Cheap but Great SLR Cameras - Zenit and Cosina

[@EnidAgnusDei]

Zenit for life! Great build quality, great photos from them, built like a tank but the best camera ever made to me, mine has served me very well, never once failed me, can't praise them enough. All the best, hope you are well.

[@zenography7923]

All well here thanks; you're right, the Zenits are very reliable indeed, and have stood the test of time - simplicity has its advantages! Thanks for watching.

[@johnyjohn8760]

Salut from Greece

[@Skux720]

Picked up a Cosina CT1G and it's actually a perfect beginner camera. Lightweight, nice bright viewfinder and easy to understand open aperture metering. The only bothersome thing is having to pull the film advance lever from the body to shoot, which makes portrait shooting difficult. But all in all it's a Pentax without the price tag.

[@johnbradshaw5900]

Thanks for a great video! I remember Zenit well, including the sniper model. People used to look down at them, yet while it is true they lacked the finesse and technology of Japanese cameras they were pretty much bombproof. And cheap. The intermediate brand was Praktica, more finesse than Zenit but cheaper than Japanese, they were all excellent cameras in their own way.

[@zenography7923]

Indeed they were. I've a soft spot for the Zenit cameras precisely because they were so stripped down and basic!

[@mathewgreen4099]

Lovely stuff with the Zenit cameras, that reassuring ‘clunk’ as the shutter is released! I had a Zenit E for 20 years & it went everywhere with me. I should never have got rid of it. They’re pretty heavy cameras to heft about, but you can always rely on them to work. Many thanks for posting.

[@zenography7923]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it. These are simple cameras, without the same polish or finesse as an Olympus or a Nikon for example - but I find that's the whole of their charm! A simple, stripped down machine that nevertheless makes high quality images!

[@LukeironlegLindsay]

I've used a cosina pm-1 for 20 years now and I love it its never failed me

[@zenography7923]

Great little cameras, no doubt about it!

[@sergeantcrow]

Accidently bid and captured a 3M with Industar 50mm and leather case which arrived today... £22 I am now glad that I did... Excellent camera...

[@zenography7923]

They are excellent - and pretty small too!

[@martincox6547]

Lovely to see the Casina again, that was my first SLR camera. Also have a few russian lenses too, which I know use on a Cannon M2 & Olympus Micro four thirds. Enjoy many M42 mount lenses on them once again, via adapters. Thank you for showing these wonderful vintage kit in action.

[@markharris5771]

I know your photography goes far beyond FSU cameras, or even just analogue, but you are the man when it comes to Eastern Europe cameras. I only have three and one of those, my Praktica MTL 3 is East German, but there’s something about their simplicity that’s perfect. I certainly think for anyone taking up analogue photography they’ll get the full experience with these cameras. There’s too many people who think because something is old it must be good, and they try to charge massively inflated prices. Another fantastic video.

[@camerarover7124]

Thank you Sir Zenit. Another superb performance!

[@zenography7923]

Many thanks, glad you enjoyed it!

[@neilpiper9889]

The Cosina CT1a was also made as the Petri gx1 and Ricoh made one too. The Rikenon lenses are wonderful I have a 28 and a 50. The vertical focal plane shutter on the Cosina is the indestructible metal Copal shutter as used in the Nikon FM

[@derekholmes1302]

Wonderful viewing! I own + use a Zenit B, simple and reliable photography. No excuse not to own a historic camera from the former Soviet union! Thank you

[@zenography7923]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!

[@TheTomco11]

Imo the best beginner camera is the olympus om10. Can be had for very little money as people prefer the professional models, aperture priority so easy to learn, a manual adapter is available if you want more control, and scope to upgrade your camera body without changing lens system. I picked mine up with 3 lenses (50mm zuiko, 28-75mm tokina, 75-300mm Carl zeiss jenazoom), a camera bag, and a roll of film for £25. Plus the om mount sits quite far from the film so the lenses you collect are easily adapted to other cameras

[@chrissoclone]

Late to the party, but +1 on the Cosina recommendation. I used to buy busloads of vintage cameras a few years ago, quite respectable ones from bigger companies, but I never found a M42 camera I was satisfied with, especially because on the Pentax side I got used to the small size of the ME/MX and just didn't want a bulky camera anymore. Cosina CSM it was! Or rather, it's German Porst equivalent. That camera broke on me last week and now I'm searching all over ebay to get back a working one for a decent price. Lovely camera!

