Some advice, really...

[sweathog]

So. I come here seeking to the pick the brains of you who are, at least it seems to me, the go-to people when RFs are concerned.

I'm looking to get myself a new RF, and some lenses. I've been mulling things over, and I have come to the conclusion that something of USSR descent is the way to go. This is, predominantly, for one reason; I am a poor studenty type, and this seems to be the most financially viable option for me right now/in the near future. Now, that is as far as I have been able to get with my research.

So this is where I call on you guys. I need your recommendations for bodies/lenses, and also what I should expect to have to pay for them.

Any and all replies much appreciated.

 

[rbiemer]

Lots of good opinions about the choice of FSU gear around here.
A few threads to get you started are below.
My suggestion is to decide on a seller first; you will want some one you can expect honest dealings from.
So the first link is to a discussion here about Reliable sellers. The following links are more about the cameras them selves.
The various links:
Reliable Sellers?
Reccommend me a FSU
Which FSU camera has the best viewfinder?
Favorite FSU RF (?)
These ought to point you in the general direction.
And if they are too much info, please do ask more specific questions!
Good hunting,
Rob

 

[shadowfox]

You will undoubtedly get a lot of useful answers from the folks in this sub-forum. Allow me to be one of the first:

Look for a working Kiev 4AM. No.1 reason for me besides being a good value (cheap and good quality), is the "modern" film loading with non-removeable take up spool (the achilles heel for a lot of FSU camera samples out there).

The camera is beautiful (almost an exact Contax II copy), rough build-quality nonwithstanding it inherits a very elegant design. The standard lens that comes with it (Helios 103) is awesome. Here's an example picture:

 

[zorroflores]

Could be a good idea to give your $$ range to narrow the advice.

You can have a working set with as little as 20-25 USD plus 20 USD for shipping charges but of course the range of the toys widenes with the availble $$.

Carlos Flores

 

[ruben]

The used gear way of any type of camera, not just those of FSU, is full of traps and hard choices for the one in money shortage. Therefore you can help yourself by making an e x h a u s t i v e field research, starting at RFF and continuing with other links. Simply there is no ready answer with warranty of any kind, the paradox being in that you don't have extra money to cover for mistakes.

Thus for example you can get a faulty camera, or be driven to buy devices you didn't take into account, or pay customs, etc. etc.

Your own judgement based on an exhaustive research is the winning formula.

Cheers,
Ruben

 

[outfitter]

oh interesting thread.

a good friend is currently looking into buying a zorki 4k. could anyone here give some kind of very general overview and personal opinion of this camera?

The Zorki 4K is descended from the Zorki 3, Zorki 3M and Zorki 4. They are essentially the same with the addition of flash sync in the 4 and 4K (well some 3Ms had them on the body) which led to an ugly redesign (IMO) of the top. They have an excellent rangefinder. The 4K as a rapid advance winder. All of these Zorki's share a somewhat vague viewfinder - i.e. can't determine the edges. The Zorki 4K's main fault is that most had printed and not engraved speed dials which can rub off and become illegible (like mine).

Michael

 

[shadowfox]

The Zorki 4K is descended from the Zorki 3, Zorki 3M and Zorki 4. They are essentially the same with the addition of flash sync in the 4 and 4K (well some 3Ms had them on the body) which led to an ugly redesign (IMO) of the top. They have an excellent rangefinder. The 4K as a rapid advance winder. All of these Zorki's share a somewhat vague viewfinder - i.e. can't determine the edges. The Zorki 4K's main fault is that most had printed and not engraved speed dials which can rub off and become illegible (like mine).

Michael

I like the fact that the film take-up spool is non-removeable on the Zorki 4K, that means one less problem to worry about. On the other hand, I don't like the dorky Z O R K Y 4K label in front of the camera, that's really tacky. I love the version with the script Cyrillic letters engraved on older Zorki's.

Oh one more to the OP, if you're going the Zorki/Fed route, you are leaning towards the Leica-style rangefinder with focusing using the tab on the lens barrel. But if you're going the Kiev route, you're leaning towards the Contax "school" of camera design.

Both are cool, but I am preferring the Contax-way at the moment 😛

 

[sweathog]

Right, I had originally thought of going down the FED/Zorki route, not thinking of the Kiev's, but now my thoughts turn to that too.

To Shadowfox; what should I be expecting to pay (both body and lenses)?

Budgetwise, at least as a starting point, I was looking at around the £100 mark, but that's slightly variable.

