Zenit 11: A Handy Russian SLR On-The-Go!

For quite some time now, I've been used to handling the Zenit 11 with a Helios-44M f/2 58 mm lens. Shooting some models require a much higher manual camera versus a point-and-shoot, much like the LC-A or any other toy cameras.

Produced around 1981 to 1990 by the KMZ/Belomo, the Zenit 11 is 35 mm a full-swing SLR manual camera that lets you choose the aperture and the shutter speed. Hailing all the way from Russia and covered in a rough metal black body, this camera is the last of the true E types. Though it is almost exactly the same as an EM, it has a glossy black finish with the Zenit logo on the prism. It has a brother, the Zenit 12, which is almost identical to the 11 except that the 12 has TTL metering, a feature that the 11 lacks. It has the trusty old selenium cell in an uncoupled meter system and an external selenium meter mounted on the prism front above the lens. The meter isn't coupled to the camera.

You select the film speed, then correlate the lines of aperture and shutter speed in the dial. You don't have to lift the dial or do anything — you simply turn it and the rest follows. If the metal wire is aligned with the circular cap that can be seen in the upper left part of the camera, then it is a correct exposure. You can now check the correlation of the f-stops and shutter speed and apply it to the camera before taking a picture. Contrary to the E, it takes ALL M42 lenses, including the automatic ones.

The Zenit 11 is like the brother of Zenit E or EM. Shutter speeds vary from B, 1/30, 1/60, 1/125, 1/1250, 1/500. They also say that the Zenit 11 is like a Zenit E with much more horsepower. Since it is TTL, you can have a depth-of-field preview while taking on/or before the shot. the lens cap also comes in metal. another lovely way to keep your lens from developing fungi or direct heat from the sun. This camera can take beautiful shots, much like it can be compared to any other SLR cameras made by Japan and other countries. Since then, the camera has been a much talked about shooter especially among Lomographers from all over the world. Either they are looking for its authentic Russian-made or simply just wanting to play with an SLR, the Zenit 11 has taken lots of great photos from all over the world.

This is a review submitted by Community Member ethermoon.

written by ethermoon on 2009-02-25 #gear #people #philippines #review #zenit-11 #ethermoon #helios-44m