That's great and I'm glad I could help. Check the accuracy of the selenium meter built in as it may not be correct, if it works but reads inaccurately you can simply adjust the number of stops to work with. Check the shutter curtains also, fire it with the back door open, make certain they're not sticking. Coupled with the Helios 44 lens you can get some stunning pictures. I hope you enjoy it and please share your images when you use.
They're still a good solid camera and the Helios 44 is a great lens for the bargain prices you can get these. A lot of amateur film makers are using the Helios lenses for that retro feel.
mirtskuliini Cool, hope you have fun using the camera. Remember the built in light meter may be inaccurate now so check against a known one or digital camera, once you know where it's reading you can compensate accordingly.
Kelly O'Connor You're welcome, glad to help and I hope you have fun with it. Have a look at shooting and developing your own film, it's really easy with B&W or colour. If you use Rodinal and stand develop it's the easiest thing ever, have a look at my developing videos for an idea of what you need and how to, also check the accuracy of your light meter as it's common for them to lose accuracy due to the age of them, (compare against a digital framing the same scene to see how accurate it is, if it does still work but is inaccurate that's not a problem as long as you know how many stops to alter to get correct exposure.
spidiq8 yeah this is a bit of a dinosaur so I reckon it wont be working anymore. How detrimental would the affect be on my photos without the light meter working properly??
Kelly O'Connor No deteriment to the photos at all as it's uncoupled so you set the shutter speed and aperture manually, as long as you set the shutter and aperture correctly, (or near enough, film has more latitude than digital sensors and is more forgiving if you're a stop or two from the right setting), you can either meter with a known setting like from another camera or with a handheld lightmeter or just guesstimate using the sunny 16 rule. Do check that your shutter curtains aren't sticking though, fire the shutter at all speeds with the back open and make sure they're opening cleanly and snapping shut without any drag or stickiness, remember to cock the shutter before setting the shutter speed, this is something quirky and unique to Russian cameras and altering the shutter speed before cocking the shutter can damage the mechanism.
@@spidiq8 yes! I was actually looking to buy a Helios 44 to use with an M42 converter for my Fujifilm. However, I found that it was cheaper to buy the lens together with the Zenit than to buy the lens alone! Now I've got myself a Zenit with the lens I was originally looking for! So I was curious to learn how to use the Zenit for film photography :) Your video was super informative and helpful. I'm hoping to buy some film for the zenit after I play around with the helios on my fujifilm. thanks again!
Thank you . I have one zenit ET and just got my film colorplus 200. I will use this camera analog without lightmeter and just use my instict to choose shutter speed and apperture .
Enjoy your journey with the Zenit. You can use the sunny 16 rule to get a good estimate of the shutter speed and aperture. If you Google that it'll explain how to.
Good Video, I love analog photography and my father in law recently gave me one of this, but until now I´d cant use it. In aesthetics terms is an ugly camera in comparison with a nikon, canon or another zenit, but is a tank, very well built it, full mechanic! that is so cool!. Mine have a 58 mm f2 and I think is a beautiful lens, smooth focusing ring and a so smooth diaphragm ring. Probably de worst part is the loading and rewinding film because I think is very rough. After all for me have more good things and I planning use it some times. Thumbs up for your video! clear and concise. Be carefull with the light when you show silver elements because sometimes is reflective. Best Regards
novalecortar Thanks for the feedback, I've been trying to modulate the lighting in the kitchen where I filmed this but it doesn't get much natural light and it's a tricky balance, hopefully the more recent videos are better in that respect. The Zenit is indeed a tank but it's not immune from faults, mines developed a 2nd shutter curtain fault which I'm going to try and fix but if I can't they're plentiful and cheap to replace at least. I hope you get some enjoyment out of yours, the Helios lens really is a nice one for its simplicity.
Great and helpful video! I recently got a Zenit E and have yet to use it but I'm afraid there's something wrong with my shutter curtains or the shutter speed dial itself. When I open the back to look at the curtain move when I press the shutter it moves the same way no matter the shutter speed. And when I use Bulb and I press the shutter it's the same thing. I release it, there isn't a second clicking sound...
