Which Rusky Do I Buy?

[David Murphy]

Why do you say that? I thought the Mir and Zorki-4 had a very good finder.

Well I can't speak for the Zorki 4, but the MIR finder has virtually no eyerelief -- it's hard to frame accurately. I do like its somewhat crude diopter adjustment though.

Among relevant contemporary cameras of the Mir, all the Leica and Japanese bottom loaders have easier to use finders (though nothing great) as does the Contax IIa, IIIa. The Canon rapid advance rangefinders of that era (P, IV-L, etc.) and most definitely the M2, M3 have finders that are much more advanced.

 

[iñaki]

The Zorki 3M is nice (I love mine and spent a lot of money buying it in ebai and sending it to Oleg for a CLA). There´s one in the classifieds right now, it doesn´t look mint, but It has been CLAd by Oleg and the seller is Gordon Coale, a great user at a great price.
PS: not connection with the seller (well I bought a nice handmade wrist strap from him, It´s exactly like the free strap in the ad.).

 

[ARCHIVIST]

Thanks for the wealth of information.
Special thanks to Pepe - sorry the postage killed the deal.

Once Christmas is over I will start to look for a FED2 and possibly an 3M - see - I have been talking to you guys for a day or two now and I am already contemplating two Russian RFs !! This is not a hobby, more like a disease.

Who is Oleg - everybody seems to talk about him in glowing terms - is there a website or e-mail addy for him?

Merry Christmas to all.

Peter

 

[Jocko]

You'll find a link for Oleg in my earlier post, Peter

Cheers, Ian

 

[ARCHIVIST]

Thanks Ian.
Completely missed it.
Just visited the site - wow - impressive!

Regards
Peter

 

[P C Headland]

Why not something with a decent film size 😛 - like an Iskra.

Great viewfinder, great lens and an absolute joy to use. Plus you get the advantage of a nice large chunk of film.

 

[oscroft]

The Zorki 3M is gorgeous, but they tend to be a bit expensive. The FED 2 doesn't look quite so good, but I find it just as usable (I have both), and it feels really good in the hands. I also think my FED 2 is a little better built than my Z3M. So of the FSU cameras I have (these two, plus Z4, FED 1, FED 3b), I'd vote for the FED-2 as the best first camera (you can get all the others later 😉 )

 

[wolves3012]

Zorki 3 seems to be a top recommendation. Here in the UK, at least, they are harder to come by and seem to command about twice the price of most other FSUs. A FED 2, however, is easy to find, cheap & reliable. A Zorki 6 also makes a great introduction to FSUs with some extra conveniences like hinged back and lever-wind. A Zorki 4/4K is also a good first FSU, easy to use, easy to get hold of, slow speeds etc.

 

[ARCHIVIST]

Why not something with a decent film size 😛 - like an Iskra.

Great viewfinder, great lens and an absolute joy to use. Plus you get the advantage of a nice large chunk of film.

I am a medium format user of over 30 years standing. I have experienced the quality from a Mockba (spel?) and was very impressed.

It is, however, a matter of 'horses for courses' when it comes to formats and at this time my need is for a discreet 35mm.

Peter