New Zorki 4 Owner

[Adam-T]

I`ve won a Zorki 4 on E-Bay and will be getting it soon 🙂, it`s the non-K model with the name in cyrillic and what looks like a silver Jupiter 8 fitted - Apart from having to wind the film on before setting shutter speed, are there any other catches with the 4 ? . I`m hoping it`ll have the shutter speeds engraved rather than printed (and worn off) like the 4Ks i`ve seen ..

(EDIT 03/11/06) - Its 1963 - I`ve replaced the E-Bay pic with one of my own 🙂

 

[GeneW]

Beauty, Adam! When it arrives, check the serial number. The first two digits are usually the year it was made. The only other catch with the 4 is to be careful when framing. If you put your eye up close to the VF so you see the edges of the frame, you're often closer to 35mm framelines than to 50mm and you risk cutting off part of your subject. Once you adapt though, it's a bright finder and you can use this trick to approximate 35 without an external VF.

Is this your first J8? If so, I think you're in for a treat.

Enjoy!

Gene

 

[Screwy]

The first two digits of the camera,s serial number are usually the year of manufacture , The only other things to watch for are RF alignement and sticking shutter curtains or holes in the curtains , These camera,s are'nt in the first flush of youth these days so need a little TLC . Nice looking Z4 btw 😎

 

[xayraa33]

from that pic, it looks like it is from 1965 or older, from the type of vulcanite used to cover the body,& it has strap lugs and the shutter dial might be engraved.
But you can only tell when you get it.

 

[Adam-T]

Thanks a lot Folks .. Very encouraging 🙂.. Hopefully it`ll have an engraved Shutter dial - I look forward to using my CV 35mm F2.5PC on it, that is my fave FOV (it`s nearer 50mm on the RD1), I`ll check the shutter curtain for holes, I had that with a Zenit-B I was given (main cam was a spotmatic back then) .. The Zenit SLRs (E and TTL anyway) were pretty bombproof though they weren`t that easy to focus compared to a split screen centre dot - I guess the Zorki is a lot easier, I`ll have to dig out my weston meter or fit a Tripod-mount to Shoe adapter on my Fuji F11 and use that as a Live-view meter 🙂 .

I have a Jupiter-8 already (won on E-Bay for £1.25) it`s tack sharp at F4, good at 2.8 and soft and dreamy at F2 in a pleasant "soft focus" kind of way, it actually looks good for portraits..

BTW I don`t know if this has been posted but here is a link to the manual for the Zorki-4 - re-written by the webpage owner but it has taught me a few things, I would have guessed that the back opened on a hinge like a Zenit SLR, I`d have spent ages wondering how to release it ;-) and of course the rewind lever usage etc.

http://www.fortunecity.com/marina/marine/569/rusrngfdrs/zorki4.html

 

[cbass]

Nice camera, Adam. As I type this, a Z-4 is on its way to me from the Ukraine. The model that I purchased looks the same as yours except that it has the ribbed cloth covering and no strap lugs. I guess it's a later model. Also, mine has a non-standard black Industar-50 lens (my reason for buying the camera).

This will be my second Zorki-4. I purchased one last year solely for its tabbed white J-8 lens, which I use with great satisfaction on my Bessa R. I ended up selling the Zorki body; for some reason I never grew to like it. Maybe things will be different this time.

Also, I feel silly admitting this but it took me a few rolls of film before I realized that trick with the rewind knob. I shredded my fingers for no reason! 😀 Oh, the fun of FSU cameras!

 

[jody]

The Zorki 4 is fun to use, you should enjoy it. I have two of them my 63 model which looks just like yours is engraved, my 67 model with the ribbed covering is almost all worn off. The 67 also has 50 years of soviet power or something like that stamp on top plate.

 

[Adam-T]

I was hoping to get one with a Different lens (so I could see how it would compare to the J8) but at least this gives me a chance to see if my J8 is up to scratch 🙂 . the Industars i`ve seen have been F3.5 and the Jupiter is very sharp at F3.5 anyway.. I have to say that the J8 freaked me out when I first used it (Black 1973 vintage one) - there are no clicks to the aperture ring and it moves around when you focus (though doesn`t alter of course), the focussing is very loose on mine (and I don`t expect a 1960s one to be any stiffer).. The strange thing is that all the J8s i`ve seen so far have been black and have dented filter rings ;-)

