FSU lenses in M39 mount for SLR cameras

[Joao]

Changing the camera but keeping the lens mount... yes, it seems possible.

Regards

Joao

 

[David Hughes]

Hi,

These might help:-

As you can see, they really were modifying a Zorki 1 to make a Zenit. Pretty much the same way that Oskar Barnack might have used ready made microscope parts to make the first version of his camera.

Regards, David

 

[geoffox23]

Changing the camera but keeping the lens mount... yes, it seems possible.

Regards

Joao

If you need more proof, see http://www.g-st.ch/privat/kameras/zenit.html for the full Zenit story. (use Google Translate)

Cheers
Geoff

 

[johnf04]

A very interesting read, Geoff. Thank you.

 

[David Hughes]

This is also interesting and also in German:-

http://www.g-st.ch/privat/kameras/pdf/zenitbuch.pdf

And I wish I'd read them before buying cameras to satisfy my curiosity about the Zenit looking so like the Zorki, years ago.

Regards, David

 

[Joao]

Thank you for the links (and David thank you for the pictures). I am definitely convinced🙂 . No more proof is needed !
KMZ made a gradual evolution from a RF to a SLR, keeping the size of the lens mount. Fine.
Their Ukrainian colleagues at Arsenal took a different option: from a line of Kiev RF cameras, they have developed some SLRs with completely new features, including the lens mount (Kiev 10 Abtomat, Kiev 15, etc.). They just kept the name.
Regards
Joao

 

[David Hughes]

Hi,

Just realised that the blindingly obvious wasn't mentioned.

Looking at the Industar-50 it comes in three versions - all M39 - and they are collapsible or solid for the RF's (mainly Zorkis) and short for the Zenit 1 and some 3(M)s. The Zenit mount changed during the 3 or 3M production.

The 4th version is the Industar-50-2 and the extra figure "2" is because it is the short version in M42...

And not all of them were made by KMZ.

Regards, David