Zorki 4, exciting . . . and in need of repair.

[Runslikeapenguin]

So my aunt asked my mom what she should get me for Christmas and my mother told her i was into cameras and of course she jumped on the internet and did some basic research. And well she told me that her searches lead her to Leicas. So she went to a local camera shop and had a heart attack. But the person she talked to there recommended a Zorki. And a quick trip to Ebay brought her to this.

I was pretty excited so i loaded a roll of film, brushed up on the sunny 16 rule and went out. Well after developing the first roll i noticed a few things.
1. i need to clean this thing, films kind of scratched.
2. The basic functions are all working.
3. my aperture ring seems to be off a stop
4. my winder is messed up. * actually it might be the shutter now that im looking closer at it. A few pictures do have double exposures over each frame but some of the pictures look like the one below . . . which could be the shutter right?

here are a few pictures to show both my joy and dismay.
The first here is of the aperture ring not turning all the way to 22. So I'm not sure if that matters. It goes from wide open to stopped down to what appears to be 22 (but what do i know) So i think its just the ring, thus each stop is actually one down. Thus 16 is 22 etc etc.

And as for the winding issue (as seen below) is there a simple fix to this? Am i using the camera wrong? Any thoughts?

Also the inscription (according to my Russian friend at work) says
"Congratulations to Victor Mikhailovich, for 20 years of service, from the office of the KGB."

 

[konicaman]

Cool inscription and a nicely looking camera - you for sure should have it fixed!

Ohh and BTW: A late welcome to this nice and friendly forum and congrats on your first post.

 

[pinkarmy]

KGB...you sure it is not some secret killing device?...sorry, can't help...

 

[batterytypehah!]

OK can a mod please tell me why my response from last night was deleted? Much obliged.

 

[batterytypehah!]

Those irregular scratches on the sample are not from the camera. I'm afraid that happened during development.

 

[wolves3012]

Welcome to RFF and that's a nice looking Zorki 4. The inscription may be fake, it looks like the lens is a '64, I'd doubt it took two years to get to the owner but who knows.

To correct the lens aperture, you will find 3 tiny screws around the aperture ring (you can see one in your pic). Loosen them a small amount, turn the ring until the apertures align correctly and re-tighten the screws - they don't need to be very tight so don't overdo it. Be careful when doing this, if you loosen them too much they'll fall out and you're almost certain to lose at least one!

I agree with batterytype that the scratches are not the fault of the camera. Is that shot you have posted either the first or last frame on the roll? If not, the uneven exposure looks like capping - caused by the shutter blinds not running at the same speed. It's usually a sign that a proper CLA is needed but sometimes you can get away with adjusting the tension rollers if things aren't too bad (look at the stickies at the top of this sub-forum for advice). It may also improve with use if the camera has been sat around unused.

 

[Runslikeapenguin]

batterytypehah! your post was deleted because i canned the whole other thread, a mod didn't move it.

As for the picture, the whole roll was like that, save for one picture.

as for a CLA, is there anyone in particular who does Zorkies that i could send this out to? I know its within my abilities to do it myself but i would rather have it done by a professional.

 

[wolves3012]

Tell us where you are in the world and we'll probably be able to suggest a repairer for CLA. OK camera comes recommended by many on this forum, he's in the Ukraine I think, or somewhere in FSU area anyway.

 

[Runslikeapenguin]

Tell us where you are in the world and we'll probably be able to suggest a repairer for CLA. OK camera comes recommended by many on this forum, he's in the Ukraine I think, or somewhere in FSU area anyway.

I'm in Seattle.
Ukraine is a bit far, i was hoping for something in the states.

 

[Soeren]

Regarding the scratches. How did you dry the film? Did you wipe it either with your fingers, a cloth or one of those filmscratching tools?
Interesting camera btw. Hold on to it, get it fixed and maybe youll be hooked just like me after developing the first roll from my -63 Z4.
Best regards

 

[malkmata]

www.fedka.com does repairs and CLA of FSU cameras and lenses. They are located in Queens, New York. They fixed a very rough and dirty Jupiter-9 85mm lens for me once.

 

[Runslikeapenguin]

Ok so, I set this camera aside and i haven't touched it in a while but i picked it up again and was looking through the fix stickies and i noticed that my shutter seemed to be functioning normally . . but then i remembered that when loaded with film the wind dial wanted to roll back a little bit. and sure enough when i pushed it back just a hair i got that shutter over lap.

So how do i adjust the winder to make sure that it stays put when its set?
Or do i just hold it in place with my thumb forever?

 

[Murray Kelly]

Are you quite sure the rewind release is fully back to anti-clockwise AND the button is fully clock-wise? They are both necessary for the clutch at the bottom end of the sprocket wheel to be fully engaged again. It may be possible that it isn't 'quite' engaged and slips that little bit at the end of the frame advance.
Murray

 

[Runslikeapenguin]

Are you quite sure the rewind release is fully back to anti-clockwise AND the button is fully clock-wise? They are both necessary for the clutch at the bottom end of the sprocket wheel to be fully engaged again. It may be possible that it isn't 'quite' engaged and slips that little bit at the end of the frame advance.
Murray

Yeah the rewind release is fully turned back, and so is the button.
What clutch at the bottom of the sprocket do you speak of? You wouldn't happen to have a picture would you?

 

[Murray Kelly]

"Yeah the rewind release is fully turned back, and so is the button.
What clutch at the bottom of the sprocket do you speak of? You wouldn't happen to have a picture would you?"


Sorry for the delay - been in hospital.

It's just that the two have to be turned in opposite directions and I forget that myself I use it so infrequently. It was something that tricked the former owner and I suspect he never worked it out!

The dog-clutch is the two "posts" right under the sprocket wheels. Push down the rewind release and watch how they separate so's the sprockets can free-wheel, thus allowing rewind to occur. It's just that the last little bit of re-engagement can be so important when you set the rewind collar back to "off". The shutter button usually turns with the release but should go the other way - if it doesn't, the two post never quite engage fully and can jump over each other if there is much resistance from the film.

It seemed conceivable this might be your problem.