Buying a Russian camera

colyn

colyn

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I've been looking at buying a Russian camera and was wondering if anybody could give me any ideas on which model would be the best to buy including the best lens to start off with..
 
Hello Colyn,
Welcome!I asked the very same question about 8 months ago.So far I have progressed to a couple of Fed 2's,which I find great.Pocketable,just,with a collapsible Fed or Industar lens,and a reasonable viewfinder with Dioptre adjustment,In fact following advice from the forum I have even succeeded in cleaning and adjusting the vf/rf on one of my Feds,which gives a remarkable improvement.A Jupiter 8 would probably be a better lens ,but not so compact.Similarly the Industar 61 which has many enthusiastic devotees.

All in all whichever way you go, it won't be very expensive,but in my experience buying a user camera from someone you know,eg,on RFF has proved to be more successful than buying from FSU on Ebay.

Good luck and enjoy,

Brian.
 
I like the zorki 3m with a jupiter 8 or 3 (faster), but you already have a Leica M3 and a III c and IIIf too, so maybe you could take a Kiev (contax clone) for the fun of trying something different.
I would buy it from a known member of RFF or a reputable seller like Oleg or Fedka if you don´t find what you want here.
 
Avoid the Kiev MF cameras - I've tried the Hassie clone and the SLR, they are junk IMHO. Save money and buy a used Mamiya/Hassie etc., it'll work out cheaper in the long run.

Steve
 
I started on Fed's, but now I really prefer Kievs. There's a nice looking Kiev 4a with a Jupiter8 and a Jupiter12 in the classifieds for a very good price right now.
 
classical topic! everyone has its truth & experience, mine says start with a Fed 3 type B and then move along to a Kiev :)
 
Thanks for the info.. There is a Fed 2 at a local camera shop I may take a look at this week. I've also been watching ebay.
 
I've had a Zorki 4 and Jupiter 8, I found the body was too clunky, even for a fsu camera ( My previous experience was a Zenit SLR and a Smena 8 - a scale focus model), now I'm a Kiev man, got the Helios 103 and Jup 12 - and very pleased with the combo. :)
 
There's black film tested FED 2 with an excellent black Jupiter 8 for sale here on the classifieds, owned by myself.

With regards to Soviet 35mm rangefinders, I also started with FED 2's and have settled into the Kiev.

The FED 2 offers accurate focusing, but it feels awkward when using the 85/2 Jupiter 9 one of my favorite lenses.

The Kiev on the other hand, handles the 85/2 well and it's RF base is even wider. The Kiev works well with Zeiss lenses for the Contax.
 
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