Zorki 4 for $19. My first Zorki camera!

[eleskin]

I am a Leica user (M8/M6) and have a few Russian lenses that seem sharp, but do not focus with my Leica's that well (the focus is slightly off with all my lenses, Jupiter 8, Jupiter 9, Industar 61LD) due to Leica not being the Contax standard for focus. I thought I would get a Zorki 4 for the hell of it to see what these lenses can do on a camera they were made for. For me, this is for fun, and I guess something I can use once in awhile to take a break from digital when I want.

I just like the fact you can get this camera so cheap, and have some fun. I have seen some wonderful photos on Flickr with this camera, and I have a soft spot for the mechanical in this age of microchips!!!

So how do all of you like this camera? It seems like a cool device!!

 

[Ronald_H]

I used to have one. Also bought it cheaply, from a colleague. Finder was bright and clear but the shutter was dragging so I never put film through it.

What impressed me the most was the simply gorgeous satin chrome finish of my Zorki. Why make that so nice and the rest of the camera so poorly?

The story ended when I send it to a repair guy in Russia, together with a FED5c. I don't know what happened to them, but I never saw the cams again...

Have fun with yours though!

 

[ethics_gradient]

My Jupiter 8 is fine on my Bessa, I'd send that one in or buy another one if you're interested in using it on your Leica.

I've got a Zorki 4 as well, but still haven't run a roll of film through it. I'm thinking about masking off the VF with 85mm framelines and using it as a dedicated body for my J-9, and also as a wideangle body if I get one of the scale-focus CV lenses down the road.

 

[dee]

Yes , the Soviet lenses don't focus on my M 8 - other than a Fed collapsible 50 f 3.5 which is superb .
The Zorki is , within it's limits of Soviet construction , actually a fine camera - the earlier the better . The rangefinder is bright enough and it's easy to load .
I found mine in the 70s to be a touch clunky , so prefer the Zorki 1 and S as direct Leica II clones ... masochist ?
As you say - just have fun with it

 

[summar]

A Zorki is to an M-series Leica as a Lada is to an SL-series Mercedes Benz. But this doesn't mean a Lada can't be fun to drive.

 

[rjbuzzclick]

I really like my Zorki 4. I have a Jupiter 8, a Jupiter 12, and an Industar 61 L/D, which seems to be the sharpest of the bunch. It's clunky, but fun.

The second curtain on mine started to drag a bit, but popping off the top and a bit of cleaning of the mechanism took care of it. The rangefinder pivot point for the mirror is really fiddly, and took quite a bit of fussing to get the vertical alignment back in shape.

 

[pschauss]

I find that when I shoot with my glasses on, what I see in the viewfinder is approximately the same as what my J-9 sees. When I shoot with the I-22 I take my glasses off. The diopter adjustment is very convenient.

 

[julio1fer]

You did the right thing. Zorki-4 with Jupiter-8 lens:

 

[wolves3012]

If it's working well the Zorki 4 is a very capable camera. The RF/VF is big and quite bright, although framing isn't terribly accurate (no worse than some others though).