Chinese Red Flag 20 and lenses

[zhang xk]

Hi,
i am new a new collector of vintage cameras.
i recently bought a chinese rangefinder EASTAR S2,
but i can not find any information about it.
does anybody have a clue?
thank you in advance.

Your camera was made by Tianjin Camera Factory between 1969-1978. Production number is unknown. The first model S1 was made since 1964. These are not often seen now. It has a Tessar type lens.

 

[zhang xk]

Some 1950-60's PLA military scopes. This one is a copy of a Soviet scope. I saw the Russian one offered on ebay for about US$1,500. The Chinese version is somewhat better finished.

I found a Soviet one recently in excellent condition.😀 It has a brown finish.

 

[tvagi]

thank you zhang.
is there a site for these cameras?or a site for chinese
vintage camera makers?
what do you mean by the production number is unknown?
that they are made in such large numbers that almost everyone owns one?!!!

 

[zhang xk]

thank you zhang.
is there a site for these cameras?or a site for chinese
vintage camera makers?
what do you mean by the production number is unknown?
that they are made in such large numbers that almost everyone owns one?!!!

Hi,

I meant I have no exact numbers how many were made. But they were made in much smaller quantity than Phenix 205(Seagull 205) for sure. I think it is an uncommon Chinese camera. Some 400,000 Phenix 205 were made. So about 1 in 300 Chinese could own a Phenix 205, let alone an Easter S2!😀There are sites in Chinese for these vintage Chinese cameras.

 

[rolleistef]

you could make a real website with your collection! The 19/1.7 is reaaally impressive!!!

 

[zhang xk]

you could make a real website with your collection! The 19/1.7 is reaaally impressive!!!

Thanks. I think it is time to make a website for my collection.😀 Do you have any idea what the 19/1.7 is for? A micro reduction lens? Those are real expensive industrial optics.

 

[rolleistef]

Hmm... I've heard there was a fisheye made by nikkor, something like 16/2.8, that was used for pipeline inspection...

 

[zhang xk]

Shanghai 58-III. An extremely rare Chinese camera.:bang:Looks like a Agfa 120 folder copy.

 

[rxmd]

I've heard there was a fisheye made by nikkor, something like 16/2.8, that was used for pipeline inspection...

That was an 6/f2.8, a circular fisheye. It has an angle of view of 220 degrees and a big front element. The lens can actually see behind itself. Try not getting your feet in the frame! 🙂

Of course these are specialty lenses with a relatively limited scope of applications.

 

[zhang xk]

Hi,

It has been quite a while I did not post anything. I don't remember if I posted an image of this lens. It is China made counterpart of Nikon Ultra-micro lenses.

This one is for laser engraving. It has a resolving power of > 500 lp/mm with a light of 435nm wavelength. I just learned recently about this lens. So I post an image of it here.😀 There are other focul lengthes of this type lens.

Cheers,

Zhang

 

[rxmd]

Hey Comrade Zhang, great to have you back!

 

[outfitter]

There is a Red Flag for sale on eBay by the somewhat outrageous Photo Arsenal

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...o=CRX&its=S%2BI%2BSS&itu=ISS%2BUCI%2BSI&otn=4

 

[zhang xk]

Hey Comrade Zhang, great to have you back!

Comrade Philippe,

Thanks for the welcome.🙂

 

[zhang xk]

There is a Red Flag for sale on eBay by the somewhat outrageous Photo Arsenal

....

Maybe I should contact him. I feel I have some even rarer items. The 1000mm F6,7 mirror lens, Spring Wind SX16K fast 16mm movie camera...for example.😀

 

[ZorkiKat]

Zhang tongzhi,

I finally got a Shanghai-58II. A friend bought it for me in Beijing.

You're right. THey're not as well made as an equivalent FED or Zorki. I had to repair and replace the shutters of this Shanghai. The internal parts are really rough and the meshing is iffy. These make the internal parts of the Zorki Swiss-like. 🙂

But all in all, the Seagull is a triumph of combining the best of Leica, FED, Zorki, and Canon....the best parts from these cameras put together with a lot of improvements in the process. Sadly the intent was lost with the poor quality mechanism.

 

[zhang xk]

Comrade Jay,

Long time no see you. Congratulations for finally obtaining a Chinese Leica. It looks like a last version in excellent cosmetic condition. I replaced some rough parts with ones from a Zorki, and now my Shanghai 58-2 is really smooth. With a sharp I-50 or J-3, it should be a capable tool. It looks more shining from outside than a Fed 1 or later Zorki 1.

Kind Regards,

Zhang

 

[ZorkiKat]

Comrade Jay,

Long time no see you. Congratulations for finally obtaining a Chinese Leica. It looks like a last version in excellent cosmetic condition. I replaced some rough parts with ones from a Zorki, and now my Shanghai 58-2 is really smooth. With a sharp I-50 or J-3, it should be a capable tool. It looks more shining from outside than a Fed 1 or later Zorki 1.

