Where have all the Zorkis gone??

[Joe Grodis]

Now that summer is over I focus more on my camera collection rather than shooting. I decided to dump my Canon & Minolta gear and make way for more rangefinders. Problem is I'm having a hard time tracking down a good source for Zorki's and FED's! Now last year there was a fair amount to be had with Keh and Adorama. I found a couple sites based out of Russia but I heard too many horror stories. I rather a USA based company and really dislike Ebay.

Any ideas?

 

[Alex Bishop-Thorpe]

Fedka is based out of the US, from memory, and has quite a good reputation.

 

[fotopom]

Yes I know what you mean about E-bay, Fedka on the other hand is excellent. Bought my Jupiter 12 from them, even charged me less than the website calculated for freight! Communication was excellent, you get what you pay for with them. On the other hand, my E-bay Zorki from the Ukraine never arrived

 

[mablo]

Yesterday I got a clean Zorki-1d in my hot sweaty hands. It's working reasonably well (shot a test roll yesterday) and looks absolutely cute with the foldable Industar-22 lens. Maybe I'll get myself a Fed-1 next!

 

[Joe Grodis]

Thanks for the info!! Just placed an order with Fedka for a FED 4K!! I'll get back to give all an updater / review!

 

[sangetsu]

There are Zorkis all over the place here in Japan, they can be found on the "junk" shelf of most used camera shops in the Tokyo area. I bought 2 Zorki 1C models for about $40 each, and a black (yes, black) Zorki 1E for about $45.

I have bought parts from the Ukraine sellers (shutter curtains, lenses, etc.), and have had not problems with them. Items usually arrive much more quickly than expected, often in under a week, and have always been in the condition described by the seller.

 

[ntenny]

There are Zorkis all over the place here in Japan, they can be found on the "junk" shelf of most used camera shops in the Tokyo area.

I wish I'd known that a week ago when I was there! I thought it was odd that Map Camera had shelves and shelves of Leicas and their close relatives, but not a single Fed or Zorki in the bunch. It didn't occur to me to look for a "junk" shelf. (Do they have one?)

By the way, my experience with Fedka has also been stellar (as everyone's seems to be).

-NT

 

[Joe Grodis]

Thank you to all the recommended Fedka to me! I placed my order and much to my surprise my new RF arrived at my door 2 days later! The camera is in amazing shape and appears to have never been used! I must say no other on-line dealer has given my such great service, communication, nor speed in delivery!!! Looks like they'll be making a few bucks off of me the next few months!

 

[sangetsu]

I wish I'd known that a week ago when I was there! I thought it was odd that Map Camera had shelves and shelves of Leicas and their close relatives, but not a single Fed or Zorki in the bunch. It didn't occur to me to look for a "junk" shelf. (Do they have one?)

By the way, my experience with Fedka has also been stellar (as everyone's seems to be).

-NT

MAP recently remodeled their stores and cleaned out all of the lower-end stuff which they used to carry. There is a place called Kitamura Camera in Tokyo Station which has 2 shelves of FSU cameras and lenses for sale. The prices range from $30 to $100.

 

[Rol_Lei Nut]

... Young girls have picked them every one
when will they ever learn?

 

[stark raving]

Oleg Khalyavin is a dependable Russian seller (and repairman) of these cameras - one of the few I'd recommend. His website is at www.okvintagecamera.com. Prices are less than Yuri's (Fedka), but selection is less comprehensive, too. Still, if Oleg has what you want....