Fed / Zorki "flap"

some more about Zorki (1)

some more about Zorki (1)

Am I the only one who actually welcomes the idea of receiving a less-than-perfect Zorki in the mail? :D :D :D Really, I have sometimes wished that a yet to come Zorki would have some shutter problems, so I could take it apart and restore it. They seem to be more challenging. And on several occasions have I actually bid on cameras which were stated to have defects. Latest proof is a clutch of non-functional FED-1....I am really sick in the head! :D

Noel, one more fact that your "1a" is indeed of the FED-Zorki lineage: The earliest instruction booklets for these Zorki describe them as "FED-type" cameras. :)

FED maintained the use of round pressure plates (as were found in the earliest of Leica?) in all of the FED-1 they made. Zorki used this for some time.
But when they came on their own, they used the band-aid shaped pressure plates found in almost all Leica and Canon bottomloaders. The Zorki pressure plates are almost an exact match with the Leica's will even interchange.

A well made FED or Zorki will shoot as good as a Leica III or II. Having handled both makes, I could not see why the Soviet Leica clones cannot shoot as good as the German Originals, unless of course the former lose calibration. Any perceived issue based on the appearance of a FED or Zorki will be in a Leica too.

Jay
 
Philipp
I understood Jay's answer was that the carriers could either be the exposed metal or shielded matal. You need a source for the latter or to make your own, if you want a quieter late Fed or Zorki or any of the many people who copied the LTM shutter.
Rubens question answered?
Noel
 
Xmas said:
I understood Jay's answer was that the carriers could either be the exposed metal or shielded matal. You need a source for the latter or to make your own, if you want a quieter late Fed or Zorki or any of the many people who copied the LTM shutter.
Yeah, I was wondering if I could install the curtain from an old Zorki in a Zorki-6 or if there is any substantial difference between the curtains (different length, width, tensile strength, whatever). There might be a donor Zorki-1.

Philipp
 
Philipp
I had not meant for you to draw that conclusion.
a) an origional curtain & ribbons are probably worn out
b) I think later curtains are slightly wider, and backwards compatible
If you have the metal work from an early curtain then if it is not damaged you need new ribbons and curtain material...
It is easier to get a set of the noisy curtains from the e-bay suppliers...
Jay will give you his slant, I think he does not sleep (any more then his cats).
Noel
 
Philipp

Regarding your question whether an old style curtain can run in a later model which was given the crimped-metal spine/lath, I believe it should work. I have
done this with a FED-2. The camera came with a broken shutter, and the original lath found there was the exposed metal type. I couldn't pry the metal lath open (Maizenberg's instructions said that the crimped metal laths could be pried to replace the curtains they carried) properly and ended with a badly mangled one. So I took a set of surplus 'wrap-around' laths, which thankfully were the same in length as this FED-2's originals and installed them in the camera.

The camera had no problems with the old-style shutter laths. The channels through which the shutters traverse are formed by the baffle and the inner wall of the film gate- any issue about the width of these channels can easily be resolved by slightly modifying the position of the baffles. Not a difficult thing to do since the baffles get off during shutter repair and then installed at a position determined by the thickness of the new installed shutter.

Salvaging a complete shutter from, say a Zorki-1, for installation in a later model isn't likely to be good. A good shutter should, by all means remain inside a good camera! :D Stripping will weaken both blind and strap. The only salvageable parts are the metal laths. Shutter cloth and strap should be new.

Noel- my cats sleep 21 hours a day. They spend 2.5 hours eating and doing their other catly duties and functions. The remaining 30 minutes are spent looking for, and finding novel ways to sleep! :D :D :D

Jay
 
Jay

This may be a bit OT, cats have two sleep modes, the nap and the REM sleep (rapid eye movement), they spent most of their day in light sleep, napping. I thought you never sleep given you answer my questions so promptly sorry...

Thanks for all your help.

Noel
 
TOO MUCH DETAIL !!!
It's all totally over my ASDee head !!!
Maybe it's good that my Fed 1 / Zorki 1 s are all ID challenged Leica mis-fits !
At least I know what my Zorki S '' Leicas '' really are !
[ though one seems to have a Z 1 body !!! ]
But I love 'em to bits - just playing wth them , winding on , etc .
some are smoother, quieter than others ,but all dee-lightfull .
Two Leica Fed ones are eagerly awaited from Oleg , so that I will know how they all should be .
dee
 
dee said:
TOO MUCH DETAIL !!!
but all dee-lightfull .

But Dee if you are trying to fix one and cant stand noise then necessary.
Sorry if your were bored, may your shutters never perish...

Noel
 
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