Zenith A Blast From The Past

[django]

While browsing round my local junk market there on a stall was a pair of Zenith Super MK 2 10X50 Russian), tacky riveted on plastic strap and very loud fake leather brown ? orange ? yuk ? case, pangs of nostalgia came fooding back as I thought of my first (what I thought) real camera and pair of bins,I am sure I my still in shape upper arms and biceps (the rest aint so good) are a result of humping these monsters round the countryside,in a moment of weakness I brought them for £6 he wanted £8, on the way home I stopped of at my local gravel pits and hoisted the monsters up and do you know they were not complete crap ok! we are not talking Leica or Nikon here but for £6 what do you want, also dug out some of my old photographs taken with my first Bomb Proof Zenith, brought a lot of good times flooding back, did anyone else start their birding and photography with these, sure there must have been, (however it may show your age if you did !!!!!)

[John N]

My first slr was a Zenith e. Heavy as lead as I recall and after focusing you had to close the aperture ring manually.I was Bombproof though.

[django]

My first slr was a Zenith e. Heavy as lead as I recall and after focusing you had to close the aperture ring manually.I was Bombproof though. Yes thats right can you remember the price? I cant too long ago.

[John N]

Yes thats right can you remember the price? I cant too long ago.

No I can't remember the price. You are right it was too long ago.Brings back happy memories though.

[Jos Stratford]

Anybody else with a strong desire to obtain a pair of Zenith, get in touch - out here, they do appear on stalls rather often ...haven't fallen to the temptation yet :)

[django]

Anybody else with a strong desire to obtain a pair of Zenith, get in touch - out here, they do appear on stalls rather often ...haven't fallen to the temptation yet :) Anybody who remembers Zenith must remember Flares,and Mini Skirts they say that the Mini Skirt was the cause of more motor accidents in the Kings Road Chelsea than anything else,drivers just were not looking where they were going,just thought I would add that bit of useless information.

[JeffMoh]

I used a Zenith E slr very successfully for several years, after graduating from a Halina 35X. The Halina cost 5 quid in about 1960 and I think the Zenith was 20 quid in about 1970.

[django]

I used a Zenith E slr very successfully for several years, after graduating from a Halina 35X. The Halina cost 5 quid in about 1960 and I think the Zenith was 20 quid in about 1970. Was that about the time of David Bailey was it the Olympus Trip or something like that,also Instamatics and Kodak with the pop out bellows, boy how time flies,I can remember blacking out the bathroom and driving my Mother mad with the smell of chemicals,loading 35mm into the spirals of the round hand developers,using the enlarger at the local Tech happy days

[John N]

Was that about the time of David Bailey was it the Olympus Trip or something like that,also Instamatics and Kodak with the pop out bellows, boy how time flies,I can remember blacking out the bathroom and driving my Mother mad with the smell of chemicals,loading 35mm into the spirals of the round hand developers,using the enlarger at the local Tech happy days

Ah the Olympus trip,was that a 1/2 frame camera?

[Otto McDiesel]

[QUOTE=JeffMoh]I used a Zenith E slr very successfully for several years, QUOTE]

I still have and use one. My camera has been both at the North and the South Pole, but not with me, and i have taken pictures with it on 4 continents. Sort of heavy, though...

[peterpiper]

I used to have the zenith e, but my mate was posh, he had the em

[AndyC]

I had(probably still have) a Russian Lubitel twin lens reflex camera. It takes 120 format roll film. It only cost about £20, but it worked. Pictures a bit soft, but if you stopped the lens down to F8 or so it so, it wasn't to bad. Really provoked some comments if I was out using it. Most people thought it cost about 20 times its actual price.

[JohnnyH]

Ah the Olympus trip,was that a 1/2 frame camera?


Hi John,

No the Trip was full frame, it's the Oly Pen series of cameras you're thinking of.

Cheers,

John.

[John N]

Hi John,

No the Trip was full frame, it's the Oly Pen series of cameras you're thinking of.

Cheers,

John.

Thanks John.

[Stewart J.]

When in our teens my pal had a new Zenith E bought for his birthday, my first camera which I had to save up for was a second hand Exacta Varex (£49) loadsa money in them days.

Stewart

[Richard D]

My first SLR was a borrowed Zenith E before I got my very own Zenith 12xp which brought me up to the world of TTL. My first binoculars were Russian/East German 8x30's (Helios - I think produced the binoculars and Zenith lenses). Both were ermm... 'rugged', but to be fair the optical quality wasn't bad (arguably better than most of the cheap japanese bins at the time) - it was the coatings that let the glass down, great in the right conditions but watch out for flare.