Zenit 312m
written in 2018
If there is something like a
photographic Kalshnikov, then the Zenit camera series is this. The
Zenit cameras are based on the zorki cameras, which by itself where
Leica imitations. This was my second SLR and the first thing i bought
from my very first sallary in the army. it cost me aprox 100€ new in
2001. this camera is the reason why ths page is called kmz312m. because
the company which built this cameras is krasnogorsky zavod (kmz).
this is a very basic camera. it sports 1/500 to 1/30 and bulb. there where a lot of predecessor cameras like zent 12, zenit E, etc, they all are based on the same mechanism. i love walk on flee markets and watch out for cameras and lenses for bargains. over the years i inspected hundreds of SLRs on flee markets in europe. And so i got a good impression of the durbility of certain brands. all the dozens of Zenit cameras i looked at where all working fine, even when they where obviously treated badly. there was not a single body i found not working. because of their simple and durable construction. in contrast most other SLRs had at least one flaw, had bad times, or wouldnt fire or cock at all. the worst camera brand in ths regard by far was praktica. sorry praktica lovers out there, but in my eyes this cameras are trash. if i had to go to a remote island for years and needed a camera wich would work under all conditions, i would take my Zenit 312m.
i like my Zenit 312m a lot, althogh i dont use it that much anymore. at some point i painted it green. because i like this color a lot. i did a sloppy job. but who cares.
i painted my unit green. looks awful, but i like green, so its ok
i lost the batterie compartment cap. i replaced it with a piece of plastic i glued in. the batterie lasts for many years, so i wont need to open it again in for years to come
the cotrol layout is very basic.
what i like:
strong aluminium frame
M42 mount---> tons of good cheap glas.
super-simple reliable construction.
viewfinder is surpring bright and has very good split screen
all important parts made from metal (backdoor latch, rewind fork, etc.)
what i dont like:
iso range only up to iso 640
viewfinder shows only aprox 80% of frame.
times only between 1/500 and 1/30
recommendation:
if you want to give your kids their first analog SLR you will get here a cheap durable and forgiving gear. most other cameras wont survive the treatment of kids. this will.
if you like brute funktionality
if you like a camera that can do the absolut nececary and nothing more... here!
if you want to shoot your soviet M42 lenses the proper way... here!
this is a very basic camera. it sports 1/500 to 1/30 and bulb. there where a lot of predecessor cameras like zent 12, zenit E, etc, they all are based on the same mechanism. i love walk on flee markets and watch out for cameras and lenses for bargains. over the years i inspected hundreds of SLRs on flee markets in europe. And so i got a good impression of the durbility of certain brands. all the dozens of Zenit cameras i looked at where all working fine, even when they where obviously treated badly. there was not a single body i found not working. because of their simple and durable construction. in contrast most other SLRs had at least one flaw, had bad times, or wouldnt fire or cock at all. the worst camera brand in ths regard by far was praktica. sorry praktica lovers out there, but in my eyes this cameras are trash. if i had to go to a remote island for years and needed a camera wich would work under all conditions, i would take my Zenit 312m.
i like my Zenit 312m a lot, althogh i dont use it that much anymore. at some point i painted it green. because i like this color a lot. i did a sloppy job. but who cares.
i painted my unit green. looks awful, but i like green, so its ok
i lost the batterie compartment cap. i replaced it with a piece of plastic i glued in. the batterie lasts for many years, so i wont need to open it again in for years to come
the cotrol layout is very basic.
what i like:
strong aluminium frame
M42 mount---> tons of good cheap glas.
super-simple reliable construction.
viewfinder is surpring bright and has very good split screen
all important parts made from metal (backdoor latch, rewind fork, etc.)
what i dont like:
iso range only up to iso 640
viewfinder shows only aprox 80% of frame.
times only between 1/500 and 1/30
recommendation:
if you want to give your kids their first analog SLR you will get here a cheap durable and forgiving gear. most other cameras wont survive the treatment of kids. this will.
if you like brute funktionality
if you like a camera that can do the absolut nececary and nothing more... here!
if you want to shoot your soviet M42 lenses the proper way... here!
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