A strange Zorki 4
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Printed on: 5/7/2026 2:42:11 PM
Topic
Topic author: uwittehh
Posted on: 20171219143727
Replies
Reply author: xalmaz
Replied on: 20171219232318
AFAIK, it's a medical Zorki-4. Supplied as part of various medical(science) devices: microscope attaches(MFN-x), eye-/gastro-scope, etc. Not unical, but NOT often meeting.
http://xalmaz.narod.ruReply author: uwittehh
Replied on: 20171219233730
Xalmaz, I don't think so. I own a Zorki 4 Medical set in a wooden box. The Zorki body of the set looks like a total normal Zorki 4 and has only a different mount.
Ulrich
http://fotos.cconin.deReply author: Jacques M.
Replied on: 20171220044136
The rangefinder could be different inside, with such a button instead of a concentric lever. And the usual screw on the front, to reach the internal regulation of the rangefinder, is absent too.
That remembers the evolution of the Zorki 3: no screw on the first ones, screw for the running production.
A very interesting find!
Amitiés. Jacques.
Reply author: xalmaz
Replied on: 20171220135814
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="MS Trebuchet, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by uwittehh</i>
<br />Xalmaz, I don't think so. I own a Zorki 4 Medical set in a wooden box. The Zorki body of the set looks like a total normal Zorki 4 and has only a different mount.
Ulrich
http://fotos.cconin.de<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
You're right, very unusual sample. Probably disassembling tell something.
http://xalmaz.narod.ruReply author: Vlad
Replied on: 20171222092557
Ulrich! That is a fantastic camera congratulations!
I believe this is a prototype made mid-production as an attempt to simplify the production of the camera with a single-piece top cover that seems like was not approved by the management as it would require significant changes in assembly line at the time.. It may also have been a transitional camera or a prototype for Zorki-5 as the single top cover design started in 1958. So this is a very historically significant camera! If you could add it to the catalog it would be amazing! Congratulations once again!
I am waiting anxiously for disassembly picture!
Best regards,
Vlad.
Reply author: uwittehh
Replied on: 20171222143430
Jacques and Vlad,
I will disassemble it the next days (after XMas) and show pictures. I am very excited of the inside and what is different to a normal Zorki 4 :-)
After that I will put it into our Wiki.
Ulrich
http://fotos.cconin.deReply author: Jacques M.
Replied on: 20171223112116
I completely share Vlad's opinion. The molded cover looks like a Zorki 5's. The reinforcement for the lens does not exist on the belt, here. A sort of return to the past, or a look towards the Zorki 5... The lack of any front screws is another mystery: how is the shutter box correctly fixed to the belt?
Certainly you will have surprises when opening your find, Ulrich!
Amitiés. Jacques.
Reply author: uwittehh
Replied on: 20171223134300
Reply author: Vlad
Replied on: 20171223144958
Reply author: uwittehh
Replied on: 20171223154228
Vlad, thanks :-)
And thanks for the picture op the opened regulary Zorki 4, I thought about to open one for a comparison picture :-)
Yes, I also wondered how many changes there are just under the top cover. Now I think about to open a Zorki 5 to see the differences.
But the biggest questionmark in my eyes for me is why havn't we heard of such a Zorki 4 before? It's on no website I know, not in Princelle, not in the 1200 cameras from the USSR book. And how much were made of them, mine seems to be number 5, but of how much?
Ulrich
http://fotos.cconin.deReply author: Vlad
Replied on: 20171223155054
Oh Ulrich, there are so many Soviet cameras we haven't heard of! [:)].. You have to realize, the camera production in USSR was a front for 80-90% of seceret military production in those factories.. A lot of the archives that contain information about these prototypes sometimes still fall under top-secret/military non-disclosure.. In Arsenal lots of it was just simply destroyed because they were classified when the factory was closing.. but I'm sure if you dig deeper in KMZ archives you will find so much more!
