Zorki-4
A photo rife with implied meaning and tongue-in-cheek innuendo or simply a camera portrait of opportunity? We'll let you fill in the blanks however you wish, but we could not pass up making a portrait of this Zorki-4 that just came in. We also cannot say for sure if it is fake or not.
What we mean is that it really is a Zorki-4 and they produced them with a number of specific designs celebrating the Soviet Union and the serial number of the camera seems right for such a design but with Soviet cameras like this, fakes are common.
Anyway, real or not, it's quite the looker, and better yet it is fully functional and working. So in case you are the kind of photographer who likes having cameras that start conversations, here you go.
za/js
Soviet Camera Invasion: Iskra-2, FED-2, Kiev 88, Kiev 4M, Zorki 4
The nature of taking equipment in on consignment is somewhat unpredictable, we just do not know who will walk through our doors and with what equipment. We could never have predicted this Soviet invasion of sorts, brought in by a new consignor in early 2019. We got the Soviet imitation of just about every major camera from the 1950s and 1960s. The group included a Zorki-4, a Kiev 88, a Fed 2 (Type C, specifically), Kiev 4M and an Iskra 2. Soviet equipment like this can often be a bit of a double-edged sword. On one hand, we love the optics - talk about glass that has character! On the other hand, the cameras themselves were often manufactured with inconsistent workmanship or assembled with softer metals, prone to wearing out quickly. Now, if you get a Soviet camera overhauled, you'll have a surprisingly effective camera on your hands. There are several companies out there that will repair these cameras and even upgrade them, adding new features or replacing softer metal components with higher quality ones. We have had our eye on Arax in the Ukraine for a while, for example. They specialize in the Kiev 88 line, repairing the cameras and even selling new ones. We have yet to do any business with them though so we cannot speak from personal experience. ⠀
za/sd
Zorki-4
Today we're taking the time machine back to this Zorki that we had out on our shelves for only a single day. It came in a consignment with a FED-2, Kiev 4M, Kiev 88, and Iskra comrades. It was a fun bundle of cameras to have in the shop and, while we will miss them, such is the nature of our business: good cameras come in and we help them find good homes.
za/sd
Blue Moon Camera and Machine llc
- sales@bluemooncamera.com
- (503) 978-0333
- (503) 978-0370
-
8417 North Lombard Street
Portland, OR 97203
All rights reserved ©2024, Blue Moon Camera and Machine llc