Zenit E

image by bottledog (Image rights)

image by bottledog (Image rights)

The Zenit E was a Russian-built SLR camera body for M42 screw lenses, made from 1965-1968. The Zenit range was quite popular since it was priced moderately; furthermore it was offered under several other brands: (Kalimar, Revueflex, Prinzflex, Photokina, Spiraflex, and Cosmorex).

image by steevithak (Image rights)

The camera offered only shutter speeds of 1/30, 1/60, 1/125, 1/250 and 1/500, plus 'B' for longer exposures. The distance scale was drawn against the calculator scale, showing the acceptable tolerance, depending on aperture. The minimal focusing distance was about 0.65m with the Industar 50 (50mm f3.5) objective (and 0.46m with the Helios-44 58mm f2) but a set of extension rings was manufactured for this camera, allowing close distance macro pictures.

The Zenit E requires the user to manually stop down the diaphragm before exposure; the lens has an extra ring for this purpose. The Zenit EM was an upgraded version, with an automatic diaphragm.

It had a selenium meter. The meter's photo cell was placed above the lens mount behind a protecting window, and its instrument was placed beside a two-slice analog exposure calculator. A ring in the meter was coupled to that calculator on which the film speed had to be preselected, and when the meter's needle matched the ring the calculator showed the correct shutter-speed/aperture combinations. This device was not connected to the actual speed/aperture controls.

The Zenit E was produced in both black and silver; and there were commemorative versions for the 1980 Moscow Olympic games with two styles of markings. The Zenit B is a model similar to the E, but lacking the meter.

Name variants

A Zenit E, branded as Prinzflex 500E image by Uwe Kulick (Image rights)

Kalimar SR200 image by Just Plain Curt (Image rights)

Revueflex E image by Uwe Kulick (Image rights)

Kalimar SR 200 (chrome) image by Rick Oleson (Image rights)

Specifications (from Prinzflex 500E)

• Type: SLR body
• Manufacturer: KMZ
• Film: 35mm, with speeds 16 to 500 ASA
• Lens mount: M42 screw mount without aperture release shifter
• Shutter: focal plane textile shutter, speeds 1/30 up to 1/500 sec. + B, switchable to flash synchro-mode (1/30s)
• Viewfinder: pentaprism finder, little round diopter correction lens mountable
• film advance: film advance lever, hidden rewind knob extends out from meter control
• Dimensions:137×92×53 mm
• Self-timer: with own release button and 15 sec. delay-time

Links

• Zenit E, Zenit E, Zenit E Olympic on www.collection-appareils.fr by Sylvain Halgand
• User manuals for Zenit E at Michael Butkus Jr.'s
• Revueflex E (Olympic Games 1980) at Kurt Tauber's
• French user manual at Sylvain Halgand's www.collection-appareils.fr
• Zenit E on rus-camera.com
• JM Burtscher sovietcamera website : Sovietcamera french website