Cheers,
Vlad
Reply author: uwittehh
Replied on: 20171223160700
Reply author: Luiz Paracampo
Replied on: 20171223214415
Uwitehh
You are the Boss!
Undoubtly a great neat construction! And of course the camera of our 2017 Christmas!
This camera shows a clear construction ressamblance with the contemporary Kristall and shares the same large spring in the bottom.
The top cover although not painted as on Kristall SLR, is of cast alloy. The bach cover is also taller and easier film loading.
According to my view, this prototype is a tentative in standartize shutter mechanics together Kristall and future Zenit 3M and also not the Zorki 5 but clearly the Zorki 6 that shares the same body construction lay-out, and pehaps speed up production.
Regards
LP
Reply author: Luiz Paracampo
Replied on: 20171223220524
there are some intriguing pictures:
The advance knob has a diferente stripe from rewind meaning two diferente batch eras.
The accessory shoe is from Zorki 3 series era
and two screws: One on the upper right side of the film frame and the other head of a screw in the second Picture of the lens mount.
what do they there?
LP
Reply author: uwittehh
Replied on: 20171224021145
Luiz,
thanks for your opinions. You are right, the back cover is about 0,5 to 1 cm taller than a normal Zorki 4 back cover. After Christmas I have more time to make some comparison pics.
To the screw: I think the one on the back holds the shutter on the shutter housing. The "screw" in the second picture of the lens mount isn't a screw, it is the lacquer that has sealed the screw of the mount. The lacquer comes off in one piece so that it looks like a screw :-)
Ulrich
http://fotos.cconin.deReply author: Jacques M.
Replied on: 20171224051922
Much interesting!
Thanks for the pictures, Ulrich. I understand you could not wait more!
The cover is original and the way to fix it by the hidden screw is very smart! It would be interesting too to weigh this camera and compare to the running production.
Really, congratulations, Ulrich! [:D]
Amitiés. Jacques.
Reply author: fedka
Replied on: 20171224084156
I think Vlad said it correctly here - "I believe this is a prototype made mid-production as an attempt to simplify the production of the camera with a single-piece top cover that seems like was not approved by the management as it would require significant changes in assembly line at the time"
The single piece top cover in this Zorki is milled, not cast. They do not commit to high cost of tooling (form) for casting until all prototyping is finished with milling (same practice in use today, though with 3D printing it is much simple).
Also, they did not know for sure how to deal with diopter adjustment lever and made it internal with a fixed screw. Which is a good idea - there is usually one user, the diopter is adjusted and set with a screw. A usual lever is easy to knock out of position, a nuisance.
This must be truly one of a kind camera, we are all lucky to see it here.
Reply author: levonsa
Replied on: 20171228014319
A unique camera!
Congratulations!
Reply author: uwittehh
Replied on: 20171228114700
As I said before I want to try to remove the shutter to see how it is fixed on the body. My thougths were that the black screw on the back and the 4 screws on the bottom of the shutter fixes it.
I removed the black screw, it seems to be a senseless big set screws that fixes - nothing! When removed you can see the top strap of the shutter. I have no idea which sense this screw has ...
Then I removed the 4 screws on bottom to see if something got loose. But nothing happens, the shutter sits tight as before. So I have no ideas how it is fixed. On top I don't see any screws that may hold it.
http://ritzelkiste.de/ussrphoto/z4p24.jpg
Ulrich
http://fotos.cconin.deReply author: Luiz Paracampo
Replied on: 20171228130713
according to my experience this camera follows general construction lay-out used on Kristall Zorki 6 and all the following Zenits -3M, E, EM, etc.
althought not accepted to be put into production this câmera is easier to load than normal Zorki 4 and are similar to FED 2, 3, 4,and 5 altthough crate constructions differs considerably
The intiguing screw has exactly the function I first preview _Nothing!
its point nclusive may damage the upper strap.
Regards!
and a Happy New Year to all our USSRphoto companions!
