Zorki 4K

by Karen Nakamura

Overview and Personal Comments

The Zorki 4K is a Soviet-era Leica copy made by the KMZ factory near Krasnogorsk, which is a suburb of Moscow. Like the FED and the Chinese Shanghai 58, the Zorki a very close close clone of the Leica screw mount cameras, using the same M39 mount and rangefinder design. The Zorki was largely an export model while the FEDs were largely designated as for internal consumption, although this is a generalization as both were made in both export/import variations. Using the text or images on this website without permission on an ebay auction or any other site is a violation of federal law.

In its various incarnations, the Zorki was made in over 2 million units over a three-decade period from 1946 and 1978. Now that the Iron Curtain has come down, there are a whole lot more accessiblity to FSU (Former Soviet Union) cameras and prices are very reasonable.

The Jupiter-9 85mm f/2 pictured above is famous for being "soft" or not being properly rangefinder calibrated. Apparently the internal mechanism is very complex and many if not most were assembled or repaired incorrectly, screwing up the rangefinder calibration. I had mine re-calibrated by Oleg Khalyavin and now it works like a champ. Because the Zorki only has a 50mm viewfinder, you need to use the KMZ Turret Finder pictured if you want to use any non-standard lens with it.

The weird thing about the Zorki 4K is that it has no strap lugs! The earlier Zorki 4s had them... what's up with Russian designers? The FED 3 earlier model had lugs, the 3b has no lugs. Were Russian designers told that a market survey said that consumers didn't want lugs? In order to carry the camera on a strap, you have to use the never-ready case, which has its own "charm" - the top and bottom cannot be separated.

I bought two Zorki 4K units from another FSU collector. Both are in excellent condition, just having received CLAs. Oddly, one is a domestic model and one is an export model, both made within a year of each other, but the fit and finish is very different. You'd think they'd put more effort in the export model, but in my estimation the domestic model is nicer. In any case, the difference is very, minor.

The domestic model appears to be a special edition for Lenin. My friend Joseph Marotta had it translated: "Birthdate of Vladimir Ilich Lenin - 22 April 1870."

p.s. I love the goatee and bald head look, it's so sexy! :-)

Interesting quirks

Like the FED, when releasing the shutter, the shutter timing knob rotates clockwise. It lands in a seemingly random position. When you wind the camera, it cocks the shutter, the knob rotates again and thankfully lands in the right place again.

Don't adjust the shutter speed without winding the camera! When changing to a slower shutter speed, rotate counter-clockwise. This will energize the slow-shutter speed mechanisms (you'll feel them when you move from 1/60 to 1/15 and slower). For B and 1/30 sec (which is the X-sync speed), rotate clockwise.

Surrounding the shutter button is an unmarked knob. Rotate the knob to the raised position allows you to shoot normally, the depressed position is for rewinding the camera.

On the wind lever is the film counter (manually resettable). The accessory shoe is "cold" but there's a PC sync connection for X electronic flashes on the front right of the camera. The Zorki has a M-X connection for both Bulb and Electronic flashes.

Oddly although they were produced in roughly the same time period, the domestic version has the fold-out foot that allows the camera to display properly even with the 85mm f/2 lens, the export version lacks this fold-out foot. In reality the only time you'd use this foot is when putting the camera on a shelf. Rumor has it that Zeiss (who put the foot on the Contax rangefinders) couldn't bear to see their camera with a long lens displayed flopping over like some wilted flower. It's an added touch that I like.

Rangefinder Calibration

It's easy to knock rangefinder cameras out of horizontal or vertical RF calibration with small knocks or jars. This is fairly common on older (and even newer) rangefinders. Thankfully, Zorki provided for a way to adjust for horizontal RF calibration without opening the camera up. For more information, see this page.

   The horizontal adjustment screw is hidden between a screw located in between the main viewfinder and rangefinder coincident image window.
   [I haven't found a way to adjust vertical adjustment]

 

Note: This operation while simple, has the possibility of fouling your camera if you have the wrong size screwdrivers or slip while the driver is inside the camera. Please use reasonable and appropriate caution when thinking about doing this.

 

Technical Details

Camera Name	Zorki 4K
Manufacturer	Krasnogorski Mekhanicheskii Zavod (KMZ)
Place of Manufacture	USSR
Date of Manufacture	1972-80 500,000+ produced
Focusing System	Coupled rangefinder (41mm base length; coincident image) 1.0x magnification factor Viewfinder shows 50mm frame of view Viewfinder has built-in diopter adjustment
Lens Mount	Leica M39 screw mount compatible Standard lenses: 52mm f/2 Jupiter-8
Shutter	Horizontal focal plane shutter (stainless steel) 1 sec - 1/1000 sec + B & X (1/30sec) 9-15 sec. self-timer
Metering System	None
Flash	External cold shoe PC cable connector on right side 1/30 sec X flash sync
Film type	Type 135 film (35mm standard)
Battery type	none
Dimensions and weight	Body: 133x67 xx mm, 519g Body+lens: 133 x 67 x 66 mm, xxx g (w/ 52mm f/2)
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Comparison between the Zorki 4K and other Rangefinders of the 1960s

My Leica Mount Lens Collection (15mm , 25mm, 28mm, 35mm, 40mm, 45 mm, 50mm, 52mm, 85mm, 90mm, 100mm, 135mm)

About Krasnogorski Mekhanicheskii Zavod (KMZ)

KMZ started out its life

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