Anybody shoot a collapsible FSU lens?

I have one Fed collapsible which is simply magical on the M8 and another which is - ordinary . My 50s Elmar can't touch it for brilliant colour .
This is a Fed lens with different infinity lock - the others foul the adapter .
They are very variable , I guess .
 
Will this do? A grab shot using the "sunny 16" rule (meaning 1/200th at f/16) as I had the camera with me and you don't see this everyday. Watching them turn it round in the car park and drive out was something I'll probably never see again...

1000913425_UBb2H-XL.jpg


BTW, it was a Zorki 1 with an Industar 22 on it of 1952 or 53 vintage; the version with modern apertures marked and a red Cyrillic letter "P" to show it had been coated.

Regards, David
 
Truck Picture

Truck Picture

David, really nice picture. Guess the driver was in training
David Hughes said:
Will this do? A grab shot using the "sunny 16" rule (meaning 1/200th at f/16) as I had the camera with me and you don't see this everyday. Watching them turn it round in the car park and drive out was something I'll probably never see again...

1000913425_UBb2H-XL.jpg


BTW, it was a Zorki 1 with an Industar 22 on it of 1952 or 53 vintage; the version with modern apertures marked and a red Cyrillic letter "P" to show it had been coated.

Regards, David
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jcrutcher said:
Brian, what do you mean shim for the M8? I'm about to buy a Fed 2 with a 50mm collapsible, if i add the CV adapter will it work on the M8?
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The I-50 is made to the Zeiss standard, as are FSU cameras. The M8 is made to the original Leica standard. With all things being in spec, the I-50 will slightly back-focus on the M8. I shimmed my I-50 to work optimally close-up and wide-open on the M8, and then shaved the infinity stop to it would work better with distance shots.

Detailed DIY instructions here:

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=89934
 
I have lots of I-22, I-10 and some I-50 collapsibles. I also have the rigid I-22 and I-50. Recently I received a very nice rigid black I-50 of 1977 vintage.

Only some of the I-10 (labelled as FED-50) from early FED-1 appear to be non-standard in terms of focus camming: the focus register and the rf camming isn't the same as found in Leica.

However, the rest (plenty of I-10, those which came with the FED-2) of these collapsibles that I used on Leica and Leica derivatives, including the M3 and Epson RD-1s focused without fuss. They are right on spot. And NONE of them ever had to be adjusted.
 
Here are a few shots with Industar 50 on 1939 FED NKVD set to work at 28.8mm Leica standard flange to film..
The film used was fujicolor 100 and there was a russian polariser filter in front of the lens.
Scanned on Plustek Opticfilm 7400
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Sometimes , it makes me wonder why anyone would really need a '' better '' lens than a Fed collapsible . It's my fave lens on the M8 - and I love the nom 67mm focal length [ and don't go into the focal length does not change for crop factor - maybe it means sharper extremities ! LOL ]
 

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Brian Legge said:
Good to know. I've been thinking about picking up a collapsible lens as well. The same question was in my mind.

My only complication is that I'll be using the lens on a Leica IIIc. One of these days I'll figure out how to shim lenses effectively. I've been following Brians posts on the topic but I don't really have a way to easily test a lens without shooting and developing - which really slows down the iteration. I'm thinking about taking a scrap FED2s mount and trying to make something to test the lens with. Cheaper than buying a Periflex or other such device - $70+shipping from the UK adds up quickly.
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Hi Brian,

A collapsible I-50 needs no shimming on a Leica IIIC... It focuses (mine does) perfectly, even wide open at its closest focusing distance... And with perfectly I mean really spot on... From what I've read, some of the oldest lenses made during the first years of FSU cameras and optics, as their cameras were a bit different from Leica specifications, have focusing issues on Leicas... That's where all the stories come from... If any common FSU lens made after those ones can't focus well, the lens has a specific problem... I guess the earlier version of the I-22 -the I-10- can be one of the old ones from the thirties, but after WWII -and maybe even before that- FSU lenses were made to work well on Leicas too... I'd say the I-22's work well on Leicas too... The first I-50s were made by KMZ in the late 50's (57-58) and then another company started to make them until the seventies... Mine is one of those first KMZ I-50's from 1958, and it's perfect for focusing with Barnack Leicas: crisp and sharp, and coated, with a normal contrast... Focusing won't be as smooth for your fingers as modern lenses are, but that's part of the "experience", and I love mine just as much as any of my CV, Leica, Zeiss or Nikkor lenses... I've heard some people say they prefer their I-22 or I-50 to their uncoated Leica 50 3.5 Elmar collapsible... If I remember well, Russian ones, although having similar looks, are not a copy of the Leica Elmar lens design, but a copy of a great Contax (Zeiss) Tessar design, and even its bokeh is very sweet...

Cheers,

Juan
 
I have three Industar 22 and one Industar 50 collapsibles, plus two pre-war uncoated FED 50mm, one of which is shimmed out to 28.8mm standard. All four Industars work perfectly on my Leica IIIC with no focus errors. The two FED lenses, however, are not usable as their focus tabs foul the RF window at or near infinity.

I bought one of the I-22s specifically for the Leica and it happens to be the oldest (serial number on the back of the flange, not on the front ring). It's absolutley mint condition, optically and produces images so good I don't see the need for, say, a genuine Elmar.
 
Juan Valdenebro said:
If I remember well, Russian ones, although having similar looks, are not a copy of the Leica Elmar lens design, but a copy of a great Contax (Zeiss) Tessar design, and even its bokeh is very sweet...

Cheers,

Juan
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Juan, you're right the Industar and FED lenses are not copies of the Elmar. The iris is placed differently but the overall cosmetic aspect could, loosely, be called a "copy". However, to me that's like saying all cars are copies of each other, since they all have four wheels. The Elmar itself could be accused of being a "copy", since it too is a Tessar design. It's more about implementations of a basic idea to me, not copying. All SLRs could be said to be copies, since they use the same mirror/screen idea.

Because it looks pretty much like an Elmar and was the russian equivalent, people tend to describe it as a russian copy, especially on places like Ebay, where they hope the Leica association will inflate the sale price!
 
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