Just want a simple advice from the experts...

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pedro.m.reis

Newbie but eager to learn
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Hi.
I want to buy my first russian RF. I'm a bit overwhelmed with the multitude of brands, lens, mounts, formats, etc.
Just wanted an advice about a combination camera+lens of one of those leica copies with a good relation in price/performance. An estimated price would be apreciated.

Tks
 
I have a FED 2e with Jupiter 8 (about $50) and a Kiev 4a with Jupiter 8 (about $60). The FEDs are LTM while the Kievs are Contax mount. There is a Jupiter 12 which is a very good 35mm lens available in LTM and Contax mount that is worth getting ($40). In Contax mount there is a very sharp Helios 103 50mm lens that is worth getting.

I don't have any experience with Zorkis, but I believe that they have bigger/better viewfinders.

Read everything you can Google on the internet. The info is all there.
 
Viewfinders on the Zorki 3M and 4 are brighter than the FEDs. I would stay away from the Zorki 3 (with the slow speed dial on the front). They are prone to problems but the 3M is a good camera. The Zorki 4K is a new enough camera they don't seem to have as many problems and they have lever wind. The FED 5 gets a lot of bad press but they are a decent camera (newer, too as well as cheap) and the I-62 L/D lens is sharp. I prefer the Jupiter 8 lens but they don't come on FEDs. You would have to find one seperately.
 
Some Feds and Zorki's only have shutter speeds of 1/20 to 1/500 sec. No slower speeds. You should be aware of this when you are looking. I believe all the Kiev cameras have a full range of speeds.
 
phototone said:
Some Feds and Zorki's only have shutter speeds of 1/20 to 1/500 sec. No slower speeds. You should be aware of this when you are looking. I believe all the Kiev cameras have a full range of speeds.
Click to expand...


How many people ever use shutter speeds beloe 1/25. Actually the Zorki 4 and 4K both have lover shutter speeds.
 
No need to worry about brands. There are only three, FED, Zorki and Kiev. No need to worry about lens mount. There are only two, Leica and Contax. FED and Zorki are Leica mount. Kiev is Contax mount. There are no Leica mount Kievs and you are not likely to ever see a Contax mount FED.

I wouldn't worry about price either. eBay will show you a fair indication of price. $30 should get you the camera you need and, for starters at least, you should definitely not pay $50 for one.

As far as choice lenses goes, Leica mount wins. A greater range and variety is available in Leica mount. Further, the most common Kiev lens, the Jupiter-8 f2 50mm, is also the most common lens on a Zorki i.e. it was made on both Contax and Leica mount. A very cheap but very noteworthy lens, the Industar-61LD, was never made for Kiev. While the original Contax had a collapsible lens, no collapsible was made for the Kiev.

I could get flamed for this but I suspect that Kievs are not as reliable as FEDs or Zorkis. This is because the camera it was copied from, the Contax was more complicated than the Leica and thus by its very nature imposed more quality control problems. Kievs are a bit famous for arriving dead, new out-of-the-box and are not so easy to fix as a FED.

Being somewhat biased, as the owner of a Zorki-6 and a FED-1, I would recommend the Leica type over the Contax type. In addition to the above, the Kiev is a much larger camera, and offers nothing for its extra bulk.

The Zorki-6 is a thoroughly practical plain-vanilla shooter, the most practical FSU of all, and this is reflected in its price. You don't see them selling for $15. Because it is the only FSU to have a hinged back door and it still has the film-grabbing claw like the old bold bottom loaders, it has to be the easiest-loading 35mm camera ever made, anywhere. They usually come with an f3.5 Industar but are also available with the f2 Jupiter-8. My Industar is a good sharp lens.

I got a FED-1 because because it so compact and so elegant. I would recommend a FED-2. It is almost as elegant, almost as compact, is usually cheaper, and it has flash sync. More modern FEDs and Zorkis have slow shutter speeds. I don't consider this to be an asset.

I'm not familiar with them but the ugly-ugly FED-5 has to be worth consideration. When sellers claim them to be brand new in box they often really mean it. This must have cosmetic merit, at least.

