Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 21, 2012 10:35:16 GMT -5
I have a FED 2 with no flash sync. The only earlier variant, I think, is the one with a square rather than round viewfinder window. They fetch a sizable sum and don't come up for sale very often. Saw one on Ebay once but I was suspicious is was a modified later variant. The time for getting a well-made and reliable Soviet camera was to find one built in the middle of the month in the middle of a week. That's when the plant was likely to have the necessary materials on hand so they didn't have to hurry and in the middle of the week most workers had recovered from the previous weekend drinking and hadn't started working on the next weekend.
W.
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lloydy
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Post by lloydy on Dec 21, 2012 11:15:50 GMT -5
I have a FED 2 with no flash sync. The only earlier variant, I think, is the one with a square rather than round viewfinder window. They fetch a sizable sum and don't come up for sale very often. Saw one on Ebay once but I was suspicious is was a modified later variant. The time for getting a well-made and reliable Soviet camera was to find one built in the middle of the month in the middle of a week. That's when the plant was likely to have the necessary materials on hand so they didn't have to hurry and in the middle of the week most workers had recovered from the previous weekend drinking and hadn't started working on the next weekend. W. I had a Lada Niva 4x4 for a long time, one of the best cars I've ever had. But that was also a prize example of the Russian way of doing things. The heater fan stopped working so I tried to fix it, and I'm good with cars and had the factory manual, so it shouldn't have been a problem. There was a pink wire from the switch, the manual said it should be blue. I looked around under the fascia some more, I saw lots of pink wires, some went to the fuse board, some went to earth! I guess they ran out of the other colours and just used whatever they had. ;D
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Stephen
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Post by Stephen on Dec 21, 2012 11:29:13 GMT -5
It has to be pre-1956 to have no flash contact, does it not? Earliest flash socket was on the body front, then moved to the chrome top casing near the rangefinder window. Mine, despite being post '59 has no self timer, an option at the time apparently. despite the long base rangefinder it is inferior to the Fed 3 which has a very clear rangefinder spot, which is small and darker on the Fed 2.
The TOE rep said the best made ones were when the Political Advisor's...(KGB)... paid a visit with Politicians accompanying them on a inspection.......mind you the Fed 2 was made just before TOE took up the import about 1962/3, I don't think they handled many Fed 2 cameras into the UK. Who the previous USSR importer is lost in time, anybody know?..perhaps Photopia?
As their policy was to check over and service all cameras from the USSR, they limited the range that they took, concentrating on the Zorki4/4K, Fed 4, Kiev, and the Zenit E and EM. TOE (UK) claimed to have serviced everything in the London workshops, but we got boxes through to the shop with Russian seals and string still intact, and obviously they had never been unpacked in the UK.
Most Zenit was checked over, it was the rangefinder cameras that were patchily checked. TOE (UK) adverts, and the book they printed about themselves made much of the checks and service done in the UK, implying that no inferior cameras were made or delivered, well, they would , would they not?
They also sold the Smena, Cosmic, and Lubital, and the 8mm Cine equipment, Lenigrad meters, and the small suit cased size 35mm Enlarger, which was very good indeed.
No folding cameras were sold, no Lenigrad, a handful of 16mm Cine and occasionally items like the Vega 16mm miniature. They sold lots of lenses, and The Photosniper Outfit, along with Telescopes and Binoculars. Mirror lenses were available very occasionally. Some other specialist items were sold and displayed in the Holborn (London), shop they ran whilst in business. They also sold large quantities of filter glass, clear and coloured, to the Optical Trade, which were first grade material.
Stephen.
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Stephen
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Post by Stephen on Dec 21, 2012 20:58:43 GMT -5
I have a FED 2 with no flash sync. The only earlier variant, I think, is the one with a square rather than round viewfinder window. They fetch a sizable sum and don't come up for sale very often. Saw one on Ebay once but I was suspicious is was a modified later variant. The time for getting a well-made and reliable Soviet camera was to find one built in the middle of the month in the middle of a week. That's when the plant was likely to have the necessary materials on hand so they didn't have to hurry and in the middle of the week most workers had recovered from the previous weekend drinking and hadn't started working on the next weekend. W. I had a Lada Niva 4x4 for a long time, one of the best cars I've ever had. But that was also a prize example of the Russian way of doing things. The heater fan stopped working so I tried to fix it, and I'm good with cars and had the factory manual, so it shouldn't have been a problem. There was a pink wire from the switch, the manual said it should be blue. I looked around under the fascia some more, I saw lots of pink wires, some went to the fuse board, some went to earth! I guess they ran out of the other colours and just used whatever they had. ;D A friend who was an Exakta enthusiast had a Moskvitch, and it as about the only relatively modern car in the late 60's that still had a separate chassis, and the body was bolted together and and bolted to the chassis. It could all be stripped with two spanner sizes! Moskvitch supplied them to the Czechs in Kit form, they could be put together just with hand tools. Reliable if serviced correctly. Stephen.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 21, 2012 22:39:24 GMT -5
Switching topics slightly but in regard to 1956 Soviet cameras, I have a 1956 Zorki 4 -- the first year for that model. The 1956 Zorki 4 and the Zorki 3C (which was the Z4 without a timer) are the two highest quality Soviet cameras I have. You can literally identify that 1956 Z4 blindfolded when comparing it to later Z4s. Excellent workmanship. I think the FED 2s were more consistent from a quality standpoint, throughout the production run--although the later ones never felt quite and solid to me. I always have felt a good analogy is the FED 2 the the Russian T-34 Tank. The T-34 wasn't sophisticated (or even comfortable to operate) and appeared crude in construction. But few WWII tanks could compare to it when it came to dependability. The FED 2 was very similar.
W.
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Stephen
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Post by Stephen on Dec 22, 2012 9:01:58 GMT -5
Zorki were always the more professional makers of the Soviet plants, and seemed to be able to get more contracts for other optical work for the Soviet Military than FED. It was said that Zorki were more under the control of the Party Officials, whereas Fed and other plants were left alone more. TOE mentioned that the Zorki plant had few yearly targets to meet, they ran as production and sales demanded, with FED on a allocation basis, when they forefilled the work, they stopped!...actually they "maintained" the factory and plant. Stephen.
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mickeyobe
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Post by mickeyobe on Dec 22, 2012 15:38:23 GMT -5
Lloydy, "There was a pink wire from the switch, the manual said it should be blue. I looked around under the fascia some more, I saw lots of pink wires,..."
It was obviously a female car and was embarrassed by you poking about under her hood. Mickey
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Stephen
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Still collecting.......
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Post by Stephen on Jun 25, 2013 6:14:52 GMT -5
My favorite: Zorki 3 (I think a pre-series with serial number 05594) Perfect fusion system Zorki (camera setting general) and system Kiev (rangefinder with a large base). Copied from Leica, the slow time selector separate from the fast time selector. 50mm f2 lens of excellent quality. Produced about 30,000 pieces The camera works without problems. Marco View AttachmentNot perhaps the most generally reliable due to the addition of the low speeds on the dial, the 2 was a bit better due to simplicity, and the 4 grew ugly! A lot of the chassis and shutters disappeared into making fakes of the Leica due to the front dial. Not so easy to find in the UK, but they sell from Russia regularly on Ebay.
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