zenit reflex: suggestion?

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AGX2015

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Hi,

Do you have some Experience with Zenit reflex camera? What is the best model to buy and what isnthe best set of lenses?

Some suggest 12xp other the E version or the B Version.

I wait your suggestion.


Thanks very much
 
The best one would be the 19 because it has a brighter viewfinder, more shutter speeds (1s to 1/1000) and still very well built. The best mechanical one is probably the 12XP.
But a Spotmatic or Fujica would be a much better camera for shooting m42 glass.
 
The KMZ made E version seems most reliable in my case, a 1973 vintage.

I had a newish 12xp that self destructed and a brand new Belomo made E version that did not work, so I returned it to the store, the whole batch was defective.
 
Early Zenit cameras are really worth it. Zenit-3 and 3M are wonderful and do the job perfectly. The rest of them are unnecessarily heave with too much bulk. If you need something with a lightmeter on it, go for a 122. Forget the 19 as it is prone to problems and when its circuitry goes dead you are left with just 1/500s.
 
I used Zenit B for quite a long time. Remember that selenium meter in E is dead in many cases or at least it won't read correctly. Otherwise they are the same. Small range of shutter speeds (1/30-1/500 +B) and small viewfinder. My personal suggestion is that if you really want Zenit, try to get vintage one (E, B or 3, 3M). The quality from 60's and early 70s is fine with not many issues as in later production.
Oh and remember that anything older that E/B have M39 screw mount (and non instant mirror return if I remember well).
 
Hi,

Do you want bayonet fitting lenses or screw in M42's?
or something interesting* or modern?

Regards, David

* I'm thinking of the early ones that looked like a home-made modification to a FED or Zorki RF...
 
I want a m42 and the first idea is a zenit.

But if you know a more reliable solution all mechanical, it Will be appreciated.

Thanks
 
AGX2015 said:
I want a m42 and the first idea is a zenit.

But if you know a more reliable solution all mechanical, it Will be appreciated.

Thanks
Click to expand...
Pentax SV, with a service. The nearest SLR I've ever encountered to a Leica in feel, smoothness, size... Lovely little cameras, a thousand times better than any Zenit I've ever owned. Unfortunately the only one I have left (black paint!) needs a service. Mind you, I was given it maybe 25 years ago, and it was made maybe 50 years ago.

Cheers,

R.
 
Hi,

The trouble with all mechanical ones (ignoring metered without the battery in) is that they are all elderly and so, of course, second-hand. So reliability has nothing to do with the make or model but a lot to do with the previous owner; or one of them...

Regards, David

PS OM-1's seem to be going dirt cheap at present. OK, bayonet and batteries needed but the jump forward in terms of lens quality is worth it. Ditto a lot of Minoltas, Pentaxes and so on. And there's some better than decent bridge cameras out there that they can't give away on ebay. EDIT: I am thinking of the Olympus iS-3000 which I found for a pittance in a charity shop in its original box and that impressed me a lot...
 
David Hughes said:
. . . The trouble with all mechanical ones (ignoring metered without the battery in) is that they are all elderly and so, of course, second-hand. So reliability has nothing to do with the make or model but a lot to do with the previous owner; or one of them... . . . .
Click to expand...
Dear David,

True. But I (like you) remember when they were new; and the Pentax SV was a much better camera then, too.

Of course a good Zenith is likely to be better than an awful Pentax; but a good Pentax is likely to be better than the best Zenit.

Cheers,

R.
 
Hi Roger,

I couldn't reply sooner because I got up to get the Spotmatic out and put it somewhere obvious to remind myself to use it next for the fun of it. (Even though the replacement will cost a fortune if the battery is dead.)

Regards, David
 
I have to ask, sorry...

I have to ask, sorry...

Hi,

But why a Zenit?

I can think of several excellent SLR's that are, like many others, dirt cheap at present. And a lot of them are so popular that you'd have no problems getting a decent set of lenses for it, and a back-up body and the dedicated flash for a pittance.

OTOH, I can think of several reasons for a Zenit...

Regards, David
 
If you want the joys of using a crappy SLR with the M42 lens mount, then the Praktica L series is a better way to go than the Zenit route in my opinion.

The L series vertical metal shutter is very reliable in usage in my personal experience and the camera bodies are light in weight and still very plentiful and inexpensive.
 
xayraa33 said:
If you want the joys of using a crappy SLR with the M42 lens mount, then the Praktica L series is a better way to go than the Zenit route in my opinion.
Click to expand...

Although I still haven't a Practika that i really like, the LTL2 seems to be quite reliable. After the LTL3, quality control went downhill...
 
p.giannakis said:
Although I still haven't a Practika that i really like, the LTL2 seems to be quite reliable. After the LTL3, quality control went downhill...
Click to expand...


The early L series from 1970 to about 1974 are the best in terms of quality.

The very later versions that are labelled MTL are the epitome of crap and should be avoided.

They are the ones with the black winding lever and black shutter dial on the chrome bodies.
 
I used about 20 Zenits for teaching young students in the '70s. Wish I could remember the exact model, but they were donated to me by St. Louis Photo, kids took them home, I never had a failure. They were loud, but strong.
 
In conclusion do younsuggest or not a zenit?

Or is better another producer?

Can you do a list of cheap very good camera with m42?
 
AGX2015 said:
In conclusion do younsuggest or not a zenit?

Or is better another producer?

Can you do a list of cheap very good camera with m42?
Click to expand...

Most of the Japanese made SLRs with the M42 mount are miles better than any Zenit or even Praktica.

Anything Japanese made from Pentax to Fujica to Yashica to the lesser known 35mm SLRs like Ricoh Mamiya/Sekor and Chinon and Argus/Cosina etc.

There are tons of brands out there and label brands like GAF (Chinon) that came with the M42 lens mount from the late 1960s all through the 1970s.
 
Hi,

I asked my question because your question was unusual. Often people ask us to suggest one camera from a short list of 2 or 3 cameras...

Having said that, I agree about the Zenit B (probably the one photomoof mentions) which is basic and bomb proof and without a meter or else the Zenit E with a meter. Same for the "L" Prakticas, especially as they standardised that thread...

And there's lots of M42 cameras from Japan that are good. I'd recommend the Soligor TM and Cosina CE-4 but they have a meter.

Regards, David
 
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