Before this and Nikon F, there was Praktina FX from East Germany launched in 1953, considered as the first true professional built SLR, complete with an array of lenses and accessories. I think the Start borrows the basic design from Praktina, but it has a more modern lever film winder instead of a knob and some Exakta features such as the front plate shutter release and film cutter
I have one in my collection. My grandfather's brother bought it for himself in 1958 after graduating from a Moscow university. I think the shutter sticks so I never tried using it. I need a professional to repair and restore it.
Never heard of the Start, funky little camera also I did a face palm at the 'one lens' comment, that they only made one lens made no sense given the wealth of excellent Soviet optics of the day.
Any thoughts on the KMZ Start vs Exaktas? I just discovered these types of 35mm SLRs and have been considering getting one. I'm by no means a professional photographer and looking for something relatively easy to use. Curious what you're thoughts are!
Thank you for the video. Im considering buying one but i also want to know if i can use the lens with an adapter on modern full frame cameras for videos.
All sorts, many working for the prestigious outlets used East German or Western gear, while others made do with Soviet gear like the Kiev-19, Zenit-19, etc or even Zenit-Es. A former Soviet photojournalist wrote a really nice piece for Kosmo Foto about using a Zenit-E in the 1990s, after the fall fo the USSR: kosmofoto.com/2021/03/life-as-a-1990s-russian-newspaper-photographer-shooting-on-a-zenit-e/
@@vasilis_k_97 RF cameras more often were used by commercial photografers. Most of journalists used Nikon, some Pentax or Minolta. Also it could be Praktica from DDR. Family cameras usually were cheap scale like Smena, and sometimes rangefinder like FED and Zorky. Zenit considered expensive and was not affordable for everyone.
Zenit cameras are not that poor quality as you described. It is like "How many cows is equal to how many horse ?" It is a translation from a Bangla (Bengali) proverb . Comparison to Japanese or West German cameras Soviet cameras were dirt cheap. I purchased my first SLR camera ZENIT 12XP in early 1986 at Kolkata (Calcutta) for INR ₹1150/- with Helios 44 f2 58mm standard lens. Then in Kolkata black market smuggled Japanese Pentax K1000 costs INR ₹3000/- to ₹3500/- with 50mm f1.8 standard lens ! Comparing the price ZENIT 12XP was dirt cheap, 1/3rd. Zenit 12XP was my first camera. It worked fine untill 2010. It never gave me any trouble. Then I switched to Canon digital camera. I preserved my first camera til now as a beloved family member. My friends call my Zenit a Russian Tank ! Please forgive my poor English. My Mother Tongue is Bangla (Bengali). I am an Indian.
You make no reference to the KW Praktina, that was the first true professional system camera, unlike the Exacta and Start they took more eccessories including two different motor drives, and a huge range of lenses from various manufacturers> The Helios 44 is a Soviet conpy of the CZJ 58mm f2 Biotar, thy also copied the 75mm f1.5mm Biotar. The Biotars were available for Exacta, Praktina, Contax/Pentacon,
Before this and Nikon F, there was Praktina FX from East Germany launched in 1953, considered as the first true professional built SLR, complete with an array of lenses and accessories.
I think the Start borrows the basic design from Praktina, but it has a more modern lever film winder instead of a knob and some Exakta features such as the front plate shutter release and film cutter
Didn't know there was a Kosmo TH-cam channel. Will be watching more this weekend!
У меня есть такая камера. Она очень хороша, как технически, так и по дизайну. Спасибо за отличное видео)))
Really great video, looking forward to more!
Thanks Barney, these are fun to do and I have a lot more planned.
Nifty overview, despite all the quirks I still fancy one, looking forward to more wacky cameras on the channel
Thanks Bruce, I have plenty of wacky cameras, including many of the rarer Soviet ones.
thank you
Just bought one. 1962
Grrreat camera!
Great video! Looking forward to the next one.
Thanks David, a bunch have been recorded already!
Beautiful ! Classy camera
Many thanks, Rick!
I started photography on a Zenit camera with a Helios 44 lens. Great bokeh indeed!
