A rare Soviet Zenit-5 SLR made for the USSR’s space programme in the mid-1960s is going on sale at the 44th Leitz Auction in Germany this June.
The Zenit-5K camera is based on the Zenit-5 leaf shutter SLR released in 1965, the first camera in the world to feature a rechargeable battery.
The camera is believed to have been made for use in the Soyuz spacecraft which first became operational with the USSR’s space programme in 1967.
Leitz Photographica said: “Designed specifically for the rigours of space photography, this semi-automatic camera utilises standard 35mm film, is equipped with a central shutter and captures images in the classic 24×36 mm frame format. Its’ advanced features included an electric motor for shutter cocking and a battery recharging capability, making it a pioneer in this category.
“Remarkably, a fully charged battery allowed for an impressive range of 350 to 400 frames, ensuring extensive photographic coverage without the need for frequent battery replacements.”
It added: “Equipped with an iconometer-type viewfinder, the camera was designed to precisely target objects from within the spacecraft, a crucial feature for space exploration photography. The shutter speeds were deliberately limited to 1/500, 1/250, and 1/125 seconds, optimizing exposure times for the highly photosensitive films produced specifically for space industry applications by the Svema Production Association. This adaptation was essential for capturing clear images in the unique lighting conditions encountered in space.”
The camera is being sold with the original 50/2.8 V-3K lens and is expected to fetch between €40,000 and €50,000 (£34,100 to £42,700) when it goes under the hammer on 8 June.
It is one of a number of Soviet space cameras to be sold at the auction, held at the Leitz Park in Wetzlar.
In November 2023, an FAS-1 – a heavily modified version of the LOMO Leningrad rangefinder for use in space – was sold for €96,000 when it went on sale at the 43rd Leitz Auction.
In June 2021, an FK-6 medium format camera – a space camera version of the Kiev-6C – was also sold at the Leitz Auction. The camera was one of only four believed to have made for the 1975 Apollo-Soyuz mission.
I'm a New Zealander who has been living in London since the mid-1990s, shooting film seriously since the year 2000. Kosmo Foto was launched in 2012 and has since become a film brand, with the release of my first films Kosmo Foto Mono 35mm (2017) and Kosmo Foto Mono 120 (2019).
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