Zorki 4K Vintage Camera Overview 

Bought a Zorki 4 (pre lever wind) second hand in 1966. I was 17. Fifty years later still got it, still works.

You can tell what year your russian camera was made by the first two numbers of the serial number. My Zorki 4k is 76632686 so 1976. The serial numbers are on the back under the winding lever. The Jupiter 8 lens is 7454783 so the lens was made in 1974. My Zenith EM is 78154888. So made in 1978. My Cosmic Symbol is 742030. So 1974. Easy to date Russians!. The Zenith C was my first ener camera in 1958 when I was 13. It changed my life with the through the lens SLR ability. Taught me a lot because you could see EXACTLY what you were getting. I still have it. I followed on with the Zenith em and then a Pentax Spotmatic. And when I turned Pro I used 2 Yashica Mats and now I have a Pentax 6x7 with a 55mm w/a lens

It's a great display camera, for a couple of pounds from a car boot sale, it's just so stylish and gadgety. Great review !

Great video, learned a lot from it. Just bought me a Zorki 4K online, so I'll be testing it next week :)

I have a Zorki C made in 1956 and a 1976 Zorki 4K and I use them both while wearing my Vostok Amphibia watch and shooting my Makarov pistol. My first proper camera was a 1958 Zenit C reflex camera with a 50mm 3.5 Industar lens bought in 1955 when I was 15. Proceeded to win a photographic competition with it using Ilford FP3 film. It was a 'contre jour' picture of cyclists going to work. As you can see I still love soviet era stuff.

I believe the X and FP on that collar are for the different types of flash bulbs. No-one that I know of sells FP bulbs anymore...

I have a 4k with the later black Jupiter 8 with the green distance markings. The results are awesome with Xp2 black and white film.

Thanks and great video. I've just decided to purchase a Zorki 4K from eBay on the back of your review!

Small multi-frame hot shoe accessory, they often have good parallax correction too as they are only correcting vertically. D.O.F is your friend here. Mine went 35 to 50 to 85 to 135 on the rotating turret, same range, but just a set of framing line in the multi line version.

Thanks for all the work. I learned a lot.

Hey guys. It seems like quite a few people are following these videos. If you have any requests for my next one, please leave a comment. I was thinking maybe the Rollei 35. Let me know what you think. I have lot of cameras!

Although they don't have strap lugs you can use the tripod adapter to attach a wrist strap or a cross body sling type of strap like the Black Rapid. I'm not sure if the 4K has a 1/4-20 thread or the 3/8" thread like the rest of the Fed and Zorki FSU lines but you can get the 1/4-20 inserts that screw into the 3/8" thread to convert them for use with the straps. Fedka in NYC has the leather wrist straps with the 3/8" to 1/4-20 adapter. Yuri at Fedka is great to deal with.

Terry. Thanks for the suggestion. If I can't get ahold of a 28, I'll be sure to do something similar. The fixed lens rangefinders of the 1970s and 80s are really fun.

Gotta love the old FSU cameras. First foray with them was in my late teens with a Zenit 12XP and Helios 44m as standard. Tough as old boots. Recently got a FED3a with Jupiter 8 and Industar 22. Loved the sidestep from SLR to rangefinder with the FED. Not been able to afford to run film as of late but the lenses still get a fair bit of use with micro 4/3.

Great video! About to buy the zorki 4!

Best camera I own. And I have plenty.. Jupiter 8 on mine. Sooo sharp.

The Zorki 4K was still being advertised and sold by the Russian importers into the UK in 1979, so I think they would have still been manufacturing for at least a year more than you indicate.

Tribble123 - Thanks, man. I'm sure you'll love your Zorki. I'd be interested to hear what lens comes with it, if any. Thanks for watching.

Thanks for this. I found it really helpful.

I liked the Zorki 4k a lot, but I wear glasses and it was hard to frame using that viewfinder. So I'm shooting with a Kiev 4a. The viewfinder is a bit darker, but it works better for me. I also got one that works well. Buy from a reputable seller. I also use a Bessa R, which is my favorite rangefinder. The Bessa R takes LTM lenses just like Russian rangefinders. Bessa also made R2 and R3 cameras that take M mount lenses. Bessas are a lot cheaper than Leicas, but still modern and nice.

Great video - thanks for the informative and detailed tutorial. I just recently acquired a Zorki 4K (with Industar 3.5/50) and I now know what you mean re: the need for a viewfinder ! (I've just started scouring ebay for an adjustable one - loads on there). I've also been looking at the Jupiter 8 lenses, but I'm now also interested in getting one of the Industar 61 (NA) lenses that you have... Again, great vid and thanks for making it ;)

Every setting on this camera should be done AFTER cocking the shutter. This includes also the self timer. So advance the film, set the self timer, start the self timer. This order of operation is related to nearly every soviet camera, Zenit, Zorki, Fed,...etc. And also for cameras made in the GDR like Praktica

My first camera! Not sure what happened to it. Spent a lot of time taking photos using an separate light meter which I felt obliged to hide. The local camera club was seriously old-school ( it was 1970 ) and some of the more vocal claimed that light meters were for wimps. Then again they only put up their goods shots. Not sure what they would make of some of the modern stuff.

