1947 ZK Lens on FED-Zorki

Here are some photos of a FED-Zorki that I have bought on Ebay recently (but not received yet ... so, the seller's photos). Maybe some of you have seen it or bid on it also.

This camera comes with a 1947 ZK 50mm F2.0 Rigid lens ...
serial number 000047.

As you can see from the photos, the camera itself is FED-Zorki 1948, No. 04285. So possibly this is not the original lens for the camera.

But, if not for this camera, what camera would this lens have been made for? And, is this the earliest ZK 50mm lens that has been seen? Is it the 47th ZK lens made?

Please give me some opinions or theories, if you have them!



http://www.ussrphoto.com/UserContent/2012010_zk1.jpg




http://www.ussrphoto.com/UserContent/2012010_zk2.jpg




http://www.ussrphoto.com/UserContent/2012010_zk3.jpg




http://www.ussrphoto.com/UserContent/2012010_zk4.jpg



Regards, Bill

Hello Bill

I looked at this auction too and found this lens very interesting. It's the first ZK lens with 1947 stamp I've ever saw. The FED-Zorki looks very original by the way ... ;-)

The question for which camera this lens was build I can't answer. But you remember that in this year KMZ also build a small serie of FED-KMZ with M39 mount. And FED themself had build cameras with M39 mount for years. In the early years KMZ produced many lenses for other factories with different mounts, ie. Kiev/Contax. And the M39 mount was very common in those days (Leica and many copies all over the world).

Okay, this doesn't answer your question. But when you will receive this lens you could maybe take a close look to it and try to find the s/n from Zeiss on the lens group. I have no big doubts that you will find it. By the way: Did anyone have ever seen a list of those Zeiss s/n's for ZK lenses?

Best wishes - Guido

the way to check the zeiss original number is explained on the other ZK thread

Stephan

Hello Bill,

You have won this auction against me!

According to the documents of KMZ, the production of the first ZK-lenses has been started in 1948. I think, this lens could be one of the first samples made in 1947, so it has the number 47.



Regards, Alexander

Sorry to have outbid you Alexander, but at least the lens and camera will stay inside of the USSRPhoto.com members! I have seen ZK 50mm lenses from 1947 that were made in the Kiev mount and most 1947 Kievs have those lenses. The one pictured in Princelle (page 212) is serial No. 000724 and another is pictured (on page 207) with serial No. 000465 and another on the same page is No. 000151.

So I think that the serial No. of my 1947 lens, No. 000047, is just a coincidence as far as the number and the year go. I think it is the 47th production of the ZK made at KMZ.

As Guido has said, maybe it was made in 39mm Thread Mount for a FED, the FED KMZ, or for a Leica ... and probably not for the FED-Zorki camera which it presently comes with, although it may have been laying around at the factory and so was used. We probably can't know with no passport.

Thanks for your ideas and I will check the lens and post more photos when it arrives.


Regards, Bill

Hello Bill
At first it is a very rare acquisition my Hurras about!

But if you look painstaking over the lens will see that the rigid body have different finishes in the diaphragm and focusing rings.

I ALWAYS BELIEVED these first series os lenses were collapsible.
That way, your lens was possibly later serviced and the original focusing base was replaced for a new one. It seems no fake. The blue coatings are (or looks) very original. Another point is that diaphragm scale has not the same font style engraved on the depth of focus.

The focusing ring in my opinion came from a newer Jupiter 8.
Also the camera is much more "wasted" than the lens tube.

My kind Regards.

N.B. I have a similar camera in which the leather was used from Zeiss Ikon stocks with original "doublet" lens insignia. Over it is placed a metal chrome plate hold in place by two fine screws with a "FED" engravings.
LP

Hi Luiz,

Yes, there may be something to what you say. I have also thought that the 1947 versions of the ZK f2.0 50mm lenses were collapsible. However, I think that if you look at the 1947 ZK collapsible lenses you will see that the aperture ring is a different finish than the rest of the casing anyway.

The engraving on the focusing section of my lens is not the same font as on the Jupiter-8 lens (although close) ... just look at the style of the "2" for example. However, if you look at my lens closely, even though there is a difference in the size of the font, the style of the "2", as well as all of the other numbers, does match between the aperture and the focusing engravings.

With these photos from the seller it may not be possible to reach any conclusion or theory, as they are not so clear. When I get the lens in my hand I will take detailed close-up photos of it and also comparison close-up photos with other lenses. I believe I have an early Jupiter-8 and also I think I have a 1947 collapsible ZK 50mm (for Kiev).

As far as the camera and lens belonging together, I think you are right ... they do not go together and there is much more wear to the camera.

Regards, Bill

Agree that the optics module looks real enough, and it was transplanted to a tabbed J-8 focus mount. I've done this with several Zeiss optics modules, originally in Contax mount. I have a 1942 (or so) Carl Zeiss Jens 5cm f2 SOnnar "T" in a 1955 mount, one of my favorite lenses. Looks just like yours, except for the beauty ring.

http://ziforums.com/picture.php?albumid=118&pictureid=2100