MASSIVE Clearout: 350+ Cameras (UK)
Okay, so as detailed over here, I’m having a big ol’ clearout of my photography gear 
The stuff I’ll be posting on here will be done in drips and drabs over the next few months so as not to overwhelm everyone (or my poor Post Office downstairs!).
To give a rough idea of the sort of scale, here’s ONE of the bookcases I have filled with gear atm. (There’s two of these, as well as 5 or 6 crates and 2 big moving boxes (1m1m2m) all full of cameras).
Click all images for full size version
So, the first item. It’s a Zenit Photosniper FS-3. Produced at the KMZ factory in Moscow, this is the early version circa 1965-1969 based on a Zenit E with added shutter release on the bottom. Accepts standard 35mm film, MANY varieties of which are available on eBay for £1.50 a roll upwards. The shutter speeds look accurate to me (checked by eye and using the CRT scanline test, although I wouldn’t guarantee against laser timing analysis 
), and the film advance is solid and reliable. Unusually for its age, the selenium cell light meter still works, so no batteries required
Comes with a Tair-3-PhS (300mm f4.5); this is less common than the standard Tair-3AS and offers better coatings on the lens (no yellowing). Optically, it’s in perfect condition with no fungus on the elements and nice snappy iris blades. It also comes with a Helios-44-2 (58mm f2.0) which is also in perfect condition.
The “gun stock” handle is in good condition and the two-stage trigger action works as intended. Also present are the 5 Tair filters (1.4x Yellow, 2x Yellow, Orange, Green, and UV). The UV filter - as far as I know - has never been off the unit, as the Tair’s front element is mint. The two screwdrivers included with the set are included, along with lens caps for the Tair and Helios, and the rubberised lens hood for the Tair.
The whole thing comes in a metal case designed to protect the unit from shock and impact damage; the lens attaches to the inside of the case using a tripod mount located beneath the handle, and the camera is wedged between two pieces of leather padding to keep the whole thing from being damaged when transporting it. The auxiliary lens and filters screw securely to the top of the case.
Both the lenses included with this are M42 mount and will work happily on ANY DSLR apart from Nikon (infinity focus is impossible on Nikon due to the much longer flange-focal-distance). So if you’ve got a Canon, Pentax, Olympus, or even micro 4/3rds or other mirrorless cameras (Samsung NX, Sony NEX-series, etc), you can use these lenses with a small adapter that should cost no more than £5 on eBay. If you’re a Canon user, I’ll throw in an EF–>M42 adapter as well, as I’ve got a few lying around.
All in all, a fantastic piece of Soviet history, and also potentially useful for wildlife photographers
Price-wise, I’m looking for £100 plus postage (likely to be about £10 but I’ll get a definite quote). You can also collect if you’re local (West Midlands); if any of my other gear catches your eye while you’re here we may be able to work something out as well
I’d much rather this went to someone who’s going to USE it, rather than someone who’s just going to re-sell it, but I’d also be happy with a buyer who’s interested in its historical value; basically, I just want to sell to someone who’s going to respect this gear as much as I do
