Zorki 4 Shutterproblem

[bror]

Hi!

I bought a Zorki 4 with a Jupiter 8 today.

It's in nice condition but there is a problem with the shutter.

All the shuterspeeds seems all right, but the second shutter is slow, and sometimes does not close at all. This problem arises at the slower shutterspeeds and at 1/30 (flashsync).

Is it difficult to CLA the shutter? I think that it needs a good cleaning or is there some other problem?

Thanks.
Gustav
Sweden

 

[RML]

Welcome, Gustav.

I don't know much about the inner workings of cameras and how to fix them, but you can send it off to Igor (it's Igor, right? Not someone lese?) to have it CLA'd rather cheaply. I think he charges less than $40.

 

[nihraguk]

Just a wild guess here, but it sounds like something is amiss with the shutter curtain tension. google for it; there are screws at the bottom of the camera that allow you to adjust the curtain tension if i'm not wrong.

 

[Solinar]

I thought the gentleman's name was Oleg at http://www.okvintagecamera.com/cameras.html .

You may be able to resolve this yourself by cleaning and lubing the gearing at the bottom of the camera. If the shutter release is stiff, you may wish to clean and lube the shutter release piston, as well.

 

[Solinar]

Also, lube very sparingly and keep the camera pointed down towards the take-up spool to keep any fluids from getting on the shutter curtains.

 

[RML]

Of course! Oleg at http://www.okvintagecamera.com/cameras.html . Stupid me! 😱

 

[dll927]

I have two Zorki 4's. When one of them arrived, I couldn't move the shutter speed dial at all - it wouldn't pull up. I finally took a pliers and went to work, and it turned out that for some reason, it was just stuck. Now it works fine.

I've read in some of these forums that Zorki shutters have a tendency to stick - for some reason, often at 1/30th. If one intends to use the camera, you might as well get a CLA done on it - I suspect many of the ones we get on eBay etc. have sat around a long time without being used. However, having said that, I have been favorably impressed with the condition of most of the cameras I have gotten through eBay. My latest (second) Zorki 4 looks darned close to new condition. It pays to peruse the 'feedback' on those sellers, especially given the time it takes for the stuff to arrive.

 

[ISO]

I just got a nice Zorki 4k. I have tested everything and have found that on the 1/30 speed the shutter is not closing ( as if it is set on brief ). But. what I read here, it seems this is a common problem on the Zorki. I am not sure if I can do this repair by myself. I would not even know where to start. I checked the site of Oleg, but I am not sure if I want to sent the camera all the way to Russia. Is there somebody in the UK how could do the repair (or even somebody from this forum) ? Or can somebody tell me what steps should be done to fix this problem, please? Thanks.

 

[wolves3012]

Hi!

I bought a Zorki 4 with a Jupiter 8 today.

It's in nice condition but there is a problem with the shutter.

All the shuterspeeds seems all right, but the second shutter is slow, and sometimes does not close at all. This problem arises at the slower shutterspeeds and at 1/30 (flashsync).

Is it difficult to CLA the shutter? I think that it needs a good cleaning or is there some other problem?

Thanks.
Gustav
Sweden

It's possible the second curtain lacks tension, but it's far more likely that a CLA is needed and I'd advise you not just to increase the curtain tension without doing a CLA first. There are two "sticky" threads to look at on here - look at the top of this FSU section - one explains how to tension the curtains and the other is the CLA "How to" on the Zorki 4k. If you want to do it yourself, use the "How to"; the Zorki 4 and 4K are almost identical, differing only in the wind mechanism. To remove the winder, just slacken the grub-screw in it and unscrew it counter-closkwise. You can ignore all the bit about removing the lever then, in the "How to".

I bought a 4K with the exact same problem as you have and decided to CLA it. I documented it and posted the CLA, so feel free to use the information in it. The camera is now silky-smooth and very nice to use. You'll find it will be transformed! If you don't have the inclination to do it yourself there are several repairmen recommended on here...

 

[ISO]

wolves, thanks from my side. Yes, I read your "how to cla" article - very nice by the way and a big help. Let's see if I can repair the Z4K myself...Otherwise, who would do a Zorki cla in the UK or Europe ? Where are the recommended repairmen ? Wolve, would you do a cla ? After I read your article, I would be more than happy to give the camera in your hands...(some cash included 🙂 )

 

[nzeeman]

i had this problem on almost all cameras that i bougt on flea market. its very easy to fix it yourself. just add a tension to the second curtain.
http://www.dvdtechcameras.com/info/2.htm
look at the pic 16. you just need to turn screw 2a counterclockwise half a turn, and lock it with its outer ring. then check if 1/30 is working good. if its still not good give it another half a turn until it starts to close nicely.

 

[wolves3012]

i had this problem on almost all cameras that i bougt on flea market. its very easy to fix it yourself. just add a tension to the second curtain.
http://www.dvdtechcameras.com/info/2.htm
look at the pic 16. you just need to turn screw 2a counterclockwise half a turn, and lock it with its outer ring. then check if 1/30 is working good. if its still not good give it another half a turn until it starts to close nicely.

Jacking up the tension on the closing curtain is only going to provide a temporary fix and result in a noisier shutter if a CLA is what's really needed. I found that less tension was needed after CLA-ing my 4K. I've found the same with others I've bought too...

 

[wolves3012]

wolves, thanks from my side. Yes, I read your "how to cla" article - very nice by the way and a big help. Let's see if I can repair the Z4K myself...Otherwise, who would do a Zorki cla in the UK or Europe ? Where are the recommended repairmen ? Wolve, would you do a cla ? After I read your article, I would be more than happy to give the camera in your hands...(some cash included 🙂 )

If you don't feel up to doing this, I'm prepared to do it for you...on the basis of your risk and your postage costs. I don't want paying...PM me if you want me to do it, I'll send you my address.