[@zenography7923]

There's a lot to be said for the Cosina cameras, good quality, cheap to buy and very small!

[@tomasmestre1316]

@@zenography7923 I have a cosina ct-2 much like that ct-2, not sure if either the camera is better or worse than the ct1 you have... I could barely find anything about it any advice?

[@marktimmins48]

Another great Zenography show, Always very interesting and informative, thank you.👍

[@zenography7923]

And thank you sir!

[@TheManFrayBentos]

i had a Zenit-E. It was robust, excellent and reliable, apart from one thing - forgetting that damned stop-down action, and that was my fault. I would urge caution on anyone buying a Cyrillic scripted one from Ukraine or somewhere else. Back in the day, the UK importers, Technical and Optical Equipment went to great lengths to check and ensure that they weren't sending out junk to their customers and their reject / repair rate was high within their own workshop. And those were the 'Export' ones that were supposed to be better quality for sending to the West to earn dollars, pounds, marks, etc. I have a lovely Zorki-4 that's been CLA'd by a Dutch PO and it's really nice to use, but he told me when he got it, it was a bag of nails. So, beware, and buy known good ones that have Latin script on the front. Of course, there are some Cyrillic ones that have been sorted, but you just don't know until you buy them and waste film on a dog.

[@emilioricou]

En las Zenith los obturadores de cortinilla fallaban más que una escopetilla de perdigones y despues del disparo quedaban entreabiertos sin cerrar velando la foto, o bien pasando a distinta velocidad en 2 tiempos con lo que obtenias fotos con una mitad expuesta de un modo y la otra mitad de otro. He tenido 3 Zenit y dos de ellas terminaron fallando de ese modo, despues de muy pocos disparos. Eso si, la lente Helios muy buena, aunque no era improbable encontrar burbujas de aire en el cristas que, parecían no afectar la toma de fotos.

[@MichaelRusso]

The Zenit 3M mechanics are virtually identical to the Zorki 6 range finder. Just a added Prism to make it a SLR

[@steveandthedogs]

Looked at Cosinas, but got put off by the on/off switching - sometimes use the left eye, so the wind-on would poke me in the other eye! Got a Chinon Ce-5 instead, just as cheap, but a cracking little camera. Prefer Prackticas to Zenits as well, though the Helios lenses are lovely.

[@philhodgkinson1460]

I have a Chinon CE 5 it really is a lovely camera....

[@philhodgkinson1460]

I got my Zenith EM plus Helios 44 2 and case for £8.50 on e bay....moscow Olympics one too!!

[@roygardiner2229]

Based upon my experience, the thing that let the Russian cameras down is the quality control. I used a Zenith E in the Sixties and, much as I liked it at the time, its quality and refinement were eclipsed by Minolta and Pentax cameras I used later in life. The Zenith E shutter DID fail after a couple of years of use and was repaired by the the distributor, T.O.E. (Technical and optical Equipment).

[@borderlands6606]

TOE tested each UK camera individually, so the worst examples were filtered out.

[@roygardiner2229]

@@borderlands6606 Certainly the camera did not fail again after it was repaired.

[@zenography7923]

I agree, the Zenits are not particularly refined when compared to Western SLRs, but in my experience they do seem to be at least as reliable. Thanks for watching.

[@MichaelRusso]

I have both the Zenit 3M and the B. They are great little camera's, especially with a Helios lens. The Cosina is no slouch either. When it comes to the Zenit-B, careful using the Takumars, the SMC's are not compatible and will get stuck.

