Zorki C & Jupiter 50mm

<p><br />I bought these separately from Ukrainian sellers. The Zorki C was priced at BP 10.xx. The seller said that all parts were in tact but the shutter was mal-functioning. He would not give anymore details. So I took a gamble and bought it. The usual CLA made it work fine.<br /><br />The lens was priced low; I bought two of them for BP 1.00 each. The seller described them as “bad…and full of cleaning marks.” I found them very badly neglected. The Aluminium had become dark gray due to weathering. Luckily there was no fungus. The cleaning marks were not scratches but looked like dried up soap or detergent. It look a good CLA and polishing the barrel. I removed the old green grease and lubed the helical with new AP3 front-end grease. Both body and lens seem to have been stored badly, but rarely used.<br /><br />I walked around the neighborhood today for some test pictures. I used Ultrafine 100 film and home brew.<br /><br /><br /></p><div></div>

<p>I removed the flaky black paint from the beading. The shining look seems better on the aluminium.</p><div></div>

<p>The Jupiter lens took good polishing after good bath in Petrol/gas.</p><div></div>

<p>A simple and elegant layout of the controls on top makes it easy to clean and repair. The body is as small as the Zorki 1 except for the increased height to accommodate the flash sync. The tougher part is that one has to verify the focusing at the mount only by precise measurement. One cannot do it optically in this camera, unless one builds a special frame to mount the chassis on the optical bench along with the lens mount. I guess the Soviet service centers had those frameworks.</p><div></div>

<p>The lens looks new, doesn't it? Very lucky on that.</p><div></div>

<p>My home is hidden behind Bougainvillea; it is one of the few surviving single family residences. Many are converting to multi-family units.</p><div></div>

<p>Many of these doublers and triplers accommodate joint families with some separation, mainly by the hearth.</p><div></div>

<p>They generally look for software companies, banks or polyclinics as tenants; they pay the highest rents.</p><div></div>

<p>Many of them were parked in the stand, hoping that the strike would be called off so they can do their runs.</p><div></div>

<p>Wonder what they were doing at 10:30 a.m., outside school. Possibly going to KFC to have a snack.</p><div></div>

<p>A timely post! I had just been crusing EBAY for Zorkis and Jupiter 8 in M39 mount. This looks to be a very good camera and lens. Once again you've done a fantastic restoration job. I like the last two shots in particular. The boys walking to school with old fashioned comraderie, and the traffic jam. The billboard pointing the way to the temple adds an ironic twist. Where do you source your Ultrafine 100 film? Is it FOMAPAN?</p>

<p>Another great restoration, <strong>SP</strong>; great to see you back in harness. There's something very handsome about the Zorkis; they have the beauty that flows from having no superfluous elements, just practical design and good quality materials. Thanks for another interesting walk around your neighbourhood; havng recently helped a friend prune back a grossly overgrown bourganvillea I don't think I'll plant one, though the vicious thorns should deter intruders, I guess.</p>

<p>Nice save, SP, on that tired Russian pair. The lens turned in a good performance for such a worn front element.</p>

Great results, Subbarayan and an enjoyable "walk" through your neighborhood. You skill at restoring cameras is amazing.

<p>I am so glad that you're back and we are getting your posts again!</p>

<p>Great walk-about.</p>

<p>I realized again that my only Zorki is one converted back into a "Leica" - it has more than a little "Leica glow", but I probably need to get a uncoverted Zorki. All my other LTM cameras are FEDs.</p>

<p>Thanks very much.</p>

<p><strong>Russ!</strong> I got the Ultrafine film by direct email order. They mailed the goods so promptly in good packing that the film was still cold when I received it, after 4 days of travel. I have no idea who makes the film. But the film seems good to me, though it may not be as tolerant as the ORWO UN54. I like the Zorki C a lot. It is compact [smaller than Fed 2] and handy. The bottom loading is not a chore if the take up spool is in good shape. I think you will enjoy its performance. sp.</p>

<p>Yes <strong>Rick</strong>; I seem to be getting carried away with the restoration jobs. I need to focus more on making good pictures on interesting topics. Yes the plant can be messy and gets wild. Needs constant trimming. We got the white flowers here; they look more elegant than the common purply rose types. Thanks <strong>Louis, Mike, JDM</strong>, it, certainly is nice to be back in one piece! sp.</p>

<p>More!</p><div></div>

<p>The sidewalk cafe, above, is a very popular eatery in the neighborhood. They serve excellent local food from 7:00 a.m to 7:00 p.m everyday. They also tune it to the time of the day, like breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner. I counted roughly about 100 customers per hour in peak hours. As you may see in the picture it is a "stand and eat" place. There is no space for seats, except under the trees, yonder. sp.</p><div></div>

<p>The tradition of the Crossroads as the meeting point for exchange of information has not changed much. Despite the heavy vehicular traffic people seem not to mind the danger. Often one finds even vehicles stopping for the drivers or passengers to make conversation, thus causing a jam.</p>

<p>The last one.</p><div></div>

<p>This one very narrowly ethnic and local. Caters a limited range of hot and spicy food. It is a temporary shack on a seemingly "no-man's" land. Thanks for viewing. sp.</p>

<p>You really have talent when it comes to restoring those old CCCP cameras. I enjoy your photos and cannot wait for next series.<br>

Regards</p>

As ever, I love your photo-stories! The Jupiter is a very fine lens if you have a good specimen. I really like mine. Mine has cleaning marks and but really gives astounding sharpness from 5.6 onwards.