KMZ Zorki 5

Zorki 5

The KMZ Zorki 5 is a Soviet 35mm coupled-rangefinder camera produced during 1958 and 1959. It combines an M39 screw lens mount with lever film advance, a combined viewfinder-rangefinder, diopter adjustment and separate flash connections for electronic and combustion-type flash.[1][3]

Unlike the more advanced Zorki 4, the Zorki 5 has no slow shutter speeds or self-timer. It was designed as a simpler and less expensive camera with improved handling over the earlier bottom-loading Zorki models.

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History

Development and Production

KMZ developed the Zorki 5 as part of a new generation of lever-advance rangefinders. The camera retained bottom loading but introduced a redesigned cast body, a combined finder and a substantially longer rangefinder base.[1][3]

Production lasted only two years. KMZ records 125,000 cameras in 1958 and 111,501 in 1959, giving an official total of 236,501 units.[2] Some collector references state 236,502, but the factory production table is preferred.

The Zorki 6 replaced the Zorki 5 concept with a hinged rear door, fixed take-up spool and self-timer. The Zorki 5 and Zorki 6 should remain separate models because their loading systems and body construction differ clearly.

Design and Operation

The Zorki 5 uses a horizontal-travel cloth focal-plane shutter. Early cameras have speeds of B, 1/25, 1/50, 1/100, 1/250 and 1/500 second. Later cameras use B, 1/30, 1/60, 1/125, 1/250 and 1/500 second.[3][4]

Unlike Zorki cameras with a separate slow-speed mechanism, the shutter-speed setting can be changed with the shutter either cocked or released. The dial must still not be forced directly across the unmarked interval between B and 1/500.[3]

A lever advances the film, tensions the shutter and operates the frame counter. The camera remains a bottom-loading design, requiring the film leader and removable take-up spool to be inserted through the open base.

The camera uses an M39 × 1 rangefinder mount with a nominal 28.8 mm register. Soviet M39 shares the nominal thread and register concept of Leica screw mount, although calibration and rangefinder-cam tolerances can differ between individual lenses and bodies.

Viewfinder and Flash

The optical viewfinder and coupled rangefinder share one eyepiece. The finder is intended for a lens of approximately 50 mm and has no projected framelines.[3]

The rangefinder has a 67 mm physical base, substantially longer than the approximately 38 mm base used by many earlier Zorki cameras. Finder magnification is commonly reported as approximately 0.6×.[3][5]

A lever beneath the rewind control provides diopter adjustment. Wider and longer lenses require an external accessory finder fitted to the cold shoe.

Two cable flash terminals are provided. One is intended for electronic flash and the other for flashbulbs requiring an ignition lead. Early cameras synchronize at 1/25 second, while later cameras with the revised shutter sequence synchronize at 1/30 second.[3]

Dimensions and Weight

The 1959 manual gives dimensions of 135 mm wide and 80 mm high. Its stated depth of 70 mm measures the camera with a standard lens in working position rather than the body alone.[3]

A practical body-only measurement is approximately 135 × 80 × 33 mm with a weight near 520 g.[5] Complete-camera weights around 600 g generally include an Industar standard lens.[4]

Combined Variants

The first major version has a rectangular rangefinder window and the Zorki 5 name engraved directly into the recessed front housing, usually filled with red paint.[4]

The second version has a rounded rangefinder window and a separate screwed-on nameplate. Its body styling is closely related to the subsequent Zorki 6.

Documented minor differences include:

• Green, black synthetic and vulcanite-style coverings
• Narrow and wide flash-symbol engravings
• Different shutter-release shapes
• Cyrillic nameplates in black or red
• Rear “Made in USSR” export markings
• Seven- and eight-digit serial-number formats
• Rare white-covered cameras

These variations should remain combined under one main Zorki 5 page. The unusual experimental self-timer version should be retained as prototype or experimental metadata rather than treated as a normal production model.[4]

Identification

A Zorki 5 has lever film advance, a combined finder, two front flash terminals and a removable bottom plate. It has no self-timer.

Early cameras have a rectangular rangefinder window and engraved model name. Later cameras have a round window and screwed nameplate.

The similar Zorki 6 has a hinged rear door and self-timer. A listing showing those features should not be matched to the Zorki 5.

Serials normally begin with 58 or 59, although the numbering format varies. Documented examples include 5800466, 5859509, 58938822 and 59034601.[4]

For listing matching and price tracking, useful metadata includes exact_variant, production_period, rangefinder_window_shape, nameplate_type, shutter_speed_sequence, covering, engraving, export_version, included_lens, flash_sync_condition, rangefinder_condition, shutter_condition, accessories, case_included and body_only_or_kit.

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Sources

• [1] ZENITcamera Archive. The Zorki Camera Line. https://www.zenitcamera.com/archive/zorki/index.html
• [2] ZENITcamera. KMZ Camera Production Data. https://www.zenitcamera.com/catalog/cameraproduction.html
• [3] KMZ. Zorki 5 Description and Operating Instructions, 1959. https://www.eugigufo.net/files/photovideo/photo/zorki5.pdf
• [4] SovietCams Archive. Zorki-5 Classification. https://mikeeckman.com/sovietcams/indexaee3.html
• [5] Photo Café Camera Museum. Zorki 5, First Version. https://museum.photocafe.bg/project/zorki-5-first-version-created-1958/