[@sergeantcrow]

My mother bought me a Cosina 2 for my 21st.. 35+ years ago.. and I have only shot about 5 rolls through back then.. It came with the 50mm and I then bought a Hanimax 135mm which I quickly fell for.. I do of course still treasure the C2 and until about 4 years ago it was the only camera I had.. God forgive me... It still has a half shot roll inside from the 80s . I have yet to finish that roll and develop.. But here I am with lots of recently aquired cameras.. I don't really deserve then for I have yet to print any negatives although thanks to 'Deals' I have 30 rolls of Agfa 200 in the freezer.. They were selling them for 1 .50 Euro not so long ago..

[@zenography7923]

Perhaps you need to make up for lost time?

[@neilpiper9889]

I still have my 1958 knob wind, Barnack loading Zenit C with a 50mm 3.5 nyatcap lens 39mm mount. It was my first real camera. Its been repaired once. I was 13 when I bought it. I couldn't afford much film so I wandered around looking at how things changed when focusing and adjusting the aperture. Wnen I started work at 15 I could buy more film. Dixons sold a Prinzflex branded model of the Zenith E, Identical to The Zenith apart from the badging for your information. The Practica TL I have uses a vertical travel metal shutter and has the the useful feature of a shutter lock on the release button. More advanced than the Zeniths and still cheap. A hot shoe on it too. Have you done any videos on Praktica and Praktisix cameras?

[@zenography7923]

There's a Praktica in the last video but three - a very nice camera!

[@sergeantcrow]

Excellent... For Macro...I discovered how a 50mm Pentax, PK, mounted on Nikon F restricts you very close.. I think only within a couple of inches...

[@zenography7923]

Interesting, thanks!

[@Theodore-ox6no]

great video my dude

[@zenography7923]

Many thanks, glad you enjoyed it!

[@johnwest7228]

just wondering what mount the cosine has- I did like the look it rendered and the helios gives a fantastic bokeh. I adapt the older m39 and m42 mounts to my dslr when I crave instant magic-

[@zenography7923]

Hi, mine has the Pentax K mount, though many Cosina SLRs use the venerable M42 mount, so a huge range of lenses to choose from. And yes, DSLR (or in my case Sony A7) plus old lenses equals instant magic! There's always either a Helios 44, Zeiss Jena Flektogon 35mm, or Zuiko f1.4 50mm on my A7 - I've used the supplied kit lens only two or three times. Thanks for watching!

[@kasimirmaser99]

I love your channel! I find it really informative and relaxing. Russian cameras were a complete mystery to me until I found your videos-thank you. I found a strange thing on eBay today called the ZENIT FOTOSNAIPER. The one I found is a Zenit 12XPS body mounted onto a gunstock. The lens is a TAIR 300mm ƒ/4.5 lens. It's so bizarre that it can't help but be charming in its own way. Do you know anything about them? I'm thinking of picking one up because its so weird and seemingly inexpensive at $95US. I'd very much like to know what you think. I'd hate to spend $95 on a paperweight.

[@zenography7923]

Hi, the Fotosniper is a real curiosity, and definitely of its time! Zenit equipment is much like other Russian cameras - simple and uncluttered, lacking in bells and whistles, but generally reliable and useable. Definitely worth a look!

[@kasimirmaser99]

@@zenography7923 Excellent point about it being of its time! It is, perhaps, the most Soviet thing I've ever seen-apart from the Hammer and Sickle itself.

[@RascalKyng]

Whats the battery for the Cosina? 1.5v or 1.35v?

[@ghw7192]

I like Prakticas for cheap but very good. Just for fun, the last Of the Yswiss Alpas were made y Cosina.

[@ghw7192]

T0ablets in low light do not know how to spell. LOL!

[@zenography7923]

No worries, spelling is over rated! Cosina made bodies for many of the major manufacturers, including Nikon and Voigtlander (Bessa R and L), so they certainly know their stuff!

[@mickyp3357]

Please can you tell me if the faded/ blurry line in the centre of the viewfinder (same issue as my Zenit E) is relatively easy to rectify?. What actually causes it?. Great vlogs btw : ) I keep buying old lenses now for my A7r3! Ha ha

[@zenography7923]

Difficult to say exactly - it could be physical damage or, more likely, dirt, on the mirror or screen. It's also possible the prism could be dirty. A good clean may sort it out!

