Zenith 80. What the..... ??!

This guy lists this camera as being Russian on eBay... is it?

Zenith sounds like the Zenit export name, but is it really?
It's a spitting image of a Salut, but maybe an American copy of a Hassy?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Zenith-80-medim-format-camera-case-and-2nd-film-back_W0QQitemZ180146374196QQcmdZViewItemQQssPageNameZRSS:B:SRCH:GB:101

Vlad and all people!
Zenit 80 is the same Ukranian Saliut series of 1968 to 1971. They were also sold as Revue 80, Vitoflex, Soyuz. The fist one was for the British market when sold by T.O.E. Vitoflex in France and Souyuz (the lens Soyuzlar) when sold in USA There were other names...

The red seal with winding instructions denotes the T.O.E. seal. besides England, they operated also in The Netherlands

Wow, thanks Luiz!

For some reason it struck me as odd because Zenith was used for Zenit camera by KMZ, and all of the sudden Arsenal is using that?? Weird... but good to know! I never have encountered this variation.. It it only wasn't so expensive... ;)

Everything too much interesting. The British put an "H" at the end of Zenit and several original KMZ Zenit cameras are marked as "Zenith". In the advertising of the era they always refered them as Zenith although pictures showed cameras as Zenit . Another country to do so is Greece. Another funny thing: KMZ Zenits as Zeniflex in France, MeproZenit in Japan, Revueflex in Germany, Cosmorex in USA. Pinzflex also in G.B.
There were even a LOMO Kompakt sold as Zenith LCA

You can see at least two "Zenith-S" at
http://www.novacon.com.br/zenita1.htm and more at
http://www.novacon.com.br/zenita2.htm and
http://www.novacon.com.br/zenita3.htm
I am writing the developmet story of Russian cameras and amassed enourmous quantity of pictures in auctions troughout the world which illustrates my articles.

Wow Luiz!

Thanks for this info! You're a walking encyclopedia! :) I hope you don't mind I posted the Zenith 80 camera with your forum post into Wiki Catalog.

THanks,
Vlad

Just to correct a small typo in Luiz's remarks - the British retail chain Dixons rebranded some Zenits as Prinzflex.

Prinzflex was a generic name used by the store from the mid-1960s to cover a multitude of budget cameras and lenses from Wirgin, Chinon, Cosina and others. Circa 1970-73, the Zenit B was the Prinzflex 500, whilst later in the decade the Zenit E was sold as the Prinzflex 500E. I think the Prinzflex name disappeared in the very early 80s. A good job too - it had such a bogus, cheap and nasty feel!

It would be interesting to know if these cameras were imported via TOE or were an independent project by Dixons.

Cheers, Ian

Ian
I believe those Prinzflex renamed Zenits were imported apart from TOE. The imported amount was very large and their prices were lower than TOE. They also used different eveready cases (made in Germany). See ads at Amateur Photography 1969/1971. In 1975 I visited TOE at the Thane Villas and saw the extraordinary pre sales quality control and repair shop they had at that time. I also remember the manager at that time Mr Bernard Early.

Hallo Luiz - Thank you!

I most heartily agree regarding TOE's quality control and service - it was absolutely excellent. I was enormously fond of my Zenit, and (as you certainly know) these cameras were very popular in amateur astronomical photography.

I write a column for the magazine "Astronomy Now" and at the very beginning, in 1991/2, I contacted TOE, hoping to provide them with some useful publicity. I spoke to the then sales manager - unfortunately I forget his name - but he was very pleased to talk. He was upset that the company seemed to have lost all direction. He believed they could exploit niche markets - notably for the lomo and rangefinders - but said that his bosses were interested only in bulk selling and had failed to appreciate the declining market for simple SLRs.

Perhaps the most startling fact was that communication with Russia had almost ceased - he thought the Kiev Rangefinders were still in production and the latest information they had on cameras available for export was a single pamphlet dated 1988. The old standards were certainly being maintained in terms of service but the organisation was clearly in trouble - a reflection of the collapse of the USSR

I think TOE may have finally closed in late '92 or '93. It was a fine company and there are many stories of their exceptional service.

Cheers, Ian

As I know, the TOE finally closed camera activities in 1995, with an enormous debt to Mashpriborintorg and Technointorg Russian firms, the main furnishers of photo equipment. But TOE is still alive in England (with the same name) and sells artistic wooden doors from Siberia artisans. TOE was a mixed company originally formed in 1960 with British and Mashpriborintog capitals, and is still so, although much smaller than in the hey days.
LP