Zenit 19

The Zenit 19 is an SLR camera. It was produced over 100,000 times from 1979 to 1987. It is the predecessor of the Zenit 18.

The Zenit 19 comes with the M42 thread. In most cases it was sold with the Zenitar-M 1.7/50. There are many interchangeable lenses for the M42 mount. The lens thread was developed by Carl Zeiss in Jena in 1938. Zeiss, KMZ, Voigtländer, Pentacon and Pentax were among the manufacturers of M42 interchangeable lenses. You have to focus the lens by hand. The 35mm camera does not have an autofocus function.

The Zenit 19 has a built-in light meter. The SLR camera determines the correct exposure by measuring through the lens (TTL). Depending on the photographer’s preference, the aperture and exposure time can be selected. A Bulb setting is also available. Here, the shutter is open for a variable time. Hot-shoe flashes can be used with the Zenit 19. There is also a PC flash socket.

Films for the Zenit 19

The Zenit 19 requires 35mm film. 35mm films are still made today and are fairly easy to get. Possible films for the SlR camera are the Fujifilm Superia 400* for color photos and the Kodak TRI-X 400* for B&W images.

The color film is processed in the C-41 development process. C-41 film can be developed by most photo labs. The black and white film must be developed in a suitable chemistry. Kodak TRI-X can also be dropped off at a large lab, as it is fairly straightforward to develop.

The Zenit 19 negatives have a size of 24 mm x 36 mm. At this size, 36 images usually fit on a roll of 35 mm film. Some rolls of film also only have room for 24 images. However, this is noted on the cartridge and the packaging.

The Zenit 19 has a thread for a tripod and a connection for a cable release. In addition, there is a self-timer. The required power for the camera comes from two PX625 (eBay / Amazon*).