I got one in Rs800 which is around 15USD and the package includes Jupiter 50mm one wide angle, one telephoto and viewfinder attachment

The Industar 61 lens is not "NA" but the Cyrillic letters "лд", standing for Lanthanum 139, an isotope that the glass contains, very weakly radio-active, won't harm you if you don't swallow the glass elements, and is said to augment the lens' contrast. The ordinary Industar 61 without Lanthanum - or at least without the лд marking on the bezel - seems just as sharp and good at rendering micro-contrasts.

The Leningrad you mentioned was a copy of the German Robot clockwork motordrive camera

I have a Zorki 4K with an Industar 3.5/50 , I would like to have a faster 50mm . Also I would like a 35mm and a 85mm lens . What do you recommend?

You don't need to cock the shutter first to change the speed if the speed selector is a two-piece type, like in most FED-2 , Zorki-5, Zorki-6, etc.

thankyou! ^-^ .. and yeah, I was considering SLR's too.. And for some reason, I keep being drawn into the soviet/ russian cameras >.< .. What's your favourite rangefinder (soviet and non soviet)?

I just bought a FED4 but I'm scared >.< I heard bad things about the camera :( ... whats the best russian rangefinder camera? I've looked into zorki's, FED, kiev and zenits..

Cool review :-)

I just realize that there is nothing to attach a strap or something 🤔 have you got trick ?

LATIN letters. English uses Latin characters. Our number system is based on Arabic numerals, Arabic letters look VERY different. FYI

i have a zorki 4k *domestic* version with jupiter 8 2/50. shot some test photos for my first use. and i found out the rangefinder calibration was awful :(

zorki 4 has strap lugs but they're at a weird angle like allot of vintage cameras

I like my Yashica Electro GSN .

Hello! I'm thinking buying a zorki 4or3 for my girlfriend. Do you know how heavy are they?

how do you set the film speed?

is it better than my Rangefinger Fed 4 ? - i had bought on ebay for 24 pounds

can you set the iso ?

Is this 35mm

Hi Cameron....Could you send your Lieca hot shoe mount rangefinder to me ?...I'll be your best friend forever ! ....lol......Seriously...I've been looking for one of those on ebay....They are NOT easy to find...unless you wanna pay a ridiculously high (buy it now) price for one ....And I do mean ridiculus....You have to wonder does anyone EVER pay those ridiculus prices...Well I'm inclined to believe they do....otherwise folks would stop advertising items at those stupid prices....There is an add on there right now that has a USED Canon 50d for 8000 bucks....lmao....I love my old 50d,,,,and was thinking I'd buy another one just in case my old 50d fails....I think they cost like 1400 bucks new...So I'm pretty sure 8000 bucks for a used one isn't a really great deal...lmao....Oh and about the self timer ....Good advice! ...NEVER , EVER use the self-timers on these cameras ....If you do they wont last long at all ! ... I had a Kiev 4a that worked flawlessly....until I used the self-timer......You might get a few shots before the shutter stops working....and you may not....but, I guarantee you are damaging your camera's shutter every time you use the self-timer... You'd be much better off to go ahead and break the self-timer switch off ...lol...Oh and if anyone out there has a hotshoe mount rangefinder that they'd be willing to sell at a reasonable cost please contact me ....I need one....or 3... I have a lot of old mechanical film cameras just in case you'd like to work a trade...just send a message...thanks for a great video Cameron !

Doesnt this need batteries?

Wow :) that must be heaven apart from having to develop the film of course

I don't think you have to develop the film :) you can just scan it and turn it into a digital file instead ^-^

Well, it depends a bit. First off, Zenits aren't rangefinders. They are SLRs. If you want an SLR, I'd buy a Pentax K1000 or Canon AE-1. Rangefinders are a different story. I personally like the function of the Kiev 4 rangefinders, but they are the most complex and therefore a bit unreliable. The Fed 4 is ok, but your meter will probably be worn out. From Fed, I like the Fed 2 best. From Zorki, I like the 4K because they were built later, but don't have that silly meter.

Well, you do have to develop the film somehow to essential turn the film into negatives. That said, you can do it yourself at home for very little money.

I kinda want a licea

mine said CCCP and it smelled like gun oil.

English name in normal arabic letters.

Nope. No lightmeter, no AF, no Batteries...

Not to nitpick but these are not "Russian" they were made in the Ukraine so "Soviet" but not "Russian". They tend to get all bent out of shape when you speak to someone from Ukraine and refer to them as "Russian". It would be like calling someone from Mississippi a "Yankee". Nice introduction to FSU rangefinders.

Terry. Thanks for the suggestion. If I can't get ahold of a 28, I'll be sure to do something similar. The fixed lens rangefinders of the 1970s and 80s are really fun.