FSU camera shops in Poland (Wroclaw) ?

[PeterL]

Hi,

I'm visiting Wroclaw at the end of the month and I'll be shopping for commie cameras like my life depends on it ! Last time in Poland, I was visiting Krakow and I found some really nice shops by asking in a shop with a Leica sign (which turned out to be a photo reporter), but now I'm clueless where to start. So addresses for FSU camera shops are welcome ! I'm also looking for a folder, but I'm starting a thread about that in the correct forum.

So addresses of shops was my first question.

The second one is about which one to buy. I have a Zorki-1 in very good condition that I'm using with a CLA'd Summitar. I love the combo except for one part: the viewfinder/rangefinder. It's hell. I spend a minute squinting before each photo, so I can't really say I'm into decisive moment photography. I'd like to have something much brighter. And LTM, because I already have a few good lenses.

The Zorki-3 seems to be the perfect solution, but I read it's rather rare and expensive. Is that correct ? What price range would be okay ? I paid €50 for my pristine Zorki-1 + Industar-22 last time. Would €100-150 be sufficient for a decent Zorki-3 or 3M ?

How about the Fed-2 ? I read it's really nice except the viewfinder is way too dim. Any other choices with big bright range/viewfinders ? I'm not a fan of the clunky Zorki-4 and later styling.


Peter.

 

[MartinP]

Don't forget the Zorki-5 and the Zorki-6 either ! They have a combined rf/vf window which might be handy.

As a sidenote, can anyone confirm the width of the 5 and 6 (meaning from one end of the base-plate to the other) as I am looking around and wondering whether to find one. My Zorki-1 is very compact at 134mm or so.

I don't (yet) have a FED-2, but the FED-3 vf is very contrasty and it is surprisingly easier to focus than my Zorki-4, in poor light. It seems that there are, at least, two aspects to useabilityof the combined rf/vf....

 

[Jocko]

Don't forget the Zorki-5 and the Zorki-6 either ! They have a combined rf/vf window which might be handy.

My thoughts exactly 🙂

In addition, Peter, don't always believe what you read 🙂 The FED 2 viewfinder is dimmer than some, but that is to add contrast to the focusing spot, which may prove more of an advantage than a little more light. This is something it is is best to try out for oneself. I did some tests with a Zorki 5 or 6 and a FED 2, described in a thread long ago, and to my amazement found the FED easier to focus in poor light despite the significantly dimmer finder.

Cheers, Ian

 

[Carlos Cruz]

Looked around and this is what I found: shop with used photograhpic stuff at odrzanska st 24/29 (ot-ja-n-ska 24=dva-de-sta chtery) and every saturday they have Photofair at main railway station building from 9-13. Hope this helps,

Karol

P.S. In polish we have some phonems I can't transcribe in english, street name pronounciation doesn't sound exactly as I tried to transcribe it but is as close as possible. Maybe odzhanska is better transcription

Another one: Foto Komis "Camera" Jedności Narodowej 73 (Ye-dno-stee Na-rod-o-vey)

 

[Carlos Cruz]

Wroclaw is set up on several islands and both banks of Odra river, I've been there several times and always enjoyed it. It's not that popular among tourists as Cracow or Prague so it shouldn't be too crowded. Enjoy they have great pubs there and really nice old town part.

EDIT: zorki 3 is pretty rare, but if you'll see one for sale there's big chance that the seller won't know what's its value, so try to start low, Fed 2 shouldn't cost more than 50 euros.

good luck

 

[wolves3012]

As a sidenote, can anyone confirm the width of the 5 and 6 (meaning from one end of the base-plate to the other) as I am looking around and wondering whether to find one. My Zorki-1 is very compact at 134mm or so.

The "footprint" of the Zorki 5 or 6 is identical to that of the Zorki 1. Indeed, the baseplates of Zorki 1 and 5 are interchangeable (just tried mine anyway and they are!) The 5 & 6 are just taller than a 1, that's all. My Zorki 5 has a collapsible on it, so it's almost as pocketable as a Zorki 1.

