Another Zorki C..

[Stephen]

Another Zorki, this time very cheap from Ebay, with Sunpak flash thrown in, or is a Sunpak with Zorki C thrown in? All works fine, but the Industar looks a bit dog eared on the aluminium surround, but the glass looks good, will test on Olympus Micro 4/3 this afternoon.



I will check, but seems from about 1958/9 , with Russian script top, fitted flash sync socket, shutter with no low speeds. It is bottom loading, so no accurate speeds test till the shutter crate is removed for lubricating and check over.

Internally it looks fine, crackle finish paint inside, few wear an tear marks on paintwork, slight rubbing to the nickel plate.
Very clear viewfinder glass, and the rangefinder seems spot on, bar the image being out vertically a very tiny fraction.

Next, a proper clean etc., and shots of the restored exterior.

Stephen.

[lloydy]

very nice, that should scrub up nicely.

[Stephen]

Interesting variant of the Zorki cameras, it is a second version "C", and has Russian script and "C" after the Russian script "Zorki". The serial number, 58079270, places it in about 1957/8, a late production. They ran the C from '55 to '58. The 2C has the self timer this C does not feature.
I far prefer the Zorki C to the later Zorki 4 and Zorki 4K, the C's design is far nearer the source Leica design and layout.
Stephen.

[Stephen]

I have now tested the shutter, with the shutter crate and top removed, and it is accurate on all speeds, and the shutter blinds are in good condition for 55 years old.
The cloth shutter blinds both look original. The other internals are in good general condition, but an adjustment was needed to the shutter release pressure, it was way too much release pressure compared to Leica etc., or a well adjust Russian focal plane shutter.

Zorki's nearly always have a heavier release pressure compared to the FED Cameras.

The leaf spring is in open view on this design, with the bottom cover removed, and released from the retaining screws, it can be tweaked to give a lighter release. As there is no self timer to allow for, a really low pressure can be carefully set. Never adjust, without carefully lubricating the release column, that runs through the sprocket shaft.
Next is a test of the lens on an Olympus PL-1, with Leica adaptor to Micro 4/3 mount. The lens is pretty much dust free, few minor marks, nothing serious,.... except the dog chewed aluminium finish.

Stephen.

[truls]

Classy camera, for a russian! I like those Fed's and Zorki's, some day I will get one also. Is the Fed or Zorki best for a rangefinder Virgin?

[Stephen]

Personally I think the Zorki are better made, especially the early Leica clones. Most parts of the designs are the same, but the USSR intended the Zorki to be the better camera, and destined for even pro users. The early types have the normal Leica casing, The C is raised, the equivalent vintage FED would be the long based rangefinder Fed 2, both very good cameras.

Test shot was in appalling low light today, on Olympus PL-1, with the Industar 50mm F3.5 at F8, on adaptor. Not much point in landscape shots today, far too low a light, forcing a very high ISO, and degrading the image.



I will repeat more test shots in better light, tomorrow is better weather forecast, but it looks like the lens is in good shape optically so far.

Stephen.

[Stephen]

The Russian Script Logo for the Zorki C.


The Flash synchroniser lever, anybody know the setting for X sync?
Stephen.

[Stephen]

Better shot of camera before deep cleaning the lot, aperture was too large on first shot. I am trying out a PL-1 from Ebay to go with the Olympus PM-1 I bought at Xmas, the PL-1 has got a built in flash, and on first glance a better interface, but no cable release!
Stephen.

[Deleted]

Someone once described the Zorki C as "a Zorki 1 that has been beaten with an ugly stick. Never could figure out why they even made the C and 2C except they have flash sync. The Zorki 1s are much easier to work on. In the only Soviet Union awards for outstanding military, party or factory work were often engraved cameras and the C and 2C seem to be the favorite models for such award. Years ago I bid several times on award cameras but wasn't willing to go high enough to ever get one. As to quality the early Zorkis -- through the 1B model had a soft body and just too much pressure from the hands could deform it (I had one that I couldn't get a film cartridge in because of of that). The Z 1Cs and after bodies had a better alloy and wouldn't deform.

The nicest Zorkis ever built, IMO, were the "Double Zorkis" --a Zorki 1 that was made for export or for Party big wigs. It had "Zorki" in both Cyrillic and Roman on the top and the cases were often lined with a green velvet rather than red. The exterior finish is better and they operate more smoothly--someone obviously took more care in their manufacture. None of the later Zorkis had the level of workmanship with the possible exception of the Zorki 3C and the first Zorki 4 models (1956) which were 3Cs with a self timer added.

As for what to get for a virgin: Be careful of the pre war FEDs and the ones made just after the war as their lens mount threads weren't standard Leica.

[truls]

> As for what to get for a virgin: Be careful of the pre war FEDs and the ones made just after the war as their lens mount threads > weren't standard Leica.

I saw a camera called Fed Zarya, not a rangefinder, but guess-the-distance camera, it had an Industar 61-something, is it any good lens? It looks like a good camera, much simpler than a Zorki/Fed - less prone to failure?

[lloydy]

I got a lovely Fed 4 today, but it's missing the wind on spool.

[Stephen]

Apr 12, 2013 11:01:30 GMT -5 truls said:

> As for what to get for a virgin: Be careful of the pre war FEDs and the ones made just after the war as their lens mount threads > weren't standard Leica.

I saw a camera called Fed Zarya, not a rangefinder, but guess-the-distance camera, it had an Industar 61-something, is it any good lens? It looks like a good camera, much simpler than a Zorki/Fed - less prone to failure?

The Zarya was a domestic product designed to sell only in Russia to keep the costs lower, the shutter is the usual design, it is just the rangefinder that was dropped. The lenses were the same, but I suspect that they picked better lenses for export. They usually work fine.
Stephen.

[Stephen]

The now adjusted, lubricated and cleaned up Zorki body, the lens is next, and more complex, lots of marks.
Stephen.

[Stephen]

Apr 12, 2013 12:30:13 GMT -5 lloydy said:

I got a lovely Fed 4 today, but it's missing the wind on spool.

Have not got the reference to hand but there as some on Ebay to suit, search for Fed.
Stephen.

[Stephen]

Item number:150942527684 is the reference for the spool. Refers to Zorki, but I think the fit is the same.
Stephen