Thanks for the years Jody, it would seem that the camera is between 1963 and 1967 (Xayraa said before 1965) - It`d be nice if it was a 1964 model as then it`d be the same age as me - LOL .. The camera, lens and case was only £13.50 + carriage (UK) , given that I got a J8 last week on E-Bay for £1.25 (£3 to the door) with no front cap and a dented filter ring , that would make the camera costing about a Tenner !! . that`s value ;-)

 

[jody]

Yeah I was born in 64 too would be cool to have a camera my age I think all mine are older or younger. Get a jupiter 12, you can use the same viewfinder. I use a 12 on my Zorki 4 and I just loaded film onto a Zorki 2c with a jupiter 8 that I am gonna try out today. I bought so many cameras at once that i still haven't used all of them.

 

[Ash]

The biggest catch is definitely that you'll wanna buy more FSU cameras!

 

[rbiemer]

Adam,
Welcome aboard! Nice looking Zorki you've got there! If yours has the silkscreened shutter speeds, this thread will help:
A Solution to the Dreaded Worn Silkscreen Syndrome.
One of the helpful members here posted this(Thanks, comp_wiz101!)
Hopefully you won't need it but I try to mention this as often as I can.
I don't own a Z4 yet so I can't offer much more info/advice except have fun with it! And, please share some photos when you can. And let us know what your next FSU(Former Soviet Union) camera will be!😀
Rob

 

[Adam-T]

Jody, I have the CV 35mm F2.5 Colour Skopar PC which alleviates the need for a Jupiter 12 but knowing me, if I see one at the right price, I`d pick it up for curiosity..

I have also the CV 90mm F3.5 APO lanthar which has a tongue to press the rangefinder coupler, the Zorki manual on the link I posted said some of these types of lenses won`t work on the Zorki-4. I`m hoping it will, has anyone tried one? . I was going to get a Jupiter-9 but there have been reports of focussing probelms with the R-D1 and Bessas so I played safe and got a mint boxed CV90 ..

Ash - I doubt I`ll start collecting FSU Bodies, LOL - I`m only interested in L39 mount cameras (Ruling out Kiev unfortunately) and I didn`t like the look of the FED4 and FED5 so decided that a Zorki would be the best bet (I may collect Zorkis though ;-) and would like one of the FSU built Leica III replicas. I was choosing between the Zorki-4K and Zenit-E in 1977 but wanted an SLR due to the multitudes of cheap telephoto glass in M42 mount, I luckily found a cheap tatty Pentax spotmatic - I added a Zenit TTL later in 1980 as a backup, and moved to a K1000 in 1982-ish I only gave the Zenit away last year .. I`ve always liked FSU cameras, they always offered amazing bang for buck and of course are far better built than the cheap plastic AF SLRs which appeared at the end of the 80s..

Thanks for the welcome Rob . Great link !! I hope I won`t EVER need it and that I scored lucky and got an Engraved dial ..

Here `s a Pic from the R-D1 anyway with that CV 35mm F2.5 at ISO800 🙂

 

[rbiemer]

Adam,
If the "tongue" on the CV 90 retracts fully when it's focused at minimum distance it may be usable. Personally, I wouldn't try it but I guess you could remove the back,lock open the shutter on "B" and see how it looks?
A better alternative might be the 90mm/f4 Elmar--pretty inexpensive for Leica and I love the look of the early, uncoated version I own.
I wouldn't dismiss the J-9 either; get one from a good seller and it should be fine. The first one I had was an ebay buy and someone had previously done some "maintainance" on it. Not a good lens. I did get a good one(from another RFF member) and it is one of my favorite lenses.
Fedka(http://www.fedka.com) here in the US is excellent and Oleg(http://www.okvintagecamera.com) is another dealer I like very much.
If you get either the Elmar or the J-9, I strongly recommend the appropriate lens hood!
Nice work with the CV 35!
Rob

 

[Adam-T]

To be honest, 90mm isn`t my most used focal length, I like compressed street with the 135mm effective I get on the RD1 but I doubt I`d be doing any portraiture with the Zorki (more B&W still life type shots and landscapes) but if a J9 wanders into my path, I`ll grab it and give it a gom same for any other FSR lenses, I can check them out on the R-D1 before wasting any film...

The Tongue on the CV90 protrudes less than 1mm so I hope that it`ll be fine. I couldn`t imagine them making a lens which isn`t fully compatible with as many cameras as possible . the 35 uses a ring type system like the Jupiters .. Thanls for the kind words on the pic 🙂

 

[raid]

Today I used two Zorki 4 cameras. One of the two Zorki-4's is a 4k. They have their limitations when compared with a Leica M3 or M6, but they are worth more than what their prices are these day. Here is a pic of the two Zorki-4 used today.

