Зоркий-4
Taking a break from the more narrative blogs that I usually post, I thought that it might be useful to introduce the different cameras that I use; my experiences, pros and cons, and the quirks that they each have. So, in today’s blog I am introducing the Зоркйи - 4 (Zorki-4), a Soviet knockoff of the Leica II rangefinder camera.
If you are familiar with Leica cameras, then you know they’re “money”…both in quality and…money, and with good reason (think German engineering). While the current prices of a Leica II body on “the bay” range from being pretty affordable (a couple hundred dollars but you can’t be assured shutter speeds are accurate) to costing about as much as I paid for my Rolleiflex 2.8e (which in my opinion is a better investment for a 6cm x 6 cm image).
Viewfinder turret.
For those who do not know, a rangefinder camera differs from a single lens reflex camera (SLR or DSLR if you are shooting digitally). Instead of looking through the lens of the camera, you view your subject through an adjacent window with a superimposed “ghost” image. As you focus the camera, the ghost image moves (as long as the lens is coupled with the body), and is in focus when both images are in alignment. This can have several advantages and disadvantages. The drawback is what you see through the eyepiece is a standard 50mm angle of view, similar to that of the human eye. If your lens is anything but a 50mm lens, what you see is not exactly what you are going to get. This can be overcome by an additional adjustable view finder turret that you can attach to the camera and match to the focal length of the lens. While this seems like an additional complication, it is very useful for composition as it helps you accurately predict what you are going to get not taking parallax into consideration. However, generally, rangefinder cameras are the sharpest images that you can get, often better than an SLR or DSLR.
Doing my research on affordable alternatives to a Leica and lenses, I came across the Zorki line of cameras, also readily available on the Bay.
Time for a moderately complicated history…
Post World War II СССР acquired several German assets as a result of the war. Zeiss was one of the assets acquired in reparations, a company that produced superior lenses, still sought after by analog and digital photographers to this day. Once the original glass previously manufactured was used up, the Soviet Union formulated their own copy of the Zeiss Sonnar lens. Enter the Юпитер (Jupiter) series of lenses. According to Camerapedia, prior to the war, Felix Edmundovich Dzerzhinsk (the founder of the NKVD, the forerunner of the infamous KGB) developed his copy of the Leica II called the ФЕД (FED…his initals) in 1934, which was later copied by Krasnogorsk Mechanical Factory (KMZ)…enter the Зоркий (in English it means “Sharp Sighted”).
So, here’s the thing about the Zorki vs a Leica of the same generation. Currently, the average price of the least expensive Leica II body (without lens) I found on that auction site is around $200…again without guarantee that the shutter speeds are accurate. The average price of a Zorki-4 with lens is under $100 (without the assurance of accurate shutter speeds). However, in my opinion, that’s what makes it a rather attractive option. Is it going to be the same quality of build? Likely not since it is not a Leica. Is it worth it? Ясно (Clearly). Which is why I bought my first Zorki-4 with a 50mm Industar lens for around $75 USD from a seller in Ukraine (who has a good rating) at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The box arrived in the middle of lockdown, clearly opened at Customs, two months after purchase…which is a record in peace time. I opened the well padded box to find a camera shaped thing inside of its leather alligator textured case. Unbuttoning the leather case, there was a heavy metal camera with it’s Индустар lens.
Learning how to load a Zorki introduces you to the first of its many quirks. Like it’s contemporary, there are two latches on the bottom that you need to turn, one clockwise, the other counter-clockwise. But instead of just the baseplate sliding off, the entire back slides off revealing the cloth curtain shutter, an uptake spool on the right, and the space to the left for a standard roll of 35mm film. Loading is pretty intuitive, cartridge on the left, stretch the film leader across, and insert into the uptake spool. Fire the…fire the…(why isn’t the shutter firing off?). Turn the advance knob…it just spins…nothing is happening. To the left of the advance knob there is a smaller one. Turn that. Fire the shutter. SLAP! The shutter has fired. This second knob engages and disengages the shutter from loading and advancing to reversing the film back into the cartridge. Slide the back back on, which is a little bit fiddly at first until you get the hang of it. Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING with this camera is mechanical, and that is why I think these are great little cameras. There are no electronics to eventually fritz out. Advancing the film is as simple as turning the nob until it stops. There is a film counter on the top of the film advance which has to be manually reset to zero. Now that the camera is ready for use, the next few quirks are lurking right around the corner, one of which can spell death for the Zorki, and the reason why I had to buy a second camera.
