Zorki 1d - good FSU dealer experience

[je2a3]

This camera arrived yesterday in a package wrapped in brown paper and yak string. After some gentle dusting and checking of RF accuracy at infinity, I loaded it with a short roll of bulk loaded APX100 and took it for a test drive along with the Weston II meter. All the frames came out great after souping in Diafine. Sorry no film scanner yet....

My first gamble with a "true Leica II copy" paid off and I'm very happy to land a shooter. I'm amazed as to how compact this is, even a bit smaller than the IIIf. I guess this is the scale of a Leica II and III/a.

Wayne, as you said the RF is a bit dim in low light but still convenient outdoors but the 50mm VF is almost as bright as my IIIf. This is the camera I was considering when I printed out your Zorki 1 stuff, thanks again.

Anyway I can highly recommend sovietepoch as an FSU dealer. Great communication, excellent packing and pretty quick shipping - 18 days from end of auction. This is my first transaction with him but the shipment also included a 1960 Zorki 4 for my cousin which was also in great shape. He hasn't taken pictures yet but we did the TV shutter test from 1/125-1/1000 and it looked spot on!

 

[Laika]

Nice camera, I have the same model and I've found mine to be a good shooter too. Look forward to seeing some pic's from it sometime 🙂

 

[hugivza]

18 days from the end of auction! My Kiev 4a and Zorki 1, for which the auctions ended in early August were last seen on a camel in the middle of the Steppes. I guess Siberia the long way round is a bit of a trek to Oz!

 

[je2a3]

BTW, with regards to other FSU ebay dealers I've also had satisfactory deals with:

1. alex-photo - items as described, fastest shipping 9-12 days from Ukraine [~ 6 cameras + accessories]
2. suvorov_v - "Cameras from Russia" - items better than described and pictured
3. kassiapeya - item as described, also quick shipping from Ukraine [less than 15 days].

In general waiting time has been greater for items to come from Russian than Ukraine dealers.

 

[reagan]

Very nice looking One. For sure the small comfortable size is easy to get used to. Enjoy. And hey, here's a thread where FSU ebay dealer experiences (good or bad) are being listed. Ad yours to the list if you haven't already. Should be a good place for others to search out 🙂 or 🙁 sellers.

 

[je2a3]

Attached are a couple scans of photos taken by the Zorki 1d/I-22 before I messed up the RF by "trying to clean it". The camera is on its way to Oleg. APX100 EI200 in Diafine.

 

[reagan]

Good shots there. I like the vertical shot of the tall apartment? building in shadow. Sorry to hear about the RF problem, but Oleg will have you in good shape in no time.

 

[je2a3]

Good shots there. I like the vertical shot of the tall apartment? building in shadow. Sorry to hear about the RF problem, but Oleg will have you in good shape in no time.

Thanks for the kind words! Hard lesson learned with the RF patch. I look forward to getting back a few cameras from Oleg, maybe right before X'mas I'll get them back.

 

[hugivza]

My Zorki I (E) and Kiev 4 arrived today. Since I sent my IIIA to have the rangefinder adjusted I was delighted to get the Kiev - now I have something to put the J3 on! I never realised just how small the Zorki would be - a true minature (see below).