Questions before buying a Zorki camera

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bresticus

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Hi, after having been shooting with various digital cameras for years, I want to shoot with films again. My last film-camera was the Olympus XA rangefinder. Now I shoot with the Fujifilm X100 (in a Zorki case with the screen disabled). I have no special reason to buy such or such camera, since I have no lens collection. I enjoyed working on a Zorki case for fixing my Fujifilm X100 inside, and I feel a FSU rangefinder should be a good starting point...

I have various questions:
a) I read much concerning film-loading in the Zorki, and I found two different things: according to what is described there, you can load a film in your Zorki camera while waiting in the restaurant (as long as you have some pair of scissors with you); but according to this (english) manual, you need to be in total darkness. I want to be able to load a (35mm) film anywhere. Could I have some light concerning this?
b) It looks like moscowphoto on eBay is quite reliable, isn't it? You can find many Zorki(s) said to be "excellent"; should I expect these cameras to be ready to work?
c) It looks like the Zorki-4 is a good choice; I also like the idea of the Zorki-C. I never use a flash; I don't need a self-timer. Could I have some hints for choosing between both? Do you see another good choice?

Thank you by advance, best regards, B.
 
I have shot four rolls with my Zorki-4 up to now and each time I have loaded the film in the street... Of course, I lose some shots at the beginning of the roll (I get 35 on a 36-exposure roll), but that has been the only side-effect up to now.

I always thought that leader-cut technique is only for bottom-loading cameras, and Zorki-4 is back-loading. So, I have never cut the leader when loading films, and have never encountered problems. Being a newbie, I would like to hear the opinion of an experienced user on that.

A clean copy of Zorki-C should be on average more valuable than an equally clean Zorki-4. Cs are older and have not been as mass-produced as 4s. Personally, I like 4's large, clear viewfinder, but I guess C's viewfinder shows less parallax as its location is closer to the lens mount. Maybe a C owner can correct me on that.

I don't know the seller you are mentioning, but I had a look at his boutique and he has many beautiful and clean items. The only turnoff is that he sells all his Zorki-4 bodies with Industar lenses. I wouldn't buy that lens as my first, but this can be subjective. I really prefer what I get out of Jupiter-8.

Have fun and keep us posted about your adventure...

Mah

P.S. It is common sense (and common sense might be wrong) that the older the Zorki-4s are, the better their production quality is. I don't have precise statistical data to support that statement, but I wanted my camera to be old enough to have all the scripts engraved on it, on the front, on the back, and on the dials. I find the silk-screen printed scripts cheap and I don't like to feel like I have a toy in my hand when taking photos. So, I got one old enough (1966) to have all the beautiful engravings. Now, I actually prefer natural leather to the vulcanite finish, but if you are a purist you may want to search for a copy that is old enough to have both the engraved scripts and the vulcanite finish.
 
There are a number of different models of the Zorki. You are only considering the Zorki-4 and Zorki-C? Why have you decided on those two only? I suggest the Zorki-4K and Zorki-6 as well worth considering also; neither of these requires special measures in loading film -- just open the back (slides off or swings open) and load the film.

I do not know moscowphoto's reputation. There are many people out there (including people here) who will be happy to sell a good working Zorki to you for not much money.
 
My personal favorites are the bottom loaders like the Zorki 1, Zorki C, or Zorki 2C. I prefer them because the bodies are thinner and because, without the removable back, they are less prone to light leaks. With a collapsible Industar-22, these cameras fit easily into a pocket.

If you are in the US, I would buy from www.fedka.com. Among ebay sellers, I have had good luck with alex-photo and Kubanoid. (No financial interest in any of the above.)
 
bresticus said:
...
I have various questions:
a) I read much concerning film-loading in the Zorki, and I found two different things: according to what is described there, you can load a film in your Zorki camera while waiting in the restaurant (as long as you have some pair of scissors with you); but according to this (english) manual, you need to be in total darkness. I want to be able to load a (35mm) film anywhere. Could I have some light concerning this?
...
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For bottom loader Zorkis, you need film with a long leader. My method is to cut the film at home (takes about 30 - 60 s) and take one or two of the prepared film casettes with me.

With long leader film, loading is not a real problem. Even though I pefer to do the film change while sitting down somewhere. (Yesterday there was a bench just 20 m away when I had to change films.)

With the Zorki 4 you don't need to pre-cut film.
 
With Zorki 4 you never know what gets into your frame. It has no frame borders. Get the Zorki-6 instead + Jupiter-3 for 50mm. And Jupiter-12 + VI viewfinder for 35 mm.
Zorki-1 is also a great camera.

If you still want to go on with Zorki-4, get the one with the engraved "Zorki" on it: much better quality compared to the one with paint written "Zorki".

My Zorki-6 review
 
With my bottom loading Zorkis, I carry two loaded with film so that I can switch when I get to the end of a roll. Then I reload the first one when I get to a spot where I can sit down.
 
You might want to look at the "Choosing an FSU" thread at the top of this sub-forum to get some idea of pros and cons of each model. As for the Zorki 4 or C, the C has small and squinty, separate RF/VF windows but they're surprisingly usable and it's a nice compact camera. The 4 has a much bigger, brighter and combined VF/RF but the framing is a little more iffy. The 4 also has a range of speeds down to 1 second, as opposed to only 1/30th for the C. I would add a FED 2 and Zorki 6 to your list of considerations.

Concerning loading film, it's never a good idea to load film in bright light, no matter what camera. Always load in subdued light, even if it's just your own shadow on a sunny day. You don't need complete darkness, however.

For the the bottom-load cameras (FED 1/Zorki 1/C/2/2C/5), you need to trim the leaders, Leica-style. For the others you do not. It is possible to load a standard leader in a bottom loader but it's messy and fiddly, takes longer and you risk damaging the camera. Some people do it routinely but at your own risk is what I would advise. Take a few pre-cut films with you and you won't have problems.
 
Pfreddee said:
Go to w3.fedka.com and get one from Yuri. He's out of New York, and he stands behind his stuff.

With best regards.

Stephen
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Moscow photo are completely reliable.They are a serious outfit that provide very good [ if a little ex[pensive] service.
Do not assume that because a seller is based in a `foreign' country they are not to be trusted.😉
 
wolves3012 said:
You might want to look at the "Choosing an FSU" thread at the top of this sub-forum to get some idea of pros and cons of each model. As for the Zorki 4 or C, the C has small and squinty, separate RF/VF windows but they're surprisingly usable and it's a nice compact camera. The 4 has a much bigger, brighter and combined VF/RF but the framing is a little more iffy. The 4 also has a range of speeds down to 1 second, as opposed to only 1/30th for the C. I would add a FED 2 and Zorki 6 to your list of considerations.
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Thank you for all your answers.

I browsed a little, and found that indeed, Zorki 6 would be a good choice; now I have to choose rather between the C and the 6. What would be a good reason to choose the older one (I ask because I like its shape, its size, etc.)? Which one has the best build quality? Is the size difference noticeable?

I like the C more but I have the feeling that using the 6 would be easier. On the other hand, I don't want to buy such a camera because it is easy to use (I already have several digital cameras for that 😉).
 
Both are all metal and not at all flimsy. However the Zorki-6 has a weakness that the C does not, in that the catch on the back is poorly designed and is in some cases rather loose so that it can be dislodged simply by fitting the camera in the case with the result that the hinged back opens. The same catch design was used on some of the Zenit SLR cameras and KMZ eventually devised a Mod for this.
 
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