 

[wolves3012]

The Zorki 3 is much rarer than most FSUs so it usually commands a much higher price, assuming the seller knows what it's worth.

If you want bright finders then Zorkis are generally much brighter than FEDs. As Jocko has noted though, it's at the cost of rangefinder contrast. Whether it's actually better to make this sacrifice is a matter of personal taste. As a personal view I'll take a Zorki 5 or 6 any day over a FED 2 if you're in poor light but not everyone will agree. The 5 & 6 both have exceptionally good VF/RFs, in my opinion. If you like the Zorki 1 bar the RF you'd probably love a Zorki 5. Be aware of the one great caveat if you do find yourself with a Zorki 5: NEVER wind or fire the shutter without a lens on the camera, you'll almost certainly damage it if you do!

I did take a FED 2 into a pub once; very poor lighting and I was using flash. I regretted it very much since the VF was almost unusable. Saying that, if you're in light bright enough to use the camera (without flash) then the VF is perfectly usable and the high-contrast RF patch is handy. Horses for courses, as the saying goes!

 

[PeterL]

Hi,

Thanks for all your responses ! First of all: about the Zorki 5/6: I don't like their design, it doesn't have the charm of the older ones. At least that's as far as I can tell from the pictures I've seen. I should feel them for myself, of course.

Jocko, thanks for the explanation on the FED-2. I'll definitely try one out if I can get my hands on one, and I'll try it in a nice dark place ;-)

Cruz, my girlfriend speaks Polish fluently, which helped me in Krakow when I tried to describe what I wanted to a shop owner that didn't speak English. Thanks for the addresses ! She lived in Wroclaw for more than a year, so she might even know where those places are (I already know the Glòwny station).

We'll be there for 4 days (22-26th of September), so plenty of time to do commie shopping (and to enjoy the bars).


Peter.

 

[wolves3012]

Hi,

Thanks for all your responses ! First of all: about the Zorki 5/6: I don't like their design, it doesn't have the charm of the older ones. At least that's as far as I can tell from the pictures I've seen. I should feel them for myself, of course.

Peter.

The Zorki 5 *is* an old one, only made in 1958/1959! it's 11mm taller than a Zorki 1 at its highest point and under 5mm taller not counting knobs. It is bottom-loading (old-school charm or a pain, take your pick). It has strap lugs, a wide-base RF equal to the FED 2 and a bright finder. If you don't like the aesthetics that's fair enough but I think you would be missing out if you don't look at one.

Whatever you choose, good luck and enjoy!

 

[PeterL]

Wolves,

If I only find a Zorki 4/5, I'll try my hands on one. But aesthetics is important ! Otherwise, I'd have gone digital long ago.

Talking about the FED 2 VF/RF, how squinty is it ? It looks a little bit bigger than the Zorki 1, but I can't really see on the pictures how it feels in real life. With my Zorki, I really have a hard time finding the sweet spot to focus.

Are all types of FED 2 decent cameras ? I'd prefer one without a self-timer, it looks better without 🙂


Peter.

 

[Jocko]

Peter - The Zorki 5 is a very different camera from the Zorki 4. It is a very attractive, compact design. On the matter of the FED 2 finder, this is very much a personal choice. I wear glasses and actually prefer smaller finders which others would find squinty. However, the finder on the 5 and 6 is generally held to combine good aspects of both the FED and KMZ designs - bright, reasonable contrast and big enough. It shares components with the Iskra finder, which is itself a guarantee of quality. Both 5, 6 and FED 2 also have an excellent long-base RF. If at all possible, try to handle these cameras, because all are potentially excellent and the ultimate decision is deeply subjective.

All FED 2s are decent cameras - although the earliest have a low cold-shoe so cannot accept individual accessory finders (the Soviet multi-finder will fit).

