Slow speeds on Feds and Zorkis--general query.

[SCOTFORTHLAD]

I never use anything speed slower than 1/30,and have traditionally been inclined to go for the Fed or Zorki models which don't carry any of the slow speeds.I'm a mechanical idiot in every way😱,but simpler mechanics in the shutter would seem to me to mean fewer potential problems.Is this a sensible assumption.

Or would it also be sensible to assume that if the slow speeds in the more complex shutters are just not used,or are possibly separated in the mechanism from the faster ones,then the same hopefully trouble free result would be obtained.If so this could open my horizons a little,even as far as a Zorki 3 which does appear to have a separate slow speed set up with it's separate dial

Cheers,
Brian.

Just musing,you know how it is.🙂

 

[reagan]

IMHO I believe your assumptions to be sensible. Like you, I generally stay above 1/30 or so. But I also like to keep my f-stop above 5.6 so on occasion there comes that low-light indoors opportunity that nudges me to reach for that *leedle* knob on the front of the camera.

I mostly use my Leica.IIIs and feel the slow speeds to be quite reliable there. At the present though, I've got the Zorki.3 loaded as my carry-round companion. The Zorki.3 has a long rep for being a slow-speed terror; "turn the little knob at the wrong time, set the slow speeds in the wrong sequence ... and KA-BLOOEY! Shutter-shambles."

At first these horror stories caused me some anxiety and steered me away from using the 3 that much. But in time I decided, hey, if it's gonna sit on the shelf, it might as well sit there broken - til then, I'm gonna shoot it. And to be honest, I've found it to be really fun and I just don't worry about it. Again, IMHO, the shutter dials/adjusting *feel* just as solid as my Leica.IIIs or Zorki.3M & 4 and not so fragile at all.

I realize the mechanics of the Zorki.3 are maybe not the greatest engineering in the world, but if one (a) gets one that works well to start with and (b) uses a little sense, pays attention to what he's doing and doesn't jump into a horrendous-high-speed-knob-cranking-frenzie, then I've got a notion the Zorki.3 can be used and enjoyed for years to come. Mine [I believe] was made in 1952 and while I don't know how many rolls were pulled through it before it landed on my doorstep, it's still kickin' n' clickin' after 57 years. Not bad for Russian.Iron with poopy slow speeds. 😎

 

[fanshaw]

I think that there is still the risk that failure of the slow speed mechanism will interfere with the higher speeds, so that cameras will slow speeds are less reliable than simpler cameras, like the Fed-2.

 

[reagan]

The only experience I've had with the slow-speed internals is what I've read about them. I use 'em, but I've never had to work on one. In other words, I'm an idiot. But, yep, a failed/broken/busted shutter is failed/broken & busted. And sure, the more moving parts there are, the more opportunity there is for something to move outta whack and then cease to move.

However, a slow-speed mechanism that is gunked up or just out of adjustment shouldn't necessarily effect the higher speeds. Over time, I've seen lots of ads for used gear with separate high-speed/slow-speed gadgetry: "Works fine; slow-speeds off." A little contradictory, but I get it. One mechanism works fine and one doesn't.

 

[fidget]

I found that the slow speed mechanics in most FEDs & Zorkis (not sure about the Z3) are a separate module. The cam can work on all other speeds and yet have a ruined slow speed mechanism.
In fact, in the Ebay description of one of my earlier FED3a purchases was: "Works well on all speeds", only for me to find that the slow speed mechanism was missing!! Haha!

Dave

 

[reagan]

"Works well on all speeds"

Oh, that's funny ... Well, he didn't say it "worked accurately" ... 😀