[ Zorki ] This is not a pipe!

"Ce n'est pas une pipe", Renй Magritte had said:



And this is not a Leica:



Moreover, it's engraved on the cover!
I love this sort of humour!

For the moment, the camera is not yet here. I suspect it was originally a Zorki 1b completed with some Leica parts...



Jacques.

Jacques,

amazing. It would be very interesting if the slow speeds work :-)

Ulrich

http://fotos.cconin.de

The camera is here, and the slow speeds work...
Some photos more:

This camera was certainly a very early Zorki 1b in a previous life.
All the speeds run correctly, perhaps the slow ones are a bit too fast. The only point is that there is no 1/1000th possible, as there are only 8 holes on the speed wheel. So, I will have to find a correct speed dial, from Z to 1/500th, and with the 20--1.

On this Zorki base, a slow speed mechanism was adapted from Leica III parts. A very neat work, certainly professionally made. The cover comes from a Fed NKVD, with a square depression for the rewind lever. All that works normally.

Comments and questions are welcome!

Amitiйs. Jacques.

What a nice work the craftman has done. Yes, seems to be an early Zorki 1b, as you can see on the rangefinder coupling piece. The slow speed mechanism on the top looks like one from a Zorki 3. The last picture is nice, the release spring must come from a Leica or somebody has cut it out. Btw. what lens have you got with the camera?

Ulrich

http://fotos.cconin.de

Jacques,

and btw, you can drill in the hole for the 1/1000 in the speed wheel by yourself. I have done this some time ago on a Frankenstein FED that I have got :-)

Ulrich

http://fotos.cconin.de

The „kopiya“ engraving is just great! Congrats for having such an interesting camera!

Yes, Peter, that "kopiya" is astonishing!
It shows that this conversion was not made to fool anybody, just to show the knowledge and skilfulness of somebody. Perhaps a craftsman making his "work" to become a master. Or else...
Anyway, he was not a forger!

Thanks Ulrich.
About the extra hole in the speed wheel, it's a good idea. But I wonder is there will be enough space for the leg. Unless I adapt a slimmer leg borrowed to a Fed? Not impossible...
As it is, I noticed that the arrow on the clip is in perfect position for Z and 1/20th. But things are not "square" after: for 1/40th on the dial, it's between 30 and 40, and so on . Differences of regulation between Zorki and Leica?

About the lens, that's another chapter! I bought the camera with a Steinlein Cassarit made for the Braun Paxette: M39 too, but with a register of 44mm...
So, things are open. A genuine Industar 22 or Elmar? A fake Elmar, to keep the original idea? For the moment, I don't know. If you have other ideas...



Amitiйs. Jacques.

An early fake Industar would be best IMO...

Congrats for this beautiful find. Did they adapt the Paxette lens to the Leica register and if yes, how did they do it? Or does this lens just not focus ?

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Fake Elmar would be perfect 👍

Thanks for your opinion, Peter and Reinhard!
With such a lens, it would be necessary to put a bag of 44 - 28,8 = 15,2mm to have an image through the entire range. I tried with 14,7mm (I cannot do better) on my Sony, and it works, at least at middle distances.
Impossible to try with an early M39 Zenit: the lens is protruding and the mirror could hurt it...

Amitiйs. Jacques.

Peter, yes, a Fake Elmar would be best. But a silver Jupiter 8 looks quite cute on a Zorki 1 :-)

Ulrich

http://fotos.cconin.de

You give me an idea, Ulrich...
I have a prewar Sonnar mounted in a Jup 8 body. That should be fine. Just the time to change the lens plate against a Zorki one: the lens plate is a prewar Fed one, and the infinity lock falls at 9 o'clock with the Jup. Because of the recess, I cannot turn it.

Thanks! Jacques.

Finally, after changing the lensplate, that will be a 1939 Sonnar 1,5/5cm, in a mount of prewar Summar and adapted by a craftsman, once more!



All that looks good (to my taste...)

Amitiйs. Jacques.