I really tried, maybe its not for me? Quirkiness and other thoughts regarding FSU RF

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tomperson

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Ok,
I finally had a Zorki 4 in my hands. I had read about it and was eager to feel one. It surely looks nice, a beautiful camera. The lens, a Jupiter 8, was in great shape.

Now, i couldn't for the life of me imagine myself shooting with this camera. And this comes from a manual camera enthusiast.

Trying to remember not to change shutter speeds before cocking. Having to lift and move (in just certain direction) the shutter speed selector proved to be awkward and slow. Winding the film and cocking the shutter without a lever. The fragility of the mechanisms (in terms of having to do it in certain way to avoid damaging the camera) seemed way too much for me.

There may be something i'm not getting, so I'm here to ask the more experienced users how did they overcome all those problems and began shooting comfortably and in an agile fashion. I couldn't imagine myself taking a quick snap in rapidly changing situations with one of these cameras...

I feel sad. I really wanted to get into the FSU RF world. But maybe it's not for me.
 
It takes patience. They are not cameras for rapid shooting. Treated with care they can deliver wonderful results. A Zorki costing $60, properly used, can deliver prints that are almost as good as from my Leica with expensive glass. It also takes a love for odd machinery and not being embarrased to be seen with an unfashionable camera. Good Luck. Joe
 
Don't feel bad. I have a Canonet and one of those old Med Format folders that I don't like because they seem a little too weird to me.
 
You can change the shutter speeds however you like with the Zorki, I don't know where you get this information. Like all Leica-similar RF's changing the speed without cocking the shutter is meaningless because the shutter speed indicator is not pointing at the right speed. My Zorki is no different from my Leica... except that my Zorki still doesn't work correctly.
 
After sinking way too much money into the FSU road I bailed and moved to Nikon, glad I did. I tried a Fed-2, had it pimped up with a Fed-5 spool for easy loading, had it CLAed over in the former Eastern Block. Test roll I though looked good but the guy I sold it to said the shutter had problems. Split the cost of another fix with him and it still did not work well. The feel of the Fed-2 was wonderful as was the Kievs that I bought. I saw problem and traded them and some lenses for a used Bessa L.

I spent close to $750 total between purchase, lenses, CLAing and lots of shipping. IMHO they were a russian sink hole.

I plunked down $375 for a S2 and 50/1.4, got it CLAed and loved it. Never had a problem with her. Sold her when I got a S3-2000 and this will be the last camera I sell, she is a beauty. When I had to sell some cameras to generate some money for food and all I sold my Leica Ms, kept the S3-2000.

Every month or so I kick myself as I should have spent the initial investment on the FSU gear along with what I paid for the S2 and picked up a SP.

If you like twiddling with things, and some folks do a lot, keep going down the FSU trail, you will have a blast. I have no time, two kids, a wife and too much to do so to me time is a precious commodity.

Pick up an old Leica IIIa or IIc and send it over to Boston to get CLAed. It will cost you a LOT less in the long run.

YMMV, but I doubt it.

B2 (;->
 
Eh personally after owning an M3, then a ZI, I find the Zorkis to be pretty crappy in terms of build quality.

However, thats pretty obvious. I mean they were made cheaply and by the dozen out of crappy sheetmetal (just a generalization as to their material). In any case, it served me well the first few months I used it, and it did it's purpose... to take photos.

So in that regard it was a cheap and usable camera. However given a chance to use any old beat up M3, or M2 with a proper CLA i'd gladly use them anyday.
 
I don't really have any problem with my FSU cameras - I just seem to switch into a different mental mode when using them, and don't have to consciously remember to cock the shutter before changing speed.

Having said that, I don't have a Z4, but my Z4K is the cheapest-feeling one I have, and I never use it. FED-2 probably feels the nicest in the hand, but I like the FED-3b and Z6 a lot because of their solid lever winds (the lever wind on the Z4K feels like it'll bend if I move it).

But for elegance, the Z3M beats the lot - I think it's one of the best looking cameras ever made.
 
I've not owned a single FSU camera that didn't have problems. Some were easy to fix (adjusting RF in FED-5), but most are overall complete basket cases... and I get tired of chasing down one problem after another... somtimes it's just more fun to take photos.
 
Maybe FSU isn't. What have you been used to? I like my Kiev on occassion. But it is less easy for me to use than my Super Press23. I still haven't figured out why. Of course, it may just be a case of needing to get used to a different way of using cameras. Only you can tell ultimately. But be sure you are using RF to its best advantage before you just give up. Good luck.
 