I'd also like to add some clarification to my earlier comment. Wolves is of course absolutely right. A FED would be very hard to focus in seriously bad light, although I wonder if other FSUs would do much better. My "test" was based on what I considered the parameters of the design itself - 1/30th@2.8@400 ISO, an EV of around 6. In those conditions, evenly lit, I found the contrast an advantage, but I would not go beyond that 🙂

Cheers, Ian

 

[MartinP]

The "footprint" of the Zorki 5 or 6 is identical to that of the Zorki 1. Indeed, the baseplates of Zorki 1 and 5 are interchangeable (just tried mine anyway and they are!)

Very useful to know - thanks for the info. Now I'm going to be looking more seriously, hahah !

 

[PeterL]

Jocko,

Very good info ! I guess I'll just have to tell my girlfriend that one afternoon of camera shopping will never be sufficient ;-)

The Iskra is actually the folder I have in mind, but I've asked a question about that in the 120 RF folder forum.


Peter.

 

[santino]

Hi Peter!

Been to Wroclaw last week, the store in odrzanska st 24/29 has actually no FSU stuff. You could get a nice used ZI but no FSU stuff, they just don't buy/sell it. Anyways, the store is very close to the main square.

There is a store with used photographic equipment and FSU stuff and its pretty cheap (got a Zorki 4 for 8$ etc.). That seller just behaves like FSU stuff was junk. I gotta look up the address but I'll post it.

 

[santino]

ok, here you are:

"Camera" Komis Fototechniczny Zbigniew Kędziora
Wrocław, ul. Jedności Narodowej 73, tel. 071 3222456

that guy sells the best FSU stuff in Wroclaw 🙂

 

[PeterL]

Santino,

That's amazingly cheap ! I payed €50 for a Zorki-1 in Krakow. Looking forward to the trip already ! I'm arriving at 11:30, so first thing I'll do is drop by the fair at the station and see if there's something nice there. Otherwise, Camera Komis (Commies ?) seems to be the place to be.

Was the Odrzanska Str. store cheap ? Maybe I'd like to switch to Leica M cameras and lenses, but I'm a little bit afraid of the cost. I'm not so naive to expect this kind of camera to be much cheaper in Poland, but I can always check 🙂


Peter.

 

[santino]

actually it has normal prices but who knows, take a look. sometimes there are lots of good deals. good luck and nice trip! 🙂

 

[johnbay]

Peter,

I will put in another recommendation for the Fed 2. I have one and have also owned a Zorki 3C. The increased contrast of the RF patch on the Fed 2 wins for me. Also, I am able to shoot without my glasses because the diopter adjustment is so accurate. In addition the Fed 2's size and feeling in the hand is much more pleasurable in use. I have been successful shooting low light outside as long as I
am close to some street lighting.

johnbay

 

[PeterL]

Hi,

I was looking forward to fondling a Fed 2 and a Zorki 3, but unfortunately, the camera shopping turned out to be a disappointment. Wroclaw is not the place to go for FSU cameras. In Krakow, about a year and a half ago, I found 2 shops easily that had a fairly big stock, but nothing in Wroclaw. It seems this city has gone modern really quickly. The reaction in the Foto Komis was that all the good FSU equipment has already been exported to the west ;-) He had a Zorki-10 and a number of Japanese manual SLRs but nothing for us rangefinder lovers.

Aside from the lack of FSU cameras, Wroclaw is a splendid city that's reinventing itself quickly: compared to when I was last there, plenty of squares and streets have been redone and look great now. There's a lot of work left, but it's going in the right direction at high speed.

Thanks for the tips, but no luck this time. The camera shopping was just a small part of the trip, though, and the rest was a big success.



Peter.

 

[mike goldberg]

Hi...
Re: Fed-2, an Adapter can be put on the cold shoe, which raises a supplementary Viewer and places it a bit forward. The early Fed-2c is my favorite FSU camera.
See Link; Adapter on Bessa R is for illustration.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikegoldberg/1406996934/

Re: Zorki-4, yes, the finder is bright and the yellow patch relatively easy to focus. As I've said in other places, I've had difficulty with the small, knurled knob that you raise, turn and drop into its slot, for shutter speed changing.

Mike