The viewfinder is [as mentioned above]sometimes tricky, and I have many times gotten back images of people without complete heads! Inow use an external viewfinder with the Zorki. In the end, it is lens that really makes a difference and not the camera body. I have here a Canon 50mm/1.2 that I use wide open with ASA100 film, and the Nikkor 50mm/2 also used with ASA100 film.

Raid

 

[reagan]

Adam, congrats on the new FSU acquisition. Looks like you've got a nice looking example there. Worst part of FSUs is WAITING ON THE STINKIN' MAILMAN !!

"I may collect Zorkis though ;-) and would like one of the FSU built Leica III replicas."

Ahhh, yes... As has often been said around here, "Welcome to the Slippery Slope!" It's good you've already realized your condition... don't fight it... enjoy the slide. 😱 One of the first signs is when you're planning your next purchase before the first package ever arrives. 🙄 (I bought my first Zorki "just to get the lens..." .... uh, right.)

As per non-FSU lenses on Zorkis/FEDs, here's a thread that might be worth checking out FYI along those lines.

Good luck, ENJOY! and see ya round the FSU hangout.

 

[Adam-T]

LOL Reagan.. I actually managed to get a J8 without the camera but would have done it "Properly" (IE:- with a 4K attached) if one had shown up before ;-) .. I`ll check the finder and framing pics, thanks for the Tip Raid ..

This is a fantastic forum, an amazing amount of information, i`m sure that if there`s something wrong with it when it comes, there`ll be a thread here on how to fix it ! .. Amazing..

 

[Superbus_]

My first rf camera was a zorki 4. I bought it last year just for fun: a 50 years old full mechanical camera. After the first test roll I realised that this is something more serious than I expected. Than I bought my zorki 4 k and the yashica electro GSN and a Konica rf and...
Now I mostly use rangefinders thanks to my first zorki 4.
40 - 50 years ago in Hungary as a former communist country zorki and fed cameras were quiet common ones (on the other hand I think Hungarian more prefer german cameras) but it is interesting to think about that there are very few people who are using this superb camera nowadays: and who are these people? people who can afford dslr cameras and just want to try something more interesting.

I'm very happy that i've found RFF and see that there are a lot of people who are using rf cameras!!!

 

[Adam-T]

RFF is superb - tons of info on any rangefinder you can mention - even the DRFs have their own forums !! ..

I came to Digital in 1998 via a Canon ION and a Digitizer for the CBM Amiga but regarding SLRs etc I was fully manual (Spotmatic then K1000 and Nikon FM2 & F3) right up to 2002 when I got my first AF SLR, a Digital Canon D60 . Strange, though Fitting that also my first Rangefinder is a Digital also - the R-D1 and I get a film one afterwards ;-) ..
I`ve always been a bit of a Luddite regarding film cameras as I STILL prefer my F3 to any AF film camera and prefer manual focus full stop so long as the focussing aids are good (the F3 is tops for this),,, yet I`ve been Digital for nearly 20 years in a very un-luddite way .. Only in 2002 did Digital replace film as my mainstay for my Job, the R-D1 will be very handy for candid and low light shooting as it`s handholdable at far lower shutter speeds than mirror-clattery SLRs.

 

[Adam-T]

My Zorki 4 has ARRIVED 🙂 🙂 🙂

It`s a 1963 engraved shutter dial model in better shape than I expected, the leather case is almost mint and the shutter curtain doesn`t appear to have any pinholes in 🙂 . The lens is also 1963 and a silver one with the non-rotating aperture ring complete with white opaque lens cap ..

The J8 like my black one doesn`t focus to infinity on the RD1, the rangefinder also confirms this , they appear to do so on the Zorki (going by the rangefinder patch) is this common? I took the lens apart to clean it as it was stiff and it`s running smoothly now, it`s a lot sharper than my black one wide open .

A couple of questions if you may 🙂 ..
1:- the RF patch is just an undefined haze of yellow in the middle of the viewfinder (unlike the solid square you see in CV / Leica RFs) is this normal? , it focusses ok..
2:- Are these cameras likely to have light seal issues with the sliding back removal system, are there any tips for this ?

Thanks in advance, It`s a well made camera which seems heavier than the Z4K I briefly played around with a couple of weeks back