Need help deciding!!!

[HuhYashica]

Hello everybody,

Well I'm interested in buying a new camera but I need help, I was looking on buying a Shanghai 58-II but I changed my mind so then I was looking at Zorki's and it look like the Zorki 4 is the best one? if I do get a Zorki 4 should I just get the 4K and I also stubbed upon the Kiev II and from what I've read its a really good camera too its also like a 150 difference from fedka But yeah can you guys help me please decide which one is better or non of them show me another Zorki or Kiev.

Thanks
Have a great day.

-Robert.

 

[HuhYashica]

How is the "Mir" camera.

 

[Brian Legge]

What attributes do and don't you care about? There isn't a single 'best'.

 

[HuhYashica]

What attributes do and don't you care about? There isn't a single 'best'.

Uhm I know light meters don't work but, It actually doesnt matter really if you give me your opnion on what camera you like the most and why that'll help.

 

[shootodog]

the zorki are descended and evolved from a barnack design. the kiev II is actually a contax 2. some say it is more contax 2 than a contax 2. each have very different shooting controls.

for "history" sake, i would buy a kiev 2 only because that is the model that was made by contax engineers with contax parts in the soviet union after the war. but i have only ever handled one and it seemed unintuitive to me as far as my finger placements were concerned. i felt very clumsy (maybe because i am clumsy in general). i had a hard time with it. maybe i could've gotten used to it. contax users will be more at home with this camera.

but i really have only handled the zorki 4 extensively and i like the bright vf and the slow and fast speeds and the build quality. i may be more biased towards barnack descended cameras since i have used more of them than contax type cameras.

and with these old cameras, i think metering is best left to either handheld meters or sunny 16. i am sure that the zorki like the FED do not have meters.

 

[HuhYashica]

With the Zorki 4 and Zorki 4K what is the difference? And is it a dramatic difference cause on fedka the 4K like 50 dollars more I think.

 

[ZorkiKat]

Zorki-4 appear to be the best because it has extra features over the other Zorki. However, the addition of these may also have caused some undesirable features too.

1. The slow shutter speed mechanism made the shutter setting business very complicated. In the Zorki without slow speeds, setting the speeds without cocking the shutter first will not be fatal. On a Zorki 4 (including 3, 3C, and 4K), doing this can kill the mechanism.

2. The viewfinder may give a life-sized view, but it does not allow the entire frame to be seen -right down to the edges- with one quick view. The eye has to go around the frame to see what's happening at the edges. The frame edges don't look well defined too. The smaller finders of the 1, 2, 5, and 6 show a precise 2:3 rectangle through the eyepiece.

3. Z-4 and 4K are bigger. The 1, 2, 5, and 6 models of the Zorki, or even the FED-2 are more compact.

4. The winding knob of the Z-4 is flushed to tightly against the RF top cover. This makes a full wind in one stroke impossible.

5. The later Z-4 and almost all Z-4K have PRINTED markings where they were formerly engraved and filled with paint. Constant touching can cause the marks to rub off and be erased. Not really nice to have the shutter speed scale obliterated and you'd have to guess where 15, 60, 125 settings are, which btw, in these cameras are so tightly bunched together.

FED-2 are among the best in terms of user-friendliness, reliability (no extra parts to get damaged), and ergonomics.

 

[ZorkiKat]

With the Zorki 4 and Zorki 4K what is the difference? And is it a dramatic difference cause on fedka the 4K like 50 dollars more I think.

The Zorki 4K uses a lever instead of knob for winding.

 

[shootodog]

FED-2 are among the best in terms of user-friendliness, reliability (no extra parts to get damaged), and ergonomics.

i am in total agreement!

 

[HuhYashica]

So I was going to get a Zorki 4 but you guys perfer a fed 2 instead?

 

[shootodog]

So I was going to get a Zorki 4 but you guys perfer a fed 2 instead?

don't get me wrong. the z4 is a great camera. it has fast and slow speeds galore. it's got a great build quality too.

but for me the fed2 is my favorite because it has a wider rf base that is good for my canon 1.2/50. it is simpler and easier to use. it is sexier. and it was reportedly pablo picasso's favorite camera. it has limits as to how fast and how slow it goes but that's fine with me.

it really depends on what you want/ need.

 

[ZorkiKat]

So I was going to get a Zorki 4 but you guys perfer a fed 2 instead?

