Zenit 12

Zenit is a Russian camera brand produced by KMZ factory (Krasnogorskiy Mekhanicheskiy Zavod) near Moscow since 1952 and by BelOMO in Belarus (since 1970s). Zenit is a trade mark for 35mm SLR cameras. Among the other brands are Zorki for 35mm rangefinder cameras, Moskva (Moscow) for medium-format folding cameras and Horizon for panoramic cameras. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (900x900, 370 KB) Description: Zenit 12 photo camera Source: [1] Date: - Author: Levi Szekeres http://www. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (900x900, 370 KB) Description: Zenit 12 photo camera Source: [1] Date: - Author: Levi Szekeres http://www. ... A camera is a device used to take pictures (usually photographs), either singly or in sequence, with or without sound recording, such as with video cameras. ... Moscow (Russian: Москва́, Moskva, IPA: (help· info)) is the capital of Russia and the countrys principal political, economic, financial, educational and transportation center, located on the river Moskva. ... 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... Simulated 35 mm film with soundtracks _ The outermost strips (on either side) contain the SDDS soundtrack as an image of a digital signal. ... The single-lens reflex (SLR) is a type of camera that uses a movable mirror placed between the lens and the film to project the image seen through the lens to a matte focusing screen. ... Zorkis are inexpensive rangefinder cameras that were manufactured in the Soviet Union from 1948 until 1978. ... Saint Basils Cathedral Moscow (Russian/Cyrillic: Москва́, pronounciation: Moskva), capital of Russia, located on the river Moskva, and encompassing 878. ... The Horizon is a fully mechanical swing-lens panoramic camera manufactured by Krasnogorsky Mekhanichesky Zavod in Krasnogorsk, Russia. ...

History

First years

First Zenit was based on rangefinder Zorki camera (which was actually a Leica II copy). In transforming the Zorki into an SLR, the simplest possible approach was taken: the rangefinder housing was removed from the top and replaced by a groundglass screen and prism; a mirror was added below, with a rope-and-pulley setting system and the M39 thread mount was pushed forward to make room for the mirror inside. Zorkis are inexpensive rangefinder cameras that were manufactured in the Soviet Union from 1948 until 1978. ... Leica is a camera produced by a German company of the same name. ...

During the first years of production (until Zenit-E of 1967) Zenit camera development coincides with Zorki cameras. Zenit-S has PC-synchro for external flash units (almost like Zorki-S) and Zenit-3M also has RF-sibling -- Zorki-6. 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Zenit-E and his successors

During 1967 through 1969 KMZ built automatic die-cast moulding line, allowing mass camera production. Camera production switched to M42 thread (also known as P-wire or Praktica thread) and instantly-returning mirror was developed also. This lead to one of the most famous Zenits -- Zenit-E which saw (including its subtypes) over 12 million produced. This automatic line at the end of XX century became an obstacle on the cource of camera development -- almost all low-end Zenits till now (till Zenit 412DX) have inside the camera a die-cast chassis of Zenit-E. 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday For other uses, see Number 1969. ... The M42 lens mount is a screw thread mounting standard for attaching lenses to 35 mm cameras, primarily single-lens reflex models. ... Praktica, the successor of Zeiss Ikon, is mainly a camera brand name from Dresden, (eastern) Germany, long time the worlds largest camera production location. ...

The major events of the further development of Zenit-E line was:

• introducing automatic 'jumping' diaphragm on Zenit-EM
• TTL metering system (instead of non-coupled Selenium-cell lightmeter) -- Zenit-TTL
• switching to Pentax K mount -- Zenit-122K
• DX-code introduction (instead of manual ISO-speed switch) -- Zenit-412DX

A 35mm lens set to f/8; the diameter of the heptagonal diaphragm opening is 4. ... In photography a means of making measurement, usually of light levels, through the lens of the camera. ... Pentax K1000 without lens, showing the K mount and mirror. ...

Advanced models

The first attempt to make high-end professional camera by KMZ was Start in 1958. This camera have full set of shutter speeds (from 1 sec to 1/1000), lens with automatic diaphragm in a unique breech-lock mount, and even the knife for cutting-off part of unexposed film. Photographer can choose between pentaprism and waist-level finder. But... the camera was too complex and too expensive for Soviet market. 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A breech lock is a system for mounting camera lenses to camera bodies. ...

Next try was Zenit-4 (1964), -5 and -6 cameras. Cameras were based on Voigtländer Bessamatic-type mount with focal-plane shutter. First KMZ camera with lightmeter (Zenit-4). First Soviet motor-driven camera (Zenit-5). First Soviet zoom lens (Rubin-1c 2.8/37-80, based on Voigtländer Zoomar design) for Zenit-6. For the Nintendo 64 emulator, see 1964 (Emulator). ... Voigtländer is an optical company founded in 1756 by Johann Friedrich Voigtländer in Vienna and thus the oldest name in cameras. ... Voigtländer is an optical company founded in 1756 by Johann Friedrich Voigtländer in Vienna and thus the oldest name in cameras. ...

