Nutterz88
CamCatcher
robin a
Well-known
Well,let's think about this for a minute..................
stompyq
Well-known
Think sponge, think...........
LOL. I like the J8 though. In the end enjoy the camera and stop lusting after leicas
LOL. I like the J8 though. In the end enjoy the camera and stop lusting after leicas
xayraa33
rangefinder user and fancier
No they are not as good as the real thing but they are nice in their own quirky low priced way if you luck out on a dependable specimen or two.
Nutterz88
CamCatcher
Im glad I've got the masons thinking about it now 
Mudman
Well-known
I had a Fed for a while. I got rid of it as quickly as possible.
Nutterz88
CamCatcher
Really? I've found FED to be great. Why did you not like it?
pschauss
Well-known
I have a Leica IIIa and IIIf as well as an assortment of Zorki's and Kiev 4's. I have two Zorki 1's which were in good condition to start with and after adjusting the shutter I get good results from them. Compared to the Leicas, however, they really have only three usable shutter speeds, 1/100, 1/200, and 1/500. I get too much shake to use take hand-held shots at anything slower than 100. I can shoot hand-held with my Leicas at speeds as slow as 1/25. The Zorki's have no shutter brake to keep the curtain speeds uniform across the frame so, unless you adjust the shutter very carefully, there is a tendency to have more exposure on one side of the frame to the other.
My Kievs are closer in performance to my Leicas, but I tend to use them less because they are larger and heavier. A Leica III or Zorki 1 with a collapsible lens (5cm Elmar or Industar 22) will fit in my pocket, making the camera ideal for walking around in a city. Mechanically, my Leicas are much smoother and feel more refined than my Zorki's. If you compare a properly CLAed Leica IIIx to a Zorki, you WILL notice the difference.
As with all FSU cameras condition is always a concern. I have been lucky with most of the ones that I have bought but one of my four Kievs has a light leak which I have been unable to track down even after taking the camera apart three or four times. Shutter ribbons on Kievs are another failure point although I have not had problems with that.
If you are simply looking for a pocketable rangefinder which takes interchangeable lenses, a Zorki will probably work for you. If you have your heart set on a Leica, save up for it. Checking the prices at KEH, Leica IIIx's are not that expensive.
My Kievs are closer in performance to my Leicas, but I tend to use them less because they are larger and heavier. A Leica III or Zorki 1 with a collapsible lens (5cm Elmar or Industar 22) will fit in my pocket, making the camera ideal for walking around in a city. Mechanically, my Leicas are much smoother and feel more refined than my Zorki's. If you compare a properly CLAed Leica IIIx to a Zorki, you WILL notice the difference.
As with all FSU cameras condition is always a concern. I have been lucky with most of the ones that I have bought but one of my four Kievs has a light leak which I have been unable to track down even after taking the camera apart three or four times. Shutter ribbons on Kievs are another failure point although I have not had problems with that.
If you are simply looking for a pocketable rangefinder which takes interchangeable lenses, a Zorki will probably work for you. If you have your heart set on a Leica, save up for it. Checking the prices at KEH, Leica IIIx's are not that expensive.
Meakin
Established
When I was a kid, I heard (from my dad btw.) that those polystyrene packaging chips were in fact crisps made by Walkers..........................
He lied.
/Meakin
jippiejee
Well-known
I shot only one role with it before I realized it was nicer as showpiece in my windowsill than as usable camera. Just altering shutter speed is enough of a circus act to not ever want to take it out for any serious street photography. And cock the shutter before you even touch the shutter speed dial, or you'll ruin it. But it's nce and shiny and mine has some interesting communist party celebration markings.
Yes, I like the J8 too.
n5jrn
Well-known
If they were almost as good as Leicas, then odds are their price would be almost as high as thread-mount Leica bodies. I've never bought an FSU rangefinder because a camera that can be broken simply by adjusting the shutter speed at the wrong time is not the camera for someone as absent-minded as me.
I ruin enough shots with my IIIf because I forget to extend and lock the lens and/or remove the lens cap. At least I still have a working camera after making one of those goofs.
I ruin enough shots with my IIIf because I forget to extend and lock the lens and/or remove the lens cap. At least I still have a working camera after making one of those goofs.
Mudman
Well-known
It wouldn't rewind properly - it ate my film twice and after that I gave up.
rxmd
May contain traces of nut
klapka
Established
Nutterz88
CamCatcher
Thank you.
Kent
Finally at home...
I used to be a fan of the FED-3 but when I got a Zorki-4 and have used it with the J8 for the first time, I never went back. Excellent set!!
batterytypehah!
Lord of the Dings
Some of them? Yes. Almost as good? Yes. On the whole? Not by a long shot.
You have to be realistic. The Soviet Union started out with a nearly exact copy of the Leica II. From there, they went their own way. So IMO the only valid comparison is a Leica II against an early FED or Zorki. I haven't had an opportunity to compare good examples of these but I can tell you the Zorki-1 I'm restoring is a fine piece of craftsmanship, and survived some serious mistreatment (it was covered in fine silt) with hardly any internal damage.
Thomas78
Well-known
It all depends which actual FSU camere you compare to a Leica II / III.
My best build FSU camera is a Zorki I c, the "export model".
Its craftmanship is not at Leica standards and its shutter noise is louder than an bottom loader Canon RF or a Leica, but it works very well and is a well made camera.
The problems with setting the shutter speed at the wrong time is valid for the later FSU cameras with the slow times, but I didn't had a problem when I accidently set the time before winding at a Zorki I or FED-2.
The best thing with FSU camereas is that I don't worry to bring them to a non ideal environment. (Where a nice Leica would be to precious for.) So I also take them to a walk in the cold winter days, while chopping trees in the wood, when there might be rain outside...
That does not mean that I don't care for my FSU cameras.
My best build FSU camera is a Zorki I c, the "export model".
Its craftmanship is not at Leica standards and its shutter noise is louder than an bottom loader Canon RF or a Leica, but it works very well and is a well made camera.
The problems with setting the shutter speed at the wrong time is valid for the later FSU cameras with the slow times, but I didn't had a problem when I accidently set the time before winding at a Zorki I or FED-2.
The best thing with FSU camereas is that I don't worry to bring them to a non ideal environment. (Where a nice Leica would be to precious for.) So I also take them to a walk in the cold winter days, while chopping trees in the wood, when there might be rain outside...
That does not mean that I don't care for my FSU cameras.
