Zorki 3 top onto Zorki 4 body?

[tunalegs]

I decided I wanted to try a Zorki 3. It looks nice and my biggest gripe about the Zorki 4 is that the wind knob is too close to the top plate for easy winding - the Zorki 3 has a much smaller superstructure so it solves that problem.

I bought a Zorki 3 off of ebay - described as working - but unfortunately it doesn't work once I've got it (of course). I'm trying to return the camera for a refund but the seller is reluctant and offering a partial refund instead.

My thoughts are that if I keep the camera I could transfer the top part onto the body of a working Zorki 4. I know that this wouldn't be a completely straight forward swap. I'm guessing that the flash sync would have to be removed to fit the Z3 plate. Is there anything else that might get in the way?

The other option I suppose would be to have the camera rebuilt, but for the price I may as well just get one that's been CLA'd - or just sink the money into a minty Canon RF instead.

 

[nhchen]

Doesn't the zorki 3 have a slow speed dial while the zorki 4 doesn't? And I know the zorki 3 has the rewind switch on the top so there might end up being an empty hole there. I've never fiddled with a zorki 4 before, but those are some of the difference you might encounter...
I got a zorki 3 a few months ago too and of course it wasn't working either. But I was able to take it apart (someone else had been inside before and not put everything back properly) and now everything is functioning, including the slow speeds. I just followed the instructions in the Maizenberg camera repair manual (its online somewhere). It was very satisfying to turn something back into working condition.

regards,
nathan

 

[farlymac]

My first Zorki was a Id, but it has the rangefinder unit off a b, so it has two serial numbers! That was likely a pretty straightforward rebuild, but I can see problems with what what you are thinking. If you can't get the seller to take it back, then take the partial refund, and look for another one from a reputable dealer like Fedka.com store

PF

 

[B-9]

Ide recommend cutting the loses and grabbing one of those canon bodies.

Buying rangefinders from Russia/Ukraine is basically the same as rolling a quarter machine at your local reservation.

Fedka has good stars, but you won't be saving much over a Canon.

 

[tunalegs]

If I keep it I may as well rebuild it myself. The problem is basic: the shutter doesn't cap at the end of exposure - so there is a gap between curtains when winding on.

Looking in through the lens throat I can see the insides are pretty dirty too so it would likely need complete disassembly and cleaning as well.

 

[rbiemer]

I don't have much to say about the possibility of a transplant but I'd guess it might become a major surgery.
However, I will unhesitatingly recommend Oleg :
http://www.okvintagecamera.com/

He worked on two Zorki 3m cameras for me and did an excellent, inexpensive job!

Rob

 

[David Hughes]

I reckon the problem with them is caused by buying them unseen and untested on auction sites...

I'm always reading about them and very few posters ever tell you how they got rid of the dud ones. Although the few sensible ones send them to Oleg and come back to say how nice a camera they are once sorted out by an expert with the right tools, knowledge and parts.

And sometimes I wonder if the duds are the same camera continually changing hands and never being sorted out...

Regards, David

 

[tunalegs]

I've convinced them to take the camera back for a refund. A bit disappointed as it is a nicely proportioned camera with a big bright viewfinder, and it handles a little better than the Zorki 4.

But I figure it'd be cheaper to just buy a good/known working one than send this one to be repaired or try to fix it myself. I'm also asking myself, again, if it is really so much better than the 4 as to be worth paying for/owning.

 

[tunalegs]

And sometimes I wonder if the duds are the same camera continually changing hands and never being sorted out...

Regards, David

I've bought two other cameras from the same seller which were working (though maybe not working precisely) that seem to have come from a large collection that has been sitting for a long time judging from the dust that came off of them.

I'd imagine though there must be some duds out there that float around, being resold until either sent for repair or accidentally destroyed by a DIY'er.

Excepting Kievs I've never had any real troubles with soviet cameras.

 

[KnipsOmat]

But I figure it'd be cheaper to just buy a good/known working one than send this one to be repaired or try to fix it myself. I'm also asking myself, again, if it is really so much better than the 4 as to be worth paying for/owning.

Problem is that to find a known good working one is not exactly easy. There's not that many around and as they are now 60 years old, most of them will be in need of service.

And no, it is not so much better than the 4. In fact, for use the 4 is the better camera. It's more reliable, easier to use with slow shutter speeds, and it has a self timer and a flash synch socket. The 3 has nothing which the 4 would be missing.

Well, apart from the lovely outside shape of the 3, that is. The 3 is certainly the more pretty of the two.

But for using it, stick with the 4. You can get a good 4 for a third or fourth of the money you'd have to pay for a 3, and you'd have the better user.

Cheers,
Andreas

 

[tunalegs]

Problem is that to find a known good working one is not exactly easy. There's not that many around and as they are now 60 years old, most of them will be in need of service.

And no, it is not so much better than the 4. In fact, for use the 4 is the better camera. It's more reliable, easier to use with slow shutter speeds, and it has a self timer and a flash synch socket. The 3 has nothing which the 4 would be missing.

Well, apart from the lovely outside shape of the 3, that is. The 3 is certainly the more pretty of the two.

But for using it, stick with the 4. You can get a good 4 for a third or fourth of the money you'd have to pay for a 3, and you'd have the better user.

Cheers,
Andreas

I don't need the self timer or flash sync. But the 3 has a more accessible/ergonomic wind knob, which is what I was after.

 

[KnipsOmat]

I don't need the self timer or flash sync. But the 3 has a more accessible/ergonomic wind knob, which is what I was after.

Not too much of a difference there in my opinion, although the knob on the 3 is a bit better to access. Maybe you should look out for a 4K, its advance lever is definitely more ergonomic than the wind knob of either 3 or 4.