Since for some time I have been asked about the manual for Zenit ET, and I ddin’t have one, I decided to describe the basics.
1. To open its body you have to pull up the small hand wheel on the top used to rewind the film.
2. To rewind the film you have to use the small hand wheel on the top together with a metal ring around the trigger button (you have to push that ring down - not the trigger - and hold to rewind the film)
3. Exposure meter: just right to the ISO/DIN ring and hand wheel you can find a scale built in the body of the camera. There is a indicating needle and a indicating ring. When they are overlying then it means that the adjustment of shutter time and aperture is OK. When the needle and the ring are in the different positions then picture will be overexposed or underexposed. Use the shutter time knob, aperture ring on the lenses to gain the proper adjustment.
4. Self timer spring and button are placed in the front of the camera.
5. The exposure meter in this camera is not TTL (through the lenses) and the sensor is placed just above the lenses. During examining the exposure try not to cover the sensor with your fingers.
6. As you probably noticed it is manual camera. It is not an electronic device. There is no film winding engine, no auto focus etc.
aperture ring auto focus cameras hand wheel lenses rewind self timer shutter time trigger button ttl winding engine zenit
Thanks so much for posting this! I recently got a Zenit ET as a gift. The first thing I did, of course, was run a test roll through it and I couldn’t figure out how to reverse the film!
Glad I found this! Thanks again!
Hey! Thanks a ton for this tutorial. I have a couple of questions about the exposure meter though. I noticed that when you turn the ISO dial, the ring moves, but what do you have to do to get the needle to move? I don’t know if these cameras require a battery or if my meter is just broken, but if you know anything about this let me know, thanks!
“..I noticed that when you turn the ISO dial, the ring moves, but what do you have to do to get the needle to move?..” i was thinking about this before too) but u don’t have to move the needle.. it moves by itself depending on the light of the subject or whatever, and when it moves, it’s ur turn to move the ring above the needle.. for example try to focus the camera on a bright subject or just try to make a pic in a bright scene.. and look at the needle.. then just cover the exposure meter sensor, and look at the ring again.. u don’t have to do anything with it) just move the ring.. and there is something more about that ring next to the ISO/DIN ring.. if u want i’ll tell u later..)
ps. sorry for my english) and for my way of explaining things) if there is something not clear about what i said, ask)