The Zorki Photo Challenge

Find an old camera shop,

buy a cheap camera,

shoot a few rolls with it.

And extra points if it’s ex-Soviet.

I received these instructions from Stephen Dowling of Zorki Photo back when I was in Kuala Lumpur. Stephen writes an enthusiastic blog about film photography; he is not only incredibly knowledgeable about analogue, but incredibly GENEROUS with that knowledge. I was tickled by the challenge and vowed to find a camera and shoot that roll.

I failed.

The fault wasn’t completely mine. My trip to Malaysia coincided with Chinese New Year and many shops–including camera shops– were closed. Also, I was in and out of KL, which was not conducive to shoot a continuous roll there.

However, I don’t give up easily. Though there are many old cameras sold in Istanbul’s Hayyam Pasaj (a photography Mecca near Sirkeci Train Station), I wanted to stay true to the spirit of the challenge. I promised to pick up a camera on my next trip out of Turkey– I would buy an old Soviet camera in Prague.

Meet my new Start.

I found it at FotoSkoda on Vodickova Ulice in Prague, and chose it after sending too many emails with attached pictures to Stephen. (As I said: he’s very generous with his camera knowledge, and I’m very grateful.) He guided me to this beauty. The Start was made between 1958 and 1964 (mine is from ’62) as a professional-quality camera. There was only one lens made for this camera, and there is no built-in light meter, but the machine is solid: heavy as a brick, durable, logical. I downloaded a free light-meter app on my iPhone and went off into Prague to shoot a roll for the Zorki Photo Challenge.

I’ve been using my Pentax as my main camera for years, and while I love it and the automatic ease of it, shooting with a camera that isn’t so electronic is a whole other thrill. This camera has a heft that my Pentax does not. I learned how to shoot with my dad’s old Pentax Spotmatic and I always have loved the feel of an old film camera. Also, the shutter button on the Start feels like a trigger, which is exciting. (At least for the punning side of my brain. Shoot, shoot.)

The black-and-white pictures throughout this post are the fruit of my new Start. I’ve already loaded up another roll to shoot around Istanbul.  This old beauty is fifty-two years old, but man, this Start shoots straight.