Zorki-1 is a 35mm rangefinder camera with M39 screw mount interchangeable lenses manufactured by the KMZ plant in Krasnogorsk, Moscow, USSR, between 1948-56. The first two digits of the serial number will tell you what year it was made. Зоркий = Zorki, means Sharp Sighted. Zorki cameras have their roots in the FED line of Leica copies. During WW2, the Soviet camera factory FED was evacuated to escape advancing German troops. After the war FED had troubles getting the FED rangefinder camera brand, (a copy of the pre-war German Leica 35mm camera), back into production. Because KMZ plant had escaped destruction, that company started making the FED camera under a joint FED-Zorki logo in 1948. When FED got back in operation, KMZ continued to produce the rangefinder cameras under the Zorki trademark (intended for export) and made some design changes.
The Zorki-1 was the first Zorki branded body produced at the KMZ factory. Some later models have "Zorki" engraved in Cyrillic and in Latin; these are for export and are often referred to as "Zorki-Zorki" bodies on assorted Soviet-camera mailing lists.
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