works flawlessly and takes sharp and crisp photos. Loading it is a little bit cumbersome though.</p>

 

<p>Mike, boy do you have cameras, or what? I really like the White Flowers and One Leaf shots.</p>

<p>Nice camera and you have a good eye there. My Z-4 looks just like that, maybe a little grubbier. The Jupiter-8 is a fine lens; try out an Industar-61 some time too. I do use some Leica glass on my FSU cameras. The two "starter" LTM lenses that you can easily get for cheap are the 13.5cm Hektor and 9cm Elmar. The Hektor will likely require some modification to fit on the Zorki without damaging the focusing cam.</p>

 

The hard part is keeping them serviced (unless you can do it yourself). I haven't found a lot of people here in the states

who are eager to work on them or who have the parts. And unlike Leica, these cameras tend to want periodic service. The

lenses tend to be copies of Zeiss designs and when in good shape are pretty good, or can be. Or you can get a lens with

oil on the blades or inside the elements, or a lens with physically poor mounting of the elements, and so on. But if you get

a good one and if you like the rough and ready build, it can be a satisfying experience.

 

Or you could buy a Leica IIIf or a Leica M2 or M3 or Canon 7 and see what a higher level of quality control can do.

<p>I just got my Zorki-4 last week, with the Jupiter 8. I have yet to run a roll through it, but I examined it when I got it and it looks like it's in perfect working order. I'm taking a road trip this week with a bag full o' film so I'm excited to see what it can do!</p>

<p>Great shots... thanks for sharing!</p>

<p>Nice camera! I've been wanting to get into the Soviet camera action for some years now, and just bought 4 of them (1 Zorki, 3 Feds) off eBay a week ago. The things are supposedly all serviced, and are coming from the Ukraine. Well, you know about eBay descriptions. Hope I get what I paid for. They are not high-dollar cameras, but I could have bought 100 Argus C3's for what I paid for these four.</p>

<p>I just bought a Zorki 4k with Industar lens. I'm like a kid waiting for Xmas!!! :-)</p>