Penny Lane
Hopelessly Citrophile
Just before the blackout I got a Zorki-6. Well, what can I say: all the features of the FED-2, the build quality on mine is pretty sweet and it looks good as well! So in 35mm, that where I'll put my money for now 
Derk
Derk
bobby_novatron
Photon Collector
Zorki-4 or Zorki-6, both are good. My 1962 Kiev 4A works great, but my later 1981 Kiev 4A feels rough by comparison.
One of the first FSU cameras I bought was ... the Fed 2. I still love that camera.
In terms of ugly ducklings, the Fed 5 doesn't really deserve its reputation. It's a good, reliable camera ... and you can get one still new-in-box. They're just ugly.
Here's a family picture:
One of the first FSU cameras I bought was ... the Fed 2. I still love that camera.
In terms of ugly ducklings, the Fed 5 doesn't really deserve its reputation. It's a good, reliable camera ... and you can get one still new-in-box. They're just ugly.
Here's a family picture:
fanshaw
Well-known
I agree with you. The same applies to the Fed-4 which seems better finished.They are usually in good working order and the shutter curtains are unlikely to have deteriorated. The trouble is they are so big and heavy.
newspaperguy
Well-known
Count me with the KIEV II crowd - as far as the BEST...
But, my most used FSU, for the past 20 years,
has been my scraggly looking Zorki 1.
Who knew?
Rick
But, my most used FSU, for the past 20 years,
has been my scraggly looking Zorki 1.
Who knew?
Rick
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gb hill
Veteran
My Fed 2 crapped out finally. So I vote the Fed 5 I have new in the box. Has an accurate meter & slow speeds which the Fed 2 lacks.
But my favorite soviet camera is my Zorki 2s. Bottom loading is a pain but it still works, feels like a brick & with a 50 elmar collapsible is compact.
But my favorite soviet camera is my Zorki 2s. Bottom loading is a pain but it still works, feels like a brick & with a 50 elmar collapsible is compact.
Coldkennels
Barnack-toting Brit.
Aww, the poor Fed 5. So maligned. I actually quite like the way it looks and feels, and it has - shockingly - got a few compliments from people on the street. But then I like the M5, so take that with a pinch of salt.
Aside: I once got shouted at by a Russian man in Cornwall, England. His English was spotty at best, but the shouts of "Fed! Dzerzinsky! FED!" and accompanying gestures at my camera were easily understood. I handed him the camera - a Fed 5 - and couldn't help but smile as he tried his best to explain Soviet lens quality and camera design to his (English-speaking) drinking buddies. The look of pride on his face at seeing an Englishman using a Fed 5 was really something else.
Anyways, back to the question at hand. There's not more that I can add; I love the Fed 2 more than anything else on my camera shelf. It's a good looker and it's got all I want in a camera; small size, shutter speeds I'll actually use (I don't think I EVER go below 1/30), a good (read: contrasty) viewfinder and a long rangefinder baselength. However, the Zorki 5 is a close contender; not only does it have lever wind and bottom loading (meaning a slightly reduced body thickness), but it can take the Jupiter 12 without damaging it or needing modification. The catch? I don't like Zorki viewfinders. They may be brighter, but the patch isn't as visible in my experience. In some lighting situations I simply can't make out whether it's in focus or not.
Oh, and another (more subtle) reason to love the Fed 2: if you use the longer Jupiters (the 85mm J9 or the 135mm J11), the actual part of the turret finder that's in use lines up almost exactly above the lens. On every other Fed + Zorki I've seen, it's off to the side, so you need to account for horizontal parallax. (The Z5+6 are close, but slightly further over than the Fed 2.)
Thomas78
Well-known
I also vote for the FED-2.
The same reasons as above plus it was (and still is) my first real camera which I got in 1991 at the age of 12.
(It got a service by Oleg this year)
But tomorrow I will take my Zorki I with a J-12 for the family christmas walk.
The same reasons as above plus it was (and still is) my first real camera which I got in 1991 at the age of 12.
(It got a service by Oleg this year)
But tomorrow I will take my Zorki I with a J-12 for the family christmas walk.
Muller
Established
For RF's, my vote is for the Zorki 4 for it's speed range, but when I'll also go for the FED 2 with a collapsible lens when I want something a bit more compact (even though that's a marginal comparison).
In SLRs, I move to the western-most Soviet satellite of East Germany and "sagt 'JA' zur Praktica" with a TL 5B or MTL5.
In SLRs, I move to the western-most Soviet satellite of East Germany and "sagt 'JA' zur Praktica" with a TL 5B or MTL5.