After that there were two more trys to make high-end protographic equipment, namely Zenit-7 (1968) and Zenit-D (1969). Both were based on the completely new cloth-curtains shutter construction. Zenit-D has automatic exposure mode (first such camera in the USSR) Shutter was speeded-up to achieve X-sync at 1/125. Each of them have it's own bayonet mount ("mount 7" and "mount D" respectively) which helps to utilize camera's most advanced features. There were plans to develop full line of optics for this cameras but new shutter was too complicated and too unreliable. Production was cancelled shortly and the only lens made for new mounts was normal lens. Ironically, Start, Zenit-7 and Zenit-D utilizes the same normal lens -- Helios-44 2/58. Zenit-D is the rarest Zenit camera -- only 63 cameras were produced. 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... 1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday For other uses, see Number 1969. ...

After one more non-successful camera (Zenit-16) which was produced in very small quantities, in 1979 began the production of Zenit-19. Camera with original electromagnet-driven focal-plane shutter and M42 lens mount. Shutter speeds from 1 sec to 1/1000. X-sync at 1/60 or 1/125 (camera was modified during production). Only manual shooting mode with TTL-indication in the viewfinder. Zenit-19 was, may be, top-of-the-line Soviet M42 lens mount camera. This page refers to the year 1979. ... The M42 lens mount is a screw thread mounting standard for attaching lenses to 35 mm cameras, primarily single-lens reflex models. ...

Pentax-K mount series

In 1984 entered production Zenit-automat. Camera has Pentax K mount (which was proposed as open-standard by Pentax and distributed freely) and focal shutter with horisontal-travel cloth curtains. The only operation mode was aperture-priority mode. Camera was modified in 1988 (camera received shutter FZL-84 with vertical-travel metal curtains) and reissuied as Zenit-AM. Zenit-AM2 was a cheaper modification of AM without the self-timer. 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Pentax K1000 without lens, showing the K mount and mirror. ... // The Company PENTAX Corporation (ペンタックス株式会社) TYO: 7750 is a Japanese company founded in 1919 as 旭光学工業合資会社; Asahi Kōgaku Kōgyō Gōshi Gaisha, spectacle lens manufacturers. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Next in the line was Zenit-APk. The distinguishing difference was introducing of manual shutting mode in addinion to aperture-priority. Also original FZL-84 shutter was changed to licensed 'Copal Square' shutter.

The last is Zenit-KM of 2001. First microprocessor-controlled camera. Second (after Zenit-5) KMZ motor-driven camera. Shutter speeds from 1/2000 to 1 sec (and to 16 sec in Auto mode). X-sync at 1/125. Manual shutting mode and aperture-priority mode. Film DX-coding from 50 to 3200 ISO. In the 2004 camera received some modernizanion and renamed to Zenit-KM plus 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

And this is definitely the last camera. Because as of 2005 all SLR camera production on KMZ factory (Krasnogorskiy Mekhanicheskiy Zavod) is stopped. 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Camera models

Early cameras

• Zenit
• Zenit-S
• Zenit-3
• Zenit-3m (another name is Kristall/Crystal)

Zenit-4 line semiautomatic cameras

• Zenit-4
• Zenit-5
• Zenit-6

Zenit-E line

Models with a Selenium cell lightmeter

• Zenit-E
• Zenit-B (identical to the E but no lightmeter)
• Zenit-EM
• Zenit-ET
• Zenit-10
• Zenit-11

Cameras with TTL-metering and M42 thread mount

• Zenit-TTL
• Zenit-12
• Zenit-12xp
• Zenit-122
• Zenit-122V
• Zenit-312m
• Zenit-412DX
• Zenit-412LS

Cameras with TTL-metering and Pentax K mount

• Zenit-122K
• Zenit-212K

Cameras with non-standard mounts

• Start
• Zenit-7
• Zenit-D

M42 semi-automatic cameras

• Zenit-16
• Zenit-19
• Zenit-18
• Zenit-MT-1 Surprise (half frame Zenit-19 variant)

Zenit-Ax line (Pentax K mount cameras)

• Zenit-Automat (also known as Zenit-Auto)
• Zenit-AM
• Zenit-AM2
• Zenit-APk
• Zenit KM
• Zenit-KM plus

Photosniper

An oddity under the Zenit camera series is the so called FotoSnaiper series (Photosniper) which consist of a case (either leather or metal) a gunstock and shoulderstock, filters, a 300 mm Tair lens, a normal lens and a Zenit adapted for the gunstock (recognizable by the s designation, Zenit-ES, 122s ect). The camera is actually held and shot as a rifle (hence the name Photo Sniper).

External links

In English

• Homepage of KMZ
• Complete KMZ camera list
• Alfred's Camera Page
• Review of first Zenit by Rick Oleson

In Russian

• Russian-speaking semi-official forum. But if you ask a question in English (or any other language) you will be answered.