Soviet Cameras have always had a bit of a cult following. Some people get it and others just don't. I never really understood it so I decided to get myself a few Soviet cameras to see what the fuss was about. Now I should be clear that the Soviet Camera collector is not after sharp images, or wonderful image quality. In fact, repeatable performance would be a great claim for any Soviet era camera collector.
These cameras are not poor quality, in fact many of them are absolute tanks which have been through decades of abuse and keep on firing. The problem is that the quality control was rather lax so you could get an amazing specimen or a lemon. There just simply is no telling.
The first one I decided to try was the FED-1. My copy rangers from the PE0320 model which is the first one where the serial number was located on the back. These cameras were made between 1953 and 1955. Mine seems to be about in the middle of everything so lets call it a 1954 model. It is heavy in the hand but very compact. It sports a 50mm f/3.5 lens that can collapse into the body.
The history is well known, at the end of WWII, part of the Leica factories were packed up and shipped to the Russia as war reparations. They began building a Leica II copy which became the FED-1. The engineering is wonderful, the build is heavy and the fact the the shutter is even working after all this time stands as proof of the build quality.
The shutter has a bulb mode then goes to 1/25th of a second, 1/50th, 1/100th, 1/250th and 1/500th of a second. You advance the film by turning a dial at the top which also cocks the shutter. Once cocked you could set the shutter speed. The shutter is silent and this copy fires very confidently.
The focusing and composing are done through two separate windows. The first is the rangefinder, to help you focus and the second is the framing window. These windows are tiny making them hard to use but not impossible. When I look through the rangefinder and focus, there is no doubt I am in focus. The composition window is a joy to use.
These cameras are not poor quality, in fact many of them are absolute tanks which have been through decades of abuse and keep on firing. The problem is that the quality control was rather lax so you could get an amazing specimen or a lemon. There just simply is no telling.
The first one I decided to try was the FED-1. My copy rangers from the PE0320 model which is the first one where the serial number was located on the back. These cameras were made between 1953 and 1955. Mine seems to be about in the middle of everything so lets call it a 1954 model. It is heavy in the hand but very compact. It sports a 50mm f/3.5 lens that can collapse into the body.
The history is well known, at the end of WWII, part of the Leica factories were packed up and shipped to the Russia as war reparations. They began building a Leica II copy which became the FED-1. The engineering is wonderful, the build is heavy and the fact the the shutter is even working after all this time stands as proof of the build quality.
The shutter has a bulb mode then goes to 1/25th of a second, 1/50th, 1/100th, 1/250th and 1/500th of a second. You advance the film by turning a dial at the top which also cocks the shutter. Once cocked you could set the shutter speed. The shutter is silent and this copy fires very confidently.
The focusing and composing are done through two separate windows. The first is the rangefinder, to help you focus and the second is the framing window. These windows are tiny making them hard to use but not impossible. When I look through the rangefinder and focus, there is no doubt I am in focus. The composition window is a joy to use.
The Good:
With the collapsable lens, thin body and tight construction, this is a true pocket camera. You can shove it into a coat pocket and take it anywhere. The heft of the camera is enough to show you its build quality without becoming overly heavy. The camera is easy to use and has the dials in just the right place. It is great fun to use, and always draws a crowd when being used. This a vintage design as well as a vintage camera. Many of the old were build to be modern marvels but this wonderful camera is about delicate curves and modest lines. The is a Betsy not a Beyonce. The aspect I love most about vintage cameras is that every time you look through the eyepiece you are following the original owners. You are, in one respect, looking at the world the same way they did. And this, is the poetic brilliance of vintage cameras. The Bad: Quality is a hit and miss proposition and not all lenses fit securely onto all bodies. The camera is slower to use than more modern film cameras however film should be about slowing down and this camera forces you to do just that. Loading the film takes two hands and a few minutes to get right. The take up spool is a bit gimmicky although my versions works very well. There is no light sensor on the camera so it is Sunny 16 rule.... The images below also highlight a framing issue. The frame which you see through the viewfinder is not the exact frame of your image. This is not an issue farther away but up close, it will impact you. Just keep it in mind and give yourself some latitude. Overall: Buy this camera. They are cheap, very easy to find and frankly a bargain. Pay a few extra bucks for a nice, working model and go out and use it. This is a camera that is wonderful to look at and just as much fun to use. I would not use this camera as a serious shooter, nor any camera of its age. But to have some fun on a weekend outing with the family, it is wonderful. Your images will not be digitally perfect, you will suffer some inevitable flare, spots and dust. This makes it film, so embrace the errors this camera makes and have fun with it. Of the images you see below the one with my dog on the patio is my favorite image. I have printed this one in the darkroom. Price: I paid about USD 150 or so. A good quality one can go for close to USD 200 or so. Cheap versions can be had for around USD 40. |