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Anonymous
>>148291 I'm pretty sure the Zorkis are kosher. From a website called Cameraquest, written by Stephen Gandy:
>What about VERY LOW PRICED interchangeable lens rangefinders -- Do they Exist ? YES. Russian made Leica screw mount bodies and lenses are cheap, often running $75 or less per body or lens. Personally I much prefer the later Zorki 4, 5, 6 with a large combined viewfinder over the earlier and more plentiful Fed / Zorki Leica II copies. Incidentally, the Zorki 4/5/6 finder is much larger and easier to see than the Leica screw mount finders. Quality control is spotty, and the film advance can feel like a ratchet wrench, but they are very inexpensive and they do take pictures. Their nicest feature is upward compatibility. The beginner on a budget can start out with a Zorki body and normal lens for less than $75. Inexpensive Russian lenses can be added, or you also have the choice of modern Voigtlander screw mount designs. Best of all, add a set of screw mount to bayonet mount adapters and you can treat yourself to the ultimate rangefinder upgrade: a Leica M body. If your Zorki breaks, don't waste money fixing it. Either fix it yourself or just buy another. I once bought five Russian made Leica screw mount lenses, only to have four of them NOT screw on a Leica! -- it seems the production line had a little too much Vodka that day. My mint Zorki 4 looked great, but it was defective from the factory. Eventually my repair guys gave up on its poor interior workmanship, using it for parts. Even so, these Russian beauties are the lowest cost route to a working Leica screw mount outfit.
Don't get into the collectors' bullshit. Cameras are tools. Find one you like and shoot with it.
I meant "top of the line" in terms of their capability, not collector value. The cameras I listed were the D3s of their time; the cameras he listed were the D40s. And now they're all really cheap.
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