I really tried, maybe its not for me? Quirkiness and other thoughts regarding FSU RF

Don't sweat it. Not every camera is for everyone. I'm fond of Contax & Canon cameras so, like Dan, the only FSU gear I use is Kiev. My glass is a mix of FSU & CZJ and I'm very happy with it.

Find what you enjoy & burn film. Life's too short for anything else.

William
 
FSU range finders certainly are a bit of an acquired taste, but once you get hooked...On top of letting us discover what millions of people beyond the Iron curtain were using for years, they've got this retro feel that must appeal to quite a lot of us modern day users. I guess they just provide another approach to photography. Makes you feel just that slightly different when you tote one around along with a soviet light meter. The same applies to TLRs or folders. You don't handle them the same way, the feed back is from another era. A welcome break from easy to use quick result high quality digital gear. Just love my Kiev 4 and FED-2 even if my Oly 35rc and QL17 are a lot easier to use...;)
 
I bought a Zorki 4 n the 70s in Uk .
It seemed like both an inexpensive '' Leica style '' experience and the mystigue of a camera from behind the '' Iron Curtain ''
I hated it . I bought another recently ... and still think it's a brick .
I am now fortunate enough to be able to use a Leica II , Leica IIIC , but love taking out my Zorki 1 , Zorki S , and my Kievs .
OK , the Leicas are much '' better '' cameras , no argument , but the Russkies are such fun !
 
Experiences are very different...my grandpa bought a Zorki 4 in '69 (a 50 years of soviet government anniversary model). As I was born in '74, this is probably the first camera I have seen, certainly the first I held, it's been with me all my life, and guess what, I still own it. NEVER been CLAd, NEVER got stuck,or had any problems whatsoever..and it's 40 years old.
Over the years got some more FSU cameras, some excellent, some with problems. Let's just remember that this gizmos cost less than a Leica lens cap. so what to expect?
Is the 3000 & body with 2000$ lens with a 100$ neck strap and a 150$ leather case superior in terms of build quality and reliability and I don't know which other terms, to a 50$ all including FSU.....c'mon...what are we talking about??
 
Dear Tomperson,

When I first read the title of your post, I thought you are going to protest the alledged low quality of the FSU cameras, and I was even going to agree with you to a considerable margin.

However to my great surprise you are the first person I am aware of protesting the unfriendly manipulation of the cameras. This seems to comfirm that your Zorki is not damaged - quite a good start.

Now there is nothing wrong with your feeling, it is perfectly legitimate and may reflect what most of the people may feel if given these cameras.

There has been a lot of extremism between those backing these cameras and those opposing their use. As a result a great deaf dialogue has taken place, leading to much misunderstanding both inside and outside RFF.

You are fully ok tomperson. If you feel these cameras do not appeal to you just let them pass in peace and don't feel annoyed by the hurras and eurekas by me and other strange birds which have digged a lot to save some dollarettas.

Cheers,
Ruben
 
I love my FSU rangefinders. I would LOVE a Canon rangefinder, but they're too expensive. The FSU cameras allow me to have a compact camera that I can take anywhere and just take pictures without spending a lot of money. And that, in a sense, is what owning a Soviet camera is all about... (???)
 
I jumped ship too, i just bought a bessa r2a .

I am probably using FSU glass for a bit , but I didnt have time to really give my kiev 4 the right amount of attention so im selling it.

If i had the the time to dedicate to repairing it im sure it wouldve been a decent shooter, hopefully someone can enjoy it .
 
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Funny thing, I started out with a Canonet 28 and moved up to a Canonet QL17 G-III. I used that as my primary 35mm shooter since moving away from SLR's. Ever since I picked up a Fed-2 I haven't really used my G-III, I keep it around as my low light shooter loaded with Tri-X pushed to 1600 with a ND4 filter.

I really like the using Fed-2, it gives a very old world feel and puts me in a different mindset. The feel of the pictures come out noticeably different than when I use the G-III. What I like about using the Fed is that I have to make each shots count, because the loading, winding, setting, focusing, even rewinding takes longer.

But I like the argument that using FSU are like driving old Jaguars, you love'em to death but they drive you crazy when using them.
 
A nice Retina will have much better build and a better, probably faster, lens and will cost about the same delivered in the USA as a modest FSU rangefinder, but the Retina is even more fiddly :)
 
another shot with the FED

another shot with the FED

An other shot with the FED show the problem.
Theese faults with the shutter curtain is not visible with the eye.
 

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People who like tinkering with cameras like FSU's a lot. People who like taking pictures, well... I have 6 FSU's. None of them work right. 3 Fed-3's have been serviced by a well regarded technician and all still leak light like a sieve. The Zorki-4 recently had the rewind release give up during a shoot, tearing the film off the cassette spindle during rewind. The Fed-2's are OK in moderate light in a case, but leak light if taken naked into the bright of day.

Now, my 111C - great. M2, CLA'd by Youxin Ye - perfect. My (evil slr) Pentax MX's - don't miss a beat.

