FED-2: beginner's first steps?

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Florian1234

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Hello guys,

this week my FED-2 with Industar 26 lens should arrive in the mail (ebay:rolleyes:).

What are the first steps to test all its functions? Are there things to follow for the total beginner/newbie like me?
Any comment is appreciated. Thanks in advance.
 
as with any film camera......
1) Load some film (ISO 100) 24x NOT 36x
2) Go out side and meter an area to photograph (use and open shade area)
3) Start at f/16 at what ever speed is needed.
4) then open the lens up one stop and decrease your speed one stop and take a picture
5) continue through the F/stops & Shutter speeds untill you run our of Speeds or stops.
6) Get the film developed......
7) Look at several things...
.....7a) Each frame should have the same exoosure, or be close. and should have a good range from Dark to Light Density.
.....7b) Check the spacing between the frames, it should be about 1/8" or so
.....7c) See if the frame spacing is faily evan for the whole roll.

If all the above checks out OK....You camrera is fine.
 
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Thanks.
some further questions to your posting, arbib: What's 1/8" in metric system? Since I live in Germany:p

And why not a x36 film?
 
Florian1234 said:
Thanks.
some further questions to your posting, arbib: What's 1/8" in metric system? Since I live in Germany:p

And why not a x36 film?
Click to expand...

1/8 inch = 3.175mm

Bob
 
Florian1234 said:
Hello guys,

this week my FED-2 with Industar 26 lens should arrive in the mail (ebay:rolleyes:).

What are the first steps to test all its functions? Are there things to follow for the total beginner/newbie like me?
Any comment is appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

Florian, does the ebay auction specify if the Fed-2 comes with a film take up spool? (or seen in the pictures).

If not, you may want to hunt for one now, so when the camera arrives, you are guaranteed to be able to test it immediately. No take up spool, no shooting.
 
From what I understand "Some FSU" cameras don't have enough room in the take up side for a 36x....Although I had Zorki 1 at one time...Feds may have a bigger Take up side.

Florian1234 said:
Thanks.
some further questions to your posting, arbib: What's 1/8" in metric system? Since I live in Germany:p

And why not a x36 film?
Click to expand...
 
Well, it is a green Fed-2, no further specification. And there was no word nor a photo about the take up spool. Hope it will come with it. If not: Which specific thing do I have to look for. If there won't be the take up spool with it, there might be a shop in Bremen which sells them - called Camerabörse or so. I will visit it then to ask for the one and its price.

Bob and arbib: thanks for clarification.;)


Florian
 
Florian1234 said:
Thanks.
some further questions to your posting, arbib: What's 1/8" in metric system? Since I live in Germany:p

And why not a x36 film?
Click to expand...
Only 24 since you'll get through it quicker. There's no reason not to use a 36 if you want to, the camera should be perfectly fine with it. It's unlikely you will get uneven spacing on a FED 2.
 
arbib said:
From what I understand "Some FSU" cameras don't have enough room in the take up side for a 36x....Although I had Zorki 1 at one time...Feds may have a bigger Take up side.
Click to expand...
Not true, they're all designed to accept 1.6m films (36 exposures). Certainly not true for FED/Zorki/Kievs anyway. I never use 24 exposure since they work out more expensive per frame.
 
Florian,

The main things to check before loading a film would be to see if all the controls work smoothly and all the speeds work with no sticking of the shutter curtains. See that they sound right too. It should be easy to hear the difference at slower speeds. You could try the "monitor test" too, look in this section of the forum for the sticky-thread on adjusting the curtains of a FED 2 for how to do this.

Also, check the rangefinder accuracy: on a very distant object the images should align when the lens is set to infinity and also when set to 1m with a target 1m from the film plane (almost at the back of the body). It's easy but tedious to adjust the RF but if you check it first you can make some adjustments to your focussing if needed.

Enjoy the FED 2, it's a nice camera!
 
The Fed-2 is really great. You'll love it. Original manual in English here:

http://www.mattdentonphoto.com/images/FED-2_manual.pdf

Also, you should always advance the film/cock the shutter before changing shutter speeds. Failure to do so may damage the shutter or cause it to behave badly for a few shots. Not everybody agrees that this is necessary for the FED-2, but it certainly is for some other FEDs. Why take the chance?
 
