Back to basics

[javiecholson188]

I love rangefinder cameras but had only one until last week,an Olympus XA.
I`ve just bought a Zorki 4/Jupiter 50mm f2 which I`m told is actually a Carl Zeiss Sonnar,something about war reparation.It seems all Zeiss lenses and Contax cameras were shipped to the Soviet Union in 1945


It really is back to basics since it has no meter so to help my "guesstimates"I`ve also bought a Leningrad 7 meter.


I have to say that the Zorki is a joy to use and I`m thoroughly enjoying myself.

[Manfred M]

Welcome to CiC. Would you mind clicking on the "My Profile" button and adding at least your first name and where you are from to the profile.

There were a number of camera works / lens manufacturers in the former Soviet Union. They produced their own cameras (i.e. they were not simply rebadged camera bodies) , but designs were often viewed as Zeiss and Leica "knock offs". The same can be said of the lenses; optically these were often based on pre-war Zeiss designs, but were manufactured in Soviet factories. A lot of the Zeiss factory equipment and tooling were relocated to the Soviet Union after WW II as war reparations. I suspect that might be the basis of what you have heard about the history of your camera / lens.

The USSR made cameras themselves could be a bit temperamental and quirky, but some of the lenses were excellent; others less so. Consistent quality was not something these manufacturers were known for. Back in my high school days (early 1970s), a friend had a Zenit SLR, which, I believe, was made in the same factory as your Zorki.

[royphot]

Yes. Back then one of my friends had the Zenit SLR. It stopped working, and when we opened the body, we found that he shutter blinds were re-tensioned, and pulled back to their starting position by a thread between the front one and the wind on crank. The thread had broken, it seemed like an ordinary cotton one, but was slightly waxed. We had a go, and managed to replace it with a slightly heavier thread. When working it took good quality images, but the handling was always a bit clunky.

[Tronhard]

I loved my Olympus XA, a tiny camera and a great performer. Someone broke into my car and stole it (along with a lot of other stuff) but I found a mint one last year and keep it for old time's sake, although perhaps one day I may save up to put a film through it and have it processed!