HU: Zorki + Lenses + Sleeper

[rxmd]

Hi,

#110052155266 on the auction site has a Zorki and a couple of LTM lenses, including a 50/f1.5 Jupiter-3 made in Krasnogorsk in 1952 (i.e. good vintage), a 85/f2 Jupiter-9, a 135/f4 Jupiter 11, a 35 f/3.5 Industar-22, a turret finder, a couple of lens caps and filters, and, as a nice little sleeper add-on, something that looks like a Leitz 35/f3.5 Summaron in screw mount (which is worth about as much as the rest put together). Since the lenses aren't listed in the text and the auction is filed under "Medium format -> Other", I expect the final price to be comparatively low.

The seller says he doesn't know if the camera works, so the Zorki might be a DOA, but then with a Zorki it's not as if there's a shortage of cheap bodies. The lenses look like a nice way to start off with a collection of excellent LTM lenses in all major focal lengths (except 28)
No connection to seller, as usual.

Philipp

 

[ZorkiKat]

Philip

It does look like a Summaron 35mm. It's also one lens which shouldn't be used on a Zorki. This issue was addressed in another thread here. The Summaron mount has a notch which would catch on the Zorki's RF sensor tip.
I've had this happen with a FED-2. Luckily, the back of this camera can be opened and the sensor was pulled back from the film side and the lens was
freed. On a camera with a non-opening back like the Zorki, the consequences could be really dire.

To further check this, I decided givemy Summaron another try on 12 Zorki-1 and 6 FED-1 cameras. In almost all cases, the lens could not even do a half turn on the mount thread. The tip of the sensor was already catching into the Summaron's mount notch almost as soon as the lens' mount thread engaged with the camera's flange thread. Only in a couple of cameras did the lens able to do a full turn before the sensor started getting in the way of the lens.

The sensor tip should never be moved since its orientation is dictated by the requirements of the rangefinder to enable it to focus correctly from 1 m to infinity.

Jay

 

[jobo]

Jay,
Having won the auction (tips hat to Philipp), of course I had to find out for myself whether that Summaron fit the camera. 🙄

Surprisingly, it fit just like any lens (also on a FED2 and a Zorki 4k). I mounted it at infinity focus, where the notch is protected by the focus ring (?). Did you try that? I also recall having read not to mount lenses at infinity; has anybody had problems doing that?

BTW, the RF only couples down to 2m, where the ring descends below the collar.

Oh, and a big hi to RFF! Excellent forum, I'll listen and learn...

/Johannes, who lacks for daylight to shoot in.