One thing you need to check for before you put film in the camera. With the back off, cock the shutter and set the selector speed to 60, then press the shutter button and watch the travel of the curtains. Make sure the curtain travels all the way. You can check every speed, but for some reason the camera will most likely hang up on this speed. Mine did and I read somewhere else that 60 was the magic number. If this does happen it means the spring tension needs adjusting. Don't worry, it's a simple fix. There is a sticky at the top of the page with pictures that shows how. Feds are great cameras and I have shot 200 & 400 asa film and was pleased with the results. Looking foward to seeing some pictures soon.

cheers,

gb hill
 
arbib said:
From what I understand "Some FSU" cameras don't have enough room in the take up side for a 36x....Although I had Zorki 1 at one time...Feds may have a bigger Take up side.
Click to expand...


That's absurd. :)

These cameras were designed to have room for 1,6 m of film or more. In fact, it can shoot up to 40 frames with a slightly "overloaded" respool. And all their counters run up to 40 (those notches after "35" count too). The spacing is at least 2mm between frames, though this may vary. As long as there are no overlaps, the spacing is ok.
 
Quickie shutter check

Quickie shutter check

Florian:

Before you load, do a visual check of the camera first before loading. Any defect you see saves you from wasting a roll and costs from processing.

Take off the lens, and with the camera back open, hold the camera against a table lamp (with a 60-100w lamp). Look at the shutter blinds both at cocked and fired positions to check the two blinds. If you see little points of light, the blinds have pinholes. If they are small and few, repair by patching is possible.
If you see dry curtains and larger slivers of light through them, the curtain is cracked and needs replacement.

Set to B and see if the shutters go without hesitation.

Set to 500. This time, look at the shutter through the lens mount. Cock and fire the shutter. If you see a full frame as you fire the shutter, the shutter is OK. Then cock again. This time, as you fire the shutter, look at the part where the right side of the frame is (where the shutter starts to travel when fired). You should see a sharply defined edge. If you see a blur, the shutter is a bit slow and is actually capping a bit.

Set to 200, 100, 50 (or 250, 125, 60) and do the same as above for these speeds.

You can do a shutter check with a TV screen too. Again without the lens on the mount, point the camera on a TV screen (with bright images) and look at the shutter. Fire at 1/500. You should see a diagonal line running top to bottom as the shutter fires. This would narrow, less than 3mm wide. It should be of the same width top to bottom. If the top or bottom part of this strip looks wider, the shutter is not running evenly and will expose frames with one part lighter than the others. Do the same for 1/200, 1/100, and 1/60.

Be careful when removing or mounting the lens. When you remove the lens, set it to its minimum focus first (i.e, 1 mtr) before unthreading it. The lens must also be at 1 mtr when it's being mounted. This is necessary to prevent the lens RF cam from fouling up the camera's RF sensor tip.

Check also if the camera's RF focuses right at infinity AND 1 mtr settings.

Jay
 
brachal said:
Also, you should always advance the film/cock the shutter before changing shutter speeds. Failure to do so may damage the shutter or cause it to behave badly for a few shots. Not everybody agrees that this is necessary for the FED-2, but it certainly is for some other FEDs. Why take the chance?
Click to expand...
It is my understanding that any camera whose shutter speed dial turns when the shutter is fired, a catagory in which the Fed2 is included, should be treated in this manner.
 
maiko9 said:
It is my understanding that any camera whose shutter speed dial turns when the shutter is fired, a catagory in which the Fed2 is included, should be treated in this manner.
Click to expand...
This has been discussed to death in other threads. Of the FEDs and Zorkis, if the camera has a one-piece dial and a fixed index mark (most do) you cannot tell what speed is set until you cock the shutter, so it's pointless even trying. On cameras with slow speeds there is a risk of damaging the mechanism if you set before cocking.

If the camera has a 2-piece dial and a rotating index mark it's perfectly ok to set before OR after. The FED 2 does have this 2-piece dial (except, I think some VERY early models), as do the the Zorki C, 2, 2C, 5 and 6. The Zorki 6 manual explicitly states that the shutter may be set before cocking if desired.

This "rule" has mainly come about because many people own several FSUs, so it's a simpler habit to set after cocking and avoid having to remember if it's allowed or not, when using a particular model.

Additionally, you need to force things to break the mechanism and most people are smarter than to try force when there's obviously a problem. On almost all models, for instance, the manuals warn you not to pass between 1/500 and B (or 1 second and 1/30 on slow-speed equipped models). Doing this would require you to break a small pin in the mechanism and only a clumsy person would use enough force but the manual has to cater for all users!
 
Hi guys, today the FED-2 camera arrived, finally.

It looks and feels good, BUT: There is no take-up spool inside, only the fitting for it.:bang:

So, who leads me to a trustful - European, better: German - seller who has this small thing.

Help:angel:

*edito*: This is what the camera looks like:
IMG_4031.jpg

IMG_4030.jpg

IMG_4028.jpg


Can one turn the ring for "diaphragm" or is it fixed? What does it tell me?
 
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