 

[rxmd]

I got the rangefinder bug from a Zorki-6. It has a good feature set (advance lever, comparatively good finder, long rangefinder base, diopter adjustment) and I'd say it's one of the better entrance drugs for Leica screw mount rangefinders. Either that, the Zorki-4K (which is sort of the Lada of FSU rangefinders, they made it for ages) or the FED-2 if you want something more basic with knob rewind (great camera though). My Zorki-6 tends to eat film every now and then, and I heard here that they had somewhat of a reputation for doing so; I'm not sure if anyone else had the same problem.

If you don't depend on being able to reuse your lenses conveniently with a Leica you might buy at some point in the distant future, the Kiev series of rangefinders is an excellent choice, as they are very beautiful cameras with a good feature set, a very good rangefinder (dim, but very accurate) and a good shutter that is almost silent at 1/25 (much quieter than any Leica I've seen). The disadvantage is that it takes Contax mount lenses which are pretty much of an island compatibility-wise. Then again, at the prices of FSU lenses this doesn't really matter.

The best FSU rangefinder of all IMHO is the Drug. Might be difficult to find one within your budget though, depending on your budget.

 

[wolves3012]

Right, I had originally thought of going down the FED/Zorki route, not thinking of the Kiev's, but now my thoughts turn to that too.

To Shadowfox; what should I be expecting to pay (both body and lenses)?

Budgetwise, at least as a starting point, I was looking at around the £100 mark, but that's slightly variable.

Before choosing, decide what features you must have - like slower speeds or a long-base finder for more critical focussing, for instance. Lens choice and interchangeability will dictate whether you choose Kiev or FED/Zorki.

In the FED/Zorki range you can choose from meter/no meter, with/without slow speeds, with/without flash-synch and long/short base RF (not all combinations exist, however). The Zorki 4/4k is hard to beat for price/feature balance for a starter camera (more models are almost inevitable!). £100 here would set you up with a body, 50mm lens, at least one other lens (35/135) and an auxiliary finder.

In the Kiev range the choice is more a case of meter/no meter, since all the other variations are fairly minor. Kievs are very competent cameras but they are somewhat more complex and have limited lens availability. There is also the "Contax" grip to contend with, which some people cannot live with. A good Kiev would work out slightly dearer than FED/Zorki but you'd still manage the combination above on your budget, with a little care.

 

[TVphotog]

I would tell you to look for either a Fed 2 or if you want the wind lever, a Zorki 6. I haven't used a Fed 2, but everybody here seems to love them. I do have a Z3, Z3M, Z4, Z4K and a Z6. For some reason the Z3 and Z3M are my favorites. I think that is more aesthetics than useability. The Z6 beats the Z4K hands down any day in my book. The long rangefinder base make focusing more accurate. The winder, while some are 'gritty' looks and works better than the Z4K version. When equipped with a collapsing lens the Z6 makes a great pocket camera. Not too mention the hinged back makes film loading quick and easy. Good Z6s may cost a bit more, but in my book are well worth it.

 

[Peter_Jones]

Maybe a FED5 might be worth considering, it's a pug-ugly camera but that makes them even lower priced. As a bonus, the light meter may even work 🙂

Try to get one (applies to any FSU RF) that has been regularly used if possible, less likely to give nasty surprises (pinholed shutters, tearing films etc) and if you're not keen on the prospect of bottom-loading the film, Kievs use less arcane film loading. (note to self : must get myself a Kiev...)

Good luck,
Pete

 

[rxmd]

Oleg's page is here.

There's also a guy in Germany I know who sometimes has some FSU camera gear for sale; he cleans and overhauls them himself, and the rexusults are pretty good (link). If you're in Europe, they might be worth looking at; if you're in the US, the USD-EUR exchange rate might be a bit of a deterrent (more so than four years ago anyway...).

 

[shadowfox]

Right, I had originally thought of going down the FED/Zorki route, not thinking of the Kiev's, but now my thoughts turn to that too.

To Shadowfox; what should I be expecting to pay (both body and lenses)?

Budgetwise, at least as a starting point, I was looking at around the £100 mark, but that's slightly variable.

I paid $76 for my Kiev 4AM shipped from South Siberia. I opted for the cheaper economy shipping for $17 which took 40 days to arrive to my house.

The camera is mint with the Helios lens.

 

[sweathog]

Well, so far I think I'm leaning towards the Kiev 4AM (although a FED5 might also tempt me). It looks like I'm going to have to wait a little longer though, as it seems I am going to the states in 6 weeks, so I'll need to pay for that instead. Oh well, it can wait. That also means if anybody wants to change my mind, here is your chance.