Magnificent Russian Zorki I Camera, Exact Copy of the Leica II. 1950's.

Magnificent Russian Zorki I Camera, exact copy of the Leica II. Made in the 50's. Aesthetically beautiful, in silver color with black body. Engraved mark on the viewfinder and serial number: 48223. Industar-22 lens 1:3.5 F=50 mm. Includes a second Jupiter-12 lens. It is in very good condition both aesthetically and functionally. This camera works, although it has not been tested with film. The earliest known photo machines consisted of two simple wooden boxes: a wooden box carrying a lens, which slid inside the larger one, the sensitive plate being located at the rear of the latter and on the opposite side of the lens. Towards the middle of the 19th century (ca.1895) the back and front parts of the camera were in two separate pieces, joined by means of a leather accordion, so that the two halves were moved apart or closer together in order to be able to focus the image well. Gradually, the shape of the camera was innovated, finding a wide variety of models. Zorki (??????) is the name of a series of 35 mm rangefinder cameras manufactured in the Soviet Union between 1948 and 1978. Early Zorki cameras like this model were cheaper copies of Leica IIs, although later models already differed from this model considerably. When using most Zorki cameras, the shutter speed should be set only after the shutter has been cocked, otherwise the machinery may be damaged. The present model, the Zorki 1, was an exact copy of the 1932 Leica II rangefinder. It offered a 50 mm f/3.5 Industar-22 lens, a folding lens that looked like the Leitz Elmar but was actually a Zeiss Tessar copy. The model was introduced in 1948 being the first 35mm camera made by KMZ. Extraordinary camera and a superb acquisition for any collection!