The Zorki 4 K

    If you are old enough to have gone to the movies in 1966, you can probably recall a film titled The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming, which won an Academy award the following year. In this motion picture a Russian submarine runs aground near a small New england town with hilarious results.     
      Today, more than fifty years later, the Russians are still coming--but not in a fictional submarine. If you study the listings on a leading Internet site, you'll discover what seems to be a never-ending parade of cameras with names like Fed, Zorki, Kiev, Zenit, Horizon, and many others. Judging by the massive number of cameras the Russians have manufactured since the end of World War II, you might think they've out produced both the Germans and the Japanese.
         Many photographers have written reams of reviews and critiques of Russian cameras. Some writers dismiss them as junk. Others embrace them as useful if somewhat crude cameras. If you want to read a fairly objective discussion of these instruments, visit  https://www.digitalrev.com/article/the-classic-cameras-of-russia.

Zorki 4K with Jupiter 3.5/50 lens

        One of six Zorki cameras in my collection, the Zorki 4K, certainly cannot compete with a Leica or Canon in terms of finish and, I suppose, mechanical excellence. But it does have many positive characteristics that qualify it as a useful tool for the photographer who drives a Ford rather than a Lexus.
        As has been true of several other Russian cameras in my collection, the Zorki 4K has an excellent viewfinder/rangefinder with an optical magnifier. It has a single speed shutter dial with settings from B-1000.
       The 4Ks back is removable for easy speed loading. It has a film advance lever with film counter, as well as a self timer. The unit I bought came with a Jupiter 3.5/50 lens which, incidentally, is more highly regarded than Industar lenses. Unlike the aperture adjusting dial on Industar lenses, the aperture dial on the Jupiter 3.5/50 isn't click stopped. Some photographers find that to be a problem.

      Viewed from above, the Zorki 4K reveals the traditional arrangement of controls found on most other 35mm rangefinder cameras.
       But note that, unlike many others, this camera's accessory shoe is pressed into its top plate rather than being screwed in place, as is the case with Leicas and Canons.

     From the rear you can see the texture of the camera's covering, which is distinctly different from the vulcanite commonly in use on most other cameras. I think it's called "alligator."

      Interestingly, the serial numbers on Russian cameras begin with the last two numbers of the year they were made. The camera shown here was made  in 1977. The same system exists for Russian lenses.It's too bad there are no strap lugs on the camera.

      The Zorki 4Ks tripod mount is located below the lens instead of off to one side as in Leicas and Canons. At each end of the base plate two D rings lock the removable back securely in place. The back slides off rather than swinging open. This can be a problem if you're not careful while you're loading a new roll of film into the camera.


       Although many of the criticisms directed at Russian cameras are true, units like the Zorki 4K with Jupiter lens are an excellent choice for photographers who have mastered the basics and like to shoot slowly and deliberately.
      But as always, there is a caveat. Because of what appear to have been less than stringent quality control requirements in Soviet Russia, you might end up buying a dud. But if the technician who assembled your Zorki, Fed, or Kiev hadn't been recovering from too many toasts with Vodka the night before he came to work, you might end up with a winner. If not, although prices continue to escalate, these cameras as cheap as chips. I paid just $45 for mine with the Jupiter lens.

       

COMING SOON: Canon IIS 2