Famous ZENIT ET SLR Camera with Helios-44-2 58mm f/2 Lens + Original Leather Case. Excellent+ Condition, tested and ready to go.

Zenit ET with Helios - 44-2 58mm, f/2.0

Zenit ET is a 35mm film SLR camera manufactured by Vileiskiy Plant “Zenit” near Minsk, former USSR, produced between 1982-1993 with a quantity of 3,000,000.
Зенит = Zenit, which means Zenith that is the point in the sky that appears directly above the observer in astronomy or may mean the highest point.

Zenit ET belongs to the long running series of Zenit cameras.

The camera is a solid metal construction and it is built like a tank – it is strong, solid, reliable and virtually unbreakable.
After all it weighs just under 1kg with the lens.
The Zenit ET uses totally mechanical inner workings, apart from the uncoupled light meter that uses – like the Old Trip 35 – “solar power”.
Try is and you will be been quite pleasantly surprised by Zenit: the shutter is smooth and quiet and the camera feels comfortable and solid - nicer than a number of cheaper Japanese cameras (such as Petri, for example), and being rock simple it seems to be quite reliable as well
It is a very capable camera; limited, certainly, it really is more pleasant to use than it is to look at.
The case for this camera has one snap and is made of black genuine leather with "Zenit" in Cyrillic block letters above "Zenit" in English block letters, surrounded by a circle on the black plastic lens cover.

Technical Specifications

Film Size: 35mm
Image Size: 24X36
Mount: M42 screw mount
Aperture: f/2 - f/16, setting dial and ring on the lens
Focus range: 0.5-10m, +inf.
Focusing: Fresnel matte glass screen
Shutter: Horizontally-travelling, cloth focal-plane shutter, speeds 1/30 - 1/500 +B,
Viewfinder: Eye-level SLR pentaprism
Exposure meter: Uncoupled Selenium cell lightmeter
Metering: Match the needles type, window beside the re-wind lever
Setting: By a complex dial under the re-wind lever with ASA, speed and aperture setting dials
Self timer: Activates by a small knob above the lever
Flash PC socket: On front of the top plate, X sync.1/30, marked 30-X on the speed dial
Others: Hot-shoe; Strap lugs; Tripod socket 1/4 inch

Helios 44-2 58mm f/2

The Helios 44 (-x) is the standard, fast, 58mm lens typically found as the kit prime on the Zenit-series Russian SLRs. The earliest versions were just "-44", later they acquired the additional -2, -3, -4 etc up to -7, The 44-2 - probably the most common version. It is a classic preset lens with two rings, one to set the desired f-stop, one to open/close the iris, f2-f16. More recent versions include multicoated lens elements.

Format: 35mm SLR
Type: Prime lens
Focusing: Manual Focus (MF)
Lens mounts: M42

Specifications:

Focal length 58mm
Max. aperture f/2.0
Min. aperture f/16
Blades 8
Min. Focus (m.) 0.5
Filter Ø (mm.) 49
Weight (gr/oz) 230/8,1
Length (mm/in) 57/2,2

This lens is highly recommended for amateurs who want to step away from the kit zoom and try a manual prime lens without breaking the bank. It's fun to use and great for learning. Shooting Helios 44-2 is like driving a stick shift car: if you learn to do it you will have no problem driving any car.
The prototype for this lens was Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar 2-58. In many ways, it is truly unique and superb.


EXPEDITED SHIPPING
If you'd like to receive the item overnight or within 1-2 business days please contact me prior to placing an order and I'll calculate the shipping cost for expedited delivery.

INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING INFORMATION
If you live outside the US and wish to purchase this item, please contact me first and tell me where you live so I can tell you how much it is going to cost to ship to your country