1956 Zorki-S
If you're using a Leica II, you paid too much!
"Sharp Sighted" is the translation to English for the word "Zorki".  This is a Zorki-S (looks like a "C" in Cyrillic) made in 1956 by KMZ.  Krasnyorsk still is in business making the Zenit line of 35mm SLR cameras.  This particular camera is one of a long line of rangefinders based on the old Leica II with a Leica standard thread mount for lenses.  This is equipped with an Industar-50 collapsible which looks like a Leitz Elmar, but is really more of a Zeiss Tessar design.  This is the camera I keep handy.  It won't win any contests for looks, the leather grain is cast into the metal body and is painted black.


Zorki-S with the standard Industar-50 f3.5 50mm collapsible lens.
To the right is a Jupiter-8 f2.0 50mm lens with Kenko 40.5mm to Series VI adapter and hood.


For travelling light, I use the standard collapsible Industar, a Leica slip on 33mm yellow filter
(for B&W tone correction) and a Sekonic L-208 Twinmate CdS handheld meter.


The camera with lens collapsed and a Sekonic L-208 Twinmate CdS meter
fit nicely into a point-and-shoot pouch with some of my calling cards.


If I took the strap off my Kiev 4A I would be able to toss that in the pouch instead as long as I'm using a collapsible Contax f2.0 50mm Sonnar.  Problem is that this Sonnar is shot, the front lens element looks like someone tried using Nazi toilet paper to clean it <sigh>.


Unfortunatley the compact advantage of the Zorki is lost when one mounts the Jupiter-8 f2.0 50mm lens.  It becomes as bulky as my Kiev-4A.  For available light shooting the f2.0 50mm Zeiss Sonnar type lens can be used wide open with this Zorki.

Problem is that the slowest shutter speed on the Zorki is 1/25 sec.  Realistically one should not hand hold lower than 1/50 sec. with a 50mm lens, but I don't care about the "rules" anymore.  After using both Leica and Contax by proxy, I still have to go with the Contax system via Kiev.  I just don't like the bottom loading and lack of slow speeds on the Leica II types.

Another disadvantage with the Leica II type cameras is the fact that one must use a ventillated lens hood.  The solid Kodak hoods that I use on the Kievs interfere with the rangefinder and the viewfinder.  This is a Japanese made Kenko Series VI adapter and hood intended for the Nikon S rangefinder.  It of course fits the Jupiter-8 since that was a derivative of the Zeiss Sonnar originally put on the Contax II/III, which the Soviets copied for the Kievs.

For more in-depth coverage of the Zorki and FED Leica style cameras, go to Jay Xavier's site.