LP
Reply author: Luiz Paracampo
Replied on: 20180305144114
Found!
http://www.ussrphoto.com/resize/resize_image.aspx?ImgWd=400&IptFl=/UserContent/532018_MO.png
http://www.ussrphoto.com/UserContent/532018_MO.pnghttps://www.zenitcamera.com/archive/history/masters-of-optics.htmlyranslation
Of great importance for the improvement of photographic production was the proposal of Nikolai Mikhailovich Marenkov - Combine the upper cover of the outer casing, the casing of the curtain, the objective plateau and the camera's rangefinder case into one cast piece. (Previously, these parts were manufactured separately and attached to each other.) To assess the economic effect of the introduction of this proposal, you need to imagine that the top cover of the camera passed 19 mechanical and finishing operations. The body of the curtain shutter had 18 mechanical operations. Only by reducing the mechanical processing of parts on each machine, the time savings was 46 minutes. And this is without taking into account the release of workers, machine tools, the elimination of assembly and fastening of these parts. In monetary terms, the total savings during the transition to casting was at least 200 thousand rubles a year.
Such a solid body was used in the development of new plant equipment. (Page 114)
Year 1957
Reply author: uwittehh
Replied on: 20180305150636
Luiz, wow, great find! But I wonder a bit why they did not built it when it saves time and money...
Ulrich
http://fotos.cconin.deReply author: cedricfan
Replied on: 20180305225539
Maybe it was too difficult to produce with needed preciseness?
Best regards,
Juhani
Reply author: D-KLIK
Replied on: 20180307042007
Hello,
I agree with Yuri. The milled top case undoubtedly says it is a prototype ; this would be much too costly for serial production, but is definitely the way for prototyping because you already have the machine-tools in shop for other things to do, and the cost (and time) of developing a mold + process for the cast part is way too high for just a few parts ; especially as it is more difficult (and costly) to achieve high precision on cast parts than on milled parts. Same in aerospace that I know well...
To Juhani's point, casting will allow to produce parts of complex shape easily (once you have the mold) ; however when the shape is complex it is fairly difficult to ensure high quality, and to control it. The geometric tolerances are not as good as on milled parts, so you may run into later difficulties during assembly. Also, due to uneven alloy cooling-down if the shape is complex, you may have inconsistencies leading to micro-cracks, voids, that will make the parts more fragile. This might well be why, despite significant time savings, a consolidated design was not retained in the end... Of course, bureaucratic routine would be another credible reason :-) !
Reply author: Luiz Paracampo
Replied on: 20180310161950
observe that Kristall asr thefollowing camerato use ths process but it died there wit no further productuin using similar technology.
In Checoslovakia the Etareta used a similar technich
regards
LP
Reply author: Luiz Paracampo
Replied on: 20180314050022
Reply author: D-KLIK
Replied on: 20180315073032
Woaaw ! This gives the Zorki 6 such a great look...
Reply author: levonsa
Replied on: 20180315094852
Reply author: Luiz Paracampo
Replied on: 20180315174127
Of course Alexey!
The exact shoe mount finish is another Strong reason of my suspects and of course the name engraving!
My best regards!
LP
PS I can't understand the abscence of this model in your site.
Reply author: levonsa
Replied on: 20180315180641
Luiz!
I myself do not understand why there is not this camera!
I guess I just do not have time to do everything ....:)))
Reply author: levonsa
Replied on: 20180319164722
Reply author: Luiz Paracampo
Replied on: 20180320160501
Fantastic! the top is injection moulding as I suspected!
Thanks a lot for the clearance of the question
Regards
LP
Reply author: Luiz Paracampo
Replied on: 20180320160606
and about the bottom plate?
The question remains!
LP
Reply author: levonsa
Replied on: 20180323051101
Reply author: Luiz Paracampo
Replied on: 20180323200128
Thanks -Everything solved !
Copper alloy painted bottom
Regards!
LP
