Zenit TTL

[Zorkiphoto]

I've been collecting Soviet cameras for the last 15 years or so, but it wasn't until last year that I got a Zenit TTL - minus the lens, but working perfectly and for less than £10 on eBay.

I've just posted a review of it Dead Link Removed.

I've shot a lot with my old Zenit E in the last few years, and the TTL's an obvious step up in some ways - the TTL metering is a bonus, for starters. The viewfinder lacks the brilliance of the E though, which is a shame.

It's a chunky lump of a thing, but I found it pretty reliable.

The next Zenit on the shopping list is a 12Xp - anyone used one of this? I bought one some years back but the meter was fritzed and ended up just using the Helios-44 that came with it.

S

 

[cuthbert]

I got a 1987 12XP with Helios 44m4 and it's an excellent camera, besides the shutter speed limitations.

I also dropped it few times and it appears quite robust...got it for £10 INCLUDING The Helios lens and bag.

To be honest I don't know if it's an improvement in comparison to the TTL, For what I understand they are the same camera. Perhaps you should try to get a 19, it's significantly more capable than the traditional Zenit tank.

 

[Zorkiphoto]

I

To be honest I don't know if it's an improvement in comparison to the TTL, For what I understand they are the same camera. Perhaps you should try to get a 19, it's significantly more capable than the traditional Zenit tank.

I know and love the Zenit 19 - took one with me when i did the Trans-Siberian back in 2004.

I picked one up a wee while ago and will use it a lot in the coming months. Great camera.

S

 

[4season]

I have a 12SD: Same as the 12XP? Two red LEDs in the viewfinder which alternately flash when correct exposure is set (reminds me of a railroad crossing!) As purchased the meter was erratic and there was some visible battery corrosion. Careful cleaning and polishing of the battery contacts fixed it, especially the "-" terminal and the little silver tab on the side which acts as the "+".

Dim viewfinder and the meter is susceptible to stray light entering through the eyepiece. I think the camera could be greatly improved with a brighter focusing screen such as the one used in the 122. Nevertheless, kind of a charming memento of the Gorbachev era, I think.

 

[trythis]

The 3 12Xp's I bought were all made with different components and different body materials so external parts were not interchangeable. Every one of them broke before the first roll of film was finished. I sold the bodies for parts.

 

[cuthbert]

The 3 12Xp's I bought were all made with different components and different body materials so external parts were not interchangeable. Every one of them broke before the first roll of film was finished. I sold the bodies for parts.

I find it hard to believe...especially because in these cameras there is very little to break down.

 

[onre]

I have also been wondering about the level of ham-fistedness required to actually break a Zenit by using it.

 

[benjiboy]

I have also been wondering about the level of ham-fistedness required to actually break a Zenit by using it.

I once had an old lady come into the camera camera store I managed with a black Zenit E, she asked me to put a film in it for her, I notice the camera had several small indentations in the base, when I asked her about them she said " oh,I was using it to tack down my stair carpet I don't have a hammer "

 

[gone]

All of my Zenits came already broken right out of the box. Saves a lot of time.

 

[cuthbert]

I once had an old lady come into the camera camera store I managed with a black Zenit E, she asked me to put a film in it for her, I notice the camera had several small indentations in the base, when I asked her about them she said " oh,I was using it to tack down my stair carpet I don't have a hammer "

I assume the secret of the sturdiness of these cameras is the monolithic die cast alluminium frame:

Dead Link Removed

Until the 12XP they also had brass top and button covers, they didn't spend much in R&D (it appears they made milions of them) but surely they didn't cut the corners with the materials.

This website has some interesting notes on how Zenits were built:

http://cameras.alfredklomp.com/zenite/parts/

The Zenit is the AK 47 of the cameras.

All of my Zenits came already broken right out of the box. Saves a lot of time.

Mine are all working besides a Zenit 19 whose mirror broke down while I was moving in another house...and they take these pics:

Besides the 19 they are all very rudimental cameras with just six shutter speeds, no open wide metering, a very long throw shutter release and a quirky rewind collar, this doesn't mean the IQ of the shots you get with them is low.

 

[foc]

I got a Zenit 11 seven years ago on ebay in the UK for €15. The camera was manufactured in 1984 and is still working perfectly. I checked with the seller and he had it from new. That meant that it had been imported by T&OE (Technical and Optical Equipment) in London and they had very good quality control checks on all their Russian cameras. They repaired any that were defective so all cameras sold through T&OE were in perfect condition.
Five years ago I had my Zorki 4 and Fed 4b serviced by Roger Lean in London UK. I spoke on the phone to Roger and during our conversation he told me he had worked for T&OE as a service engineer. He explained that the Zenit, Zorki and Fed were very good, reliable cameras but unfortunately a lot were poorly assembled in the USSR. His job was to fix their (the Soviet's) mistakes and poor quality control.

My Zenit 11 is proof of this, even the selenium cell still works and is only one stop out. It may be built like a tank but it was built to last.

 

[trythis]

I find it hard to believe...especially because in these cameras there is very little to break down.

Shutter curtian came off of one, the shutter speed dial fell off the other. The other one's shutter release just would not move.