In 1941, in order to produce optical equipment for the Soviet war effort, several workshops were consolidated in a former earthenware factory in Krasnogorsk, a western suburb of Moscow, in order to produce optical equipment for the Soviet army. The combined optical workshop became Krasnogorski Mekhanicheskii Zavod (KMZ) – Mechanical Factory of Krasnogorsk.
In 1946 the KMZ factory began making cameras, starting with the Moskva folding camera. In 1948 they began producing FED cameras to offset slow production from the FED factory, and by 1949 they made some design changes and thus production of the Zorki began. In 1952, KMZ created an SLR based on some modifications of the Zorki, and thus the Zenit was born.
In 1993 KMZ became the S.A.Zverev KRASNOGORSKY ZAVOD JSC stock company.
35mm
SLR
- the Zenit family
rangefinder
- Drug (Droog)
- the Zorki family
compact
- 510, 520, 610, 620
panoramic
- Horizon 202
- Horizon 205 pc
- Horizon S3pro
120 film
folding
Links
- History of the Zorki
- Introduction to KMZ at Alfred's Camera Page
- KMZ page at Collection G. Even's site
- company homepage
- KMZ cameras and User manuals at www.collection-appareils.com