Hello, very great video! Thanks for all the explaning. But I have a question. I have a Zenit E which seems to be working (I haven't tried loading a film in it yet) but it is missing the shutter speed wheel (dial). Do you think I could use it somehow or if I can "repair" it? Any sollution would be great.
Now, it's a while since I used my own but I believe that dial is merely a reminder of the ISO or DIN you have loaded and the selenium meter is usually out of whack by now anyway, if you use an app, a light meter, or your phone to get the settings or even the sunny 16 rule you can use the camera just setting the shutter speed and aperture to suit.
Thank you, sir! I have a question regarding 9:14: What if you can tell the film is not loading properly? I'm already halfway through my film, but suddenly the internal dial stopped turning... Before when I had this problem I winded a couple of times and at some point the film got a hold again. This time that is not working, unfortunately... I can also feel that it lost tension as I'm winding. How to load the film back on properly without exposing it? Is there some kind of trick I could use?
Sadly no, there's no easy way, of its stopped winding part way through either the drive cogs have torn the sprocket holes in the film or the film has split completely, most likely the former. The only way to try and move it on would be to open the camera in a light tight room and by feel with your fingers try to push the film across as you try to wind the lever on until it engages. Otherwise the only thing you could do is rewind the film completely and leave it half exposed.
Thank you. The iso speed doesn't need to be set if the light meter isn't working or is inaccurate but you still need to set your shutter speed appropriate to the aperture and film speed. To ascertain this you can either use the sunny 16 rule to 'estimate' or a separate lightmeter.
Matthew That's very common in these old selenium cell meters, even working there's no guarantee it would be accurate, you can get apps for your phone which aren't bad in fairly bright outdoor light.
@@devinccimarquez788 Well they're all old now so there's no guarantee of how well or how often they've been used and abused but provided it works when you check it before buying and provided you operate it per the directions. I.e. wind on the film and lock the shutter before changing shutter speeds etc it should be ok.
Sorry no. It's not one I've encountered. Being purely mechanical in operation though it has to be related to the mechanical linkages that operate the shutter. I'd like to look at the possibility of servicing one at some point.
Have you got it locked in Bulb mode? If not then likely something is messed up internally as the shutter has to be wound then shutter speed changed only once that's done, they're finicky cameras. I hope at some point to do a disassembly of a faulty one I have to try and get it working again.
Well done. If you like analogue photography try Praktica - until the 1980-s they were years ahead in innovation and quality of all Japanese cameras. And German glass is way superior.
I have and use several film cameras and have had a wide range over the years, I've been developing and printing both for most of them also but I don't print, I scan now.
@@spidiq8 When I rewound and I couldn't do so anymore I tried to wind it up again like you showed in the video. When I pressed the lock button again a shutter like sound appeared. Did it shoot or did it just release the lock? I want to make sure I don't ruin a good film if I get stuck again. Thanks for the answer!
@@gretapatapavciute3372 That sound should simply be the shutter releasing and resetting. As long as the winding lever has become noticeably looser you know the film is fully rewound into the cassette. If you didn't feel the rewind lever getting loose but it tightened instead then the film is still connected to the wind on spool and you need to unlock and rewind until the tension practically disappears.
Please, explain me. i have bought Zenit 11. But İ can't use it. i understood all explain by that video. But no view on my camera. When İ want to take, i can't see on its view hole. İt has dark view. Why?
