Dez
Bodger Extraordinaire
I was recently fortunate enough to run into a really trashed 1949 Kiev 2, and matching Zorki ZK lens. The body looked horrible, but the metal bits were all really good, and the (of course) non-functioning shutter turned out to just have broken tapes and gummed-up escapements. The lens had a badly bent-up mount, where it was apparently dropped on a hard surface, but miraculously the glass was OK. After a ridiculous amount of work, I got everything working properly, except the wind mechanism appears to prefer 9 sprocket holes between exposures instead of the usual 8. I can live with that- it's a lot better than 7.
I got the lens unbent, reshimmed it, and then went out to take some pictures. The ZK is acceptably sharp, but the J8 is a little more so, and the contrast is noticeably better with the newer lens. The ZK's coating, especially on the inner elements, is not impressive, and it is somewhat flary. Has anyone else done similar comparison tests, or had specific experience with the early ZK lens?
Cheers,
Dez
I got the lens unbent, reshimmed it, and then went out to take some pictures. The ZK is acceptably sharp, but the J8 is a little more so, and the contrast is noticeably better with the newer lens. The ZK's coating, especially on the inner elements, is not impressive, and it is somewhat flary. Has anyone else done similar comparison tests, or had specific experience with the early ZK lens?
Cheers,
Dez
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I have a 1949 ZK 5cm F1.5, and it compares well with my Wartime LTM Sonnars.
Wide-open on the M8:
I have another "completed in Russia" 5cm F1.5 Sonnar that had a front triplet that was not fully polished and coated. I replaced it, and get good results. I think some of these lenses were "assembly practice" and "not quite right". So, big differences in performance.
Wide-open on the M8:
I have another "completed in Russia" 5cm F1.5 Sonnar that had a front triplet that was not fully polished and coated. I replaced it, and get good results. I think some of these lenses were "assembly practice" and "not quite right". So, big differences in performance.
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raid
Dad Photographer
The ZK has for some people added collector value. Don't expect miracles to happen when using such a lens.