Need help...2 camera's I know nothing about.

[SmartWombat]

The 50mm lens on the Zenit is a great lens.
Photos I took with its predecessor (Zenit-B, 42mm screw thread, no TTL meter) turned out far better than a friend's shots of the same scene with a Canon AE-1 (that dates it) and a canon kit lens !!

[vinbon63]

Wow thanks guys for the even more reassuring comments! Now I need to read and search on how to use this SLR, I am a complete newbie to all these manual settings. Anyhow I'm sure it will be fun to learn how to use it. Thankfully today I found the replacement batteries at a local walmart, so all I need to do is buy 4 of those and some film and then I guess take some trial and error shots. By the way, would anyone be able to tell me what the small/flat attachable "box" for the SLR camera is? I have no idea but there are two openings/ports I can screw it into on the SLR, as you can see in picture #7. Thanks again!

[SmartWombat]

would anyone be able to tell me what the small/flat attachable "box" for the SLR camera is

Without a better picture of the box, I can't be sure.

Strange though, the top socket is marked X, that's the one you use with a flash and the X setting on the camera.

The bottom one is marked -6V which unless it's something odd in Russian, looks like a power input or output.

Can you get a better picture of the box without the wires wrapped round it?
Is it just a box, or are there any knobs and switches on it?
It's got those big thumbscrews on it, does it open?
Can you get a picture of what's inside?

Could it be an AA battery pack to power the camera if the odd-shaped internal batteries fail?