CLA in the USA?

[iñaki]

Not necessarily, the shipping time from the FSU to me is very variable--the range is anywhere from 6 days to three weeks and seemingly not dependant on which particular country the package starts from.
I will, however, give very long odds on which Zorki I see first...
Rob

I received Oleg´s email today
Your camera serviced!
Curtains and one curtain shaft was replaced... Your camera is very
nice and clean inside... Curtains was a soft too, except one small
hardened piece in second curtain...Repair is 40 usd.
I have paid it in a minute

 

[rbiemer]

Not much to get too excited about:
A repaired Zorki 3m is heading my way from OLeg.
Oh, who am I kidding, I freaking ecstatic!
The J-12 I was waiting for earlier will be attatched to it.(I forgot that I'd asked him if he had one and then to hold it 'til the Z3 was ready to ship back to me )
I was very tempted to post this in size 7 letters but I don't want to deafen anyone with my joy.
Ahh, life is good.
Rob

I think the camera and lens will ship today ( Friday, 30 June). So I hope that means I will have a well working Zorki 3m by 14 July!
But, inaki, I figure the race is still on--my offer of having a drink in your honor if you get your Z3m first is still good.
Happy to see you get yours first,
Rob

 

[rbiemer]

Hmm,
So I have today off from work. Good.
I get a phone call from work. Not good.
They say "We don't need you to come in but you have a delivery notice. It's registered" Excellent!
I head over to work, grab the notice and the package is from Russia. Hot Damn! There is only one thing I'm waiting on. The Zorki 3m I sent to Oleg.
The camera and "new" lens are here!!! Sort of. I can't pick it up until after 4PM.:bang: It's now just after noon here so I have a bit less than four hours.:bang:
Must not be the usual postal carrier working today; she never actually hauls the packages around, just the delivery note. And I can normally go right down to the post office and pick up whatever it is.
Sigh, at least I'll still have about 4 hours of decent afternoon/evening light today!
Happy happy. Joy joy!
Rob

 

[iñaki]

Congrats

Congrats

Congrats Rob, you are the winner of this race, mine will arrive this week (I hope). I´ll have a drink in your honour
Please, tell us how does the camera work after being "Oleged"

 

[rbiemer]

Inaki,
I hope yours gets to you soon! Only 2 hours,45 minutes to go.....
I may spend the next few hours composing an email to Mr. Mason; editing how I say what I want to say to him will be the tough part...Or maybe I won't.
Rob

 

[rbiemer]

Ooh,baby, is this camera nice now! One small glitch; I'd forgotten that I didn't have a take-up spool for this one. As luck would have it, the generic spool from my Canon IV seems to work. I'll know better tomorrow or the next day when I drop off and pick up the film.
So, to the camera: the VF is wonderful! Bright and good contrast between the RF patch and the rest, diopter adjustment stays put, speeds seem fine(will know better after this roll of film), and--wonder of wonders--single finger wind on! When the camera left me, I could just barely turn the advance knob. All the screws look new--at least replacements that haven't been damaged. New curtains--black cloth(I was kind of hoping for red but these will do just fine, thanks). The accessory shoe was bent down on one side--to the point of being useless--but is now straigtened out.
The Jupiter-12 is very good looking, silver, '57 vintage, no scratches or marks on the glass.
First impressions about Oleg's work:
Good, quick, and inexpensive.
Off to go play a little.
Rob

 

[rbiemer]

...the generic spool from my Canon IV seems to work. I'll know better tomorrow or the next day when I drop off and pick up the film...

Well, the spool doesn't actually work as is but a small bit of masking tape on the shaft helped.
And in other news, Mr. Mason just responded to my last email to him:
"Oh, it's done. I just needed your shipping address..."
I sign my "business" emails with my complete name and address...
Doesn't matter much at this point; I've got a good Z3m around my neck, some film, and a bag of good glass. Don't need much else. A willing subject or three, color managment, a decent printer, and time away from work to play.
Rob

 

[rbiemer]

Feels Like A Dream, I Must Be Zorkiified...

Feels Like A Dream, I Must Be Zorkiified...

(with apologies to Fleetwood Mac)
Hot Damn! The Zorki that had been vacationing in Arizona has returned!
As slow as he was/is Mr. Mason did an apparently excellent job! Everything works and the shutter speeds sound good(I'll know for sure in a day or two when I get the film back).
Worst packing job I've ever seen. And shipped without insurance.
But I don't care. I am now fully Zorkiified!
I have come to almost enjoy this thread, folks, and the tale is coming to an end.
So, to answer my own question:

Maybe another resource for us FSU addicts?

Umm, NO.
I have today off from work so I'm going out to shoot a new avatar.
If anyone's interested, in a few days I will have better impressions about the two Zorkii and will happily compare and contrast.
For now, I'm outta here!
Just call me smiley,
Rob

 

[iñaki]

My zorki 3m arrived

My zorki 3m arrived

My camera arrived from Russia after visiting our spanish customs:bang:

The camera is perfect now, it works very smooth. I´m very satisfied with Oleg´s work.

