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3c

Zorki-3S

Zorki-3S is a 35mm film rangefinder camera made by KMZ and produced between 1955-56 with quantity 45.572 units. ЗОРКИЙ = Zorkiy, means Sharp Sight. Latin S = Cyrillic C.

Zorki-3S became the prototype of the popular Russian camera Zorki-4.

It is the successor of the 3M, inheriting all of the features including the full set of shutter speeds. The top plate has to be wider, almost running the entire width of the body, to accommodate the new flash sync mechanism. The shutter speed selector [1] is different in that the speeds are engraved on a separate plate and that the speed 1/25 is placed out of order. Another feature is that the 3S no longer has a separate lever for releasing the film sprocket gear; instead, the shutter release button is pressed down and rotated.

The Zorki-3S is succeeded by the Zorki-4, which has a self-timer mechanism. Production of the two bodies overlap to some extent. Early bodies of the 3S as well as of the 4 have vertical ridges on the advance and rewind knobs, similar to those on the 3M. Bodies made after some time in 1956 have advance and rewind knobs that sport six rows of raised points instead of the vertical ridges.

There are 1 type and 2 sub-types of the Zorki-3 [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

Notes and references[]

  1. As with other Soviet-era rangefinders, the shutter speed selector rotates when the shutter is released, and should not be changed until after the shutter has been cocked. If you change the shutter speed without cocking the shutter first, the setting pin can be broken when you advance the film and cock the shutter.
  2. Typing is as to Alexander Komarov in Fotoua You can also find serial numbers for dating of the cameras in this site.
  3. There is another former USSR cameras classification and info in Sovietcams by Aidas Pikiotas
  4. There are usefull books about cameras of former USSR and have classifications also.
  5. Pages from the the book of former USSR cameras by Suglob, Shaternik, Kochergin
  6. Discussion about clasifications in the books of Princelle and Suglob, Shaternik, Kochergin in USSR Photo Forum

Links[]

Zorki cameras
FED-Zorki | 1 | S | 2 | 2-S | 3 | 3M | 3S | 4 | 4K | Mir | 5 | 6 | 10 | 11 |35M
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