Final Shots with Zenit EM | Film Diary

Recently I’ve been getting really into film photography again and have been going through my camera & film collection to try to use what I have, and also sell some unused items. I realised that I have a lot of SLR cameras and that the Zenit EM was the one I enjoyed using the least, despite it having an absolutely beautiful lens (Helios-44M) which is known for it’s swirly bokeh. Even with the lovely lens, I still found it would take me a long time to finish a roll of film in the camera, and instead I would prefer to use my Pentax Spotmatic and Canon AE-1 Program. I knew I wanted to keep those in my collection, so unfortunately it was time for the Zenit EM to find a new home.

I listed the camera on Gumtree & Facebook Marketplace and later that day it was sold to a lovely girl called Jessica who was new to film photography. I showed her some basics about how to use the camera, gifted her some film, and sent it on its way! Before she came to pick it up I had to quickly finish off the film in the camera and I had about 5 shots left to take, which ended up being some of my favourites I’d ever taken with the Zenit EM.

This specific roll took about 3 years to finish – I just wasn’t inspired by the camera and I didn’t connect to it the way I wanted to. I really hope the new owner loves it and finds a connection I never had.