Which FSU Camera?

lawrence

lawrence

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It seems I have a bit of a problem -- I can't make up my mind about the FSU cameras and whether they are for me or not. It would be easy to forget about them but I have a lovely J-3 lens that gives wonderful results and I need to stick it on something! One of the main problems in choosing a camera for my lens is that I wear glasses and it seems that most FSU finders have been designed to scratch bourgeous plastic lenses. Also, the two FSU cameras I have owned (Zorki-5 and Fed 3a) have not appealed to me in other ways -- the Zorki because it was a bottom loader and not very well finished and the FED because it's rather slow to use (significantly slower than my Canon RFs). If anyone has any thoughts about what I should try next please let me know!
 
All soviet finders are pretty inaccurate and scratch glasses. At least the scratching can be take care of with some paint-on electrical tape. I would recommend a Zorki 3 because supposedly its one of the better finished zorkis (thought I have never used one myself). I like my zorki 1, but I only use it with wide lenses where I dont need to focus or look through its viewfinder...
 
Hi, I'm new to RFF, so if I don't work the system right please forgive and advise,

I'm not certain what a J-3 is but I suspect it's a screw thread 50, -- if so, maybe you can't beat a zorki 4 for value for money.

Alternatively, a good user M3 is a joy forever.

Regards.
 
What kind of lens mount do you have? Bayonet or LTM (or LSM as you prefer)?
If its bayonet mount it should be Contax/kiev type, so you do not have many choices.
If not, perhaps Feds or Zorkis would be of choice.
The only experience I can tell you of is about Kiev 4. Its a pretty nice camera with the famous Contax grip as most visible feature from the outside. The best it has (if its working properly is the RF accuracy due to its design (no mirrors, just prisms). It doesn´t have any VF fittings for correction lens so it won´t be perhaps the best choice. It all depends on the lens you have or if you accept trading it for another lens/camera.
 
Ernesto.

There is a diopter lens fitment for Kiev RF cameras. I have one and they sometimes appear for sale by Russian/Ukranian sellers on eBay.

Roger
 
I have a Jupiter-3 50mm f1.5 in LTM (I don't think they made it for the Kiev). I want to buy a body for this lens rather than a lens/body combo. It's a great lens but, for the reasons given, I didn't like the Zorki-5 for the FED 3a (though I prefer the FED to the Zorki).
 
Try the Zorki 4. It's got a big, bright 1:1 (I think) finder, removable back, full range of shutter speeds, and it can be had pretty cheap. The 4K version even has a wind lever (the 4 has a knob). Watch out for the print on the shutter dial, though. It was actually printed, not engraved, and in a lot of cases it's been rubbed off. Try to get an engraved one if you decide to go that route.

Of course, that lens is LTM mount, so it'll fit on any camera with LTM threads. You could go for an old Canon RF or even a more modern Bessa R or T.
 
"Try the Zorki 4. It's got a big, bright 1:1 (I think) finder, removable back, full range of shutter speeds, and it can be had pretty cheap".

I agree with captainslack. I have the J3 which is a Contax mount . I have used it in my IIIa with similar results to the Sonnar which it is a facsimile of. I have today, after an interminable wait, acquired a Kiev 4 with an engraved shutter dial, in excellent condition, and look forward to using the J3 with it.

I also wear glasses, but can focus without as the rangefinder on the Zorki is very clear and bright. It would not be too hard as has been suggested to put a rubber or similar covering to the viewfinder ring.

Good luck!
 
I'm surprised no one has mentioned the Zorki 6, hindged back, lever wind and can be purchased cheaply. The newer Zorki 5 may also be a choice. I see that Oleg at okvintagecamera has a 5 body for $38.
 
Since posting this back in August I've purchased a Zorki 3M -- which is beautiful and easily the nicest FSU camera I've tried -- and have ordered some glasses protectors from Japan (read about them somewhere on this site). I've tried the paint-on electrical tape on my Canon L1 but it just peeled off, so hopefully the protectors will stick on that as well.
 
lawrence said:
Since posting this back in August I've purchased a Zorki 3M -- which is beautiful and easily the nicest FSU camera I've tried -- and have ordered some glasses protectors from Japan (read about them somewhere on this site). I've tried the paint-on electrical tape on my Canon L1 but it just peeled off, so hopefully the protectors will stick on that as well.
Click to expand...
Congratulations! The Zorki 3M is an especially nice FSU cam.

Gene
 
The 3 looks very funky with the separate slow speed dial but I've heard that the slow speeds are unreliable -- is this true? My other FSU camera is a Fed 3a, however I think the Zorki has a nicer finder and the shutter release is better positioned too (a bit too far back on the 3a). That's not to say that the 3a isn't a nice camera, only the Zorki is better!

I did have a weird experience with the 3M however -- my black J-12 won't fit on it (the thread seems to bind). My silver J-12 fits perfectly, however, as does the J-3. All three lenses fit fine on the Fed 3a!
 
lawrence said:
The 3 looks very funky with the separate slow speed dial but I've heard that the slow speeds are unreliable -- is this true? My other FSU camera is a Fed 3a, however I think the Zorki has a nicer finder and the shutter release is better positioned too (a bit too far back on the 3a). That's not to say that the 3a isn't a nice camera, only the Zorki is better!

I did have a weird experience with the 3M however -- my black J-12 won't fit on it (the thread seems to bind). My silver J-12 fits perfectly, however, as does the J-3. All three lenses fit fine on the Fed 3a!
Click to expand...


The Zorki 3 is known for having problems with the slow speed dial--something about the rod that goes from the dial to bottom of the camera -- that's why they came out with the 3M. I have a Z3 I got from Oleg and haven't had any problems, but I haven't used it much. The 3M is definately a better choice for shooting.
 
I can't say that the Zorki 3M is better camera than the FED 3a, as I also have a FED 2 and I must say I admire the simplicity of the FED design.

I bought my Zorki 3 from a Ukraine selller who has CLA'd offerings. My 3M was having new shutter curtains installed at the time and I couldn't wait. In addition to losing the front slow speed dial, the Zorki 3M has a straight forward progression of shutter speeds its the top dial . Also, its shutter release button is tad higher than on the 3.

On both my 3 and 3M, I installed a patch of of gaffers tape to brighten the contrast of the RF patch. (See Rick Oleson's Amazing RF Enhancement )
 
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