Left to right: film advance, shutter engage/disengage, shutter control knob
There isn’t a light meter with this camera, so one must either use an app on their cell phone, a hand-held digital meter like my Seikonic, or my analogue GE meter from the 1950’s. The view finder of the Zorki is adequate, though the focus image is a little on the small side although fairly bright, making focusing very easy. So, now that you are all set to take a photo with your very own piece of antique Soviet photography equipment and you’ve selected your aperture, it’s time to set your shutter speed, which is controlled by the large dial on top of the camera. This is the tensioner that controls how fast the shutter curtain moves for your exposure, and this is the component of your camera that can kill it. Prior to purchase I had found a Zorki-4 manual online and I had watched a few YouTube videos, and the one thing that all of the sources cite as the thing not to do, like feeding a mogwai after midnight, is to change your shutter speed prior to advancing the film to the next frame. My first few frames I remembered to do this, being very cautious. But, it wasn’t muscle memory. Aaaaaaaaaaaaand…yup…I set my shutter speed before winding. Advancing the film is what cocks the shutter, and if you don’t do that prior to setting your shutter speed which tensions a spring controlling the shutter curtain, it can break the spring and render your camera inoperable…forever.
I was extremely disappointed about such a simple mistake.
The Jupiter-8 Red П and the standard Jupiter-8
However, this first camera is not simply a nice example of a camera-shaped paper weight, as it will be used as a source of parts to repair the second Zorki that arrived three months later, this time with a Юпитер-8 (Jupiter-8) 50mm lens. I have been very careful to not repeat my error with the second Zorki. While waiting for the replacement to arrive, I continued my research into lenses that would be compatible, and learned about the Jupiter-8 "red П”. The difference so far as I can tell is the improved coating of the glass for the “П” than the standard Jupiter-8 and the glass itself was better. I ordered one in anticipation of the second Zorki’s arrival. I have been using this setup of the Jupter-8 red “П” with my Zoki-4 exclusively now for the better part of two years and have to say I am very happy with the results. Do not expect the Jupiter-8 to have edge to edge sharpness, no matter which lens you get, however the centre of the image is very sharp, and renders a very nice image. Earlier this year I also purchased a wider angle Юпитер-12 (Jupiter-12) 35mm lens. I have yet to experiment extensively with the lens, but preliminary results are just as clear. Look forward to a future review of the lens, and if you are interested in seeing a comparison of the Industar, Jupiter-8, Jupiter-8 П, and the Jupiter12, please leave a comment.
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Итак, могу ли я рекомендовать эту камеру? Да, конечно. (Would I recommend this camera? Yes, of course). For the price and the wide variety of lenses still available for purchase, this camera would be a very good introduction to analogue rangefinder cameras. There are a few quirks that must be kept in mind, most of it stemming from the fact that the camera and lenses are of a certain vintage and the result of a degree of reverse engineering. Someday I would like to own a Leica since they are so well engineered, however I would rather spend the scratch on a 4 x 5 view camera first, which might come out to be less money in the end. But, until then, the Zorki works just fine for me. Just remember, advance your film before changing your shutter speed, and you will be just fine.
What are your thoughts on this type of blog? Often I find gear reviews to be on the dry side, so I tried to give a brief history and my personal experience without going too deep into the weeds. If you have suggestions on how to keep a equipment review interesting, or if there was something that you think I should have included, please leave a comment or send me an email through the “Contact” link in the header above. This is the first time I have written a review of anything, so your input really does matter.