Now I´ll go out to take some photos...it´s a sunny day here. Enjoy the saturday

 

[rbiemer]

My camera arrived from Russia after visiting our spanish customs
The camera is perfect now, it works very smooth. I´m very satisfied with Oleg´s work.
Now I´ll go out to take some photos...it´s a sunny day here. Enjoy the saturday

Iñaki,
Sorry that you had to wait but I am glad that you now have yours back! I have sent some stuff to another RFF member in Spain and he had to wait a while for customs too. Hope you got some good shots yesterday!

As slow as he was/is Mr. Mason did an apparently excellent job!

OK,
I have put two rolls through this Zorki and the joy at its return has faded some so I can look at it more critically. I am beginning to think that all that hapened on its sabattical in Arizona was that the stuck shutter was unstuck. So I am going to finish the roll that's in it and send it east to Oleg.:bang: Which I should have done in the first place anyway:bang:
Oleg's work on the beater (that he brought back from the dead) turned out so well, that I can not quite imagine what this one will be like--it's a slightly later camera and in much better condition as it is but I still want to get it new curtains/straps and a real CLA. And I'll ask Oleg if he has any red curtain material just for vanity's sake.
The two cameras are both '55 year prodution and the later one(not the one Oleg has already worked on) has a couple of slight cosmetic differences:
The shutter speed dial is two colors--black for the speeds up to 1/25th and red for the high speeds--and the vulcanite(?) has a different texture--it's a bit smoother. Internally, I don't see any differences other than wear/useage marks.
I just may be done buying FSU cameras. I now have a good "working kit" with the Zorkiis and a FED 5 as back-up. And a Kiev 4a just because I like 'em. And an Arax hot-rodded Kiev 60. If I come across a really good deal for an Iskra or a Leningrad, I'll probably bite and I have (so far ) been successfully resisting the 13x18 FKD cameras but other than those three wants I really don't need any more bodies.
Now if I could figure out how to put the optical block from my Kiev mount J-8(with its click-stopped aperture) into the LTM mount for the Zorki/FED...
Ahh, the silliness never ends. Boy, am I glad for that!
Rob

 

[reagan]

Rob ~ I wrote this at the beginning of this thread:

"You're a brave Comrade; to blaze the trail, to boldly embark into uncharted waters, to risk life, loot and Zorki for the good of the People. ........"​

I didn't realize at the time that it would be almost a year before we would see the fruits of your exploration. Nevertheless, you've proven to be for sure a brave Comrade and I'm glad all has worked out for you. Enjoy the Zorkis! You deserve it!

 

[BillFoto]

Iñaki,
Sorry that you had to wait but I am glad that you now have yours back! I have sent some stuff to another RFF member in Spain and he had to wait a while for customs too. Hope you got some good shots yesterday!

OK,
I have put two rolls through this Zorki and the joy at its return has faded some so I can look at it more critically. I am beginning to think that all that hapened on its sabattical in Arizona was that the stuck shutter was unstuck.

New message:
I also just today received the Zorki 4 that I sent to Phil (The Ripoff) Mason last NOVEMBER! It appears that all that was done to it was to get the slow speeds to work, it's still unknown if those speeds are accurate, the range finder is off vertically and the rangefinder focus doesn't agree with the scale on the lens I sent with the camera. I also paid for the lens to be CLAed with the camera, you'd think the focus scale and rangefinder might agree if they're serviced together, but that doesn't happen Phil's world. I must admit that I wasted $110 and 10 months on this rip off artist in Arizona. I hope to meet this guy at a camera show sometime, I sure will be looking for him when I'm in the Mesa area.

Bill

 

[rbiemer]

New message:
I also just today received the Zorki 4 that I sent to Phil (The Ripoff) Mason last NOVEMBER! It appears that all that was done to it was to get the slow speeds to work, it's still unknown if those speeds are accurate, the range finder is off vertically and the rangefinder focus doesn't agree with the scale on the lens I sent with the camera. I also paid for the lens to be CLAed with the camera, you'd think the focus scale and rangefinder might agree if they're serviced together, but that doesn't happen Phil's world. I must admit that I wasted $110 and 10 months on this rip off artist in Arizona. I hope to meet this guy at a camera show sometime, I sure will be looking for him when I'm in the Mesa area.
Bill

Bill,
I really wonder what this guy has for a business? His alleged "real" work is repair of high-end optical/measuring devices. I can't imagine those customers accepting anthing close to the service we have gotten.
I sent a slightly off J-8 along with my camera also. Also still slightly off.
I lost a bit more $ than you did(I think I paid him $128) and somewhat less time; I have decided to basically write it off. I have been so fortunate otherwise in my FSU cameras/lenses that this experience, frustrating and decietful, will just end up for me as my Scary FSU Camera Story.
I am lucky in that I see no real chance of ever meeting Mr. Mason face-to-face. If you should ever run into him, please try to keep your hands in your pockets while you castigate him. (if worst comes to worst, I will help with part of the bail money, though )
This has been my most expensive FSU camera lesson but, ultimately not the hardest lesson I've had in life so I can be somewhat philosophical about it.
Rob