Zenit 122K SLR Camera - Opinions?

kb3lms · Jan 28, 2013

Ok, everyone, so tax refund (I hope!) time is coming up. Our friends over at Lomography show the Zenit 122K SLR Camera on their website. See Dead Link Removed

Has anyone any experience with these SLRs? I am intrigued both because of the price and the K-mount, for which I have plenty of lenses. Do they work well? Are they reliable? I am a hobbyist so this would be for casual use.

EASmithV · Jan 28, 2013

I think you'd be better off getting another pentax.

Nicholas Lindan · Jan 28, 2013

As long as you don't pay too much. They were made, according to the 'net, from 1994-97, so NOS is 15-20 years old; how well it works after sitting in the box for that long is a guess.

Merchandise from Lomography is, as a rule, overpriced. I would think around $80 for one with lens would be about right.

Pentax, Chinon and Ricoh K-mount bodies on ebay go for ~$50.

werra · Jan 28, 2013

Go with Pentax. For the sake of reliability, meter and viewfinder.

thegman · Jan 28, 2013

Never used one, but I can't help but think £90 can be spent better. Having said that, if that's what you want, it's not a huge risk of money, you may end up really liking it.

Mustafa Umut Sarac · Jan 28, 2013

Biggest problem of these Zenits , is shutter cloth. After each shot and roll the cloth in to its place , cloth wear from the middle as a vertical white line in the middle of frame. Cloth paint disintegrates with pressure and it starts to leak light. Other problem , if you carry it in a sunny day , lens focus bright light on to frame and cloth burns.
The battery room and light meter electronics are not reliable and you find yourself when opening the battery room , remove the batteries and carve out the thick oxide from the contacts. I bet , after 10 rolls or less , electronics burns and never come back.
Soviet lenses are excellent indoor or bright sunny day. 58 mm Helios is excellent really , I put my Zenit ET in to deep freezer , minus celcius 25 for an one hour and it works like new.
You can buy a Kiev 60 and Carl Zeiss Jena lens and if you CLAed it , it is sexy and takes damn good pictures.

pekelnik · Jan 28, 2013

You could also get a Praktica...

kb3lms · Jan 28, 2013

Wow! OK, then, we'll move on. Sounds like the Zenit is not anything to write home about! Probably better to look into more MF gear anyway if I really have some of that tax refund burning a hole in my pocket.

Thanks, everyone, for your opinions. And I agree, Lomography is definitely over-priced.

PentaxBronica · Jan 29, 2013

You should be able to get a good K2 for the same money. Old stock of a notoriously agricultural camera with a ridiculous markup, or the top of the range K mount body in 1975 which hasn't really been improved upon by anything other than the DMD model. Not much of a choice!

Fanshaw · Jan 30, 2013

Although I wouldn't buy anything from Lomography because of the ridiculous prices, I think that the Zenits basic as they are are likely to be some of the longest lasting film cameras. Ignoring the exposure meters, which are crude and not much use, there are no electronics to go wrong or foam seals to turn into goo. There is only the shutter blinds which will eventually need replacing, although those on my Zenit-E bought in the 1970s are still OK.Otherwise the camera should last forever. It is becoming harder to find a Pentax for example which works reliably. For many purposes a simple all manual camera is all that is needed and it is satisfying to be completley in control of the lens aperture and shutter speed.

summerbee · Jan 30, 2013

Fanshaw said:
Although I wouldn't buy anything from Lomography because of the ridiculous prices, I think that the Zenits basic as they are are likely to be some of the longest lasting film cameras. Ignoring the exposure meters, which are crude and not much use, there are no electronics to go wrong or foam seals to turn into goo. There is only the shutter blinds which will eventually need replacing, although those on my Zenit-E bought in the 1970s are still OK.Otherwise the camera should last forever. It is becoming harder to find a Pentax for example which works reliably. For many purposes a simple all manual camera is all that is needed and it is satisfying to be completley in control of the lens aperture and shutter speed.

really?
for 50 dollars you can get a choice of, for what i know. all much realiable in tolerances, better assembled etc. etc. then any soviet camera on earth.
Only thing really referred as "very good" in soviet camera world are the legendary bags in "true soviet jak", and of course many lenses, if you get a well assembled one.
Ricoh and other brands as well produced very good SLR in K mount baionet way more reliable and actually as affordable as russian ones...
imho, of course

PentaxBronica · Jan 30, 2013

Depends on the Pentax in my experience.

There are a lot of broken ME Supers out there, but I'd suggest that this has something to do with the number sold (as compared to, say, the MX) rather than inherent unreliability.

I avoid the MZ series (ZX series in the USA) as that stupid plastic drive cog has a habit of splitting and rendering them useless. The Z or PZ series bodies seem to be more reliable but need a specialist battery. That's why my favoured AF body is an SFXn with the AA battery grip.

