[stevebrot]

The Zorki 6 seems to have a much bigger rangefinder window. Does that make a difference?

A lot of the older cameras have these squinty viewfinder oculars. They look terrible, but in practice are not too bad. My FED-2 and Kiev are squinty and the Zorki 4K a bit less so. The rangefinder patches on all three have good contrast. Both the FED-2 and the Kiev are sort of dim, but quite usable. The Zorki 4K, on the other hand has a very bright 1:1 viewfinder with an interesting feature...infinite dimensions! There are no framelines or clear boundaries to the frame on that camera! Can't say about the Zorki 6. Google is your friend.


Steve

[stevebrot]

Very complex and more than a bit fiddly.

- This scares me.

If you want simple...get a FED-2. I am quite fond of mine and it is about as simple as a 35mm camera can get! Here is a link to photo and description of mine:

FED-2, ca 1963 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Similar page for the Kiev 4A

Kiev 4A, ca. 1961 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Oh...and for some size comparisons:





Oh! And one last thing. The FSU section on rangefinderforum.com is a great resource:

FSU Former Soviet Union RF - Rangefinderforum.com


Steve

[Skullsroad]

I've been lurking on rangefinderforum.com for a while now. The FSU thread is what got me interested in the first place.

I'm big on viewfinders. One of the reasons why I stopped using my Kx was the sorry excuse for a viewfinder. I gave it to my girlfriend. The pinky-nail sized windows on all these rangefinders had me second guessing my purchase but just about everyone tells me it's not that bad. I wish I could get my hands on one before buying but local examples are non-existent.

The bright viewfinder of the Zorki sounds right up my alley, but there are so many things I like about the Kiev. I think I'll look into the Zorki from fedka and promise myself to buy a Kiev down the line.

[stevebrot]

Could not resist!

Zorki 6 video!

You Tube

You Tube

and a 2nd video comparing Contax, Kiev 4A (early) and Kiev 4A (1979)

You Tube

You Tube

The second video shows the innards and the cool metal shutter!


Steve

[Skullsroad]

That second video....gave me the creeps. The eerie robot voice combined with the bulky leather gloves is downright odd. I couldn't finish it.

I bought a Zorki-6 with a J8 from Fedka. The combination of the swinging door, diopter adjustment, and the bright viewfinder, sealed the deal for me. It feels great to order from Fedka as well. I'm always nervous buying from the Ukraine.

Thanks Steve for taking the time to help me out. I was kinda hoping you'd stop by and drop some knowledge into my buying decision. When I get it, I'll post up some pictures along with my Kiev 60 medium format brick.

[stevebrot]

That second video....gave me the creeps. The eerie robot voice combined with the bulky leather gloves is downright odd. I couldn't finish it.

I bought a Zorki-6 with a J8 from Fedka. The combination of the swinging door, diopter adjustment, and the bright viewfinder, sealed the deal for me. It feels great to order from Fedka as well. I'm always nervous buying from the Ukraine.

Thanks Steve for taking the time to help me out. I was kinda hoping you'd stop by and drop some knowledge into my buying decision. When I get it, I'll post up some pictures along with my Kiev 60 medium format brick.

Cool! I am looking forward to reading your impressions of the Zorki-6 and seeing some photos. When you get the camera, I would suggest a test roll that includes some shots of blank sky at multiple shutter speeds to detect shutter capping. You will also want to do a focus check of the rangefinder (tripod at fixed distance).


Steve

[stevebrot]

That second video....gave me the creeps. The eerie robot voice combined with the bulky leather gloves is downright odd...

Yes, me too, though there is a humorous little bit at the end where all three cameras are lined up and a Nikon S pops into the frame along with an "Ooops" for a few seconds. I am not sure, but I think the video is from somewhere in Europe and the narrator is obviously not a native English speaker (or German for that matter). The alias of the poster looks Finnish or Estonian maybe?


Steve

[Nesster]

Wow, lots of info passed by here! Congrats on the Zorki-6!

When I bought my Fed-3b I compared it to a couple of Zorkis (I don't recall which model). The Zorki view finder was spacious and open when compared to the Fed's tunnel. But at least on these samples I felt the Fed RF patch was clearer. In retrospect I wish I'd bought the Zorki, probably, as the RF wasn't that bad and I sure liked the viewfinder. These were cameras sold by a repairman at a camera show, so all were in good operational shape.

