Film: 35mm format
Format/Frame: 36 x 24 mm
For me, this one is the best looking Soviet camera ever made.
—Old Good Light
Read the entire Zorki 3M review HERE
My insights on the KMZ Zorki 3M
If the KMZ Yunkor camera is considered the “Russian Diana,” then the KMZ Zorki 3M is the “Russian Leica,” and for good reason as it is based on the original plans/specifications from the Leica cameras made in Germany.
As I recall, the story goes something like this: After Germany lost World War II, it was divided up and Russia acquired access/possession of various German products including the famous Leica camera operations. As a result, they started making their own version of the Leicas in Russia, but as most of us know, they weren’t quite of the same quality (or cost thankfully) as the Leica line of cameras.
In the early 2000s, another colleague of mine purchased a Soviet FED camera (related to the Zorki) and “turned me on” to the possibility of the Russian camera market. The Zorki and FED offerings of these “Leica clones” was too much to resist and the price was downright criminal.
I think the cost of my Zorki 3M might have been less than its shipping from Ukraine. I’ve since acquired two other Zorki models and a couple lenses (surely I’ll be reviewing them here at some point too).
BTW: This is the camera I typically travel with if I’m concerned I could lose or break my camera. First, it is pretty stout, and second, if something catastrophic does happen, it won’t cost an arm and a leg to replace it since these cameras are so abundant.
