Newbie with a tech-type question.

[TimH]

Hello , mind if I join you ?
First a quick introduction, and I promise, there is a question at the end of this. I've been taking pictures and getting paid for it for quite a while now, mostly in the field of performing arts; and recently something a bit strange has been happening to me which will probably be familiar to you fellows. I've started de-evolving, technologically at least.
I kicked off many years ago with a pretty basic Mamiya SLR, with a needle meter which was wrong as often as it was right. Then I moved along to the low end of the Canon EOS hierarchy and started moving up, peaking at a EOS 5, before going, well bluntly, going digital. Everything trucked along nicely for a time, until the day when...
I was actually in the middle of photographing a wedding when I realised that I'd fired the shutter more times than I could count and all I had to show for it was a Flash-card full of garbage. It seemed that since it didn't matter if I screwed up the picture, because I could just do it over, I screwed up the picture. And the next one. It had happened the way they said it would; a smart camera had made a dumb photographer. With my film kit, I'd got to where I could shoot 36 on a roll and get some result from 34 of them.
This is by no means yet another film/digital , autofocus/manual rant because I still use all my stuff as the situation requires, but from digital I headed back to the film EOS, decided it was still smarter than me, picked up a T90 and some FD lenses and regained the pleasure of deciding on my own focus. And to complete my heavy trip back into the dark heart of picture-taking, here I am, surrounded by russian rangefinders, using a hand-held meter for the first time in years, realising I don't really need it that often, and getting a kick out of the whole thing again.
So far, a Kiev 4, FED's 4 and 2, Zorki S, and a 3M with a kaput shutter, which leads me, (at last), to the tech-type question.
The way I see it, as far as my 3M is concerned I have the option of sending it back home to get fixed, at twice what it cost me; or getting my hands dirty and sorting it myself. The wonderful Jay Javier makes it sound like a piece of cake, but I have my doubts, particularly glueing the fabric, resetting the tension and calibrating (although I am fascinated by the idea of using the picture on my TV screen to check shutter-speed !). My question is this; how feasible is it to simply transplant the entire shutter cage, complete with curtains from another, possibly newer Zorki ? How much do the innards vary across the range ? Zorki 4's are plentiful on the dreaded *bay, ( $21.00 for Pete's sake ?! ) Did things like redesigning the slow-speed mechanism lead to redesigning the whole shebang ?
Any advice or comments would be welcomed, and pleased to meet you.
Tim.

 

[Meakin]

Welcome Tim,

I´m sorry I cant help with the question - but at least I can give you a warm welcome !
And let me be the first to apologize before hand - ´cause now that you have ended up here, you will see a gradual decrease of cash in you wallet.

It just the way things go here - just roll with it and you will be fine 😉

Cheers,

Meakin

 

[kiev4a]

My question is this; how feasible is it to simply transplant the entire shutter cage, complete with curtains from another, possibly newer Zorki ? How much do the innards vary across the range ? Zorki 4's are plentiful on the dreaded *bay, ( $21.00 for Pete's sake ?! ) Did things like redesigning the slow-speed mechanism lead to redesigning the whole shebang ?
Any advice or comments would be welcomed, and pleased to meet you.
Tim.

Replacing the curtains isn't that difficult nor is shutter tensioning. The hardest part IMHO is getting into the camera to do it -- then getting it back together. I've done it several times on FED 1s and Zorki 1s but never the newer models although people assure me it's not that difficult --maybe even easier.

I don't think transplanting Z4 guts into a Z3 is fesible unless it is a 3C (which is a Z4 without a self timer). I've never heard that discussed. There are certainly parts thatare interchangable but not entire assemblies.

It will cost something to send your Z3 to someone like Oleg, but the Z3M I sent to him came back feeling about as much like a Leica as is possible for FSU equipment. And his price, even with shipping, isn't half what they would charge in the U.S. -- if you could find someone w2illing to do it

 

[TimH]

Meakin, I take your point about the cash problem. I guess it's about the difference between a high-end fancypants rig that costs a large bundle, and a dozen honest old-style cameras that cost a small bundle each. They've got me either way.
As for the shutter thing, I may just dive in. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Anyway, I had an EOS5 spread all over the desk not long ago, nothing can scare me now.
Tim.

 

[ZorkiKat]

Tim

Working on a Zorki-1 or FED-1 is quite easy. It's a piece of cake, so to speak, but only if you've eaten a lot of cakes....🙂 Camera repair does require some skills and tons of patience.

Transplanting the whole shutter crate, as opposed to replacing and retensioning (probably the easiest step to do) will lead to more trouble. All the concerns you have will just double or even triple. Transplanting will involve the same steps- disassembly, release of tensioning, etc- done with shutter repair or replacement. The shutter crate isn't even modular- to remove the thing, you'd have to strip down the entire camera. These cameras used a shutter whose mechanism is integral to the camera, unlike the neweer ones, like your Canon EOS which use what could be described as a 'snap-on' component.

The only thing which you won't be doing is gluing the curtains. But then again, there is a chance that the ribbons may break during the transplant so keep the Pliobond within reach during the process 🙂

And even if it were possible for you to transplant the shutter, the readjustments and re-fitting would likely be more problematic. Most parts were custom fitted to the cameras they were found in.

Jay (Javier)

 

[je2a3]

Hi Tim,

As others have adviced a transplant may not be the most feasible DIY option especially for a relatively less common and more complicated model such as the Zorki 3M, sending it to Oleg may be your best bet as already suggested.

If you are really interested in tinkering with FSU gear, an early Fed or Zorki 1 is a good starter project since it doesn't have the added complexity of a slow speed escapement, besides you've been to Jay's website and that illustrates how to do it on the very same camera.

I'm still a novice with regards to CLA and my first project last year was a Fed 2. After several sleepless nights I was successful but did not know exactly how I was able to make it work. I eventually got so frustrated with subsequent Fed and Zorki projects that I shipped them to Oleg who did a great job!

While waiting for their return GAS pressure intensified and I acquired a couple of early Feds and Zorkis. Determined to learn how they work I systematically studied Jay's website and Maizenberg's book. So far I've been getting good results doing my own CLA on Barnack clones and even a couple genuine Leica IIs. My most recent project was a Fed 3a with slow speeds. I haven't had time to put a roll of film into it but the TV shutter tester combined with ear/eye testing the slow speeds using an Oleg CLA'd Z4K and an M3 worked on by Sherry Krauter as references indicate that it would be fine.

CLA and fixing FSU Leica clone cameras is not really a piece of cake but anyone who is handy and patient can learn how to do it. For me it is a rewarding hobby in itself just like shooting and spending time in the darkroom developing pictures.

Good luck!

Joseph