A Rare Piece from The Union

(my thumb is indeed double jointed as seen in this photo)

The Zenit EM, 35mm fully mechanical SLR with M42 lens mount, was manufactured by KMZ in Krasnogorsk between 1972 and 1984. As a fully mechanical camera, every setting was user defined, without the electronic light metering of the 1980s. Therefore the user had to set their own film speed, shutter speed, aperture and lens settings. The only assistance given to the user was in the form of the Selenium cell light meter on the front of the camera. The camera would move a small needle in response to the ambient light to help the user set their relevant choices for shutter speed and aperture.

The camera came with a lacquered leather holder and carrying case, embossed with the brand name in both Cyrillic and Western lettering. The camera, even without the leather and metal framed casing, weighed in at over a kilogram, and was quite literally built like a tank. No doubt were a Capitalist fiend to attack one of the Russians or Eastern Europeans using the camera, he or she would be able to use the camera to put quite a heavy dent in the head of the sneaky Capitalist.

I was fortunate enough to come across this rare pristine example. It is one of the earliest special 'Olympic' models released within the USSR, actually marked with a 1978 production date. The EM usually came in a silver and black colourway, however this is one of the rarer full black models. The camera itself is in fantastic fully working condition, with an almost prestine lens and clean internal body mirrors. The selenium cells within the light meter typically have a chemical half life of around 10 to 15 years, after which they no longer function. Luckily however, despite my camera being around 30 years old, the selenium light meter still functions perfecctly well.

I shall hopefully be sharing a number of photos from the Zenit in the near future.

Currently playing: Road To Zion ft. Nas - Damian Marley (that being the Rasta Zion in Ethiopia, not Jerusalem)

xxxx