Viewfinder Magnification on FEDs and Zorkis?

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dgray

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Greetings! Just this week I received my first Soviet LTM cameras - a FED 2 and Zorki 4 (thanks Kim Coxon, they both got here safely and are wonderful!). The viewfinder on the FED 2 is what I expected, but the Zorki 4 blew me away! I was NOT expecting a finder that big and bright. What REALLY surprised me though, was the high magnification of the Zorki's finder. It appears that the diopter adjustment makes a bit of a difference in the mag, but when I adjust it for my eyes the view is greater than lifesize! I've read all the standard websites and hung around here for a year (before beginning to post recently), and I've never read about this feauture before. Maybe it's just one of those things everyone knows and takes for granted, but I am delighted by it.

I wasn't really planning on using the Zorki that much, but know it has got me thinking. I regularly use my hexar RF, which has a great finder that I love, but it is .6. I don't like using a 50mm lens on it because the framelines are so small, so I primarily shoot a 40 and 24 on the Hexar. I've discovered, however, that I miss the 50 terribly, and now wonder about getting a high mag body to compliment the Hexar. Although I'm familiar with all the standard options for this (M3, .85 M, R3a, Canons...), I'm now intrigued by this Zorki.

My real question here is, are there any other Soviet LTMs that have a high mag finder like this Zorki? I might just use this Zorki, but for a body that I would regularly use as a daily shooter I'm more interested in the Zorki 6 (and maybe 5) because of the hinged back, modern advance lever, and longer rangefinder base for a 50/1.5 lens. Does the Zorki 6 have the same viewfinder as the 4? Does anyone know of a link where viewfinder mags are listed and discussed? Thanks for any help you can give!

Del
 
Del ~

Zorkis 3, 3M also have the focusing diopter adj VF like the 4. In a recent PM re: concerning a similar topic about the Zorki.5, RFF member je2a3 wrote me: "The VF of the Zorki 5 and 6 is not lifesize like the Z3 or 4. It is the same size as the Fed 2 but much brighter just like the Z3 and 4. Also with a longer 69mm RF baselength, the moving image travels a bit slower than a Z3 and 4, thus focusing should be just as accurate."

Also, the Zorki.5 is a bottom loader, not hinged back like the 6, if that's a deterant.

Info on FED VFs will have to be offered from others; don't have one myself. Hope this helps a little. I also have several FSU links on my blog shown in my signature... click on the "Page 2" link here...
 
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Thank you both, that is just what I needed. I've read Gandy's site a hundred times and never saw that page - thanks for the link. Interesting, though, that Gandy lists the viewfinder mag for the Zorki 3, 4, 5, and 6 all exactly the same at 1:1 lifesize while the user report from je2a3 suggests that it is less so. It is also interesting that Gandy lists the FED 2 as also having a 1:1 finder, but the FED 2 I have in my other hand at this very moment has a significantly more reduced magnification than the Zorki 4 I just put down. The FED 2 looks MUCH closer to the .6 mag of my Hexar RF than the Zorki, in fact just the tiniest bit greater. This agrees with je2a3 above who implies that the FED 2 is also not 1:1 and that the Zorki 6 is a brighter version of this same size. Anyone else with a Zorki 4 and 6 that wouldn't mind doing a hands on comparison of the viewfinder magnification of both? Again, thanks for all the help.
 
As I mentioned, I'm clueless about FEDs, but the fact that they were made 1955-70 makes me think there might have been LOTS of variations. Hopefully others will shed some light. Interesting though, heh?
 
Yeah, I was thinking the same thing about potential differences within models, especially during the early years. The viewfinder mag, however, seems like such a major element to a camera's design that it would surprise me if this changed, unlike things like flash syncs and self timers. That's kind of why I was asking if anyone else has these same two Zorkis side by side and can do a comparison of the viewfinders. Are there different viewfinders on Zorki 6s, or are they all the same mag? Is it clear that the 6 universally has a smaller mag finder than the 4? Does anyone have a Zorki 6 that is definitely 1:1? Again, thanks for all the help.

Del
 
Dont sell the Fed 2's viewfinder too short, it has such high contrast that it focuses easier than many others, even in lower light!
 
I don't have a 6. I have a 5 "in the mail" (with FSUs, there's always something on the way... :rolleyes: ) and the models listed in my sig. But I would seriously doubt if there were diverse VFs on Zorki.6s.
 
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O, I dont know, Dave. I love my fed 2, but I find it very, very hard to use in lowlight. I have a feeling I am shooting with a blindfold ;)
 
Well, maybe not low low, but it does better than it first appears. The rangefinder patch has a lot of contrast.......
 
I tremble at the thought of contradicting Mr Gandy, but the Zorki 5 and 6 certainly do not have the same VF magnification as a Zorki 3 or 4!

They seem much the same as a FED 2, but much brighter and more contrasty.
 