Unless you see yourself shooting a lot at 1 to 1/15 and 1/1000 sec, there's really no need to go Zorki-4. The slow speeds and the top 1/1000 isn't going to be missed much anyway- at least by many people who've actually used these cameras. At first I thought that the slow speeds were very critical-now I don't even remember any instance when 1/15 was ever needed. In cases where it seems that they were indeed needed, setting the camera at B or Z, a quick plunge on the shutter and releasing it almost immediately is like doing a 1/4 to 1/8 thing. With negative film, the slightly off exposure won't even mean much.

 

[HuhYashica]

Unless you see yourself shooting a lot at 1 to 1/15 and 1/1000 sec, there's really no need to go Zorki-4. The slow speeds and the top 1/1000 isn't going to be missed much anyway- at least by many people who've actually used these cameras. At first I thought that the slow speeds were very critical-now I don't even remember any instance when 1/15 was ever needed. In cases where it seems that they were indeed needed, setting the camera at B or Z, a quick plunge on the shutter and releasing it almost immediately is like doing a 1/4 to 1/8 thing. With negative film, the slightly off exposure won't even mean much.

Hahaha Your right then its going to a Fed 2 THANKS guys for helping! Is there a spacific one I should get cause I see type 1a and type b.

 

[xxloverxx]

Hahaha Your right then its going to a Fed 2 THANKS guys for helping! Is there a spacific one I should get cause I see type 1a and type b.

I believe some had strap lugs and some didn't. Be careful.

I would've gone for the Zorki 5 or C, or the Kiev if you don't mind long focus throws and limited lens choices.

I've also tried a Fed 2 before. I liked its finder the least of the Zorki C, 4, 5 and Kiev 4a.

That being said, it's all very personal.

 

[HuhYashica]

Mhm my friend has a Fed 3 just remembered and the viewfinder is abit small. But damn I want a compact camera like that, and I'm trying to find a Zorki that is compact like the fed too and don't have slow shutter speeds.

 

[shootodog]

Mhm my friend has a Fed 3 just remembered and the viewfinder is abit small. But damn I want a compact camera like that, and I'm trying to find a Zorki that is compact like the fed too and don't have slow shutter speeds.

yes i have had a FED3B before and the rf/vf is dark and squinty. the rf/vf of the FED2B is much bigger and brighter than the 3B. also the 2B is smaller than the 3B.

 

[HuhYashica]

yes i have had a FED3B before and the rf/vf is darl and squinty. the rf/vf of the FED2B is much bigger and brighter than the 3B. also the 2B is smaller than the 3B.

Oh damn thanks bro I made up my mind I found pictures and I compared the difference between the fed3 and fed2.

 

[Leigh Youdale]

Now, in another thread on RFF you say you want to become a photojournalist - and here you are obsessing over various unreliable and unremarkable Russian-made cameras from 50 years ago! Are you really serious about the first objective? The fact that some people love them and manage to get them working satisfactorily doesn't necessarily make them suitable for PJ work.
(Ducks for cover).

 

[HuhYashica]

Now, in another thread on RFF you say you want to become a photojournalist - and here you are obsessing over various unreliable and unremarkable Russian-made cameras from 50 years ago! Are you really serious about the first objective? The fact that some people love them and manage to get them working satisfactorily doesn't necessarily make them suitable for PJ work.
(Ducks for cover).

I am somewhat interested in being a PJ but not 100% sure you know, I would like to know what I need to do to become one, I can also see myself using a Fed for PJ work. But who knows I might not like it and just do photography with the Russian camera. I'm just treading the waters of a PJ.

 

[David Hughes]

So I was going to get a Zorki 4 but you guys perfer a fed 2 instead?

In a word "yes" - no question of it. It's a sound, practical camera and there's lots of nice Jupiter and Industar lenses about for it. A FED 2, J-8 and an old Weston light meter takes a lot of beating. The J-8 rotates when focusing and so needs one of the Chinese Leica lens hood clones but the Industar 61 doesn't and there's lots of nice and cheap rectangular plastic lens hoods for it.But you must remember that they are all elderly and so be prepared to get them serviced by (say) Oleg after choosing one. Go into it with your eyes open and you won't be disappointed.

Regards, David

PS It's a great hobby and a FED 2 would be fun but I wouldn't even think of earning a living with it...