Which Russian RF would fit my needs?

R

Russian RF fan

Guest
Hi all,
Am new to this. Have a Zorki 4 that I'm very pleased with, although the lens for it has not arrived yet.
Am looking into getting another Russian cam and would like to hear your comments and recommendations based on my needs.
I'll be using this for sheet shooting, mostly daytime.
As such, would like a RF that is relatively compact and errr, reliable. Lever winder would be nice. Hmmmm. Dont really know what else I should specify. Lens that I just bid off ebay include a J-8 and I-50, both LTM.
Oh, the reason I like Russian cams are the nice heft they have, so nothing too tinny and unattractive please. haha

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

Alvin - Singapore
 
IMHO a zorki 6 sounds like just what your looking for........
 
From your description, I'd have to agree that a Zorki 6 is the most likely. That said, be sure to consider a Kiev 4a or 4am. With a Jupiter 8 it can be a reasonably compact camera and in my experiance even at the end, the Kievs were built better and are more reliable. Then again, I'm a Kiev junkie... :D

William
 
Hmm.
Is the zorki-6 REALLY that good?
There's a guy here in NL who repairs mechanical equipment, mostly rollei; he also has a second-hand "for sale" list. He has a zorki6 for sale with a "50mm industar" for at least a year already. Fifty euro is all he wants.
Knowing him as a good technician (worked on my former rolleicord), i guess the zorki should be in good working shape.
Would that be a good deal?
 
It might be a good deal, but check out Oleg's offerings. The price of the camera and shipping from Russia may be equal to the amount asked by your technician. Also, if anything went wrong he might repair it for little or nothing extra. I like the Z6, but a Z4K could also fit the bill. I would suggest getting the Industar-50 or 22 in the collapsible model. Looks cool and are as good as the fixed ones. Makes the camera really small!
 
Oh Oh I know the answer to this one!!!

A FED 5: sexy does not begin to describe a FED 5 :D

Seriously, though, they are dead cheap, come with Industar 61 lenses and are often new in the box. Even if you don't think that a FED 5 is a sexy beast, you can get one for the lens and keep the body as a backup.

Kent
 
I'll suggest the Fed 2L, lever wind, Fed 2 shutter in a Fed 3 body, quiet little "snick" when you press the shutter.

I have a Zorki 4 and the Fed 2L. I fell in love with the Zorki right off and never took a real liking to the Fed, but after about 4 rolls of film through both I am now leaning tword the Fed.

I prefer the images I get out of the Fed. Ironic in that I much prefer the feel of the Zorki.

I have a Kiev in the mail so I may yet change my mind.
 
Oleg's website is www.okvintagecamera.com

I personally would recommend Kiev.. but those are a Contax mount.. if you want LTM, I'd probably check out the FEDs first.. but the nice thing about these cameras is that they're all cheap (altho it's a crapshoot whether they'll be reliable or not).. so pick one up.. if you don't like it, try a different type
 
kmack said:
I'll suggest the Fed 2L, lever wind, Fed 2 shutter in a Fed 3 body, quiet little "snick" when you press the shutter..
Click to expand...


I really like my wind lever FED2 & J12 setup, it got a nice work out on my five week trip to Europe (I just got back last weekend) and was the only Soviet RF I took, I should have some pics to upload next week :) .... I think the FED3b style body (same) is very under rated and worth checking out. But I do agree with comments on the Z6, nice camera.
 
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Another vote for the FED 2

Another vote for the FED 2

If you have a Zorki 4 and like it , then the FED 2 is a perfect compliment even if it isn't covered in snake skin. As mentioned, the other allternative is the Zork 6 which is more modern, but the FED 2 just fits my hands perfectly and its as reliable as an anvil.

Both the FED 2 and the Zorki 6 have the wider 62mm RF base, which I like. They also have fewer shutter speed, none below 1/25th or 1/30th, in fact, but hey 35mm is a hand-held art form.

I've got to have another look at that snakeskin covered FED 2L.
 
The FED 2 with lever wind isn't as easy to find as the later FEDs and Zorkies. I have the Zorki 6 and like it--the one weakness is it usually comes with the rigid f3.5 Industar 50 lens which is sharp but slow. It's better with a Jupiter 8 f2 lens.

I would avid the Zorki 5 unless you are comfortable with bottom loaders and cutting custom film leaders.
 
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