Zorki 4 with Jupiter 12 lens

[Stuart Lloyd]

Thought I would share pictures of my 1958 Zorki 4 camera with a Jupiter 12 35mm lens, Leica light meter and home made viewfinder. I made the viewfinder myself by breaking open a Kodak disposable camera, a few bits of sheet aluminium and some araldite glue and it works just fine. I added a small bracket under the viewfinder to support the non coupled light meter. The camera came from a charity shop, the early 50s light meter from ebay, as did the lens. It is a beautifully made camera and takes lovely pictures. People are always asking me about it and it has re ignited my love of film after years with digital SLRs.

 

[batterytypehah!]

Wow, nice job on the VF and meter bracket. I'm building a 35 finder from a cannibalized thrift store (charity store) camera myself.

Welcome to RFF!

 

[Stuart Lloyd]

Thanks. It was actually pretty easy to make as the two lenses in the disposable camera are all moulded from one piece of plastic, just a bit of filing needed. I was horrified at the price of viewfinders so that spurred me on to make my own.

 

[batterytypehah!]

Interesting. My "donor" was a step above disposable, one of those plasticky but reloadable fix-focus things, and it had two separate VF lenses. So I removed that whole section of molded plastic with a coping saw, a channel so to speak, in which the lenses are held. This keeps them aligned and at the correct distance.

 

[Stuart Lloyd]

It didn't even occur to me to use a 'real' camera as a donor but given how many of them there are in thrift stores/charity shops I could have got one for a few pounds or around the same as a the disposable!