Gandy is dreaming. The Zorki-6 VF is about mag 0.75. I have handled a few other Z-6s and there was nothing to suggest they were any different. Now why are you not surprised to hear that ? Life size finders are pretty thin on the ground, and the notion that a camera like a Zorki-6, or any Zorki, would mysteriously change its finder so radically and so quietly is absurd. Such a camera would probably be a Zorki-7. I recall the VF on the Zorki-4 was better than mine. I guess this and the slow speeds is what made it a bit up-market, even though those sold round here had the same rigid I-50. Maybe they are 1:1. I would be surprised if it was and I don't believe any VF is greater than 1:1. I have not compared the Zorki-3. It is reputed to have a humungous finder but that may merely be relative to its predecessors.
 
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Yes, I did notice that the FED2 has a contrasty rangefinder patch, but the overall size and brightness of the viewfinder are still a handicap for me. I'm addicted to those big bright beautiful views. That's why the Zorki 4 was such a nice surprise. There is no question at all that mine is 1:1 - when I look through with both eyes open the image coming in from the viewfinder is clearly slightly bigger than the one coming in from my naked left eye. The diopter makes a surprising amount of difference in the visible mag, so I'm sure that is why it is bigger than 1:1 for my vision, albeit just a little. It sounds like the Zorki 6 is less. That's a little disappointing, but still maybe worth a look. How about the Zorki 4k? I see that it has an advance lever as well. Same finder as the 4?
 
The Zorki-6 is worth a look. The VF is pretty good, a lot better than the FED-1, which is about 1:2. I believe the FED-2 is about the same as the FED-1. The lever wind is not that great an asset. It invariably needs two strokes and the lever is uncomfortable.
 
I still need to pick up a Zorki 4/4k and a FED 2, in good time.

I have a Zorki 6, currently, and I'll attest -- the finder is NOT life-sized. However, it is nice and bright, with good contrast, and a long RF base. It works quite nicely.
 
Interesting thread.

I just dug out a few of my cameras to check the VF mag and I was surprised by the results.

Both my MIR (Zorki 4 w/out slow speeds) and my Zorki 4K have a VF mag slightly more than 1:1. This is with the diopter pushed all the way towards the lens, adjusting the diopter increases the magnification even further but its like looking thru the bottom of a coke bottle at anything but fully towards the lens for me :D

My Zorki 5's (Red 5 and the plain vanilla versions) and Zorki 6's share the same finder as each other with a lower magnification, I'm guessing about .7 or .8 ??

My FED2, FED3a (and b version) and FED5 seem to have the same mag and coverage but are dimmer than the Z5/Z6

The FED's finders have a green tint making them dimmer with a clear to slight amber RF patch and the Z5/Z6 have the opposite.

I also measured the eye piece lenses and the VF window on the front for what its worth. The first measurement is the eye piece, in mm.

MIR - 6x4.2, 19x12.4
Z4k - 6x4.2, 17.9x12.4
Z5/Z6 - 6.1dia, 14.5x9.5
FED2 - 5.2dia, 14.7x9.6
FED3a/b & FED5 - 5.8dia, 14.7x9.6

So the Zorki 4/4k/MIR (and the 3/3M I think) have the best finders of the more common Soviet LTM RF’s (That is if 1:1 and bright is your thing). I can't comment on the Leningrad and Drug (Yet anyway, I have a Drug in the mail :cool: )
 
Laika - remember that the diopter adjustment is for eyesight differences, not for magnification per se. So if to you it looks like the bottom of a coke bottle , it won't to someone who needs that correction. The primary reason for the diopter adjustment is to make it possible for people who wear glasses to do without them - but that's a tall order.

The Zorki-4 was the model produced the longest, and supposedly outlasted the 5 and 6 in production, being also the last Zorki made. I have two 4's, among several other Zorkis. I've often wondered why, after the 4, the 5 suddenly went back to bottom-loading. The Soviets seem to have had trouble making up their minds about some things.
 
dll927 said:
Laika - remember that the diopter adjustment is for eyesight differences, not for magnification per se. So if to you it looks like the bottom of a coke bottle , it won't to someone who needs that correction. The primary reason for the diopter adjustment is to make it possible for people who wear glasses to do without them - but that's a tall order.
Click to expand...

I agree with what your saying. What I was getting at is I was unable to really see how much the magnification changed because I couldn't see thru the finder when I moved the diopter, but what I could see was the mag increased what seemed to my eye a lot. :)
 
Thanks for the info. I guess I'll just have to pick up a Zorki 6 and take a look myself, although judging from these reports it sounds like I'll be happier with the viewfinder on the 4. Whether the difference in finders is worth the extra conveniences of the 6 remains to be seen.
 
When I first considered buying something with knob-wind, I sort of dreaded it... but took the plunge. I don't do a lot of [or any I guess] hurry up shooting, so after a short time the knob-wind became a preference... don't miss lever-wind at all. IMHO, I'd go for the VF you want regardless of wind.
 
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