Stay away from any Zorki higher than "6" and any FED higher than "5"

Hope this little ramble helps
 
I'd recommend the Zorki 3M as well .... w/Jupiter 8. It's probably the most comfortable camera I have, seems to be well built/sturdy, works smoothly, VF & RF are clear, has all the speeds. Probably my favorite shooter.

Plus....... they're just so darn cute. :eek:

And amen on buying from a reputable seller ... Alex-Photo is one. Also two dealers I've bought from, Fedka & Oleg ~~ you'll pay a little more, but get a good camera. My 3M came from Oleg and I couldn't be happier.

If you want to venture into the Bay of other sellers, here's a thread you've probably seen where sellers are discussed.

Good luck! Have fun!
 
Should have added the Zorki 6. An additional advantage is it's the only one of the bunch with a hinged back. I tend to lean towad the Zorkis and FEDs, too. They are less complicated than the Kievs and there are more lenses available in the LTM mount. I have an admitted Zorki and FED 1 fetish. Nothing for the price beats one of those Leica II copies, well tuned with a Jupiter 12, and 35mm finder mounted on top.
 
My first impression of the cameras for sale is that they all seem to be very dirty.... does that come out or they are just like that and nothing can be done?
 
Depends. Dirt and grunge can be cleaned with a cloth and isopropyl alcohol, and then a toothbrush for all the crevices. If it's corrosion however, then the metal is damaged. Look for a clean one.
 
Also, these cameras dosen't have any kind of metering ... what do you use with them? a light meter? sunny f16 rule? Is there any kind of cheap rliable light meter?
 
I'm actually very fond of the old GE PR-1 light meter for that use - it's a selenium meter so it has it's limitations. But they're cheap and reliable - and, if you get the attachment with it, can do incident metering as well. There's one on ebay right now with incident attachment and case for $0.99 with 0 bids.

William
 
greyhoundman said:
Buy from Alex-Photo.
Look at Fed2's and Zorki 4's with J8 lens.
Price? Cameras run up to $40.00, then figure the shipping is running $15.00 to $22.00.
Click to expand...

I second what g-man says. You can't go wrong with Alex or either of those cameras. If we could somehow combine them into one model, you'd have the perfect FSU cam.
 
I'm new in this business, but i currently have 2 feds, a fed 2 e-type with self timer and ears, the only problem is that the slowest speed is 1/30, i needed slower so i got a fed 3 with speeds from 1 second up to 1/500...I love these feds, after fed 3 no elegant looks, if i found fed 2 near i'll buy it...But i don't think there'll be more feds for me, only if i got that early fed 2...

Having shot mostly with the fed 2 hence the fed 3 is a recent buy, it's great, just great...
 
If you haven't seen it already make sure you devour Jim Blazik's web page on Soviet RF's, his custom refinishes are to die for. Here is a link to his (and lots of others :D ) fav shooters page, the main page is linked at the bottom.

http://www.geocities.com/fzorkis/gallery.html

My fav shooter is the FED2 (I have over 10 of them :D ), its also one of the nicest to look at IMO. Some people really want the slow speeds the FED2 doesn't have (under 1/30th) for them I'd recommend a FED3a or the more common and plainer looking FED3b. I'd be looking at paying under $40 US + postage for nice ones. If you have more money to spend look out for a nice Zorki 3M, I haven't seen decent ones for under $50 and some people want silly money for them (I don’t have one in my collection yet :mad: ).

Lenses, I'll go out on a limb to say just about all of the standard soviet lenses are decent unless your unlucky and get a real dud, Pick of the bunch is without a doubt the Jupiter 8 (never came standard on any FED camera btw) and if you like lots of contrast the Ind-61L/D is worth looking out for (comes on later FED's 4 & 5's)
 
I would highly recommend the Kiev 4am + Helios 103 lens, which is readily available on ebay. Its a bit larger than other russian cameras, but if you dont mind the size, I really think its the best deal in russian rangefinders.
 
From those of you who know, how does the Helios 103 compare to the Jupiter 8?

Is it like the diff between the I-61 and the J-8 in LTM?
 
The helios is a much contrastier lens, though not as contrasty as the I61. I think its sharper than the jupiter, but this could be because of the contrast.
 
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