My new Soviet friend

A new chapter in photography is opening up for me – but it is one which is distinctly retro and vaguely familiar.

I have invested a relatively small amount of money in a Zenit-3 camera, made in the Soviet Union in 1968. It is very solid, its weight protected by a fragrant leather case – and entirely mechanical. There’s no sniff of a battery here, and of course it takes rolls of film. That’s what we all used to do before the advent of digital cameras and memory cards.

The familiarity comes from being old enough to remember film photography, while around 1980 my late father bought me a Zenit camera which I remember very well.

My hands were too small to handle this metal chassis, while the finer points of aperture and shutter times were a little beyond me. But it was used to produce slides from family holidays and star trail captures from an interest in astronomy.

This memory was revived by Stephen Dowling, a friend with a passion for vintage photography. His Flickr stream shows just what can be achieved with Soviet cameras and spurred me into my recent purchase.

In the first few tentative weeks I’ve mechanically loaded the first film, which is a feat in itself. The first shots without a digital guide to light levels have been a challenge. So has remembering to stop the aperture myself.

But the love affair is taking root – the clunk of the shutter is beautiful and focusing by hand delicious. It’s a world away from my trusty, nimble and lightweight Lumix which will remain the main tool of my photographic endeavours.

What the first black and white film from my Zenit yields will remain a mystery until it’s been developed, but I look forward to sharing the results here.

Tags: film photography, Mike Osborn, photography, retro, Stephen Dowling, USSR cameras, vintage cameras, Zenit-3

25 thoughts on “My new Soviet friend”

reretro on October 28, 2012 at 11:09 said:

yes, waiting to see the results…that’s a fine camera!

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- mikeosbornphoto on October 28, 2012 at 11:37 said:
  
  Thank you! I think the first roll will be a dog’s dinner, but it’s an enjoyable learning curve. She’s in fine working order for sure.
  
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lautal on October 28, 2012 at 12:11 said:

Mike, I used to make pictures about 20 years with the same camera and I still have a lot of pictures and slides. It is simple but durable camera with pretty good lens. You’ve made good purchase. It is not really efficient camera but with it simplicity is good for learning and understanding photography.

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- mikeosbornphoto on October 28, 2012 at 12:51 said:
  
  Hi Alexander, yes, I guess you are quite familiar with these cameras. I’m already learning the skills we forget with digital photography. It will be a good experience, I hope. Thanks for coming by as always.
  
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scpworkasx on October 28, 2012 at 12:16 said:

welcome back to film – love those Soviet cameras, they are quite the bargain

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- mikeosbornphoto on October 28, 2012 at 12:48 said:
  
  Thank you, it’s going to be an interesting journey. Yes, they were so robust that many survived and are still available today.
  
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mjculverphotography on October 28, 2012 at 13:13 said:

Mike, Have fun with the new camera. I do not have a Soviet camera and only know they can produce fine photos.I must say though, Wifey- Joey- was born in the Netherlands, raised in Africa in with British schooling and is the only other person I have heard refering to something becoming a “dogs dinner”. So funny. Marks

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- mikeosbornphoto on October 28, 2012 at 13:19 said:
  
  Thank you Marks, I’m hoping it will bring an added dimension to my photography. That’s funny – the phrase must be a peculiarly British one (and from another era!) Thank you for stopping to add your thoughts, it’s much appreciated.
  
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ckponderings on October 28, 2012 at 23:28 said:

Great shots and nice camera! :)

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- mikeosbornphoto on October 28, 2012 at 23:30 said:
  
  Thanks very much, Richard. The camera’s an old beauty – dwarfs my Lumix!
  
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  - ckponderings on October 28, 2012 at 23:35 said:
    
    Hehe. :)
    
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Noeline Smith on October 29, 2012 at 10:12 said:

I look forward to seeing the results. I still have my Zenit, my second ‘proper’ camera that replaced my first ‘proper’ camera – a Zenit!

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- mikeosbornphoto on October 29, 2012 at 18:46 said:
  
  Oh lovely! Do you ever dust it off? This one already feels like part of the furniture, although needs plenty of care and respect.
  
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  - Noeline Smith on October 29, 2012 at 18:50 said:
    
    I look at it (lovingly!) every now and then but haven’t used it for years. Maybe you’ll inspire me to let it live again :)
    
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    - mikeosbornphoto on October 29, 2012 at 18:54 said:
      
      Oh I hope so. I’m sure there’ll be disappointments and frustrations along the way, but this will be an interesting journey.
      
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zorkiphoto on October 29, 2012 at 11:11 said:

Looking forward to seeing the results – I took my Zenit 3M out the last couple of weekends. Some nice shots from the old beast.

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- mikeosbornphoto on October 29, 2012 at 18:47 said:
  
  And mighty fine they are too!
  
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Bashar A. on October 29, 2012 at 14:26 said:

Nice close up of the lens

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- mikeosbornphoto on October 29, 2012 at 18:48 said:
  
  Thanks Bashar. I guess Zenits weren’t that common in the US back in the day…
  
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filmcamera999 on October 29, 2012 at 14:44 said:

Reblogged this on filmcamera999 and commented:
…i still have the zenit e camera my mom gave me when i was a teenager!

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2Spools on November 4, 2012 at 19:34 said:

This brings back memories. Look forward to seeing the material.

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- mikeosbornphoto on November 4, 2012 at 19:58 said:
  
  Glad to hear it. Same for me, glad to be embracing it. I’ll share the first results when they’re processed.
  
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Björn Törngren on June 9, 2013 at 18:04 said:

Looks nice!

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- mikeosbornphoto on June 9, 2013 at 18:08 said:
  
  Thanks Bjorn, but he/she can be a devil to handle! Good to see some of your work too – look forward to seeing more.
  
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  - Björn Törngren on June 9, 2013 at 18:14 said:
    
    Thanks! And right back at you!!
    
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