Zenit camera

[Ms Monny]

Hi

I am wondering if anyone can tell me about this camera. It is a Zenit and I have inherited it from my Grandfather. Is it Russian?

cheers
MM


IMG_0301 by Miss Monny, on Flickr


IMG_0303 by Miss Monny, on Flickr


IMG_0304 by Miss Monny, on Flickr

[kiwi]

yip. quite a good write up on wikipedia if you google it too

[ameerat42]

Da! Is Russki! Is good! Zenit ET

[DAdeGroot]

A good solid camera. I have an older model (Zenit E). Very solid build, relatively easy to service.

Not worth anything as such, but a nice sturdy camera all the same.

[Ms Monny]

Thanks for your replies. I presumed it wasn't much but it means the world to me being my Grandfathers.

[OzzieTraveller]

G'day Ms Monny

It's one of many Russian copies of German cameras - a very popular camera from the '60s - enjoy it and keep it on your bookcase as a momento

Regards, Phil

[Voe]

Allow me to tell a short story with a similar Zenit camera.

2-3 years agomey and my colleague at work were into buying and trying old manual focus lenses from eBay. We also bought many cameras which come together with lenses just because they were selling cheaper than getting the lens only from another seller. At some point we had a few old bodies at work sitting on the shelf.
One day my colleague mentioned how the soviet cameras are just unreliable piece of junk and the japanese made cameras are much better and long lasting.
I offered him to test this theory of his by throwing the cameras on the floor and see which one will brake first. There was a Mamyia, Topcon and Zenit EM.
The Mamyia and the Topcon fell apart at the first throw. The Zenit was thrown once, twice, three times, four times, five times, there was no harm, the camera was intact, the shutter cocked and worked at different speeds. I decided to take this camera home and try shooting a film with it to find any possible issues. There were no issues of any kind, the film came out as good as my other film cameras.

Lesson: Don't understimate what the commrades have built during the cold war. Soviet made camera can be used as a potentional weapon.

[PhoTomD]

Hahaha yeap Zenit could be potentially used as a weapon.
Zenit was my first camera ever. My father was a photographer and he gave me his when I got a bit bigger Hated it to bits though not because it was a bad camera but because father was pushing too much photo knowledge into me.
Now, I saw one one eBay and I reckon I will come back go it Yes it is Russian. Depending on the model the light meter tends to lie as far as I remember and screw on lenses tend to rust quickly. That is as much as I remember

[Ms Monny]

haha! Thanks for that little bit of info, Voe! And thanks too for your input Tom....my late Grandfather is Russian and I also found another lens (zoom) in their house so I might just have a little play with it and see how it performs!