Which of the FSU Leica copies is best??

[Stradibarrius]

I am thinking about getting one of the FSU RF and was wondering from some of you who have them which do you like the best???
I am a glasses wearer if that makes a difference...

Have you ever bought one from the FSU?
On the auction site several of the russian sellers seem to have excellent feedback???

 

[Luxlover]

Kiev is the way to go.


Luxlover

 

[Spider67]

Strangely I've never been able to get hands on a decently working Leica II copy be it a Fed 1 or a Zorki 1. And I've tried it several times.
The Zorki 4 or 4K where the ones that worked very well. If they have pinholes they can be repaired easily. The Fed 3 is also a good one the Industar 61 lens you usually find on those is a very good lens. Another problem is that the lenses for them have become so popular now that the J 9's had a very steep rise in pricing. Also it brought many mishandled J 9's back on the market.
But the one FSU I use the most is a Kiev I bought from Spyderman.
Whereevre you buy just make sure to have the right to exchange it if it does not work!

 

[Warren T.]

The best one is one that you can find that has already been CLA'ed and tested from a reputable seller of FSU equipment. (for example, FEDKA in the U.S.). I personally like the Fed 2 or Zorki 4.

--Warren

 

[bgb]

I like the look of all of them!
Only owned an FED 2 it was a pleasant experience
Buy from someone that will give it a cla before you receive it and take it back or fix it if you have problems
http://www.fedka.com/catalog/

 

[Dave Wilkinson]

Kiev is the way to go.


Luxlover

......but not if you want long, trouble free performance! - see the dozens of 'tales of woe' threads on this forum!, and beware!.
Dave.🙁

 

[DanOnRoute66]

......but not if you want long, trouble free performance! - see the dozens of 'tales of woe' threads on this forum!, and beware!.
Dave.🙁

I haven't counted the number of "tales of woe" threads but I can say I have had Kievs for years and they have served me well. True, in the past several months, I've had to get my Kiev-IIa and one of my 4As overhauled, but then you're talking about cameras that were made, respectively, in 1957 and 1971. By comparison, my Olympus OMs needed overhauls after using each around 20 to 25 years. There are numerous comments about how an overhaul/CLA will cost more than the camera is "worth." Well, the overhauls the Eddy Smolov did for me cost about $65 each including return shipping. While I could have bought another 4A body for $65 (doubtful, though, on the IIa) I most likely wouldn't have any idea of when that "new" old body would need repair. On the other hand, I now have two overhauled bodies that should last me another 20 years, at least. When you're buying anything used that's 30 or more years old, even if it's a Leica, you need to buy from a reputable dealer who offers some kind of warranty. If not, you should assume that, at the very least, that new-old camera is going to need a CLA, so figure the purchase price accordingly.

Beyond that, the Kievs have excellent FSU lenses available and you also can use Carl Zeiss, Nikkor and Cosina Voigtlander lenses in Contax mount. That's an excellent range of choices for a camera system that essentially was designed before World War II.

 

[dll927]

I wonder how many more times we're going to get this "which one is best" question. And every time it comes up, there are a whole string of answers, none of which really answers the question. They are all personal opinions.

I have to agree that the seller is probably as important as the camera. There seems to be general agreement that it's hard to beat Fedka, and my own experience bears that out. Yuri may be more expensive than some of the foreign guys, but he's also probably more dependable.

Also, the "which one" question usually asks FED/Zorki or Kiev, so it usually eliminates the "other" one. I have several of both, mostly different models of each brand. And I also seem to feel that the Zorkis are better made than the FEDs, but I have more Zorkis, so that may influence the feeling.

Whether or not a given camera is worth paying for CLA has to be an individual decision, since we all have our priorities when it comes to values. And given that we're talking mostly about cameras and lenses made 40-50 years ago (or more), resurrecting an old camera is a personal choice.

 

[wolves3012]

I wonder how many more times we're going to get this "which one is best" question. And every time it comes up, there are a whole string of answers, none of which really answers the question. They are all personal opinions.

Quite a few times so far and no doubt more to come! That's one reason why I wrote the sticky on selecting one...

 

[-doomed-]

I had a kiev (not really a leica copy), i liked the feel of it but it never did really get used and i ended up selling it , but id love to try one that works well. Id also like to give a zorki 4k a whirl too . Although at this point if i were to buy another itd be from fedka so that i know it would be working and useable.

Ive heard good things about the zorki 4k , as well as good cla'd feds

 

[rbiemer]

I wonder how many more times we're going to get this "which one is best" question. And every time it comes up, there are a whole string of answers, none of which really answers the question. They are all personal opinions.

I think that this question should really be asked as, "which one do you like the best"?--all the cameras will serve if they are well working and the variations of them are many. And some will work better for you than they would for me. So it becomes mainly a matter of personal opinion.
I can't answer definitively which one is best for any one else but myself.
But I can (and have) answered these questions byy stating which one(s) I prefer and why I do so. Hopefully that will let the questioner at least narrow down their choices. Particularly when buying on line--not having the opportunity to physically handle any of them until after spending one's money--it is helpful to be able to sort out which ones might work best for oneself. Getting others' opinions about their cameras and their experiences with the various models and sellers can help that.
And, frankly, some of these folks may well be asking the "which one" questions as much to gain a sense of the community here as to get info about the cameras.
Rob

 

[David Hughes]

Hmmmm

Hmmmm

Well, the best copy would be a FED or Zorki made up to the point in the early 50's when they changed the shutter release surround from a milled tube to a trumpet mouthpiece shape (or lavatory seat as some have it).

But that's me putting the emphassis on the word "copy" as in "look alike" - something they don't do on ebay very often. And there's still a few more points that stick out like a sore thumb between the two.

As for using the thing, they are just like the Leica of the same age. So you can be lucky or very unlucky or somewhere in between. In your shoes I'd budget for giving the thing a complete overhaul and then be pleasantly surprised. The lenses are often a pleasant surprise and fitting a Leica Elmar would confuse the issue even more.

As for prices, I've paid US $10 for a body and for a body and lens but those chances don't come often and (on ebay) there's custom duty and postage to worry about.

Regards, David

 

[Stradibarrius]

Well I have bought both a Zorki4/w J8 and a Fed2 w/I28. I am shooting the first test roll in the Zorki.
I was suprised that both arrive in very good condition. Focus and aperture rings are smooth. VF/RF on both are clear and seem to work very well.
The Zorki4 has a large VF and for me, it is slightly easier to see through. The distance between the VF and RF on the FED2 is longer so I guess it would produce a more accurate focus???? The FED is slightly smaller and lighter which is good and the film advance knob is easier to use I think.
I am still trying to decide if a "Rangefinder" is faster to use than an SLR???
I have a Nikon FE that the body is almost identical in size. And seems to be at least as fast if not faster to focus than the Zorki4. I am really having fun testing and learning about different types of cameras.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

The Zorki 4 has a 1x viewfinder. The RF baselength is physically smaller, but the magnification is higher. "Probably" about the same accuracy as the Fed 2.

I have no problem focussing a J-3 on my Zorki 3M, same VF/RF as your Zorki 4.

 

[ethics_gradient]

t the J 9's had a very steep rise in pricing. Also it brought many mishandled J 9's back on the market.

Yep, I'm 0 for 2 on J-9's so far.