Zorki 4K

Skyline On Fire

Skyline On Fire

Messages
1,391
Name
Luke
Edit My Images
Yes
Does anyone have any experience with this? I've recently been looking at a few second hand, and I've absolutely fallen in love with the aesthetics of it. I've never really shot film before (I don't count as a kid on holidays with a P&S) but the allure of this camera is just too much to ignore.

Any advice, tips, anything, more than welcome.
 
Old RF's generally are beautiful compared with slr's.
I don't collect, I buy to use, but I can appreciate the reasons why peeps do collect RF's..:)
 
joxby said:
Old RF's generally are beautiful compared with slr's.
I don't collect, I buy to use, but I can appreciate the reasons why peeps do collect RF's..:)
Click to expand...

They are absolutely stunning aren't they. It's primarily to collect I think, but I'd still love to shoot a little with it.

I'm guessing it takes any old regular 35mm film, and it's just a case of mounting the roll like you would with any film camera? Do you have to manually move the film forward after every shot? Anything I should know? Also, how is it powered?
 
Yes you have to wind the film on after every exposure, its an all manual camera so it doesn't need any power, you have to do everything yourself including metering, setting the app, setting the shutter speed and focussing all by hand all on your own with no safety net, insurance or parents...:LOL:

Its probably 50 years old, so everything perishable you will have to assume has fallen to bits..
 
Also, when/if you get bored with film or you find the camera is perhaps idiosyncratic ... you can use your lenses on m4/3rds digitals.
 
The Zorki 4K is a fully manual camera, no light meter, no batteries required. Film advance is manual and done with a lever after every shot, this is a step up from the Zorki 4 which is a knob wind, always make sure to advance the film before changing shutter settings, can break the camera otherwise.

The viewfinder/rangefinder is brilliant, with a 50mm lens (get the Jupiter 8 50mm f/2) its a 1:1 viewfinder so you can shoot with both eyes open and no visual disparity.

Yes it is 35mm film, there are two unlocking things on the bottom of the camera that let you remove the back of the camera to load the film, trust me this is nicer than old Zorki's with bottom loading.

Not much to say about it really, uses M39 (leica thread/screw mount if you prefer) rangefinder lenses, the innards are still a 1930's design copied from a Leica II so it's mechanically simple, shutter speeds up to 1/1000th, cloth focal plane shutter (check for pinholes in this with a torch or you might find light leaks on your first roll of film, though easily fixed), self timer, has a PC socket for flash at 1/25th sync and a diopter adjustment under the film rewind knob.

If you have any more specific questions i can answer them.
 
Wonderful, thank you everyone. I honestly didn't realize that older fully manual film cameras were absolutely 100 percent self reliant, i.e zero power source required, fantastic.

The one I've got my eye on is apparently in very good condition, fully working, for around 40 pounds. Includes a lens I think too, Jupiter 50mm f2.
 
Morinaka said:
... cloth focal plane shutter (check for pinholes in this with a torch or you might find light leaks on your first roll of film, though easily fixed)
Click to expand...

sometimes the shutter gets a little more than pinholes...


Film Side by The Big Yin, on Flickr

in this case half the rubberised coating on the fabric shutter peeled off in the middle of my first test roll of film. Should have realised something was wrong when a cloud of black dust fell out when I removed the film :LOL:

Still, a couple of coats of black latex based fabric paint and it's as good as new now (y)
 
I agree the Zorki is a great looking camera. If you're tempted by those, the Kiev and Leningrad are two others you probably shouldn't be looking at either. The Leningrad would be my choice - very different with it's spring wound shutter and capable of about 3fps with a quick shutter finger...


leningrad by tonky8203, on Flickr

Probably built to the highest quality of all the Russian offerings of that period.

Now and again I get nice versions of these winking at me on ebay, but so far I've resisted the temptation - I need another camera like I need another hole up me bum.
 
You may get serrated finger from the focus ring but you can get some great results with this camera,wish I still had mine


218559175_e939b6215e_o.jpg
 
CT said:
I agree the Zorki is a great looking camera. If you're tempted by those, the Kiev and Leningrad are two others you probably shouldn't be looking at either. The Leningrad would be my choice - very different with it's spring wound shutter and capable of about 3fps with a quick shutter finger...


leningrad by tonky8203, on Flickr

Probably built to the highest quality of all the Russian offerings of that period.

Now and again I get nice versions of these winking at me on ebay, but so far I've resisted the temptation - I need another camera like I need another hole up me bum.
Click to expand...

Absolutely beautiful camera. I truly wished they still made them like this, I'd drop the DSLR in a heartbeat. Think I'm going to have a look around Ebay, see what I can buy.
 