It is a great lens!
Love it!
Thanks chief!
I have one in my collection. My grandfather's brother bought it for himself in 1958 after graduating from a Moscow university. I think the shutter sticks so I never tried using it. I need a professional to repair and restore it.
That sounds like a story for Kosmo Foto, if you or your day fancy writing it!
Never heard of the Start, funky little camera also I did a face palm at the 'one lens' comment, that they only made one lens made no sense given the wealth of excellent Soviet optics of the day.
Yeah, it was not one of KMZ's better ideas. A shame, as an auto-aperture Jupiter-9 and Mir-1V would have been game changers.
@@kosmofoto FYI auto-aperture Jupiter-9 was made only for little known SLR Kiev models 10 & 15, and never produced for other systems.
@@alexsolovyov8612 Yes, I have them for the Kiev SLRs you mention. Great lenses.
@@kosmofoto Really
Any thoughts on the KMZ Start vs Exaktas? I just discovered these types of 35mm SLRs and have been considering getting one. I'm by no means a professional photographer and looking for something relatively easy to use. Curious what you're thoughts are!
Thank you for the video. Im considering buying one but i also want to know if i can use the lens with an adapter on modern full frame cameras for videos.
A very good question - given that the Start was the only camera to use this lens, it might be hard to find an adapter.
Thanks for the video!
What cameras were used by Soviet journalists in the 80s?
All sorts, many working for the prestigious outlets used East German or Western gear, while others made do with Soviet gear like the Kiev-19, Zenit-19, etc or even Zenit-Es. A former Soviet photojournalist wrote a really nice piece for Kosmo Foto about using a Zenit-E in the 1990s, after the fall fo the USSR: kosmofoto.com/2021/03/life-as-a-1990s-russian-newspaper-photographer-shooting-on-a-zenit-e/
@@kosmofoto What about the rangefinders? Were they used by professionals or they were more of an amateur/family camera?
@@kosmofoto thank you So much!
@@vasilis_k_97 RF cameras more often were used by commercial photografers. Most of journalists used Nikon, some Pentax or Minolta. Also it could be Praktica from DDR. Family cameras usually were cheap scale like Smena, and sometimes rangefinder like FED and Zorky.
Zenit considered expensive and was not affordable for everyone.
Thank you!
💚❤️🌟👍👍
Do you think it could be modified to use other lens?
Zenit cameras are not that poor quality as you described. It is like "How many cows is equal to how many horse ?" It is a translation from a Bangla (Bengali) proverb . Comparison to Japanese or West German cameras Soviet cameras were dirt cheap. I purchased my first SLR camera ZENIT 12XP in early 1986 at Kolkata (Calcutta) for INR ₹1150/- with Helios 44 f2 58mm standard lens. Then in Kolkata black market smuggled Japanese Pentax K1000 costs INR ₹3000/- to ₹3500/- with 50mm f1.8 standard lens ! Comparing the price ZENIT 12XP was dirt cheap, 1/3rd. Zenit 12XP was my first camera. It worked fine untill 2010. It never gave me any trouble. Then I switched to Canon digital camera. I preserved my first camera til now as a beloved family member. My friends call my Zenit a Russian Tank ! Please forgive my poor English. My Mother Tongue is Bangla (Bengali). I am an Indian.
Hey i have that start camera!!
You make no reference to the KW Praktina, that was the first true professional system camera, unlike the Exacta and Start they took more eccessories including two different motor drives, and a huge range of lenses from various manufacturers>
The Helios 44 is a Soviet conpy of the CZJ 58mm f2 Biotar, thy also copied the 75mm f1.5mm Biotar. The Biotars were available for Exacta, Praktina, Contax/Pentacon,
Thanks Ian, I'll be tackling the Praktina in a future video as I have an FX2 to test.
How fast is that lens? And I apologize if you said it and I missed it.
It is f1:2/58mm.
Hi Breezely, it's an f/2 lens.
Did he say Hideous-44 lens? 😂
That's the New Zealand accent... ;-)
Helios lol