[@GSchmitable]

It is caused by the tape/foam inside inside prism housing that holds glass prism. There is a acidic reaction to the silver coating damaged by this old adhesive material.

[@TheManFrayBentos]

Probably the same fault that curses Mamiya 645 prisms. The factory stuck a layer of glue-backed anti-rattle foam on top of the prisim. Over time, the glue ate away at the silvering on the mirrored face. No cure except re-silvering, which isn't too expensive if it's a camera you want to keep. Been trying to find a re-silvering company which routinely does astronomical glass and doesn't mind doing camera prisms as part of a bactch, but my google-fu is lacking tonight. They do exist, as I've found them within the past year.

[@andrewbaxter9395]

Watching this after winning an immaculate Zenit E with Helios 44-2 lens for £24.99 on ebay!

[@zenography7923]

Well done - enjoy!

[@Cathalheraty69]

i bought zenit 11 and a pretty shite lens for 35euro (the lens's focus isnt great and the aperature is broken, plus i think it might be stuck on it!) but im 3 rolls in and ive spent more in film than the camera

[@sorenmeyer7347]

I think the Cosina Lens suffers from distortion very much, otherwise it looks okayish for a beginner wideangle imo

[@zenography7923]

It's not that bad a lens at all; you're right, it does have some distortion, which is perhaps to be expected on a budget wide angle. To be honest I don't worry too much about technical flaws if a lens can produce a pleasing image overall; what put me off this one a bit is its colour rendition, which is not as pleasing as other lenses I've used. Thanks for your comment, and for watching!

[@paulgreen6903]

Nice country music at the end. What is the name of it?

[@TheEquinoxeHD]

Is there no way to mount that M39 lenses on Zorki rangefinders? No adapters or anything?

[@zenography7923]

On SLR cameras, the distance from the rear of the lens to the film is much larger than it is on rangefinder cameras, so the lenses are designed to focus the image further back. This fundamental difference is what makes adapting an M39 lens to an L39 body difficult. Not actually impossible, but it's far easier just to use an L39 lens!

[@TheEquinoxeHD]

@@zenography7923 Yes I'm aware of that and I know it's not the easiest way but I'm just wondering if it's possible. I know that you just have to mount the lens further away from the film plane but what I'm worried about is rangefinder coupling and if that would work properly.

[@zenography7923]

It wouldn't, there's no rangefinder coupling on the M39 lenses...

[@paulgreen6903]

The Zenith s.l.r. has a.....NON ROTATING SHUTTER...........meaning.....you MUST advance film lever/arm first, then set the shutter you want. ALL other camera s has a ROTATING SHUTTER.....where you DON T have to advance first, as it self clap s itself.....ya.....i know.....i m OLD. The Zenit RIPED FILM VERY EASY....as it has a very strong ( non giving ) advance lever.....that s wont stop, until you come to FULL ADVANCE......

[@Frisenette]

Cosina is invasion form the *east*. :-) Chinon is in a similar league of being much underrated, though on the rise I feel.

[@zenography7923]

You're right, Chinon kit is underrated - they're very nice cameras and lenses!

[@Frisenette]

Zenography their 135, 50 and 23mm are very good lenses in my experience. As good as Pentax in their own way.

[@LeendertCordemans]

Helios 44 has M39 and Helios 44-2 M42.

[@zenography7923]

Hi Leendert, you're right of course, but I should add that only the earliest Helios 44 lenses were M39 - lots were made in M42 as well.

[@ricban1950]

I bought a Zenit E in 1968 or 1969. It broke down after 3 months. I got a refund from the retailer.

[@zenography7923]

Like any machine, there are always duds - many have stood the test of time though...

[@boborjanpandacsoki5239]

Avoid the Zenits , I had 5 of them all poor materials, except for the metal frame. They made the rolls infinite by tearing them apart, light came into tzhe body, shutter was poor quality. Lens were acceptable. Rather an ornament, than a usable machine. Cosina is a good option. All the Japanese are good options.