Zenit M42

A 35mm SLR system created by the Krasnogorsk Mechanical Plant (USSR). The cameras of this system were designed to satisfy the demand of Soviet amateur photographers, which was very high in the USSR. However, a significant part of the photographic equipment produced was exported, with up to 40% of exports going to capitalist countries. Therefore, even with annual production of hundreds of thousands of Zenits, the Soviet domestic demand was only satisfied by the mid-1980s.

THE CAMERAS:

THE SERIES "E"

• Zenit-E - basic model with die-cast body made of aluminum alloy, horizontal travel focal plane shutter with rubberized fabric curtains and speeds ranging from 1/30 to 1/500 and B, instant-return mirror, fixed pentaprism with limited field of view of the viewfinder, displaying only two-thirds (20x28mm) of the frame, and a built-in uncoupled selenium window exposure meter;
• Zenit-EM - as the E, but with automatic diaphragm mechanism (with "M" series lenses) and a focusing screen with a Fresnel lens and micro-prisms;
• Zenit-V and Zenit-VM - as the E or EM, respectively, but without a built-in exposure meter;
• Zenit-10 and Zenit-11 - a Zenit-12 body with the specifications of the E or EM, respectively;
• Zenit-ET - essentially a relabeled 11 produced by BelOMO;

THE SERIES "16"

• Zenit-16 - model with a new body design, new vertical travel shutter with flash sync speed of 1/125s (a record for the USSR at the time), hot shoe with a central contact (for the first time in the USSR), shutter release button located on the rear plate, TTL open-aperture CdS exposure metering with two indicator lamps in the viewfinder, and a back cover that hinges downward. The camera was supposed to be the first of a whole series, but was abandoned in favor of other designs.

THE SERIES "12"

• Zenit-TTL - as the EM, but with a TTL stop-down CdS exposure meter with a match-needle system in the viewfinder and semi-automatic exposure control;
• Zenit-12 - as the TTL, but with an improved build quality and a higher quality finish. Delivered on special orders and for export;
• Zenit-12sd (Zenit-12xp) - as the TTL, but with 2 LEDs in the viewfinder instead of a match-needle system, and minor ergonomic improvements;
• Zenit-15 and Zenit-15M - similar to the 12sd, but produced by BelOMO;
• Zenit-122 - as the 12sd, but with a plastic body with a new design and ergonomics, a new self-timer mechanism, as well as wedges in the center of the matte screen for ease of focusing;
• Zenit-122V - as the 122, but without a self-timer;
• Zenit-312m - a further restyling of the 122 without any fundamental changes;
• Zenit-412DX and Zenit-412LS - as the 312m, but with support for DX-coded films;

THE SERIES "19"

• Zenit-19 - the first Soviet camera with a new electronically controlled vertical travel focal plane shutter. Compared to the TTL, the shutter speed range was expanded to 1 - 1/500 sec (electronic control) and 1/1000 (mechanical), and the viewfinder displayed 90% of the frame. The camera was considered by amateur photographers to be one of the best Zenits;
• Zenit-18 - the first Zenit with aperture-priority auto exposure mode. Differs from the 19 in exposure metering at fully open aperture. This required lenses with electrical contacts to transmit the selected aperture value to the camera, but the only such lens was the Zenitar-ME1 (no other lenses were released).

THE LENSES:

Lenses produced for Zenit cameras with the M42 screw mount can be divided into three large families:

• EARLY PRESET MODELS designed for the E and V;
• SERIES "M" MODELS WITH AUTOMATIC DIAPHRAGM, designed for the EM, VM and subsequent cameras;
• SERIES "A" MODELS WITH PRESET DIAPHRAGMS AND INTERCHANGEABLE MOUNTS, designed for multiple systems.