The most likely explanation is that the mirror is stuck blocking the view. Unscrew the lens and look inside the body of the camera. You should see a mirror at a 45 degree angle. If you don't and only see the shutter curtain it's stuck at the top of the camera.
spidiq8 indeed they were built to last and serve the purpose. Grate to see you taking your time to review it. I very much enjoyed your passion and expertise
To nieoszczędna forma zakładania filmu. Ja w dwunastce (w E-dku też tak robie) zakładam tak: naciągam migawkę, (w E-dku pilnuję, by blaszka, za którą wkłada się film, była w odpowiednim miejscu) wkładam jęzor filmu do rolki odbiornikowej końcówkę filmu bez wyciągania go z puszki (stan fabryczny), idę do ciemni (w moim przypadku jest to pralnia), podnoszę trzymak puszki, ciągnę puszkę do jamy na puszkę, tak, by nie powstały luzy, pilnuję, by wypustki jęzora weszły w zęby ostróg przy rolce odbiornikowej, zamykam klapkę, ustawiam czas, przesłonę, robię zdjęcie. Więcej zdjęć wychodzi, a 16,50 nie ląduje w koszu, bo zamiast 36/24 klatek, wychodzi do 40/28 klatek/rolkę. Pozdrawiam wszystkich amatorów fotografii analogowej, oraz tych co zastosują się do mojej metody!!!
If you want to rewind your film you have to turn it 'CLOCKWISE' and NOT 'counter-clockwise', as told in this video. I just lost my first film, because I thought I was done and when I opened it thoroughly, the film was not at all rewinded! I am very sad now =(
Never move from B to 500 directly or oposite .That is weak point of Zenits. Cooking before chosing shutter speed is rule for Zorkis not Zenith .. Cheers Man!
@@spidiq8 ...my friend from russia told me this.....all is in manual thats confirm what he told me... Zenit e is my first childhood camera in property of my cousin..but for couple days my zenit will come to my door that i buy from my friend...in a beautiful shape ... Have a nice day Sir.. :D
@@3scort Thank you again. It's always useful to know these things, my first SLR was a Zenit but I never had a manual, (not that I could have read it in Russian). I hope you enjoy your new (to you) one. If you like Russian made things generally, I've just gotten my first Russian watch, a Vostok Komandirskie which I've just reviewed if you want to check that out. ☺
I just bought one Zenit-E camera from a old lady and was searching for a good how to use video! This helped me a lot! Thank you so much!
That's great and I'm glad I could help. Check the accuracy of the selenium meter built in as it may not be correct, if it works but reads inaccurately you can simply adjust the number of stops to work with.
Check the shutter curtains also, fire it with the back door open, make certain they're not sticking.
Coupled with the Helios 44 lens you can get some stunning pictures. I hope you enjoy it and please share your images when you use.
Very helpful thank you. I thought my rewinder was a too short until I saw you twist and turn and up it popped! Thanks again.
Blast from the past- I had one of these started around 1979, used it for a few years. It was great for learning the fundamentals.
They're still a good solid camera and the Helios 44 is a great lens for the bargain prices you can get these. A lot of amateur film makers are using the Helios lenses for that retro feel.
Great video! You helped me a lot. My father in law gave his old Zenit E and I had no clue how to use it. Thanks!
Fantastic. I hope you enjoy using it. Check the accuracy of the meter but that aside they're generally solid.
Same here 🙂
Excellent, clear and well made video. Thank you so much!
Dino Migliore Thank you for the kind words. Glad it was handy.
Helped me a lot! My grandpa gave me his old Zenit-E, now I just need to get some film :-)
mirtskuliini Cool, hope you have fun using the camera. Remember the built in light meter may be inaccurate now so check against a known one or digital camera, once you know where it's reading you can compensate accordingly.
just what i needed and no chaff. brilliant stuff thank you
Glad it was useful for you.
Thank you for all the tips. Helped a lot!
Vladimir Obradovic You're welcome, glad it helped.
Thanks for this! I just bought a zenit t1 at a flea market and have never used analog camera before so this was extremely helpful
Kelly O'Connor You're welcome, glad to help and I hope you have fun with it.
Have a look at shooting and developing your own film, it's really easy with B&W or colour. If you use Rodinal and stand develop it's the easiest thing ever, have a look at my developing videos for an idea of what you need and how to, also check the accuracy of your light meter as it's common for them to lose accuracy due to the age of them, (compare against a digital framing the same scene to see how accurate it is, if it does still work but is inaccurate that's not a problem as long as you know how many stops to alter to get correct exposure.
spidiq8 yeah this is a bit of a dinosaur so I reckon it wont be working anymore. How detrimental would the affect be on my photos without the light meter working properly??
