Why not much people useing Siviet cameras

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heronop2003

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:confused: Why not much people useing Siviet cameras even it leica copy but cheaper how is it? Or is something no good about it becouse now i interesting about it (Zorki4) have u got any comment? Please help

heronop
 
I have three soviet cameras, including a Zorki 4, I and use them a lot. Many people here have dozens of them. We like them very much. If you want to learn about them you've come to the right place.
 
I've just decided I prefer Zorki's to the other popular choices, Feds and Kievs. Of course I haven't tried all the various models yet :)
 
Welcome!

There's a bunch of us here who really like them - I've got 4 right now (Iskra, Kiev 4a & 5, and Moskva 5) and I expect to have more sooner or later. If you're enjoying your Zorki, you'll fit right in here.

William
 
There may not be a ton of us using them, but those of us that are, are sure using a ton. I at various times use all of mine--- 2 Cmehas (8 and 8m), Zorki 2C, 2 Zorki 4's, Zorki Mir, Kiev 4, Feds 2 and 5, Moskva 5, Iskra, Lubitel, and a couple of Zenits.
Come to think of it, maybe the reason not so many people use them is that a relatively few of us have most of them. (Probably not.)
 
Greetings heronop! The FSU crowd is definately growing. I too enjoy the Zorkis including the Zorki 4 and RFF is a great place to get some good reliable information. My older Zorki 4 made in 1956 seems to be a smoother working model than the 1970 model I have. The Soviet cameras with LTM mount have a variety of lenses that are widely available for as little or as much as you want to spend on them.

There's lots of archived threads here to be searched, so jump in and enjoy!
 
Hi and welcome. Plenty of us own and proudly use our FSU cameras. We're just not as vocal as the Canon P/Leica/ Nikon/Contax/Voigtlander crowd, LOL. Bet that's sure to ruffle a few feathers, ha ha. All kidding aside, many of us use our FSU cameras (I have 21 Zenits, 10 Feds, a Mir, 4 Zorkis, a Kiev, and 4 Smenas) as often as any of our other cameras.
 
I own a bunch of soviet(or FSU which means: Former Soviet Union) gear and love it all! If you look in the Russian section of the forum you'll find a ton of information and opinions about most if not al of the FSU equipment!
Rob
 
I have 32 Soviet era cameras. Most of them are fully functional and I use at least 6 of them frequently. I keep a Fed-5B in my office at all times, when I'm not actually using it.

-Paul
 
I have 3 Zorki's, 2 Fed's, 3 Kievs, 2 Moskva's and one Salyut 6x6. There's also a Zenit on the way.

The glass on the Kiev's is very good, the Zorki's & Fed's also have good glass, and seem to make better street shooters with the Zorki 4K and Fed 5 taking top honors for the level advance, Z4K with the better viewfinder and Fed5 with a built-in meter.

That's the extent of my addiction for now.
 
The FSU cameras are nice because they are so inexpensive you can take them where you might be afraid to take a more expensive camera. If it is damaged or stolen, the loss isn't as great. I have examples of all the Zorki Leica models and some FEDs and Kievs. Unfortunately, I have so many most don't get used much. My favorite is a customized Zorki 1 with Jupiter 12 lens. It is a small as many of today's digital cameras and doesn't need batteries.
There are actually a sizable number of FSU camera collecters worldwide and they communicate amoung themselves on this forum and the beststuff runnian camera forum.
 
heronop2003 said:
:confused: Why not much people useing Siviet cameras even it leica copy but cheaper how is it? Or is something no good about it becouse now i interesting about it (Zorki4) have u got any comment? Please help

heronop
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The FSU cameras I have purchased were heavily used or uncared for. :eek: I believe the FSU users were not "fondlers" and treated the equipment in a more utilitarian fashion. In other words they "beat the crap" out of their equipment or ignored it. :bang:

That's ok with me because as a rule the FSU equipment is a tougher less expensive mongrel breed, and can be revived to perform well again. :) I can't afford to restore the expensive precision pedigreed Leicas.