The "don't move the shutter dial till you rewund" is not the big deal - cameras that leak light and don't work is, IMHO, the downer.

However, I have been very happy with my FSU lenses - a j-12 and a j-3 need collimating, and are good after. All together I have about a dozen FSU lenses that I am very happy with.

KenD
 
FSU cameras, like all other old cameras are not for heavy duty pro work due to their age, like any other old camera.

FSU cameras need either you take the screwdriver or send them for an overall, or accept to use them in partial capacity.

But in case you have the patience to handle the screwdriver and learn your model - endless honey will flow - unavailable in the formal markets, and challenging the convenience of buying new from the factory current cameras.

Don't get me wrong. I am not saying that a Kiev you have CLA-ed yourself, is more worth than a new Zeiss Ikon. But I am saying that after you do CLA your Kiev, you will have such a jewel that will make you think for a long time if you are to pay over a thousand bucks for a better camera. And the Zeiss Ikon is a better camera. This dilemma will turn unbearable if you are used to two bodies.

Cheers,
Ruben
 
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Roger Hicks said:
...........

I've fixed quite a few Zorkiis over the years -- if I find a broken one silly-cheap, I fix it and either give it away or swap it for something -- but I've never understood the adulation. I'd far rather have my Konica SIII ($15, I think) than any FSU camera I've ever owned.

After all, the purpose of photography is to take pictures, not to purify the soul through suffering.

Cheers,

R.
Click to expand...

Dear Roger,
Pitxu post has called for my attention your post, with which I would like to friendly disagree in such a path that will bring us to agree against all odds.

I have suffered for several years the torture of learning to CLA the Kievs. For those who are new at RFF I would like to clarify that by that time, many things were not of public knowledge and I had to discover them myself with the help of the friends of this subforum, including some that are not anymore here.

What I have got in return ? Control over the Kievs equals having a great camera for so long as film lasts. Thus for example in case tomorrow a drunk thief enters my home and takes all my Kievs and lenses - in exchange of very few money I will lift my fleet again.

Could you thinik about it if we were talking about an expensive camera ?

Now you compare the Zorkis with the exquisite Konica Auto S2, from which I own two models. Hmmm.... but you are cheating a bit Roger :) (kindly smile with me) because the Zorkis, the Feds, the Kievs and other FSU models are modular system cameras enabling lens exchange with plenty of accesories.

Perhaps you personally doesn't need to change lenses. That's fine, but the potential is there in the FSUs, not in the Konica - with all due respect to this great camera.

Lastly I would like to take issue about "the purpose of photography". My opinion is that to define this purpose as "to take pictures" is not bad, but not the most comprehensive.

In the past I have defended the right of the camera fixer enjoying his job, as part of the photography world. Besides him there is the darkroom worker, the collectionist, the camera or photography history writer, etc, etc.

And all of us in this all embracing world will have to suffer to some extent, in order to learn and latter enjoy the purified fruits of our learning.

I am almost sure we are in full agreement, and you would have been the writer of this post, in case I had been the writer of yours.

Cheers,
Ruben
 
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I've owned (and own) many FSU rangefinders and I'd not recommend them for beginners at all. They are problem-ridden in general, although good and useful examples do exist. They are not by-in-large robust cameras for use, more novelties in my view and they do challenge the user's skill and patience levels.

For starting in rangefinders I'd strongly recommend a Bessa R ($180 or so on eBay). If that's too expensive try a Canon QL 17 ($60 or so) or Konica S2 ($30-40). There are other good choices, like the Canon P or 7 ($150-$250). Many of the Yashica fixed lens models are favored here, the ones with faster lenses being among the best.
 
chill

chill

Dude, you just have to chill. It isn't about being fast and simple like with a leica or voigtlander or something man, it's an experience all unto it's own. I had a kiev 4, it died, but while I had it it was a blast ad got some of the best pictures I have ever taken. They are old cameras and you just have to take a step back and appreciate them for what they are. After all you can't expect the performance and ergonomics of a 1300 $ camera from one you probably bought for around 40 $...can you? Just have fun.
 
An other shot with the FED show the problem.
Theese faults with the shutter curtain is not visible with the eye.
Click to expand...
Yep, that's a shutter curtain full of holes.

I'm really surprised you say it's not visible to the eye - that has to be visible if you hold it up to the light. Is it possible you're looking at the wrong curtain? You need to check both (ie with the shutter both cocked and uncocked) - it's impossible to know which blind it is by just looking at the photo.
 
shutter curtain

shutter curtain

There is no doubt that the holes in the shutter-curtain is in what i would call the first curtain, hereby i mean the curtain that is visible when the shutter is cocked. The holes is very tiny and their exposure to the film is highly dependant on the light conditions and the time of exposure. The attached image, being not very good, is only included to show a picture that is taken with the same camera, but in the evening and the shutter wound just before shooting. The spots from the holes barely visible.
The other picture was taken on a bright day and i remember there was long periods waiting with the camera ready (wound) for the right moment to shoot, when the boats came closer. (The picture i show here was actually the last i took that day, tired of waiting and just to release the shutter)
 

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