I've not owned a single FSU camera that didn't have problems. Some were easy to fix (adjusting RF in FED-5), but most are overall complete basket cases... and I get tired of chasing down one problem after another.
Click to expand...
That's an unfortunate experience. Of the eight FSU cameras I have, the only real problems I've had have been a pinhole in the shutter blind of my FED 3b (which was easily fixed), and sticking slow shutter speeds on my Z4K (which I haven't fixed) - so that's 7 good ones out of 8.

Oh, and on the speed-setting thing, before I knew about the requirement to cock the shutter before changing speed, I moved the shutter speed dial around on my first FED 2 before cocking it, and it then wouldn't work properly for a few shots afterwards - I wound and shot but the shutter wouldn't fire. Thankfully it cleared itself after a few attempts, and the camera is working fine to this day. So, I'm sure a lot of the shutters are more robust than many people think, and you probably can get away with it a lot of the time and won't necessarily damage the shutter, but you definitely *can* (if not necessarily will) cause it to jam.
 
Oh, and on the speed-setting thing, before I knew about the requirement to cock the shutter before changing speed, I moved the shutter speed dial around on my first FED 2 before cocking it,
Click to expand...

No matter what the manuals say YOU CAN CHANGE SH.SPEED BEFORE COCKING ON CAMERAS WITHOUT SLOW SPEEDS. Only problem is, that the index mark doesn't point to the proper shutter speed, but once you cock the shutter, the dial turns and the mark again points to the correct speed...
 
They're... OK. But I had a Leica IIIa before I tried Zorkiis and have never understood the appeal of the latter. The IIIa cost me thirty quid (in about 1969) and I don't think I've ever paid less than fifteen quid for a Zorkii. To me, the Leica (which I still have) is easily worth twice as much.

I've fixed quite a few Zorkiis over the years -- if I find a broken one silly-cheap, I fix it and either give it away or swap it for something -- but I've never understood the adulation. I'd far rather have my Konica SIII ($15, I think) than any FSU camera I've ever owned.

After all, the purpose of photography is to take pictures, not to purify the soul through suffering.

Cheers,

R.
 
I've owned several FSU screwmount RF cameras and now I own a Leica IIIc. The Leica is a much better built camera, but the FSU cameras served me well. In some respects I find my Zorki 2c easier to focus than the Leica -- the rangefinder spot is more clearly demarcated and a little easier to use in low light than the Leica although the Leica is much more pleasant to look through [it's sharper and brighter, it's just that the contrast between the rangefinder spot and the background is lower].

The lenses are fine, too. I've yet to really notice a big difference in quality (if any) between my Jupiter-8 and my Summitar.

Unlike many, I've almost never had a problem with my FSU cameras and I've consistently had good results from them. My only poor experience was with a Kiev which I broke when trying to put it back together after replacing some light seals. That was my own stupid mistake.

That said, many of the FSU cameras are cheaply made. They don't feel as nice in the hands and the viewfinders can be a bit small and squinty on the earlier ones. But I paid 130 quid for my Leica and about 10 quid for my Fed-4. So I don't feel short-changed.
 
No matter what the manuals say YOU CAN CHANGE SH.SPEED BEFORE COCKING ON CAMERAS WITHOUT SLOW SPEEDS.
Click to expand...
Hmm, that's interesting - my FED 2 shutter did jam and it took me 5 or 6 attempts at winding and shooting to free it. Maybe mine was faulty, or dirty or something, and it was just coincidence - but it has worked fine since.
 
I love it

I love it

I absolutely love my FSU-gear, it has provided so much entertainment, even from before i bought it:

The search on the internet.
The actual buying the stuff.
Would it arrive ?
Would it work ?

And then:

The first roll of film
The experiments ...

But i got an old FED-2 a couple of months ago, it looked fine and i have tried it, but as you can see on the photo it was to slow to catch the details of the feries flying around the flowers in my garden.

Per
 

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I like FSU cameras. Some more than others ... I've never really enjoyed my Kievs, but love my Fed2 and Fed3. All of mine have worked reasonably well, as well as any 30 or 50 year old camera could be expected to work. I think they're still an affordable way into rangefinders. I bought my Fed-3 for $25, then spent about $80 on a CLA and shutter replacement. Now it works flawlessly, and, other than the awful rewind knob, is a real joy to use. My Leica III was about $300, without a lens, and it needed a CLA within a month or two.
 
I like FSU cameras *because* they are quirky. Note that I am not a tinkerer at all, I'm all thumbs, no repair skills at all beyond cleaning triplet lenses on folders. So how do I get by with FSU cameras? luck? maybe.

I have a total of five encounters with FSU cameras, now I own three, all working just fine. Off the other two, only one I sell (also working just fine), and the other I returned to the seller because the removable spool is slipping.

YMMV indeed 🙂

But when they are working fine, they are extremely fun to use, especially my Zorki 1, it looks like a Leica IIIc but not quite there, also fun to explain to digital camera shooters 😉
 
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