Zorki 4/Jupiter 8 lens cap?

[folksnake]

Hi All--my first post here, after lurking for a while.

I recently bought a 1968 Zorki 4 w/Jupiter 8 in good shape at a local auction. Having fun playing with it, but haven't run any film through it yet. Will CLA it later, maybe in the winter.

It didn't have a lens cap with it, so I'm buying a simple plastic snap-on job for the time being (I believe it's a 40.5mm).

My question is this--what did the original lens cap look like? Was it one of those aluminum jobs I've seen? And how do they attach--screw on in some manner, or just push on with a friction fit? How well did that work (i.e. did they stay on?)

Thanks! I've learned a good deal just reading through the threads here.

Chris

 

[David Hughes]

Hi,

Welcome aboard.

I don't know how authentic you want it but it might have been a slip on one with or without "Zorki" on it. Usually the word stamped into the metal and filled with black paint.

There were several factories producing lenses that fitted Zorkis cameras and so black plastic slip on caps with the factory's logo on it would also be used. As yours is a Zorki 4 I suspect it should be one of these later versions.

Trouble is, trivial things like lens caps are seldom illustrated in adverts and so on. So you have to guess from other people's cameras and hope no one was playing mix and match with them.

Getting an authentic one can be expensive. In your shoes I'd stick to the one you have rather than spend a fortune on the correct one imported from some other country, which could easily be lost... Although they are usually all good fits.

Regards, David

PS (EDIT): The early ones were Bakelite and they often don't fit exactly...

 

[folksnake]

Thanks David!

I don't think I've had a camera in the past that had a lens cap that simply slipped on with a friction fit, so I was having a tough time picturing it working--i.e. staying on.

But I think I'll just stick with the plastic snap-on that I just got--it fits well, and looks pretty good too. Problem solved.

Thanks again!

Chris