Kind Regards,

Zhang

Comrade Zhang

The near-flawless cosmetics was probably the only good thing about the camera when I got it. Apparently, Shanghai 58 are sold solely on basis of how they look, and more so with the intent of how they will look in the display case.

"Repair" mainly consisted to having two shutter blinds moving to and fro. Never mind if they timed properly or ever opened at all. The RF was off, the lens mount flange to focal distance was off by almost ,5mm. And the flash sync wiring and internal switches were missing. The PC outlet on the front is now strictly ornamental.

What part did you replace with a Zorki component? I think the flat spring at the bottom is of ppor steel. It doesn't have anough spring power.

I plan to make a Shanghai Survival Site of sorts...in English, then you can perhaps translate this to Chinese 🙂

BTW, I think the lens on the Shanghai-58 is a three-element triplet, instead of the Tessar types like the Elmar or Industar. Is it really so?

 

[zhang xk]

Comrade Zhang

The near-flawless cosmetics was probably the only good thing about the camera when I got it. Apparently, Shanghai 58 are sold solely on basis of how they look, and more so with the intent of how they will look in the display case.

"Repair" mainly consisted to having two shutter blinds moving to and fro. Never mind if they timed properly or ever opened at all. The RF was off, the lens mount flange to focal distance was off by almost ,5mm. And the flash sync wiring and internal switches were missing. The PC outlet on the front is now strictly ornamental.

What part did you replace with a Zorki component? I think the flat spring at the bottom is of ppor steel. It doesn't have anough spring power.

I plan to make a Shanghai Survival Site of sorts...in English, then you can perhaps translate this to Chinese 🙂

BTW, I think the lens on the Shanghai-58 is a three-element triplet, instead of the Tessar types like the Elmar or Industar. Is it really so?

Hi Jay,

These Chinese Leicas generally look better than Russian ones, especially those early version with strap lugs and better leather covering. Some could be quite smooth after a good service, and even the slow speeds could be relatively accurate.🙂 Like Russian cameras, generally later cameras are not as well made as earlier ones. I think some 76,000 58-2 were made between 1958-1963, so you can check the s/n of your camera to get a rough idea when it was made.

I replaced the part that will be dis-engaged when re-winding film, and this part will push the leaf spring down, and also the take-up spool. I tried the normal lens once, and it is no comparison even to an I-26m. I am not sure if it is a 3E/3G design.

I believe some more capable factories were kept for military and professional products. Shanghai made a Zeiss GFL copy in late 1950's, and they suppied objectives to Carl Zeiss of West Germany in 1980's. Other factories had cooperation with Carl Zeiss Jena of GDR since 1950's. So I guess if they really wanted to make a better camera, perhaps they could do it. But these civilian luxury products were not top priority then.😉

Cheers,

Zhang

 

[zhang xk]

Here is a new book about vintage Chinese cameras in Japanese and Chinese. The author is a fan of Chinese cameras.😀

 

[ZorkiKat]

Hi Jay,

These Chinese Leicas generally look better than Russian ones, especially those early version with strap lugs and better leather covering. Some could be quite smooth after a good service, and even the slow speeds could be relatively accurate.🙂 Like Russian cameras, generally later cameras are not as well made as earlier ones. I think some 76,000 58-2 were made between 1958-1963, so you can check the s/n of your camera to get a rough idea when it was made.

I replaced the part that will be dis-engaged when re-winding film, and this part will push the leaf spring down, and also the take-up spool. I tried the normal lens once, and it is no comparison even to an I-26m. I am not sure if it is a 3E/3G design.

.....

Zhang

The finish on the four Shanghai-58II I've seen so far are all good. Three of these belong to three other comrades...

My Shanghai 58II has a serial number which starts with 100. I suppose it would be from the latter end of the production.

The parts you replaced are the same parts which I want to replace too. The takeup spool spindle doesn't give a good grip on the spool. And the spool has lost its upper flange, though it seems to work even without it.
I think the spindles from Zorki or FED would work. But the pin on the baseplate which engages with the knob of the takeup spool may not fit in the narrower knobs of the Soviet takeups spools.

The long spring at the bottom of the crate is also weak. In three of the four Shanghai examples here, the long flat spring doesn't have enough strength to push the release lever back upwards. This causes the shutter to hang at "B" and a lot of winding slippage. Does the long spring from the Zorki fit? The shape of the Zorki springs look different.

The release spring in one of the cameras is also defective. This part is one of the roughest parts I've seen in the Shanghai. I tried to put one from a Zorki-2C, and it doesn't quite fit too.