Kelly O'Connor No deteriment to the photos at all as it's uncoupled so you set the shutter speed and aperture manually, as long as you set the shutter and aperture correctly, (or near enough, film has more latitude than digital sensors and is more forgiving if you're a stop or two from the right setting), you can either meter with a known setting like from another camera or with a handheld lightmeter or just guesstimate using the sunny 16 rule.
Do check that your shutter curtains aren't sticking though, fire the shutter at all speeds with the back open and make sure they're opening cleanly and snapping shut without any drag or stickiness, remember to cock the shutter before setting the shutter speed, this is something quirky and unique to Russian cameras and altering the shutter speed before cocking the shutter can damage the mechanism.
spidiq8 thank you so much for your kind help :)
No problem, hope you have fun and take some great pics, the Helios lens is surprisingly good too.
This has just been so goddamn useful! Trying to figure it out from the booklets was nigh on impossible! Thanks so much!
Glad I could help.
Helped me heaps. Thanks man!
Carter V Great thanks, glad it was useful
you're the best! i've just bought my zenit camera on ebay today. excited to use it :)
Hope you enjoy it. The Helios 44 is a great little lens, that's what most come with stock.
@@spidiq8 yes! I was actually looking to buy a Helios 44 to use with an M42 converter for my Fujifilm. However, I found that it was cheaper to buy the lens together with the Zenit than to buy the lens alone! Now I've got myself a Zenit with the lens I was originally looking for! So I was curious to learn how to use the Zenit for film photography :) Your video was super informative and helpful. I'm hoping to buy some film for the zenit after I play around with the helios on my fujifilm. thanks again!
exactly what I needed! thank u so much
I didnt know about the turning of the shutter button to lock the shutter on B. Excellent.
Glad it helped.
Brilliant video. Thank you so much!
ameerhamid89 You're welcome, glad it helped you.
very helpful video. thank you very much!
Thank you . I have one zenit ET and just got my film colorplus 200. I will use this camera analog without lightmeter and just use my instict to choose shutter speed and apperture .
Enjoy your journey with the Zenit. You can use the sunny 16 rule to get a good estimate of the shutter speed and aperture. If you Google that it'll explain how to.
Thank you so much that was very helpful!
Glad it helped you.
Good Video, I love analog photography and my father in law recently gave me one of this, but until now I´d cant use it. In aesthetics terms is an ugly camera in comparison with a nikon, canon or another zenit, but is a tank, very well built it, full mechanic! that is so cool!. Mine have a 58 mm f2 and I think is a beautiful lens, smooth focusing ring and a so smooth diaphragm ring. Probably de worst part is the loading and rewinding film because I think is very rough. After all for me have more good things and I planning use it some times. Thumbs up for your video! clear and concise. Be carefull with the light when you show silver elements because sometimes is reflective. Best Regards
novalecortar Thanks for the feedback, I've been trying to modulate the lighting in the kitchen where I filmed this but it doesn't get much natural light and it's a tricky balance, hopefully the more recent videos are better in that respect. The Zenit is indeed a tank but it's not immune from faults, mines developed a 2nd shutter curtain fault which I'm going to try and fix but if I can't they're plentiful and cheap to replace at least. I hope you get some enjoyment out of yours, the Helios lens really is a nice one for its simplicity.
Very helpful!
Thank you very much! I was wondering what is the lever under the shutter speed dial for. Now I know :)
thank you tons
Thanks for that.
My speed dial (ISO) came off and now I can't tune the settings. How will I find my current ISO???
Great and helpful video! I recently got a Zenit E and have yet to use it but I'm afraid there's something wrong with my shutter curtains or the shutter speed dial itself. When I open the back to look at the curtain move when I press the shutter it moves the same way no matter the shutter speed. And when I use Bulb and I press the shutter it's the same thing. I release it, there isn't a second clicking sound...
The syncronisation system is clearly faulty and it's firing at one set speed, unfortunately I haven't delved deep enough into one to tell you why.
