fbpx
Photography Culture

This Unusual Zenit SLR Camera Would Probably Get You Shot and Killed Today

Joy Celine Asto
No Comments
06/12/2018
2 Mins read
zenit-photo-sniper-2

Last Updated on 06/13/2018 by Mark Beckenbach

This military-issued Zenit Photosniper took shooting photos pretty seriously. 

Today, we’re bringing out the big guns with our latest ebay find. If you thought that the rare pistol-shaped subminiature DORYU 2-16 was such a cool shot, say hello to the big daddy of unusual cameras: the hefty Zenit Photosniper. It’s one of those things that would probably get you in some kind of trouble, but we can’t blame you if you want it!

The Zenit Photosniper ES (or FS-3) with 300mm f4.5 TAIR-3 lens listed by Russian ebay seller d.y.v68_7 is declared as in “good condition” but its wear looks like it survived some small battles back in the days. “The shutter works correctly, the light meter works, there is no damage to the optical elements, the diaphragm functions correctly. The camera is functional and ready to use,” the seller also said. It definitely makes a striking addition to anyone who likes collecting military memorabilia and unique vintage stuff.

This vintage beast from Soviet Russia definitely means business. The Zenit Photosniper SLR “gun” was originally made for military use, first by optical research and development institute GOI, and later, optical equipment maker KMZ. The widespread belief is that this camera was intended for shooting quiet reconnaissance photos and battlefield photography. The first of these badass cameras, the Photosniper FS-1, was made shortly before World War II. The FS-2 soon followed in 1943 – 1945, which comprised of a modified FED 1 on a wooden rifle stock with a reflex viewfinder housing. It was fitted with a TAIR-2 300mm f4.5 lens.

Next came the FS-3 in 1965 – 1969, redesigned for civilian sales and export in mind. It had the Zenit ES with an extra shutter release in the base, and came in a kit housed in a steel carrying case. The kit included a Helios-44 50mm f2 lens, TAIR-3AS 300mm f4.5, two yellow filters (2x and 1.4 x), and a UV filter. This model was eventually succeeded by several others that were made easily accessible to amateur photographers, nature photographers, and even press paparazzi.

Ready to take a shot with this vintage Russian shooter? Head to the ebay listing to buy it now and whisk it out of Russia for only $119.

All images from the ebay listing by d.y.v68_7

You might also like
McFalls Big Sur-S
Photography Culture

Long Nguyen Pushed Himself to Take “Epic” Landscape Photos

9 Mins read
05/06/2018

Photographer Long Nguyen is a financial accountant during the day who turns into a sun seeking photographer at sunrise and sunset–or at least that’s what he says about himself. “Currently I live in Seattle, Washington that provides me opportunities explore numerous areas of this ‘evergreen state’ and in addition to other beautiful places around the world.” he continues. Long is a previous winner of Outdoor Photographer’s American Landscape photography contest, and is always amazed at what nature gives him. Whether it’s the first light from mountains, Long says that he’s much more of a creative photographer than a technical one.

Chris Gampat Images of Amanda (9 of 20)ISO 4001-100 sec at f - 1.4
Photography Culture

Why Nobody Really Gives a Crap About Bokeh and Blurry Backgrounds (Apart From Ourselves)

3 Mins read
01/02/2019

Over the last few years it seems as though bokeh and smooth creamy backgrounds have become the one thing that we as photographers and videographers obsess about. We’ll go out and buy huge, heavy lenses with fast apertures that cost as much as a small used car just so we can see that blur out half of our images, but do non photographers really even care about it? Does it really make that much difference outside of your circle of photography friends? After the break we have a video for you from Camera Conspiracies that takes a look at this obsession. 

Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Canon EOS R First Impressions Product Images 1
Photography Culture

Modern Camera Makers Need to Stop Sitting Pretty and Start Majorly Innovating

3 Mins read
01/02/2019

The more I look at the capabilities of smartphones and the more that I step into meetings with bigger photography technology companies, the more I start to wonder what traditional camera manufacturers think about staying ahead of the curve. If the sloth-like pace for them to create full frame mirrorless cameras and lenses is any indication, then I’m really scratching my head. Phone manufacturers, photography software companies and other companies are doing more things than ever to replace traditional cameras. When I hear verbiage like “giving designers the power to create photo-realistic images without paying for expensive photo shoots” I see the intent for disruption simply for personal profit. But I see other things too; most folks can’t tell the difference between a photo taken with a traditional camera and a phone anymore. In fact, if you didn’t look at the EXIF data you probably wouldn’t be able to tell. This is just one of the many features of the mobile web.