Hi Nigel, it's a good few years since you made this video, but still relevant today (May 2023), esp to younger, and maybe older, new comers to Soviet cameras. I've really enjoyed watching. I've been spending some time searching the net, including our favourite auction site, to make a purchase. The Zorki 4 is currently top of my list. Thanks Nigel, loving your channel.
I have two Zorki 4 cameras. I absolutely love them and for me the weight is perfect and gives a reassuringly solid and substantial feel. Nice video, thanks.
Absolutely brilliant video! Your style of presentation is so so natural, sincere + informative. You obviously love your Zorki's!!! I own 3 Zorki 4, a Zorki 1, Zorki 3, Zorki 4k, + a Zorki 5. Cannot bearto part with any of them. My first camera was a Zorki bought from Jessops photographic in Leicester- such nostalgia for a much loved camera! Besides which they all take superb photos!!!
I just bought mine a few days ago and its amazing! I'm really learning a lot from it because I've gotten so used to the digital SLR's and everything. So its just great! Thanks so much for this video! And you're right, the Zorki 4 is a groovy camera :)
+Sherlaine Yap Glad you're enjoying your camera; using it is likely to benefit your photography, simply because manual control makes you think about light and how to use it. Very glad you liked the video; don't forget to subscribe if you liked it enough!
What can I say I have 3 of these by default...one of these with cycrllic name on front dosent work.....the most recent of a couple of weeks ago...for the jupiter 8...so there you go.... Thanks again Nigel...
My father owned Zorki 4 with Jupiter 8 and it is first camera which I used in 70's . I still own that camera and after all this year (as he told me he bought it in 1965) Zorki 4 working nice. Last time I used it 2018. Also Jupiter 8 is very good lenses for mirrorless camera if you not depend of automatic focusing.
What I think you were saying about the earlier ones and the shutter speed dial either engraved or silk screen printed guess Sure you could get spare part that is engraved.. What do you think??
Get the 4k. I use mine in its case cut and velcroed so I use it closed or take off the bottom part of the case to make it easier to use. I have the latest black Jupiter 8 50mm f2 lens and love it.
Not sure I totally buy into Zorki = nice, FED = ugly old thing but maybe my tastes aren't so finessed haha but I do think the wind-on lever on the 4K is less aesthetically pleasing than the turret winder.
+James Cortesos Many thanks James, very glad you found it useful. These mechanical cameras have a magic for me that digital, although great in many ways, just doesn't have. All the processing power is in the photographer rather than the camera, you have to think about light, which in the end is what photography, I think, is all about. Thanks for subscribing too!
I keep seeing folks mention no strap lugs...over and over....I own two Zorki 4's ....One is from year 1964 ....the other is from year 1970 ....Both have strap lugs.....I didn't give the strap lug thing any thought when buying my Zorki's... Just got lucky I guess....Which is highly unusual for me ...lol....With all that said I absolutely LOVE my Zorki 4's ! .. ...I also love my Kiev 4a's and my Kiev 4am !! ....They are all GREAT cameras !! ...... I have Jupiter 8's mounted on most of my vintage Russian rangefinders...A couple of them have the Fed 52mm 2.8's ..It is also a very nice lens ....Next on my buy list is the Jupiter 3... They are expensive....but not quite as expensive as they were a few years ago...You can get one for about 100 bucks now....which is a GREAT deal...I have used one a lot....It wasn't my lens but one on loan from a friend...I knew after I used that lens a couple times I had to have one....Ok I've babbled enough...later folks....Great video by the way !!
Thanks for the comment Buck. Strap lugs seem to be a curious thing with old Zorkis, as you say, they do sometimes pop up around 1970 or so, but some earlier cameras don't have them. The J8 is a great lens, as is the Industar 61 - although I do wish they'd focus a bit closer than three feet. Apparently there's a hack you can do, but I haven't been brave enough to try it yet! As for the J3, I hear good things about it but have never owned one. Still, if they're getting cheaper, who knows? New ones are around 4-500 pounds from Lomography - I don't think I'll be troubling them.
As long as you mount a rangefinder lens, of any focal length, the rangefinder will be accurate. However the viewfinder won't - it shows the 50mm focal length only. The way around that is to use a separate viewfinder on the cold shoe - there's a very nice Russian universal one available covering all the focal lengths you're likely to use, and they're available from other manufacturers too (eg Leica, Canon) but they tend to be more expensive.
@@zenography7923 ahhhh ic.. this is exactly what I need. Thank you!!!! (; Because of your videos. I Got myself a very good looking zorki 4 with a. Industar 50mm for about $90usd haha. Slower speeds are sticky and curtain wouldn't close properly. But 1/60-1/1000 are working perfectly! Shootng my first roll of film now!!
