Received my first analogue camera, Fed 2!

C

choosy

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Hi,

I am very new to photography but after using digital cameras I became bored and had little intent to learn the theory behind photography. I recently bought a Fed 2 from ebay.

First I was wondering what year it was made as it seems like a strange Fed 2 :). Here is a photo, with serial number and the lens.
mail


mail


I am hoping it is the rare earth mineral lens I have read about.

The camera is in good condition and even came with the original plastic film piece. The only thing that is wrong about it is that one of the screws at the bottom is loose. The first one is very tight and feels very secure and the second just feels really really easy to swivel around and it can go 360 degrees. I have just moved it so that the lock is in the right position.

(Locks at the bottom to open up the case)

I wonder if you can fix this.

I am going to go for my first shoot without calibration. As the meter distance seems accurate and I bought some very cheap film to also test the more advanced problems such as the curtain.

I am definently keen to go inside it and fix things up but I want to approach it slowly so I can still use the camera while I can.

Any tips would be appreciated.

Thanks all.
 
I've had my early model Fed-2 for a few years now ... it came with an I-26 lens for the grand total of $45.00 from Oleg at OK cameras. I've been very impressed with the performance of the little Fed ... particularly the rangefinder which is better than either of my screwmount Leicas for ease of focusing.

I do avoid using the 1/500 shutter speed though as it seems to be a little erratic regarding exposure consistency across the negative (possible bounce)... no big problem though as the Industar lens seems to be at it's best well stopped down. Not a great camera for 400 ISO film and Australian light!

I love the thing to bits though! :D
 
No photos.

Here is a good source to help you determine the date of manufacture and the type for your camera.

The lens is a little more complicated. The short story is that the lenses with Lanthanum glass are limited to the Industar 61 model. The I-61 versions with a Cyrllic "L" on the face of the lens barrel are confirmed to have the Lanthanum glass. Other versions are rumored to have the special glass. The only version of the FED-2 confirmed to have Lanthanum glass is the FED-2 type-E.


Steve
 
Not to sound rude but I noticed you're 19 years young so maybe you're not aware but it's not an analogue camera...either call it a camera or film camera but please don't use the word analogue...people started calling them that after digital cameras came about but for the life of me I don't understand why they had change the name of the cameras I've been using all my life...
When you're around your friends and they ask about it tell them it's a film camera...they'll think you just too cool for using film...film is the future...
 
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nikon_sam said:
Not to sound rude but I noticed you're 19 years young so maybe you're not aware but it's not an analogue camera...either call it a camera or film camera but please don't use the word analogue...people started calling them that after digital cameras came about but for the life of me I don't understand why they had change the name of the cameras I've been using all my life...
When you're around you friends and they ask about it tell them it's a film camera...they'll think you just too cool for using film...film is the future...
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+1+1+1 :D

My sentiments exactly. I also had to stop to ponder what an "analogue" camera was and that FED-2 were made in 'analogue' versions. I do know a few young people (16-20 years range) who call their cameras as 'cameras' and only use "digital" or digicams to refer to dslrs and compacts respectively. Using "analogue" doesn't sound too :cool: to me ;)

Back to the OP: The loose locking tab can be tightened by simply tightening the retaining screw found on the centre.

Some say that all I-61 were made with lanthanum glass. Lanthanum glass was fairly common in lenses designed in the 1940s-50s. Even Kodak used them in their Ektar lines. The Japanese and German optical houses would have used them too in their lenses from those times.

Try not to remove the lens. Leave it on, unless you have something else to replace it with. If you must remove the lens, always make sure that it's at 1 metre focus. And it must be at the same setting when you replace it on the mount. This is to prevent the rangefinder focus follower sensor from being upset. When this happens, your focusing accuracy (rangefinder coupling) can be compromised.

The 1/500 speed setting can really be used. The exact firing speed may be different- something like 1/350 is quite acceptable for these old mechanical shutters. Those which have dirty or dry mechanisms or improper tensioning may tend to fire erratically. But in my experience with FED and Zorki, the 1/500 setting can be used without worry.
 
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My bad, film camera*

I just came back to my camera and wound it up to shoot (without film) and it didn't stop, instead clicked over. The camera is now not winding properly. How do I go about fixing this?
 
choosy said:
My bad, film camera*

I just came back to my camera and wound it up to shoot (without film) and it didn't stop, instead clicked over. The camera is now not winding properly. How do I go about fixing this?
Click to expand...


Check the advance/rewind setting. There is a collar 'round the shutter button which does this. You'll find "C" on the right, and "П” on the left. The collar should be up and turned towards "C".

Or it could be, as would commonly happen, that the advance and cocking gears have disengaged. No stops and continuous winding is an indication. What you can do is hold the shutter dial, and then wind the advance knob. This will make the gear teeth bite back. This happens when you fire the shutter without fully winding/cocking it.

If this happens a lot, your camera may need some servicing.
 
Your second option worked! Appreciated. As for the rotating screw. I have tried turning the screw in the center to no avail. It just spins around, or if held doesn't move.
 
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choosy said:
I have also noticed a rattling inside the camera. Sounds similar to http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=70740

Should I go ahead and remove the lens, is there a guide for what piece it could be?
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A rattle in a FED could be just about anything :) Taking off the lens should not be a problem. After all, it is an interchangeable lens camera. The process goes like this:
  • Place the camera facing up in the palm of your left hand
  • Turn the focus ring counter-clockwise all the way to the closest setting (about 0.8m)
  • Keep turning the lens counter-clockwise until it comes off
Replacing the lens is done by simply screwing the lens back on. Again, this is best done with the camera facing up with gravity feeding the threads. Care should be taken to have the lens in the close focus position for this operation as well to lessen the chance of damaging the rangefinder cam.

The baffle mentioned in the link you referenced is found on the Industar 26 lens that came with most FED-2s. It is a cylindrical metal piece that slides inside the base of the lens. It sometimes get loose and falls out into the camera, but can be slid back into place and often enough will stay put.


Steve
 
Appreciated Steve. It turns out that I don't have a screw driver small enough to get the smaller pieces like the shutter speed etc off. Which means I can't check out the rattle yet.

What do you propose I do in the meantime (going to order the screw driver)

Should I not touch any of the settings / wind up or fire.

I was planning to go shooting in a couple days.

Thanks.
 
Do not attempt disassembly until you have appropriate tools. Did you take the lens off to see if the baffle is the source of the rattle?


Steve
 
Yes, I took it off and I could still hear rattling, this time it sounded like it was in the upper body near the shutter speeds. I am going to buy a set of 'jeweler' screw drivers so I will be able to take that part off.
 
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