Mystery Lever on Zorki 2-C

[Vido]

Newbie to rff in need of use for the lever just below the SS knob. The lever has a rectangular opening through which I can set the lever's position on a 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, or 30. I would experiment but do not have any idea what to look for changes from one setting to the next. Each of the numbers is imprinted a little closer to the last going from from 0-30.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Vido


Agfa A, Leica A/IId, Zorki 2C, Retina IIIC, Argus C44

 

[raid]

Maybe this is a primitive film frame counter.

 

[John Robertson]

This is the flash delay in microseconds, later they just had the more usual x and m. For electronic flash set it to "0"
john. (old enough to have used flash bulbs such as PF100's, they ware the size of a 100 watt lightbulb, and gave enough light to light a large hall!! )
you will find the same sort of thing on 111f series Leicas, but they used their own number system.

 

[Solinar]

Vido, the bottom lever looks like it sets a delay for firing a flash. In other words, it is used to time the firing of the flash - so that the peak flash occurs while both shutter curtains are open.

 

[Vido]

Thanks for such quick responses

Thanks for such quick responses

That was very fast, both of you. And I had the lever set to 30. I wonder how fast you might have been had I set it on 0. 😱

Mystery solved by two very helpful friends. Thanks!

Vido

 

[raid]

I was wrong with my guess! Well, I am glad that people knew what the lever was about. We all learn.

 

[wolves3012]

The mystery is solved for you but I'd just add a couple of things. Yes, it does adjust the flash synchronisation but it's in milliseconds not microseconds. Flash bulbs take a definite time to reach peak output so they have to be fired *before* the shutter is fully open. The lever sets an *advance* not a delay, although it's often called the delay-time. Electronic flash has no appreciable delay so just set it to zero for those.

The Zenit/Zenith C and Zorki 2 have an identical lever and early Zorki 4 models have a ring around the shutter speed dial with the same function. Later Zorki 4 models have the same thing but only marked M and X, settings in between are unmarked.