Leica pretenders - naughty or nice ?

[dee]

You will see from my avatar , a revisited Zorki S , which retains it's identity , unfortunately , it had to go back to it's maker 'cos it wasn't so hot on the inside !
Looks great with my brand new Jupiter 8 , so can't wait for it to come home !

But i also have what I call ''mika mouses - from moscowphoto which are superbly refinished Zorkis but with imaginative, if beautifully realised faux german markings [ some not actually marked ''Leica '' ! ] with clean pretty engraved '' I 22 elmars '', one of which did sterling service on a recent holiday .

Currently , I have 2x Zorki S, not a pretty camera, but transformed in the remaking, and a Zorki I . Alll are super smooth , though I did ask Oleg if I cuold trust them , 'cos of bad press on these pretenders, he says that they will be fine .
these cost £60-£70 with postage, so a lot more than an original , but so neat !!!

Originally , I bought two ""standard '' black Z I ''Leicas'' from moscow, but they were rough , but I liked these Leica II tributes to complement my real Leica IIs that I have dee's patched them for ''Olegising '' and have bought 2x brand new Industar I 61 Lds which suit them well, and are easier to use ! At £ 10 each , I could indulge !

Ok , I have ASDee deeficulties , but what do you'all think of these ID stolen innocents ?

 

[fidget]

I like a nice, good condition FSU rf in original trim, but after seeing Jim Blaziks work on his FEDs and Zorkis, I could go for a black Fed3a, but may not be brave enough for a Zorki 2, yet.
BTW, what happened to Jims web site, is it somewhere else?

 

[vladhed]

I think the whole Russian fake Leica thing is a phenomenon in it's own right. The extent that some people have gone to dress up a Zorki to pass it off as a Leica has always struck me as more of an art than an attempt to con someone, as the cost of these doesn't seem to cover amount of time and material required to do the "conversion"!

So morally, I don't see them as "bad", just something different.

If I owned one and someone said "nice Leica" I'd happily point out that it wasn't.

 

[dee]

That's the point - the reworked cameras are no longer Zorki's , 'specially the ZS , but neither are they Leicas ... they seem to inherit their own territory - I lkie them for what they ARE , not for what they may be seen to ''represent ''.

but there seems to be a hostility to them in some spaces , just stiring a bit I guess !

 

[pvdhaar]

That's the point - the reworked cameras are no longer Zorki's , 'specially the ZS , but neither are they Leicas ...

We could start calling them Zorca's or Leiki's.. 😉

 

[dee]

Fidget , Who is Jim Blazic ?

Regards

dee

 

[Screwy]

Jim Blazic had a site dedicated to FED2 model history and also did some great paint and cover jobs on various FSU cameras , unfortunately it's no longer online but sovietleica has a link for the cached pages here



Paul

 

[reagan]

Jim Blazic had a site dedicated to FED2 model history and also did some great paint and cover jobs on various FSU cameras...

Yes, Comrade Jim. Originator of the website that is without a doubt responsible for single-handedly luring a many of us lads to the slippery slope.

 

[dee]

Ouch seereeeous ignorance showing over Jim Blazic ,!!! thanks for putting me right
love that Zorki 6 , pity mine £12 is just too good to black out like that ! [ and that's nare mint by my standards - it's fine , but a suitable case for Oleg magic maybe .

 

[Ash]

I think the whole Russian fake Leica thing is a phenomenon in it's own right. The extent that some people have gone to dress up a Zorki to pass it off as a Leica has always struck me as more of an art than an attempt to con someone, as the cost of these doesn't seem to cover amount of time and material required to do the "conversion"!

So morally, I don't see them as "bad", just something different.

If I owned one and someone said "nice Leica" I'd happily point out that it wasn't.

Even a Zorki-4k that looks nothing like a Leica, and blatantly says ZORKI on it received me the passing comment "is that a leica?"

I really like some of the fakes, but I'd prefer an original any day if I can afford it and it is used and reliable day to day.