Zorki rangefinders

I would like to know your experiences with Zorki cameras. Which models have

light meter? How does the focusing work? Which lens would you recommend? Or any

other information that might be useful?

Hi Janne,

 

The Zorki is a copy of the Leica II. As far as I know, they never produced a model with a light meter. A hand held meter is necessary for exact exposures, but the "Sunny 16 Rule" should work just fine for shooting B&W. You can find the answer to most of your questions at: http://jay.fedka.com/

 

If you can obtain one in decent working condition it will be a pretty good picture taker and introduction to rangefinder photography. The FSU (Former Soviet Union) lenses also have a good reputation if you can get one in good working condition. The Jupiter 8 is an excellent lens when paired with a properly functioning FED or Zorki.

There have been many Zorki models. The only Leica II copy was the Zorki 1.

 

The 10, 11 and 12 models all had a built-in selenium meter.

Thanks Stuart and Fred for your input, I'll have a look at the link. Though introduction to rangefinder photography I don't need, I've been shooting with Leica M6 since two years. Just would like to use Zorki for more experimental photography.

Just a note in case you're unfamiliar with them, selenium meters are battery-less, and do wear out eventually.

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You may get lucky with a working one, but given most of them are well over 20 years old, best treat them as suspect.

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I've gotten a couple of selenium-cell equipped FSU rangefinders, but gave up on them after that - use a handheld meter or sunny 16 and you'll be fine.

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As for lenses - I like the Industar 61 L/D - 55mm, *very* sharp and nicely contrasty (some say it rivals Leica M lenses, but I can't verify that). The Jupiter-8 (50mm) and Jupiter-9 (85mm) are Zeiss Sonnar copies, so a little softer, but nice for portraits/people pics.

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Buying from a reputable dealer is key with FSU equipment - as above, I can attest to Fedka, I've also bought some things from <a href="http://www.sovietcamera.com.ua">Soviet Camera</a> in the Ukraine, and I've heard good things about <a href="http://www.okvintagecamera.com">Oleg Khalyavin</a> in Russia. A few eBay sellers are OK, including "moscowPhoto" in my experience.

The only russian Leica clone with a light meter was the FED5, this one has a selenium lightmeter (uncoupled, of course).

www.fedka.com sells freshly serviced copies for what I think are reasonable prices.

 

My Jupiter-8 is ok, kind of low contrast and a little softer than I'd like, but my Industar-22 (coated Elmar clone) is fantastically good.

 

Some of the newer Zorki's (3's and 4's) have large 1:1 viewfinders with diopter correction.

Hi Janne, here is my two copecks:

For almost ten years my only camera was Zorki-4. I removed it's diopter correction optics to

get really clear 1:1 view. It wasn't very well sealed camera, so I had to open it every year

anyway to clean it from dust. Sometimes I did it to unjam shutter that doesn't tolerate

changing it's speeds when unwound. Now with Leica m4's parrallax-corrected framelines and

superior rangefinder, I often miss Zorki's big clear view. I still use Jupiter lenses almost

exclusively...

Another interesting camera is Zorki-6. It is the only rangefinder camera with its whole body

cast in one piece, as far as I know. It has hinged back and most of its mechanics is

interchangeable with older Zenit's ("Kristall's"). But its viewfinder is a pain and it lacks slow

shutter speeds.

None of classic Zorkis I know of has viewfinder for other than 50mm lens, and none have

sharp frames. Only camera called "Leningrad" has them both but... I reccommend you

search Karen Nakamura's excellent webpage:

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<a href="http://photoethnography.com/equipment.html">

http://photoethnography.com/equipment.html</a>

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All the Zorki cameras are meterless. The rangefinder of the Zorki 4 and 4K is slightly better than the FED 5 series, but is still very far from the western and japan rangefinder cameras.

Ciao.

The old (1950s) Zorkis are meterless, AFAIK. Some of the later, lesser, ones might have meters. My Zorki is a 3M, from 1957. It's a beauty to hold and to use, and the Jupiter-8 lens is pretty good, though I hear the Industar-61 is better. The lens mount is M39 and in theory it's compatible with Leica screw lenses, but you need to check on a case-by-case basis that the rangefinder cam lines up properly. The focusing is by coupled rangefinder, the viewfinder is fairly good and it has dioptre correction. Some say it's the prettiest Zorki: I agree but I'm biased.

Hello Janne,

 

I own a Zorki 3, a Kiev-4, and a FED2, of all three, the Zorki 3 has the best handling, a good range finder, and an excellent, bright (1.5 ratio) view finder, if you couple it to and Industar 61( very inexpensive) you will have a good performing camera. I will not say like a Leica...if you want a Leica you buy a Leica, and deal with its limitations, If you want a Zorki you must be aware that quality control was not an overriding concern at the Zorki factory, same for lenses. I sent mine back to Russia, namely to Oleg for an overhaul. There is a camera repairman from Russia living in New York that works on old rangefinders. He repaired the shutter on an original Konica(made in occupied Japan) and adjusted the range finder and overhauled my Kiev and FED 2. Did a very good job, fast turn around, price was very reasonable. His name is Gary and his phone number is (718)987-0278. Remember, these cameras are old, in order to enjoy them you must have them CLA. The price of this cameras is low, to it it you must add the price of the overhaul. Hope you enjoy your Russian range finder as much as I do...It is an addictive type of thing....

My current arsenal of Zorki equipment consists of Zorki 1 with Leitz f 2.8 50 mm Elmar Collapsible with Leica MR Accessory Clip on Meter. This camera has been with me for the past twenty years and has travel extensively in the past. My other camera is a Zorki 4 of 1968 with the Jupiter-8 f2 50 mm lens in chrome. Which more user friendly considering the fact that the whole back can be removed for loading and unloading of film. I primarily use the sunny f16 rule when using my Zorki 4.

 

The Zorki 1 is a dreaded bottom loader of early Leicas and is seldom used. I am hoping to get a 40.5mm thread mount filter and lens hood for both my cameras. So, far I have not had any reliability issues on either of my Zorkis. I love them so much,that I've sold my Rolleiflex 3.5 MX type I TLR and my Mamiya RB 67 Pro-S with the 180mm f4 Sekor-C lens, that the Zorkis are my main cameras to use and own.