Not exactly a Leica... (Understatement!), but this is a neat site that someone made featuring his prize Zorki. Rangefinder buffs might want to look at it.

It is slow to load, but the photos are very good, showing details and the workmanship, or lack of it, (check out the "leatherette" coming off).

Neat to look at.... I'll hold on to my Leicas a while longer yet.

http://www.euronet.nl/~ucklomp/index.htm?http://www.euronet.nl/~ucklomp/zorki4/

-- Al Smith (smith58@msn.com), October 25, 2000

Answers

I have a Russian FED 5, it is an imitation of screw mount leica cloth focal plane shutter. I Leica dealer in St Stephan Plaza in Vienna, I saw a FED 5 listed at equivalent to $200. I got the FED 5 new from ebay for only $45, complete with case

-- martin tai (martin.tai@capcanada.com), October 25, 2000.

Al

This reminds me of the Zenit-B I had as my first camera. A marvellous camera to learn how to take photos, but perhaps not a camera one could ever fall in love with. Preset lens, no meter and no slower shutter speeds below 1/30th second (it did have B). One thing it had was a most beautiful leather case - just like the official case for the Leicaflexes. Similar kind of finish to the Zorki - pretty well indestructible I would say, but not an elegant creature at all. I remember the Zorkis too. People made great claims for the lenses for both Zenits and Zorkis, but in my experience they were of pretty indifferent quality (although often looking and feeling good). Low prices often make for great claims I find.

All this talk has made me feel rather nostalgic for my old Zenit right now...........

-- Robin Smith (rsmith@springer-ny.com), October 26, 2000.

I have a few Russian cameras and, in defense of the Zorki 4, it's a nicer camera than the Fed or the Zenit B.

The feel is not quite as nice as a Leica, but the shutter release is smooth and pretty soft, the speeds are pretty reliable, it's a LOT easier to load than a Leica and it cost me 50 bucks with a very nice f/3.5 lens on it. I'd happily buy another one - it's a great way to enjoy RF photography more without worrying about banging up the Leica.

rick :)=

rick_oleson.tripod.com

-- rick oleson (rick_oleson@yahoo.com), October 26, 2000.

I have run one roll thru FED5. The view finder is very small and dark. I could not focus at all with my eye glasses. The shutter is very heavy and noisy. The lens is so-so. I am spoiled by Leica.

-- Kenny Chiu (amchiu@worldnet.att.net), October 26, 2000.

Wow ! What is this ? Promoting trash on the Leica site. Guys get real.This forum is about Leica.The most expensive 35mm camera made and sold in ever decreasing numbers. Maybe those cameras have something I missed.I had a friend who compared a Halina to my M3.... The Halina was made in Hong Kong.Film advance based on early screwmount Leicas.It could peel the skin off your thumb faster than acid.It was a little stiff.The lens was remarkeable.It suffered every defect known and then some. Have used a dork Zorki.Look at cost saving.Only print the sharp ones.None.It might get its mark as an "art" camera like the Holga and Diane so beloved by the photography is art crowd .Pinhole cameras is another thing entirely.They are fun yo use and inexpensive to make. This forum is really for Leicas and quality cameras.The Voigtlander and Konica and Hasselblad/Fuji Rf should be discussed here.Early Canon and Nikon if pertinent to todays needs and requirements by photographers.

-- jason gold (jason1155234@webtv.net), October 27, 2000.

Jason,

I don't think anyone is promoting anything. If we hold Leica up as a standard, then some things must be below that standard. I thought the site I posted might be interesting, in that the product was Leica inspired. One could say the same regarding the Mamiya 6x6 and 6x7 rangefinders, the Konica Hexar RF, and the Voightlanders.

Most of the users in this site are avid Leica users, so I doubt they will be trading in their M3's for a Zorki. But to me, it is both amusing and interesting that the camera in my hand has generated such a long history of attempted emulation... almost always a failed attempt to some degree.

As long as the expression, "almost like a Leica" is still uttered... we will know Leica is the one to beat. Just like in the guitar world, there are many Stat' copies, but you don't see Eric Clapton trading in his real stat' for one. But how many garage musicians started with the lesser model? Probably a similar ratio of today's Leica users that started with a "no name" rangefinder... just to have one until they could have the real thing.

Looking at Leica derivatives shows clearly... Leica is the standard... the one to beat!

-- Al Smith (smith58@msn.com), October 27, 2000.

Jason, I seehe Leica clones from a different view point.

As the saying goes, imitation is the best flattering. Leica cloning was a very uniquely Leica phenomenon, in the fifities, SM Leicas were widely cloned, by Russian, Japnese, there was even a Chinese Leica clone "Shanghai" RF.

Don't forget Canon's entry in the world stage was initiated by its Canon 7 rangefinder Leica clone, and Nikon became world famous by its clone of Zeiss Ikon Contax.

Some clones are better than others, Canon Leica clone and Nikon's Contax clone are pricy collector item. Russian Contax clone the Kiev series are highly rated by ZICG (Zeiss Ikon Collector group )

Russian clones of Leica are not as good as Contax clones( Stalin looted the ZI factory in E. Germany )

In sumary, Leica clones have become a part of Leica history.

-- martin tai (martin.tai@capcanada.com), October 27, 2000.

I've got another twist on it. I stuff my Fed-1 ($65) in a pocket when I don't want to risk the Leica. Drop it out of the boat? Get mugged? Big deal, who cares--go buy another. Second lens when I really feel like I need one? 25mm Voigtlander--same category: disposable. In order for something to be a serious threat, it's got to be comparable. I don't think Ferrari dealers worry much about VW sales.

-- Michael Darnton (mdarnton@hotmail.com), October 27, 2000.

A LITTLE PHOTO HUMOR. Speaking of being easier to load than a Leica, I am reminded of the old directions for loading a Contax: 1)Remove back by unlocking both keys on camera bottom; 2)Pick up empty film takeup spool from the floor...

-- Bill Mitchell (bmitch@home.com), October 29, 2000.

It is not really an answer to this one but I got a ZEnit EM camera for Christmas and I would like to have a manual for it to make it work properly..

Could you send it to my e-mail address: mcqc@freemail.hu

-- Peter (mcqc@freemail.hu), January 10, 2001.

As the last post in this thread is some months old perhaps this is moot, maybe in anycase, but for the record.. I'm not an expert, nor have I previously contributed to this list. I am an amateur and a novice at that, and I have no aspirations to be a "pro". I'm interested in taking pictures and I use cameras that I can afford and are accessible. My preference, so far, for various reasons is for RF 35mm, and TLR 6x6 cameras. I am a professional guitarist, though, and as such, not a stranger to hardware fetishism. But I'm continually amazed that some of the finest examples of photography or music were done on equipment that falls far short of the "standards" set by worshippers of this or that instrument. I look at work by William Eggleston (who I'm sure you know used Leicas), Walker Evans, William Christenberry, or Cartier-Bresson, Atget... and others I've been recently learning about and it's apparent it's the eye and the mind more than a piece of gear that produces, I'm reluctant to say here, art. Or as they say in the auto racing world, the biggest improvement you can make to the car, is to the nut behind the wheel. No doubt the equipment is not as exclusive or elegant, and perhaps not capable of the same technically refined image quality, but I see no reason why the gentleman with his prized Zorki4 should be the object of condescending comment. With all due respect, I only hope that your pictures represent photography as well as your Leicas represent cameras. Because otherwise you're just shucking (old jazz musician talk).

The Feds and Zorkis look like they might be fun. There's a concept!

-- Dean Granros (deangra@rosemount.com), September 13, 2001.