A newbie in Paris with a Zorki 4K

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fymmot

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Feb 20, 2011
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When I first received my Zorki 4K a few months ago, I was really struggling with it. I posted two "help me"-threads in this forum and was generally feeling way out of my depth. Eventually, I had to have it repaired by a professional. After my troublesome start and being such a downer on this forum, I thought it was only fitting to give update to how it all turned out.

The truth is, I love this camera, and I love shooting film! I finally took the leap (huge leap for a digital boy like me) and left my DSLR at home when I went on a weekend trip to Paris. I shot 6 films (T-MAX 100 and 400), which I developed and scanned this weekend, and I was surprised with how well they turned out. I even found that my ratio between bad and decent shots had improved compared to when I shoot digital, which I definitely didn't expect! I really need to improve my manual focus skills, however...

Here are a few of them:


inBqCG.jpg


in6nvI.jpg


inACio.jpg


inAEqw.jpg


in6vSo.jpg


in6yaw.jpg


inAKEK.jpg


inAMMS.jpg


in6L1M.jpg


I'm hooked and I'm definitely not going back to digital just yet! :)

EDIT: The rest of the shots can be found here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/40023226@N04/sets/72157626692170984/
 
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Great shots! I especially like the aerial shot and the market scenes.
I bought my 1st Zorki 4K in Greece (15 years ago) and spent a few hours shooting in the Sunday Athens market. I was great fun! Enjoy the experience
 
Zorkiiglaza said:
Great shots! I especially like the aerial shot and the market scenes.
I bought my 1st Zorki 4K in Greece (15 years ago) and spent a few hours shooting in the Sunday Athens market. I was great fun! Enjoy the experience
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Thanks! I love how you say "my first zorki 4k" - I guess FSU cameras really are addictive!

Street photography is what I like the most but I'm not brave enough to do it properly. Especially not here in Stockholm, where people are not nearly as tolerant as they were in Paris. That market, in the Bastille area, was a street photographer's dream!
 
Nice shots indeed. Yes, getting down to basics really slows you down in a positive way, makes you think and look. I have a lot of digital gear both for work and private use, but the FSUs are so much more fun ;)

Happy shootiing
 
Yes they can be addictive!
I was in the right place at the right time.
I have spent 16 years working in the FSU with lots of opportunities to buy camera equipment. I have met Russian collectors and have known several repairmen before they retired.
Here is a link to my photos on photo.net-- some were taken with several rangefinder cameras but most with a Nikon SLR http://photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=53999
 
Zorkiiglaza: I looked through your entire gallery and I really liked your market shots, especially the B&W ones. I think they captured the soul of the place beautifully! I own a Nikon FM2 too but unfortunately in a non-working condition. It's still a beautiful camera, though!

Avispartner and konicaman: Thank you! It is words of encouragement like yours that make me want to continue to shoot film. Going from digital to analog has really slowed me down in a good way. I think I notice and appreciate light in a whole new way since I started shooting manual with an external light meter. No more bursts of 10-15 shots with the camera set on 'P' and then calling myself a photographer... :rolleyes:
 
Thanks ( I'm an anthropologist/archaeologist) , I do not use the FM2 as much any more, but everytime I pick it up I fall in love with it again. It is so light! compared to more "modern" cameras. Hopefully I will be back in Central Asia in a few weeks- I have spent the past 16 summers there... so many changes. I'll have to post some of my work from Greece from the late 80's. That is where I first came across FSU cameras and where I bought my 1st Zorki 4K. I prefer the Zorki to the FED. I just find their viewfinders as so dark.
I also like the Kiev- I just shot a roll through my 1950 Kiev 2 and it seemed to work perfectly. But I am not used to the infinity lock. In my early years in KZ, I only used the rangefinder cameras near where I lived. I did not want anyone who lived close to me to see the imported cameras. Security was always an issue then. But now most of my local friends have more expensive cameras than I do.
 
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Congratulations on getting it working and taking some great shots! I really love the market shots, too, particularly the mannequin heads. I know how scary it is to leave the digital body at home and just take film, especially when you're new. I've done that on day trips but not sure I could have done that for a whole weekend trip.

Fantastic work and can't wait to see more. :D
 
stevebrot said:
Yes, do tell! There is a similar display here in the Portland, Oregon area.


Steve
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We have them here in Stockholm as well! They're called "love padlocks" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_padlocks). Couples place the lock there, write their names on it and throw the key into the river. It's supposed to represent their lasting love.

Funny enough, I saw plenty of combination locks too (there's one in the center of the frame), and even a few handcuffs!
 
As far as I know, the padlock thing started in Pecs in Hungary, but now they're all over the place: there are lots on the Hohenzollern bridge in Koeln, for example.

Cheers,

R.
 
Markets- Its getting harder to find them- (globalization)
My markets in Kazakhstan have all been renovated- no more dirt floors and tarps ( but there are still the rats). This is true even in the county villages. I understand that the Chinese are destroying much of the old mudbrick buildings in Kashgar. I loved Kashgar and was lucky because there was a sandstorm in the area while I was there. This sandstorm diffused the light and reduced the normal harsh contrasts in lighting.
I feel that Eastern Europe is the place to find great rural markets. I got a hint of this while in Hungary in January. Although it doesn't have the rustic charm it had when I traveled in Yugoslavia in 1973, There is still plenty of charm in the nooks and crannies if one gets off the main tourist routes. (Also a great place to find old cameras)
 
I have just looked at all those images fyymmot and you have some very good stuff in there, well done.

I have not seen anything like the padlock fence in NZ but there is one that is covered in women's bras and another with old boots

I saw this site address in one of the photos and just had to check it out

http://www.regalez-vous.com/
 
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