MEs, MXs and earlier seem to be almost impossible to kill, without resorting to serious maltreatment such as dropping from a great height. In fact two of my three MEs came to me as "spares or repair" lots. One needed a quick squirt of lighter fluid and a prod with a screwdriver to unjam it, the other just needed its battery cover cleaning. Both now work perfectly.

GarageBoy · Jan 30, 2013

Zenits feel like they're made by factory workers held at gun point (the early ones, anyways)
With 35mm on the used market going for pennies on the dollar, pick up ANYthing else. Pentax ME Supers, MEs, MVs can be had for the price of two or three trips to McDs

Dali · Jan 30, 2013

As long as there is a Japanese alternative, I would not favor the Zenit.

pen s · Jan 30, 2013

I picked up a Sears KS-500 with it's 50mm f2 auto lens for $5. It is a rebadged Ricoh KR-5 and they are often available for a lot less than this camera. The Richo KR series all have PK mounts so all manual focus lenses like PK, PKa etc will fit and work fine.

Yashinoff · Jan 31, 2013

TBH I'd think $85 for an honest to goodness new in box unused SLR is not a bad deal by any means. Those Vivitar SLRs cost over $100, and that is likely the next cheapest option if you want a real 35mm SLR.

I doubt the camera itself is particularly good, but the Zenitar 2/50 lens has a good reputation and you'd probably spend $30-$40 on a used one on ebay.

Someonenameddavid · Jan 31, 2013

Zenit E was the SLR if you could not afford a Praktica in the dark days of 1970s Britain. A used Spotmatic was Luxury. Then I got a used Nikkormat FTn and it was love at first sight... So much better than the communist stuff and a solid bayonet mount. The Copal Square shutter is one of those design masterpieces that needs more recognition

summerbee · Jan 31, 2013

GarageBoy said:
Zenits feel like they're made by factory workers held at gun point (the early ones, anyways)
With 35mm on the used market going for pennies on the dollar, pick up ANYthing else. Pentax ME Supers, MEs, MVs can be had for the price of two or three trips to McDs

we always had fun saying that kiev's camera assembling quality depended upon how much vodka they had in city that weekend...

PentaxBronica · Feb 1, 2013

You might not be as far from the truth as you think...

You can do a lot worse than look for the unfashionable cameras using a given mount. I see loads of Pentax SF7s and P30s going for next to nothing, the SF7 was the second camera to use the current AF K mount design after the SFX and it'll work with any full frame lens they've ever made. Price? You can find them for under £10 on ebay UK regularly. From observation the Canon and Nikon AF bodies can also be found cheaply if you're just after a working camera rather than the top of the range awesomeness or a collectable mechanical marvel.

My money would be on a Pentax SFXn with the AA battery grip, just makes it that bit easier to feed. Find one with the 35-70mm zoom and it's a cracker.

AgX · Dec 3, 2013

As a side note to those comments on soviet cameras:

The original manufacturer of the Zenit cameras, KMZ, manufactured 20 million cameras, out of them 15 million Zenit.

In Addition a great number of Zenit cameras were manufactured by Belomo, including Zenit cameras totally independantly designed and made from KMZ.

The camera in question is a Belomo design and product, though based on a KMZ model.

Xmas · Dec 3, 2013

a used K1000 with Pentax lens in user condition should be about the same...

You should be able to replace the foam easily and they take any battery.

An early one made Japan is a nice basic camera.

Huss · Oct 6, 2016

Mustafa Umut Sarac said:
Other problem , if you carry it in a sunny day , lens focus bright light on to frame and cloth burns.

It's an SLR so that cannot happen.

(I know it's an old thread!)

Harry Stevens · Oct 6, 2016

Bought a Zenith EM in August 79 and it still works as well as the day I bought it.Also bought a ZODEL 35mm 42mm screw lens for it from Jessops second hand shelf in the 90s for £4.00. Lomography just crazy prices. Loads of cheap SLRs on the bay.

WOW!!! £289.00 for a Lubitel!!!!

Huss · Oct 7, 2016

Harry Stevens said:
Lomography just crazy prices.

I don't think $85 for a new SLR with lens is crazy at all.

https://shop.lomography.com/en/cameras/other-cameras/zenit-122k-slr-camera

Fuji Instax cameras cost more.

Sure you can buy used cameras super cheap, but to sell new you have to be realistic as to how little they can charge and still run a business.

Harry Stevens · Oct 8, 2016

I don't think $85 for a new SLR with lens is crazy at all.

Well I think it's £ and that price seems a low oddity when you look at other offerings from them .......And I repeat £285.00 for a Lubitel

Zenit 122K SLR Camera - Opinions?

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