New Old Zorki 4...

[George Bonanno]

Greetings Zorki Shooters,

Today I received a Zorki 4 with a Jupiter 8 that I won off eBay. Everything seemed right on target so I went out and shot three rolls of outdated 36 exp Tri-X. The viewfinder is amazingly big and bright and the controls are actually very solid and smooth. Not what I expected from what I have read here and there on the net. It loaded easy and I used all the shutter speeds and even the self timer which worked without a hitch. However, I encountered two problems. The shutter speed dial was difficult to determine on slow speed settings since the numbers are so closely marked. I guess I'll get used to that as time goes on. But the second one is my thumb and index finger are really sore and red now. Those knurled knobs really do a number on ya ! I swear if I were to go out and take pics with this thing on a daily basis like I did today I would definitely develop calluses on my fingers. Who knows, maybe that's what's supposed to happen as a Zorki shooter.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to souping the film next weekend to see what develops. This camera, all in all, is really fun to shoot with.

BTW: It's a 67' model with a 66' lens. And the build quality in my opinion is very good to excellent.

Best,
George

 

[rxmd]

Nice Zorki, a "50 Years of Soviet Power" model apparently in good shape. 🙂

Most of the calluses can be avoided by getting a later Zorki 4K, which has an advance lever, or a Zorki 3, which doesn't have an advance lever, but which has the controls laid out in the classic Leica style which makes them more accessible... But since you're fixed on the FSU drug by now, I guess it's only a matter of time until you figure that out all by yourself 😉

 

[robin a]

Nice,wish I could find one that clean and unblemished.........Robin

 

[payasam]

If its working is as good as its appearance, you're in the clear. The fast speeds on my Zorki 1 are close together and my eyes are not what they were. There's only three of them, of course, and I can adjust by feel.

 

[Spider67]

"But the second one is my thumb and index finger are really sore and red now."

Watch CSI Las Vegas closely and wait for: "Look Sarah the patterns on the victim's index finger and thumb."
"Yeah Grissom I was already worried about them"
"They are called Zrokifingers in the Rff community. So the suspect lied when he told us that he saw the vic with a DSLR. He must have used a Zorki in tzhe last 2hours of his life!"

 

[wolves3012]

Those knurled knobs really do a number on ya ! I swear if I were to go out and take pics with this thing on a daily basis like I did today I would definitely develop calluses on my fingers. Who knows, maybe that's what's supposed to happen as a Zorki shooter.

BTW: It's a 67' model with a 66' lens. And the build quality in my opinion is very good to excellent.

Best,
George

If you lube the winder gears & pivots you'll probably find a big difference. You don't need to take anything apart to get at most of it either. Better still, do a full CLA or get one done. I've CLAd both my 4 and 4K and it improved them hugely, they're both smooth and light now. I can wind the 4 with the side of my index finger and not get calouses! Remember, these cameras are OLD and they were cheap, few people would have bothered with the cost of a professional CLA on such a cheap camera.

I agree on build quality, my '62 4 is better made than my '76 4K. It's quieter and feels more solid but it's no smoother after the CLAs.

 

[alternatve]

The shutter dial always poked my fingers when I tried to change the shutter speeds. The numbers were crushed together and made a winding sound when you got to the slower numbers. I always had to take extra precaution to turn the dial so that I didn't break it.

In the end, I got rid of it and got a IIIc.

I hope you have better luck with your Zorki then me. 🙂

Samuel

 

[mike goldberg]

Hi George,
Our member and my buddy across town in Jerusalem, uses bits and pieces of black bicycle tubes for 101 tasks. Try putting something like that around the
large, knurled knob.
Cheers, mike

 

[George Bonanno]

Zorki-4 Results...

Zorki-4 Results...

Greetings again Zorki Shooters,

Well, now that some of the Zorki-4 film's been developed the negs exhibit all kinds of different densities. I know how to eyeball a scene especially in daylight so I'd have to say the shutter is very erratic and in need of service. The images are evenly spaced and centered between the sprocket holes. Something I didn't expect to be so precise.

The Jupiter 8 lens is a good one though. The pics were taken without a hood at f11, f8 & f5.6. I just got a hood from Fedka but didn't have a chance to use it yet. Below are quickie screen scans from a few good frames with a little bit of contrast enhancement. There were no people around in this neighborhood when I exposed this roll so I shot mostly lawn sculptures out of boredom.

Expired Tri-X (06/90) rated at 200, D-76 1:1.

BTW: Thanks for all the comments.

Best,
George

 

[fraley]

Good results! I've had a CLA on one Zorki for the low shutter speeds. It's not so crazy to spend the money if you like the camera, and considering you probably didn't pay much to begin with.

 

[George Bonanno]

Michael,

I do like the camera a lot. My guess is I'll have it serviced. I'd much rather use it than have it sit doing nothing as I hate excess baggage.

Best,
George

BTW: I like your poems... good stuff !

 

[radiocemetery]

Never seen a TR6 dressed like that. Hope those aren't beer cans emptied while driving.

Steve

PS the pictures look good

 

[xayraa33]

you seem to have gotten a very good J-8 lens George.