Paulo J Moreira
Zenit B
I was never known for being a Zenit lover, quite the opposite. The world’s most proliferous SLR only recently managed to find its way into my collection, a Zenit 12 SD and then the 19, a completely different beast.
This Zenit B has the honor of being the only Zenit that I actually bought because I think it looks very nice. I have a thing for black cameras, I had never seen this one in black and for a good reason, they are rare birds. Don’t ask me why, but it seems that the Soviets didn’t like this look or it was too chic for them. I also love SLRs without a hotshoe and this one, with its removable coldshoe fits the bill perfectly. It might not have the classic good looks of the Spotmatic, but 40 years one it does have this air of being a true machine, not just some chip and circuits.
There is no meter, so it is up to the photographer to judge exposure. The viewfinder is curious, no focusing aids but it is relatively bright, not difficult to focus with the Helios 44-2. However, it is small, it´s the consequence of the small prism and mirror. The camera is basic at best, but this is 1972, so I can forgive most of its outdated features, like the absence of a rewind crank. It is reasonably well put together, the chrome is still shiny, the paint job looks fresh, there is a very posh quality leather case (not the usual smelly poor quality case). The standard lens must have been the Industar 50-2 as this camera came also with the Helios 44-2 that is super smooth to focus.
Zenit B
I was never known for being a Zenit lover, quite the opposite. The world’s most proliferous SLR only recently managed to find its way into my collection, a Zenit 12 SD and then the 19, a completely different beast.
This Zenit B has the honor of being the only Zenit that I actually bought because I think it looks very nice. I have a thing for black cameras, I had never seen this one in black and for a good reason, they are rare birds. Don’t ask me why, but it seems that the Soviets didn’t like this look or it was too chic for them. I also love SLRs without a hotshoe and this one, with its removable coldshoe fits the bill perfectly. It might not have the classic good looks of the Spotmatic, but 40 years one it does have this air of being a true machine, not just some chip and circuits.
There is no meter, so it is up to the photographer to judge exposure. The viewfinder is curious, no focusing aids but it is relatively bright, not difficult to focus with the Helios 44-2. However, it is small, it´s the consequence of the small prism and mirror. The camera is basic at best, but this is 1972, so I can forgive most of its outdated features, like the absence of a rewind crank. It is reasonably well put together, the chrome is still shiny, the paint job looks fresh, there is a very posh quality leather case (not the usual smelly poor quality case). The standard lens must have been the Industar 50-2 as this camera came also with the Helios 44-2 that is super smooth to focus.