Apart from sun-pinhole in the cloth shutter, there's another thing to look out for. This happened with my Fed: the cloth itself became worn where it wraps around a roller, to the degree I got light leaks, but only when the shutter was cocked. I guess that would be the first curtain. With the shutter not cocked the second curtain was solid and covered everything.

The fix is easy: paint the curtain with some fabric paint or similar.

Overall the LTM mount is much easier to use and so on. The Contax/Kiev can be an ordeal to get any lens other than the normal one mounted. But like Steve says, I also find the Kiev mount lenses seem better than their LTM counterparts - I've read somewhere that maybe it is the cams required that are simpler in the Contax design. Who knows?

Overall, I like my Kiev better than I like my Fed, in fact I'd be happy shooting just the Kiev if I had no other cameras. But someday I'd like to try a nice Zorki...

[Skullsroad]

So once it gets here, what should I look out for? I've never used a rangefinder of this vintage.

Will it already be set up for the J8? How do I know if it isn't? If I put a 35 or a 28 on, do I need to adjust anything?

Also, in terms of lens options... Will any lens made for a Leica work? I took a peek online and didn't find much other than astronomically priced Leica, a few Voigtlanders, and some FSU lenses.

[stevebrot]

So once it gets here, what should I look out for? I've never used a rangefinder of this vintage.

Will it already be set up for the J8? How do I know if it isn't? If I put a 35 or a 28 on, do I need to adjust anything?

Also, in terms of lens options... Will any lens made for a Leica work? I took a peek online and didn't find much other than astronomically priced Leica, a few Voigtlanders, and some FSU lenses.

Assuming that the rangefinder is properly calibrated and the lens properly collimated, your Zorki-6 should be roughly to Leica standard. What that means is that you should be able to mount the J-8 and go. Ditto for a J-12, J-9 or any other FSU lens made in LTM mount. A small note...it is good form to move the focus ring to the close-focus end setting before mounting/unmounting. This disengages the focus coupler from the follower in the body and reduces the risk of damage to the mechanism. This is not an issue with FSU lenses, but can be with other makes.

Using non-FSU glass is another matter. There is some discussion regarding compatibility of FSU lenses on Leica. I have never heard of issues going the other direction (non-FSU lens on FSU body), but that doesn't mean that all is good.


Steve

[stevebrot]

Could not resist...

All this talk about FSU stuff and then in the mail today I received a very clean Jupiter-9 in Kiev/Contax mount. The lens is in beautiful condition...(Best Offer = $125 USD)



Photo taken with my M42 J-9 mounted to the K10D. My only concern at this point is finding some sort of adapter for the 49x0.5 filter threads. (Yes, sad as it sounds, many vintage European cameras use the older 0.5 pitch rather than the modern 0.75. Beware threading anything onto the front of a vintage lens until you know!)


Steve

[Skullsroad]

Interesting. The only other lens I'm looking at is a J12. But the thought of a Voigtlander 28 2.8 is nice too.

Wow nice J9!

[Nesster]

I'd say the basic kit is J12 and J9, plus some sort of auxiliary finder with framelines for 35 and 85 mm... And your summary of the LTM lens market is pretty much spot on: there are non Leica lenses from Japan and Europe, but these tend to be expensive. The Russian lenses however are very good, though it is possible to get lemons. And then there are the new Voigtlander lenses, not over priced.

BTW, I posted most of my rangefinder cameras over at the other site:
Show your 35mm RF!

There is some very fascinating talk and pics of Russian Leica fakes also on that thread


Steve! That's a nice looking J-9 - what year is it? Looks to be a red P.

[stevebrot]

Steve! That's a nice looking J-9 - what year is it? Looks to be a red P.

It is LZOS-made, Red "P", made in 1962. It is strange to think that while I was a child doing duck and cover drills in grade school, somebody was in a factory outside Moscow churning out shiny Jupiter-9s and that 50 years later one of those lenses makes its way to my hands packed in crumpled pages from a German/Russian lexicon!


Steve

[Nesster]

Heh: when I was busy being born, those Russians were making my J-12 and J-9's... and actually, some Germans and/or Japanese were making a camera or two I now own.

What's really cool is the thought that I have and use cameras that were old when my parents were born...