Made in the USSR

Photosniper, KGB style

Back when I first starting shooting film, I came across this peculiar camera made in Russia. I already had a 35 mm Zenit SLR at the time, but thought this camera is just too cool and had to add it to my collection. It is a film SLR camera with a 300 mm lens attached to a "rifle stock".

The lens and camera body can be detached from the stock. The lens can also be removed from the camera body. Let's look at the lens first.

The Lens

The lens is a Tair-3S 300 mm with an aperture range of f/4.5 ~ f/22. It has 16 aperture blades, which renders beautiful background bokeh even when stopped down. The sharpness is also quite good.

The lens features an aperture setting ring, which lets you set an aperture. Once the aperture is set, the lens is opened up to its maximum, allowing for easier focusing.

Aperture setting ring

A cable from the lens attaches to the camera body to allow for the correct exposure metering based on the set aperture.

Lens to camera cable

A focusing knob at the front of the lens barrel lets the user focus the lens from 3 m to infinity. Its design allows for the user to hold the lens steady while focusing with one hand while the other hand is holding the pistol grip.

Lens focused at 3 m

Lens focused at infinity

The Camera

The camera is a Zenit 12XPS, a modified version of a Zenit 12XP, which is just a regular SLR camera. I guess the 'S' stands for sniper?

There are 6 shutter speed settings available: BULB, 1/30, 1/60, 1/125, 1/250, and 1/500. With the stock pressed firmly against the chest while shooting, the heavy lens and camera combo becomes remarkably stable. Combined with proper breathing techniques, I feel like a Russian sniper/spy :)

Taking Photos

To trigger the shutter release, first advance the film like you would any film camera. Then half-press the trigger on the pistol grip to release the aperture to the set aperture. Pressing the trigger all the way then takes the photo.

Photos of Cats Sniped with This Camera

And now the moment you've been waiting for. These photos were all taken with the Zenit Fotosnaiper with the 300 mm lens, on expired 35 mm film. I promise no cats were harmed in the process :)

Conclusion

Pros Extremely cool camera Nice lens bokeh Relatively cheap, less than $300 Look badass out in the field

Cons Quite heavy, although it comes with sling Manual focus Might not be safe to use in public in certain countries

If you have a thing for old cameras, especially one as unique as this, definitely check it out! It is also adaptable to modern cameras. I have done some modifications to the stock which allows me to shoot with a Sony A7 mirrorless camera instead, which makes it even more awesome. Maybe later I will make a post on how I did that.

---

Hope you enjoyed this post! I strive hard to provide quality content :)

Critiques and comments are welcomed!