zenit 122 review

Have a picture of Zenit 122 35mm SLR camera?, please send it to us.
Picture courtesy of grabiasz.

Average Ratings

Photograph Quality	8.6/10
Features	5.3/10
Ease of Use	7.2/10
Value for Money	9.1/10
Reviewer Rating	7.7/10
Overall Rating	8/10

57% Recommended4 out of 7 Reviews

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By photoman on 14th Dec 2005

photoman's Ratings

Time Camera Owned	Over 1 Year
Photograph Quality	8/10
Features	5/10
Ease of Use	6/10
Value for money	8/10
Overall value	6/10
photoman's recommendation

Good Points

Solid body construction, a lot of cheap and good lenses for M42

Bad Points

Slow flash sync, maximum ISO 500

General Comments

I have had a Zenit 122 35mm SLR camera for more than 15 years.

This camera is the next generation of Zenit TTL. Basically it's the same camera with a plastic covered body.

It still has the same shutter of pre-war Leica that provides speeds of 1/30-1/500 and flash sync on 1/30.

The body is very durable.

It has a much brighter viewfinder than the Zenit TTL, but it still shows only 67% of a frame. It has a hot shoe on the top of the pentaprism (only the late Zenit TTL has it), and light meter indications are now with LED's instead of galvanometer.

There is a version with a Pentax K bayonet called the Zenit 122K.

There are a lot of cheap and fine quality lenses that are suitable to use with this camera.

The camera is fully mechanical, and the battery is only needed for the light meter.

The new Zenit 122 is one of the cheapest SLR's you can buy, and you can get one for about $120, and sometimes less.

The build quality and materials used are lower quality than was on the original Zenit TTL. The quality may vary from one camera to another.

I would recommend buying this camera, but only for those who already have lenses for the M42 or Pentax K and want a second body for backup, or for students that want to learn photography.
It's not suitable as the only body for advanced amateur.
As Zenit TTL, Zenit 122 can give great pictures in right hands.

Total Respect: +1