Hello, very great video! Thanks for all the explaning. But I have a question. I have a Zenit E which seems to be working (I haven't tried loading a film in it yet) but it is missing the shutter speed wheel (dial). Do you think I could use it somehow or if I can "repair" it? Any sollution would be great.
Now, it's a while since I used my own but I believe that dial is merely a reminder of the ISO or DIN you have loaded and the selenium meter is usually out of whack by now anyway, if you use an app, a light meter, or your phone to get the settings or even the sunny 16 rule you can use the camera just setting the shutter speed and aperture to suit.
Thank you, sir! I have a question regarding 9:14: What if you can tell the film is not loading properly? I'm already halfway through my film, but suddenly the internal dial stopped turning...
Before when I had this problem I winded a couple of times and at some point the film got a hold again. This time that is not working, unfortunately... I can also feel that it lost tension as I'm winding.
How to load the film back on properly without exposing it? Is there some kind of trick I could use?
Sadly no, there's no easy way, of its stopped winding part way through either the drive cogs have torn the sprocket holes in the film or the film has split completely, most likely the former.
The only way to try and move it on would be to open the camera in a light tight room and by feel with your fingers try to push the film across as you try to wind the lever on until it engages.
Otherwise the only thing you could do is rewind the film completely and leave it half exposed.
Respect !
Not even to mention of the famous Helios 44-2 lens that comes on his camera.
Famous? Hmmm incredibly ubiquitous and it's not a bad lens but this video is about the loading and unloading of film.
Would you prefer us to purchase Zenit TTL? There are some rumors about which Zenit's film curtain gives errors even fixed?
I don't know about that as I've only ever used the Zenit E. I'd be interested to know more about the TTL though.
Great video. So if the light meter doesn't work, the dials on the winding side don't need to be set at all?
Thank you.
The iso speed doesn't need to be set if the light meter isn't working or is inaccurate but you still need to set your shutter speed appropriate to the aperture and film speed. To ascertain this you can either use the sunny 16 rule to 'estimate' or a separate lightmeter.
@@spidiq8 Cheers, I'll use the sunny 16 once the camera arrives
Thanks for this video to help me load film into my dads old camera. Unfortunately looks like the light meter is dead.
Matthew That's very common in these old selenium cell meters, even working there's no guarantee it would be accurate, you can get apps for your phone which aren't bad in fairly bright outdoor light.
the light meter on a soviet camera rarely work...loading a zenit e is a total pain in the ass..
I’m thinking about getting my first film camera and I’m looking at the zenit et should I buy it?
If it's functional and the shutter speeds appear to be good then yes. They're a good solid SLR and a good place to start to learn manual settings.
@@spidiq8 but I’ve also been hearing they brake easily and quickly
@@devinccimarquez788 Well they're all old now so there's no guarantee of how well or how often they've been used and abused but provided it works when you check it before buying and provided you operate it per the directions. I.e. wind on the film and lock the shutter before changing shutter speeds etc it should be ok.
do you have the bulb problem? it is when you put it on the bulb mode and the mirror won't stay open.
if yes, how do you fix it?
Sorry no. It's not one I've encountered.
Being purely mechanical in operation though it has to be related to the mechanical linkages that operate the shutter.
I'd like to look at the possibility of servicing one at some point.
@@spidiq8 thank you. I'll look into it
Does anyone one know why the shutter button doesn't come up when I wind the handle?
Have you got it locked in Bulb mode?
If not then likely something is messed up internally as the shutter has to be wound then shutter speed changed only once that's done, they're finicky cameras.
I hope at some point to do a disassembly of a faulty one I have to try and get it working again.
Well done. If you like analogue photography try Praktica - until the 1980-s they were years ahead in innovation and quality of all Japanese cameras. And German glass is way superior.
I have and use several film cameras and have had a wide range over the years, I've been developing and printing both for most of them also but I don't print, I scan now.
What glass in particular? Zeiss?
Should it be hard to turn counter-clockwise the lever when im rewinding the film?
