Zenit 3

The Zenit 3 is an SLR camera. The KMZ company built the camera from 1959 to 1962. About 80 000 units of the camera in a metal housing were produced. The camera was expensive to produce, hence the short production span. It is the successor of the Zenit 1.

The Zenit 3 has the M39 thread. The lenses are interchangeable. The camera is often found with the Industar-50 3.5/50. The Zenit 3 does not have an autofocus. Focusing is manual.

The Zenit 3 does not have a built-in light meter. It does have a bulb mode. In this mode, the shutter remains open as desired. An external flash can be used via the PC flash socket.

Films for the Zenit 3

The Zenit 3 is designed for the 35mm format. 35mm films are still made today and are fairly easy to get. Possible films for the model are Kodak Ultramax 400 for color photos and AgfaPhoto APX 400 for B&W images.

The color film is a color negative film and is developed using the C-41 process. This development process is offered by most laboratories.

The black and white film must be developed in a black and white developer. This process can be done at home with the proper chemistry. If you develop the films yourself, you have full sovereignty over the results and tend to get better results.

The Zenit 3 negatives are 24 mm x 36 mm. So you can fit at least 36 images on a normal roll of film. The film in the camera must be manually advanced by the photographer.

A tripod can be connected to the Zenit 3. A cable release can also be used with the camera. Additionally, the self-timer can be used to take pictures. The Zenit does not need a battery.