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Zenit 3 problem


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<p>Basically moving my stuff from one shelf to another and throwing out debris which is painful. Came across a Zenit 3 in perfect cosmetic condition and it looks like a camera you would love to try. Cocking arm will not travel (jammed tight in its usual resting position). When I depress shutter nothing happens. I can drop the mirror down and when I depress shutter it snaps up but arm still jammed. The shutter curtains are not cocked so they in unstressed position. This is one case I doubt lubrication will help but lets see what others say. I would like to think that it is in an easy place to access and that it is just a simple matter of a part that is hung up.<br /> would I be looking for trouble if I do a little dis assembly and should I approach from bottom or top. Appearance and size wise it seems like a cool camera. I am a little surprised I have not seen it mentioned or maybe that should tell me something.<br /> Thanks ahead of time<br /> Don</p>
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<p>Is the camera a Zenit 3 (<a href="http://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Zenit_3">this one</a>) or a 3M (<a href="http://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Zenit_3M">this one</a>)? If you can open the back and look at the curtains, it's a 3M: the original Zenit 3 loads through the bottom.<br>

On the 3M, the shiny button by the shutter speed dial isn't a shutter release; it's the rewind release, which flips the mirror when pressed (so it <em>sounds</em> a bit like a shutter release). The shutter release is in the middle of the frame-counter, in the hub of the film-advance.<br>

Good luck with it!</p>

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<p>In cases like this (shutter not cocked but advance/cocking lever stuck), sometimes it's just the double wind lock which causes trouble. I do not know where this locking mechanism can be found on the Zenit 3, on some other cameras it can be found under the bottom plate, or somewhere near the film advance gears close to the advance lever. </p>
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<p>Hope you can get it working. It's a very durable camera normally, with sprockets tough enough to happily tear their way through the end piece of film.<br>

Easy to use. If it doesn't have a usable lens, you may be looking for a long time, as it's Leica thread, but with a different infinity position.</p>

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<p>58mm Helios and 135mm Jupiter lenses are available fairly readily and affordably in the Zenit M39 screw mount, and there were a few other lenses produced in the mount also from memory. Both the above can be reasonable performers, I have them both for my own "Global" 3-M.</p>
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<p>Thanks<br /> Winfried: I have dis assembled early Feds and Zorkis and it said that this shares a lot of the design. Some of that mechanism on them was on the bottom so I will dig there first<br>

<br /> James: What you said about the lens reminded that I purchased a Jupiter 11 135mm on EB that was supposed to work with 39mm fed/zorki. Well it ddi not but I just tried it on the Zenit3 and it focuses perfectly. Maybe I can fgind a 50mm (or around 50mm) later if I can get this to work<br>

Brett: I may have one of those around also</p>

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<p>Hi Donald,<br>

If you have an old Helios, check its glass colour. The black ones I have are fine, but I have a silver (aluminium?) earlier one that has aged yellow. I assume this has some radioactive elements. None have had mould, but one has separating elements.<br>

The pre 3M Zenits are great looking little dinosaurs.<br>

I always assumed that they called it 3M to benefit from association, because the Leica M3 was in production at the time, it was derived from a Leica II, and used a Leica thread mount. I can't find a 2M.</p>

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<p>I have a couple of Helios lenses and most of them are black. The Helios on my Start (CTAPT) is aluminum and now that you mention it there does seem to be a yellow tinge. I wonder why. Could the radio active elements be enough to cause this?</p>

<p>Some one from Russia gave me an old Zenit 1 but I can not find it. It is like quantum mechanics but I will find it.</p>

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<p>For what it's worth, the Helios started as a version of the Zeiss Jena Biotar 58mm f/2. I have a number of these lenses in different mounts and they are without exception all excellent to superb. None of mine show any 'yellowing', however. Normally, that effect (aside from colorings of lens coatings) is a by-product of Thorium included in the optical glass (<a href="http://camerapedia.wikia.com/wiki/Radioactive_lenses">link</a>).</p>

<p>There used to be some Zenit repair information at (<a href="https://tomtiger.home.xs4all.nl/index.html">link</a>), but I had some problems at that address and didn't take the time to solve them.<br /> For fun, not help, here is Modern Photography's review of the Zenit 3M</p>

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I found a reference to that link dating back to 2006 and I can not access it either. I replaced the curtains on a zorki a while

ago and I just do not have another major dis assembly left in me at this point. I would really like to see this one function

but I could work an extra hour and just buy one that is functioning on line. The question is do I want to fix these things or

use them?

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