If you have long nails - shouldn't be so. Stick the nailc between the counter roll and body, andd voila!
It shouldn't be very hard to do but because of the small rewind knob it can be harder than a crank type.
@@spidiq8 When I rewound and I couldn't do so anymore I tried to wind it up again like you showed in the video. When I pressed the lock button again a shutter like sound appeared. Did it shoot or did it just release the lock? I want to make sure I don't ruin a good film if I get stuck again. Thanks for the answer!
@@gretapatapavciute3372 That sound should simply be the shutter releasing and resetting.
As long as the winding lever has become noticeably looser you know the film is fully rewound into the cassette.
If you didn't feel the rewind lever getting loose but it tightened instead then the film is still connected to the wind on spool and you need to unlock and rewind until the tension practically disappears.
Please, explain me. i have bought Zenit 11. But İ can't use it. i understood all explain by that video. But no view on my camera. When İ want to take, i can't see on its view hole. İt has dark view. Why?
The most likely explanation is that the mirror is stuck blocking the view. Unscrew the lens and look inside the body of the camera. You should see a mirror at a 45 degree angle. If you don't and only see the shutter curtain it's stuck at the top of the camera.
@@spidiq8 i'll try. Thanks.
Can you translate files via Bluetooth or WiFi.? What’s the frame rate ?
36 frames per as fast as you can press the shutter and wind then reload. You can transfer files by air if you throw the cassette after rewinding. 🙂
spidiq8 sounds very futuristic. Thanks 😊
@@Paddy-power Absolutely is! State of the art............ For 1950 ish 😁
spidiq8 indeed they were built to last and serve the purpose. Grate to see you taking your time to review it. I very much enjoyed your passion and expertise
@@Paddy-power Thank you
To nieoszczędna forma zakładania filmu. Ja w dwunastce (w E-dku też tak robie) zakładam tak: naciągam migawkę, (w E-dku pilnuję, by blaszka, za którą wkłada się film, była w odpowiednim miejscu) wkładam jęzor filmu do rolki odbiornikowej końcówkę filmu bez wyciągania go z puszki (stan fabryczny), idę do ciemni (w moim przypadku jest to pralnia), podnoszę trzymak puszki, ciągnę puszkę do jamy na puszkę, tak, by nie powstały luzy, pilnuję, by wypustki jęzora weszły w zęby ostróg przy rolce odbiornikowej, zamykam klapkę, ustawiam czas, przesłonę, robię zdjęcie.
Więcej zdjęć wychodzi, a 16,50 nie ląduje w koszu, bo zamiast 36/24 klatek, wychodzi do 40/28 klatek/rolkę.
Pozdrawiam wszystkich amatorów fotografii analogowej, oraz tych co zastosują się do mojej metody!!!
WindoManiak po polsku jeszcze raz?
If you want to rewind your film you have to turn it 'CLOCKWISE' and NOT 'counter-clockwise', as told in this video. I just lost my first film, because I thought I was done and when I opened it thoroughly, the film was not at all rewinded! I am very sad now =(
Just a matter of time before your film advance mechanism breaks. Letting the advance lever fly back like that is terrible for the camera.
Never move from B to 500 directly or oposite .That is weak point of Zenits. Cooking before chosing shutter speed is rule for Zorkis not Zenith .. Cheers Man!
Thanks for the feedback, I was always under the impression that the cock before changing shutter speed was applicable to all eastern bloc cameras?
@@spidiq8 ...my friend from russia told me this.....all is in manual thats confirm what he told me... Zenit e is my first childhood camera in property of my cousin..but for couple days my zenit will come to my door that i buy from my friend...in a beautiful shape ... Have a nice day Sir.. :D
@@3scort Thank you again. It's always useful to know these things, my first SLR was a Zenit but I never had a manual, (not that I could have read it in Russian).
I hope you enjoy your new (to you) one.
If you like Russian made things generally, I've just gotten my first Russian watch, a Vostok Komandirskie which I've just reviewed if you want to check that out. ☺
not russian but ussr