Odd Zenit-E covering

Found this today at a flea market, and took pics with my Communicator to ask if this leather like covering is rare?
So excuse for the poor picture quality by Nokia:





Smena rules

Boy is that texture deep, I wonder if it's a recover job. My Zenit -E has the regular lenticular coveering. I like the brown leather case too, mine is black. Don

Hello Juhani

Never seen such a cover on a Zenit E befor, even on the oldest one I have. Don will be right with the recovering.

Best wishes - Guido

I have seen this before, Steve (Bull Halsey) posses one, it's one of the early models.

Vlad.

I own a very early M39 Zenit E. Vlad came over a while back and shot a few pictures of it. It has an entirely different covering than any I've seen before.

Vlad....can you bring up any of those images or are they gone?

Thanks,
Steve

Hi Juhani,

May I ask the serial number of your Zenit E, and is it also an M39 mount?

Is that it?

I believe that this covering may have been thought to a better (best?) quality covering at KMZ during the late 1960s and early 1970s. The Zenit-7 models have this covering,
the Zorki-35M prototype has it, and I have seen a Horizont that was probably made for exhibition at trade shows that also has it.

Regards, Bill

quote:

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Originally posted by nightphoto


I believe that this covering may have been thought to a better (best?) quality covering at KMZ during the late 1960s and early 1970s. The Zenit-7 models have this covering,
the Zorki-35M prototype has it, and I have seen a Horizont that was probably made for exhibition at trade shows that also has it.

Regards, Bill

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I would second Bill, that Zenit-E with this kind of body finish were also a better made. I was lucky to hold such a camera in my hands and was surprised how quiet the shutter was ... almost like Canon one ...

Best Regards,
Aidas

Thank you very much, Vlad. I appreciate you taking the time out to find and download the pictures.

I bought this Zenit E from Alex in 2001 or 2. What I liked most about it was its ability to take the M39 lenses. Being a larger and heavier body than the original Zenit, it was especially good for the J-6 180mm F2.8. That lens is one heavy mother.

It also has a smoother shutter release than any other Zenit I own. Must have been made better in the early days. :-)

Steve

I have 2 or 3 Zenits with such covering. All made before 1970. I have at list one E and
one V(B) models, E has M39 and V has M42 mount. I do not think they are rare, may be just not such common.
But I think this covering was only put on export cameras. Both what I found are export variation.
Hard to say that this cameras are better made because both what I checked tonight have shatter issues.

This is 1969 with M42, and now mine for 14.50 euros (approx 20 USD).
Mre later today, now it is lunch time!

Smena rules

So, now it is at home. Seems the other shutter curtain ribbon is broken, so no reports about shutter other than what works works smoothe. Meter is OK, so some day I might change the shutter curtains, I do have them at home.
It is with latin text, made in 1969 and #69086732 precisely. Industar lens (M42) has serial with 69 so propably original.
The leatherette is better and with larger texture than in my Zenit-7. Same as in Vlad's pics. So this does exist (several witnesses), and the next generation in 2028 will certainly be having even more harder discussions about this. Just like we are doing with FED-Vulcanite now

PS Off to Tallinn Estonia tomorrow, and hunting for that early FED-1. I do know one in a small shop, been there for years now so hopefully it is still there


Smena rules

Juhani I wish you a happy hunting
And I like to add that I did not see such texture on the leather case. This case I believe is even less common then covering on the camera.
Congratulation on great deal for this item!!!

Also Zorki uses the same "snake skin" like case material, so KMZ did have access to it.

Smena rules