1) Background

   


Zorki 3

In 1947 the Soviet camera industry decided that the FED camera were to be mainly for the home market. This probably explains in some way why they were never pretty looking cameras apart from the early FED 1 and 2. It was decided that the Zorki camera were to be mostly for export. This is probably why later models, Zorki 3 and 4 were more technically advanced than FED. The Leica II inspired this Russian camera manufacturer to produce the Zorki Range-finder camera from 1949 till 1973. The Zorki came from the Krasnogorsk Mekanicheski Zavod or KMZ, which translates as Krasnogorsk Mechanical Factory. This same factory also brought us the Zenit Single Lens Reflex or SLR. These cameras are one of the cheaper Leica copies, which has established its eligibility as a collectors item. In particular the 1951 Zorki 3 which is sure to go up in value.

2) KMZ (Krasnogorski Mechanicheskii Zavod or the Krasnogorsk Mechanical Factory), Russia

KMZ, Krasnogorski Mechanicheskii Zavod or the Krasnogorsk Mechanical Factory, the builders of Zorki Rangefinders and Zenit Single Reflex cameras.

KMZ as we like to call it, since it is a lot shorter and easier, began its live in februari 1942 during the Second World War. The Russians call it the The Great Patriottic War. It all began at a small factory in the suburbs of Moskow. During the war they manufactured optical equipment. They even built the FS-2 here, production of the FS-2 was moved from sieged Leningrad, formerly and now once again known as St. Petersburg. KMZ started to build the Leica II copy with the big lens. How long they built the FS-2 is not really known, they seem to have built about 500 during 1943 to 1945 allthough some say 1947. After the War the Red Army returned but taking with them a lot of equipment from the Germans, scientists (see Operation Paperclip) but also complete factories. Some of them went to Kharkov, to Arsenal as replacement for their destroyed factories during the beginning of the War (see Operation Barbarossa). Others ended up in Bersk, Sverdlovsk and Krasnagorsk. How the Russian variant of Operation Paperclip went isn't exactly known, the answer to this lies in the Great Archive in Moskow. To which I have no acces, but pherhaps it will become known with time.

   

   
Fed Zorki 1948/1949

However, in 1946 KMZ was upgraded with Zeiss technology and other knowhow. At this time there was great enthousiasm to get started. And they did, one of the first cameras made here was the Moskow 1 and 2, copies of the Zeiss Super Ikonta. With the help of the FED factory the first FED Zorki was made in 1948. Only a year later in 1949 the very first Zorki appeared. The Zorki 1(a). KMZ also produced, and still does, its own lenses. In fact the Zenitar range is pretty good.


The Zorki Rangefinderline continued up to 1978 and allthough I don't want to go in to the entire line a few of them stand out. The Zorki 3M, one of the most beautifull rangefinders ever made. The Zorki 4, built to last. The Zorki 4K, one of the best user cameras. And lets not forget the Zorki 6, a real streat shooter.


But in 1951 Zenit appeared, one of the first SLR's in the world and with it came a whole new era for KMZ. Not going into the entire line of SLR's I do want to name a few. Offcourse there is the Zenit-E, the most produced SLR in the world, but how about the Zenit-12xp, now that is a workhorse. Or the Zenit-19 a great camera with an exceptional modular inner build. The PhotoSnaiper, who can forget that kind of camera.

3) Timeline

Global Timeline, please note that I left out the Zenit 11, 4, 5 and 6 that were made during 1964 through 1968 Which were Zenit-Bayonet cameras Also the Zenit-7, and the prototypes. FS stands for FotoSnaiper which was a modified Zenit, it had a extra shutter on the bottom of the camera.

E chassis based cameras Please note that all K-mount cameras with an exception of the Zenit-122K are NOT based on the E chassis. The Automat is the first in the Automat series, which consists of the Auto, Automat, AM, AM2, AM3 and APK.

So to put them together.... Zenit, Zenit-C, Zenit-3, Kristal, Zenit-3M, Zenit-E, Zenit-B



and here the split occurs, Zenit-E, Zenit-EM, Zenit-10 and the line ends with Zenit-11.



The Zenit-B however became, Zenit-BM, Zenit-TTL, Zenit-12, Zenit-12XP (SD), Zenit-122, Zenit-312 and finally Zenit-412DX.



Zenit-122 had a brother, the Zenit-122K which became later the Zenit-212K.



The KM is an extension of the Automat but fully redesigned. It uses normal AA batteries and is said to have redesigned electronics.

4) Belomo

The Zenit-E's were designed and made at Krasnogorsk Mechanical Factory (Krasnogorski Mechanicheskii Zavod ) which is a city nearby Moscow. Production was later also done at the Belorussia Optico-Mechanical Factory Which was a union of MMZ (Minsk Mechanicheskii Zavod ) and factory of Vilieka. MMZ joined up with Vilieka and formed Belomo. Quality wise the KMZ Zenits tend to be better than the Belomo ones. Belomo also produced different Zenits than KMZ, like the Zenit 12 Pro, Zenit 12XS, Zenit 15 and 15M (NOT like the KMZ Zenit 15).



The production started in 1965 and the production of the Zenit-E stopped in 1981. In that time KMZ produced, approximatly 3.334.540 Zenit-E's. Another 5.000.000 (and more) were built at the MMZ (during 1973-1986). If we also take in account the Zenit-ES, Zenit-EM, Zenit-ET and Zenit-11, which are all based on the Zenit-E, we get a production of more than 12 million Zenit-E types and E subtypes built.



This makes the Zenit-E Series the most produced SLR camera in the world.