I'll soon find out how good the 35mm glass is when I get my Zorki 4 working. My Iskra glass is outstanding, something there that is lacking in my Mamiya RB glass. :angel:
 
Why not much people useing Siviet cameras

I keep reading that a good reason for buying FSU cameras is that if they get stolen, then there is no need to get upset as you can cheaply buy a replacement.
Am I the only one who would be really Pi**ed - Off if I lost ANY of my FSU cameras?
I love them all ! (well maybe not the Kiev 15)
 
Oh yes, I would be quite upset if I lost one of my FSU cameras. I feel like I've got some good ones, and any replacement might be one that came off the line on technician's off day.
[Voice of Darth Vader]: "You will step away from the cameras, or face the wrath of the Red Side"
 
I would be pretty ticked if I lost or if someone stole one of my FEDs.

My FED 3 was very inexpensive, but I really enjoy it. It works perfectly for me.
 
It was said that FSU cameras were designed for military purpose/use, and then made like battleships (or tanks - your choice). I do not support this idea just because if that were the case, why to make excellent copies of well known (civilian) cameras like the Contax or Leica, instead of designing something new?
They just needed something to trade and to sell to their own people, at the lowest possible price. Then they did what the japanese did after WW II: to copy the most famous brands top models, it is Leicas an Contaxes.
This way many people misjudged them as primitive and not a good choice at the time of buying. I think today that there was just a market reason why they didn´t spread as many other cameras did.
Also, many people think that a low priced camera is not a good one. Back in the ´80s I payed 1/10 the price of a battered Contax IIIa w. Sonnar 2/50 of 1957 for a shiny Kiev 4 (´66) w. J-8M. The seller said "Its just a russian made copy of a good old camera, nothing else". I bought it thinking it was an expendable camera. A few days later I knew how wrong I was.
I will (like Krasnaya Zvezda - Red Flag said) feel extremely upset if something wrong happens to any of my FSU cameras.
 
I have had very good luck with Soviet cameras, 3 Zorkis, 5 FED 2s, 2 Kiev 4s. My experience with both the screw mount lenses and the bayonet mount lenses for the Kievs has also been excellent. I had bad luck with a Kiev 88 (the 2 1/4 single lens reflex) with light leaks which were beyond my ability to fix and I returned that to the seller. My understanding is that quality control was haphazard and therefore there are big quality differences in similar cameras. All of mine have been fine. My theory is to buy old well used (but not abused) equipment rather than an old mint camera. The idea is that the well used equipment must have been performing well. The mint ones may have been the ones with problems from the start, so they were put on the shelf.
 
I was out on a photo stroll just last night with my Zorki 3M loaded with iso400 col neg film. I travelled light -- no meter -- guesstimating exposures and enjoying the experience of using a fine ol' piece of mechanical gear. Another vote for the pleasure of owning and using FSU cams.

Gene
 
A problem I noticed with many earlier cameras, or cameras based on earlier designs is that they seem to have been designed by people with perfect eyesight.

The tiny viewfinder eyepiece of a screw-mount Leica (and derivatives), the Contax/Kiev finder... they cannot really be used to full effect if you do not stick your eye really close to the eyepiece, thus making spectace wearers quite frustrated (such as me). In addition to that, the tiny shutter-speed dial markings on something like my Zorki 4K does not make me want to change shutter speed too often.

Perhaps Mr K had the idea of producing the Voigtlander Bessa series for those of us who are spectacle wearers; while I like my Zorki I might have to bade it farewell sometime soon, after all, the RF camera is designed for ultimate responsiveness in operation, and somehow among people who demand this feature, some of us can find them falling short somewhat. But then I might have to get another J-8 (perhaps an I-61 if I bump into one on the cheap) even if I am to go the Bessa R route.
 
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