Skyline On Fire said:
Absolutely beautiful camera. I truly wished they still made them like this, I'd drop the DSLR in a heartbeat. Think I'm going to have a look around Ebay, see what I can buy.
Click to expand...

LOL Slippery slope! You've started me off actually with this thread - I've just been looking at a few on ebay. I'm just off to thrash myself with a bundle of wet twigs then gonna clean the car - anything! :D
 
CT said:
LOL Slippery slope! You've started me off actually with this thread - I've just been looking at a few on ebay. I'm just off to thrash myself with a bundle of wet twigs then gonna clean the car - anything! :D
Click to expand...

They aren't exactly a fortune though! For the price of a decent lens I could buy 10 of these!
 
K well, we have this RF's are beautastic thread every 5 or 6 months, and seeing as you're a bit of a digi head we'd best make sure your arse is well and truly owned by posting our fav's or at least making you aware of them...:LOL: *evil cackle*

I wants....just because I wants -

Brumberger

3578983055_d2f690acac.jpg




Yashica Electro

yashicaGSN.jpg



Nikon S2

NIkonS2BD-BL1-01.jpg
 
Hmm I better not get the pictures out of my rangefinders then!

I must admit my favourite picture was taken with a Jupiter 8 lens on my Bessa R

Oh and if I were going to get into rangefinders then the modern voigtlanders are great cameras!
 
I love the look and style of the Zorki 4 cameras.... Apparently, Leica also liked them so much they copied the style. ;)
 
More RF porn Fuji GSW690 II - 120 film 6cm x 9cm frames so 8 per roll of film.


DSCF2977R.JPG
 
I love the nikon rangefinders, they're like the contax/kievs and just look great.

Here's my addition to the list:
Leica-M6.jpg
 
raathistle said:
I love the nikon rangefinders, they're like the contax/kievs and just look great.

Here's my addition to the list:
Leica-M6.jpg
Click to expand...

It's bad enough with this tempting me every time I look in the classifieds without you putting it in here as well :LOL:
 
:whistle:

I also had my Xpan up for sale but no takers :(

I think I win the prize for biggest rangefinder though:

MPP.jpg


Most awesomest rangefinder = this :D

Mamiya-6MF.jpg


I've just seen how carp that picture is, it is seriously the best rangefinder ever though!

To the OP, you just need to give in and buy them. the only proviso I would give is to buy quality though. The good condition ones are only marginally more expensive than the bad, and will generally work fine with no need to spend extra cash. The poor models can just be big paperweights that cost a fortune if you want to get them working, so buy good in the first place (y)
 
Last edited:
raathistle said:
To the OP, you just need to give in and buy them. the only proviso I would give is to buy quality though. The good condition ones are only marginally more expensive than the bad, and will generally work fine with no need to spend extra cash. The poor models can just be big paperweights that cost a fortune if you want to get them working, so buy good in the first place (y)
Click to expand...

I've got my eye on a few at the moment, for some reason the Zorki's are attracting me more than anything else at the moment.
 
MisterE said:
More RF porn Fuji GSW690 II - 120 film 6cm x 9cm frames so 8 per roll of film.
Click to expand...

I'd have one of those in 6x7 flavour..:)

The Fuji's and the Mamiya 6 are the very best M/F rangefinders money can buy, but........they're not the prettiest unfortunately.
 
Favourites huh? these are mine, the ones i own anyway. Left to right, Fed 2c, King Regula Super, Zorki 1B and King Regula IIId

 
Some gorgeous looking cameras there Morinaka.

I've been after one for a while, managed to pick up a Zorki 4k for £15 on the bay, didn't have much description, turns out the rangefinder needs re-calibrating which looks easy enough and rest seems to work fine. Looking forward to having a play with it.

Aren't those panoramic fuji MF cameras rangefinders too?
 
I took the plunge and brought a Zorki 4K. What an absolutely beautiful camera. I haven't had a chance to use it yet, but it will be coming with me to France for three weeks next week, and I'll be giving it a good using then.

Thanks for all the advice and tips guys.
 
Skyline On Fire said:
I took the plunge and brought a Zorki 4K. What an absolutely beautiful camera. I haven't had a chance to use it yet, but it will be coming with me to France for three weeks next week, and I'll be giving it a good using then.

Thanks for all the advice and tips guys.
Click to expand...

There are some funnies about what order you do things like cocking & setting shutter speed on it that can cause problems if done wrong, probably not unusual if you understand the innards but was news to me. Careful read of the manual is in order before shooting!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top