Name: 🇺🇦 Excellent ZORKI-3 rangefinder camera from 1954 - rare &amp; collectable soviet Leica copy!
SKU: 9677UA
Availability: InStock

ZORKI-3 – collectable Soviet rangefinder camera

MADE IN USSR!

In this design Soviet engineers managed to get really close to the beauty and elegance of Leica.

ZORKI-3 is among the hardest Leica copies to find: only 87.569 copies were produced(together with Zorki-3m) in 1951-1956. M39 lens mount makes the camera compatible with Leica LTM lenses.

A bit of history from fedka.com:

The Zorki-3 was introduced in 1951. At that time the most common rangefinder cameras in the Soviet Union were Zorki and FED, both close copies of Leica II (D). Zorki-3’s design was a real breakthrough. It was slightly larger than Zorki, but it had many new features that Zorki/FED lacked – a bright, large, combined RF/VF, a removable back, a diopter adjustment of the viewfinder, a set of slow speeds and a high quality fast lens – Jupiter-8. The body and the back were cast and rigid. The 39 mm Leica thread mount was preserved, so Zorki-3, as any Zorki rangefinder, is fully compatible with the LTM lenses.

The slow speed mechanism was obviously “borrowed” from Leitz (Leica IIIc), the actual delay mechanism was located at the bottom of the camera and coupled with the shutter controls with a long rod. The shutter had two dials – on the top of the camera for the fast speeds, and second – on the front for the slow speeds.

By 1954 a new delay mechanism was introduced – it was located under the top plate and all the speeds were set by the same dial. Zorki-3 became Zorki-3M. Around 1955 all the cameras made by KMZ and FED were fitted with a flash synch mechanism (Zenit-S, Zorki-S, FED-2 type b), and so was Zorki-3M, which became Zorki-3S. A self-timer was added to this camera in 1956 and it finally became a Zorki-4, which was a very successful model with over 1.7 millions copies made from 1956 to 1973, and after that over half a million Zorki-4K’s made in 1972-1978. Zorki-4K was the last RF made by KMZ, and outlived Zorki-5 and Zorki-6. And it all started with a Zorki-3 in 1951!

Zorki-3 5441331 J-8 5446006 boxed 9677-SCS_6851

Camera (s/n 5441331) is in excellent condition!

Camera’s body has very few signs of normal use.
View finder is clean and clear, RF patch is with good contrast.

All shutter speeds work, except for “D”

Original curtains are in good condition, without holes / micro holes.

Camera went through professional Cleaning Lubricating Adjustment with full disassembly, all mechanisms were cleaned, re-lubricated and readjusted – ready for film!

The lens is coated Jupiter-8, 50/2 – Zeiss Sonnar copy in LTM. Early version with a focusing lever.

The Jupiter-8(s/n 5446006 ) lens is in excellent condition.

Clean and clear, no fungus, no haze, no scratches!
Some internal dust particles are present but will not affect image quality.

Excellent mechanics – smooth focus, dry aperture blades.

Produced: 1951-1956

Name: „Зоркий-3“

Producer: KMZ

Frame size: 24×36

Lens: Jupiter-8 2/50

Shutter(two dials): 1-1/25s, 1/50s, 1/100s, 1/250s, 1/500s, 1/1000s + B.

Lovely camera in excellent, “collector” condition with only some signs of use/age, full functionality, after professional CLA.

Zorki-3 5441331 J-8 5446006 boxed 9677-SCS_6856

Attention: As with most FSU rangefinders, you need to remember to cock the shutter before changing shutter speed – not following this simple rule might ruin your camera!

Additionally, for Zorki-3 only:

when working with slow speeds(on front dial) make sure the fast speed dial(on top) is first set on red “25-1“;
when working with fast speeds(top dial) make sure slow speed dial(front) is set to red “25“.