Bought Zorki 4

[valdas]

Being so close to the source of cheap FSU RF and lenses I've never been tempted to buy one, but after reading so much about Fed's, Zorki's, Kiev's and other FSU cameras on this forum, I went this morning to the flea market... Well, supply is not that high anymore, at least here in Vilnius, but hey, picked up excellent condition Zorki 4 (export version) with J8. Inspected it quickly (weather was quite cold, could not spend much time testing it) - infinity was off, no take up spool, but the rest was just fine (plus nice leather case). Came home, googled "Zorki alignment", fixed it quickly, the spool took longer, but managed to make one... Downloaded manual, loaded expired Farbwelt and by the evening I had the test roll scanned. Focus is spot on, exposure is accurate... Well they are not cheap anymore, paid equivalent of 25$, but still cheaper than on evil bay, and no shipping cost. Very nice camera I have to say, and lens is quite sharp...

 

[Mablo]

Congrats Valdas! Zorki 4 is a robust camera and J8 is a very good lens. Vilnius is full of narrow streets, old bars and cafes and astonished tourists so you'll have a lot of possibilities for interesting shots.

 

[valdas]

Congrats Valdas! Zorki 4 is a robust camera and J8 is a very good lens. Vilnius is full of narrow streets, old bars and cafes and astonished tourists so you'll have a lot of possibilities for interesting shots.

Yes, I know, I live here 🙂, but I move to Helsinki soon...

 

[pakeha]

good combo valdas from vilnius, wish flea markets here had a bit more going for them, i only ever see cups and saucers, exercise videos and old ladies cloths.

 

[payasam]

I like stories with happy endings.

 

[gb hill]

Like Mukul said, I like good endings. I also like reading the interest in soviet cameras coming back to RFF! Iv'e noticed these cameras are getting quite expensive now. Glad I got in when I did!

 

[smallfooties]

OOOooo congrats! They are indeed getting more expensive now!
Do post some pictures!

 

[valdas]

I surely will when I have something more than just a test roll... loaded it with Fomapan now...

 

[smallfooties]

sometimes test rolls have interesting shots too!😛

 

[payasam]

Valdas, you will perhaps soon feel that the flexibility of the camera should be exploited by using other lenses also.

 

[valdas]

Valdas, you will perhaps soon feel that the flexibility of the camera should be exploited by using other lenses also.

well, I have started looking around already 🙂 so far I only have M mount lenses, but will look for some old contaxes (sonnar 1.5?), maybe J9... any suggestions?

 

[Valkir1987]

I am very curious about the take up spool you made! Never thought about making myself one. Have fun with your Zorki 4! 🙂

 

[valdas]

I am very curious about the take up spool you made! Never thought about making myself one. Have fun with your Zorki 4! 🙂

Believe me, it's a temporal solution. I'm not happy with the one I made, loading film is very cumbersome, really - no best practice sharing here 🙂. I will need to pay another visit to the flea market...