The Joy of Using the Zorki

I am now so accustomed to using viewfinder cameras that it feels entirely comfortable to mount my Canon FL lens to my neat M39 Zorki.

Some user specs

The shutter release! In all the camera models that I've used - and there must be 100 or so, since a lot of them pass through my hands intended for sale, but sometimes I like to own and use one for a bit before selling it - the Zorki's shutter release ("shutter button") is the best. There is some resistance when I press it - more so than in most cameras - but when the shutter is tripped there is never a hint of camera shake, ever. It's soo smooth. The execution of the exposure is like it's whisked through air.

And the sound of the shutter curtains traveling past the film gate "chkloff"! It instills confidence. The sound is sort of heavy but there is no vibration from the movement so it gives me a peaceful feeling.

The camera is weighty, so much so that it rests steadily in the hands. At the same time it feels light. There are only metal parts inside, a tender set of mechanical parts and a sturdy framework, enclosed in the curved body shell which feels so nice to hold.

The Zorki is a copy of the Leica II camera. I have sold one of those and exposed half a roll with it, my impression being that the original camera is even lighter than the Zorki. I prefer using the heavier camera, its weight making it steadier. Though of course I can see the point of using a lighter camera - especially back in the day, when the alternative to 35 mm cameras would be huge box cameras of different sizes.

Here is the Leica II next to the (much heavier) Fed 2. It is very obvious that the Fed is derived from the original Leica design.

I exposed part of a roll of Kodak Tri-X 100 with the Zorki and Canon FL setup. What follows are some photos from it.

Please Excuse the not so urgent topics of the photos.

I am not used to Kodak b&w films since they handle caffenol badly. I now have some Ilfosol developer so I mustered the courage to finally expose and develop this roll.

Below follow some older exposures, on Fomapan 400 film, from two years ago, during my first month of owning the Zorki.