The Zorki 1CS

       Comparing the Zorki 1CS to some other cameras of the 1950s is like comparing a Jeep to a Jaguar. It can't be done. That's because the Jeep is lean and rough while the Jaguar is sleek and smooth. Take your pick. But whether you choose the unadorned Zorki or the comparatively luxurious Leica, Canon, or Tanack, you'd be able to produce good photographs. That's because a camera is basically a light tight box with an adjustable opening (iris); a light gatherer (lens); and a timer (shutter).
      Consider, for example, Virginia Schau's 1954 Pulitzer Prize-winning photo of the cabin of a trailer truck hanging off the edge of a bridge. Schau captured the image using a Kodak box camera. You can't get more basic than that.
        And then there's the work of Magaret Bourke-White. The first female photographer hired by Life magazine in 1936, Bourke-White used, among others, a Kodak Medalist 35mm camera.
       During the early days of his illustrious career, iconic street photographer Henri Cartier Bresson used a 1930s Leica with just one 50mm lens and no rangefinder (photo, right). 
       In 1945 Joe Rosenthal captured the iconic image of the flag raising on Mount Surabachi during World War II with a Speed Graphic, which was a far cry from today's well appointed cameras that can do everything but boil eggs.
       Those are just a few of the legions of photographers who captured memorable images with cameras that are obsolete by today's standards.

      Although the Zorki 1CS has a few refinements not found in some of the cameras cited above, it's a good example of a rather basic, no frills camera that can still produce excellent images.
       Manufactured in the then-Soviet Union during the 1950s, the Zorki 1CS is more like a Jeep than a Jaguar, both mechanically and cosmetically.
    When activated, its shutter (top speed 1/500) is anything but quiet.  Its metal parts lack the luster and finish found on, say, a Leica, Canon, Tanack, Nicca, or Leotax of the same era. It has no strap lugs, it's a bottom loader, and it has separate eyepieces for its viewfinder and rangefinder.
      Anyone who's familiar with the placement of controls on similar 35mm cameras of the fifties would be right at home with this camera. In the photo (left) red marks the film advance knob. Violet denotes the synch plug. Blue indicates the shutter release; green the shutter speed dial;black the rangefinder window; and yellow the film rewind knob. The camera accepts Leica, Canon, and other screw mount lenses.

     Even though many photographers would rather chew on nails than be seen with this somewhat clunky camera, other photographers here in the States like to collect and/or use them. For one thing, all the Zorkis I've seen ( I have six in my collection) have excellent rangefinders. What's more, they are readily available from dealers in Russia, although you might have to buy a few units before you find one that's fully operational. Finally, if you accidentally drop yours into the ocean, you can replace it without having to sell the farm. The camera-lens combination shown below cost me just $30 plus shipping.

Zorki ICS with Soviet Indistar 2.8/55mm Lens

COMING SOON: The Tower Type 3