Thank you for your wonderful reviews. I enjoy shooting with my Zorki 3M but I would like to use my flash (Vivitar 252 with sync cord) so considering a Zorki 4. I haven't seen examples or discussion of Zorki 4 flash photography. Are there concerns or pitfalls for using a Zorki 4 with a flash?
I got a 4k last week full CLA'd turns out the second curtain is broke. i payed £68 for it with lens. so i'm buying the original zorki 4 for £25 from a shop tomorrow.
Thinking, Thinking, Thinking, many on ebay from Ukraine, do I? probably will, the shutter speed/wind on is a big factor, "excellent quality" doesn't tell me much when being described by sellers. Great review of your Zorki, kinda trending towards a K4. What are your thoughts on the Petri Flex 7?, ever shot with one?.
+Peter Coates Well, must admit I hadn't heard of the Petri Flex 7, but a quick google revealed a very interesting looking camera, looks very mechanical and well made - and the f1.8 lens makes it really nice. Something more to search for on ebay? Hmm... As for the Zorki 4K, it's a lovely camera, no strap lugs unfortunately, but the lever wind-on more than makes up for that IMO. There's something about using a rangefinder, a slow, old-fashioned, considered quality that makes it simply a different experience to using an SLR, that helps and prompts the photographer to find a different kind of image. Haven't bought anything from the Ukraine yet so can't comment, I'm sure they're as good as anyone else. I usually buy from uk sellers only because delivery time is quicker, but wherever you buy from, current prices for the Zorki make them an absolute steal! Glad you liked the review, and good luck in your search.
I just got a 1957 Zorki 4, there is a ring called a synchronizer with numbers from 5-25 , I guess this has to do with flash . something i read said set it to m for bulb and x for modern flash but I see no m or x . Can you help me ?
Thanks for another great review! I wonder if you have used any of the Soviet-made coldshoe turret viewfinders, or any of the Leica ones? I'm in the market to get one but there aren't many reviews around, even less that show the view inside the viewfinder. Anyway just wondering if you've had any experience with any of them, given your extensive knowledge about early rangefinder cameras :) Thanks!
Hi there, glad you liked the review. My experience with external finders is somewhat limited, having only used the English 'Wray' universal finder, which I think is pretty similar to the Leica one. It's a bit squinty, but does have framelines for 35mm, 50mm and 135 mm lenses, and parallax correction. I hear good things about the Russian finders but haven't used one myself. I'll try to feature the subject of auxilliary finders in a forthcoming episode.
Thanks a lot for the detailed reply. Really look forward to hearing your thoughts on the external viewfinders! Thanks for taking time to make these vids!
How can you set it to a higher speed when you are done shooting if you have to wind the film before setting the speed? You have to waste a frame to set it to a higher speed?
That's a fair point, often wondered about it myself! Although this instruction is given in the Fed and Zorki manuals, in fact I've never known leaving a camera unwound, set on a slow speed, to cause any problem. Thanks for watching!
Hey I have a question! If you don't have to leave the camera on the wind on position or at a slow shutter speed, what should I do If i shot a photo at night when and I set my settings let's say at f-2 1/10 or 1/5 of a second, how am I supposed to move the shutter speed to a high shutter speed if I'm not taking anymore photos? You know what I mean? If I take a photo at a slow speed and I'm done shooting after that photo and you can't leave it at a slow speed before putting it away, to be able to leave it at high shutter speed I need to wind on the film but also I will need to shoot it one more time so it isn't in wind on position!and its night time!? I hope you understand what I trying to say
Yes, I do understand, and I've often wondered this myself! To be honest, although that's the instruction given in the factory manual, I don't think it makes much sense, and I don't think it will hurt to store the camera set to a slow speed. Of course, what you shouldn't do is put it away wound on and not fired - that will risk the springs losing their 'springiness'!
Hi Colyn, yes, the camera can be lubricated, and any Zorki that hasn't been serviced is likely to need this. You have to know what you're doing though, as it requires a complete stripdown to do it properly, and there are so many mechanical bits and pieces - springs, levers, gears etc - that makes them difficult to get back together unless you're familiar with the mechanism. I'd take it to a professional - it may cost you perhaps £40-£50 pounds or so, but you'll then have an as new (mechanically at least) Zorki. Well worth it in my opinion. Good luck, and thanks for watching.
Hi, I bought one of these in Romania about 10 years ago. Just watched the video and loaded some film for a try it out. One question remains that have not seen anyone explain. Under the speed dial there is another dial with X and M that I can see. What is the purpose? Suppose X is for flash, need to set also at 1/60 speed? Is M for standard picture taking? Great video thanks. Frank
HI there, thanks for tuning in. The 'X' setting is for electronic flash units, the 'M' is for use with flash bulbs, giving a 20 millisecond delay before the shutter opens, allowing the flash bulb to reach maximum brightness. The flash sync speed for your Zorki is 1/30. Let me know how you get on. Happy photographing!
