Russian leather: that distinctive smell

K

Krasnaya_Zvezda

Guest
One of the thrills of opening a "yak string" package from the FSU is unwrapping the camera, holding it up to the eye, and getting a strong whiff of that distinctive "Russian leather" smell. I've grown so fond of it that I'll occasionally get one of the cameras out of the display case (usually after some quantity of vodka) just to get a whiff---- What is the origin of that smell anyway? Anyone from the FSU that can answer that? And can I buy a bottle of the stuff?
 
I don't know what that smell is, but one of my 1957 zorki 4 also has a distinctive smelling vulcanite. None of my feds or other zorkis smell this way. It almost smells like wood smoke.
 
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i would suspect the glue is what really smells through the leather/vulcanite.
Or the grease that came out of the camera/lens and got soaked into the leather.
 
My 3 Iskras came from heavy smoking users. I think US tobaco smells different and therefore the Russian smell is unfamiliar. They had a very distinctive red color and waxy finish which was due to the polish used on them I beliieve.

I asked one seller about the cases but didn't get an answer. I don't think most Russian sellers have any interest in these old cameras other than selling them to us "US camera nuts".

I'm also certain the Russian users did not attach the significance to their cameras many of us do to our photo playthings.

The condition of 2 of my cases attests to the durability of Iskras. They looked as if they had been tied to the back of a T34 tank through the various Russian campaigns. They all cleaned up well and now demonstrate the fine construction and materials used.

I wonder if any of the precision German stuff would be as durable? :)
 
Are we sure the leather was ever on a cow? Or should the phrase "High Ho Silver!" be kept in mind?
 
Whatever it is they last for years. My Fed2 and I have been together for 40+ yrs and with an occasional polish the case still looks and smells like new. Whereas my Pentax MX synthetic leather case disintigrated long ago.
 
I do not know why but this thread sounds like people are trying to get high by sniffing russian cameras... :eek:

Flowen
 
My last Zorki 1 had a funk like you wouldn't believe. The mailman was holding it out at arms length when he rang the doorbell. I just about fell down laughing. He wanted to know what was in the box from Moscow. When I told him it was a camera, he just walked away shaking his head.

- Randy
 
My Zorki 2C was the same way. I tried leather cleaners, even tried Febreeze (sp?) trying to get rid of it. No luck. Needless to say, that one is not included in the "pleasant" category. I could barely hold the camera up to my face to get a shot with it in that case. Well, I don't use that camera anymore anyway, the bottom loading is too much trouble. I think I put the case out in the garage, to keep rats away.
 
I may be a little different, but I have never had much love for camera cases. In short, when a new one gets here from the FSU, I toss the case. As far as I'm concerned, they don't need to send them. They usually look in much worse shape than the camera.

I will say one thing - they sure know how to wrap stuff over there. Usually, getting the shipping box open and the layers of padding off the camera and case takes some real doing.
 
dll927 said:
I may be a little different, but I have never had much love for camera cases. In short, when a new one gets here from the FSU, I toss the case. As far as I'm concerned, they don't need to send them. They usually look in much worse shape than the camera.
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I thought I was the only one that did that. :rolleyes:

As for lingering smells... When I put the case for my Nikon Photomic Ftn on eBay, I had had the thing since it was brand new. It came with the camera and I had no choice. It was brand new then and was still brand new when I sold it, camera had never been in it. I took a jillion nice pictures of it before eBaying the thing and it (the case alone) sold for damn near what I paid for the entire camera in 1972. It was literally 'New Old Stock' except the stockroom was my closet shelf. Some collector got a nice case.

It STILL had the 'new leather' smell.

Tom
 
For you guys who "toss the case", I wish you'd let me know when you are going to do that. If I can get a second case for one of my cameras, I turn it into a half-case so I still have something protecting the camera, but it's ready to shoot all the time. You could at least get a couple of bucks for them.
 
Nice to have a soul-mate. You say that Nikon was from 1972. In 1970 I bought a new Minolta SRT-101. As always in those days, it came with a case and a 50mm lens - that was a little before zoom lenses became popular.

These days, check out e-bay. Rarely does a camera come with a lens, especially if it is an upscale brand. As for cases, they usually don't even get mentioned.

Yes, I still have that Minolta - and the case. The camera probably hasn't been in the case in at least 30 years.
 
Cases are usually well damaged for a good reason. Thinking about how the camera would look like, if the first owner would have tossed the case already...:)


dll, that's strange to hear. Here cameras (SLR's) of that era still come mostly with a 50mm f/1.4 to f/2 slapped on them. By 'here' i mean marktplaats.nl, which is a dutch e-bay clone website meaning 'marketplace'.
 
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