Fed 2 or Fed 5 or Zorki 4 ? Undecided - please help.

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chadavox

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Hi,

I'm new to film photography and I never use a rangefinder before.
I somehow got a Leica Minilux - love it, my only film camera. And now,
I am intending to get myself a RF which is not as expensive as the
Leica's or the Bessa R. So my quest for my own version of poor man's Lecia has got me into shortlisting these RF:

1) Yashica Electro 35 GSN
2) Canon Canonet QL17 GIII
3) Olympus 35 RD
4) FED 5 (Heard Industar-61 LD is a very sharp lens)
5) FED 2
6) Zorki 4 (heard Jupiter 8 lens is great too)

And now, I'm in the middle of nowhere. I don't know which one to choose.
I have read that the Russians RF are better than the Japanese RF I mentioned up there. So I have finally decided to get myself the FEDs or the Zorki 4 and still, I don't know which one is the best.

People said FED 2 is better than FED 5 but why ? And somehow, people also said the lens that come with FED 5 i.e. Industar-61 LD is better. But most people prefer Zorki 4 than the FED. And then, there's Zorki 4 , 4k , FED 5, 5b and 5c. Hmmm......

Can Industar-61LD fit into a FED 2 and also a Zorki 4? Can a Jupiter 8 fit into a FED2 and FED5 ? But most importantly, can someone help me to recommend a RF that can take good pictures with sharp lens ?

I have been reading out a lot of these stuff and checking them out in ebay. It seems I can't stop. I even spent most of my time doing that in work. I think I'm going to get fired soon. Even if I get lucky, I'm sure I will be going nuts soon. Please save me from this misery. Thank you all
 
i think it is best to take fed 2, because it has simplest mechanism so chances to get good one are better. dont worry about lens quality, they are all nice. take simplest camera fed2 or canonet ql17 , see if you like it, and what you need. maybe you will need slow speeds (fed slowest is 1/30) , maybe you will need fast lens, or wide lens or... but you shouldn't think about that before using. now just buy most affordable and shoot few rolls to see if it fits you. ;) and also it would be smart to buy it from rff member because you will be sure it will work ok. just search classifieds.


edit: i saw another question - industar 61 fits on zorkis also, and jupiter fits on feds.
 
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I was facing the same dilemma a few months ago, but when I saw how cheap these cameras are, I bought one of each.- FED2, 3 and 5 and a Zorki 4K. I kept the FED 2 and Zorki because I simply couldn't (and still cannot) decide; they each have their own merits. The 3 and 5 were both very competent and the 3 with its 61L/D lens took the best, sharpest pictures, but was lacking in 'soul' somehow. Funny thing, I bought the cameras directly from e-bay sellers in The Ukraine and Russia and when I sold the FED 3 and 5 locally on ebay here in Paris) I got much more for them; enough in fact to pay for all four!
 
I recommend the Fed 2, its lacks slow speeds but is is a great camera to use. See if you can get one with the Industar 26M (a great lens similair to the 61L) The collapsible Fed 3,5 lens makes the camera more pocketable.
When working properly the Fed 2 is a very smooth camera.

Remember you buy a 40 or 50 year old camera, and cameras (even Leicas) need to be checked and serviced now and then to work properly. If it doesn't work as it should, don't hesitate to have it serviced.
 
I own three of the cameras listed. At this rate Ill have the other three by the end of the year...

The canonet can be had cheap if your not afraid of doing a little cleaning. I use one as my low light shooter. The rest of the time I use my Fed2 with the collapsible 50mm, its very sharp but its downside (nitpicking here) is the 3.5 aperture. The Yashica electro is another great camera but it requires a battery to operate, its been losing service time since I switched to using an external meter.

Im very happy with the canonet but sometimes I want a low profile camera thats easy to put away. I bought the Fed2 hoping to use one or the other, in the end my bag now has both of them along with my medium format camera. So much for saving weight...
 
Take a look at the the sticky thread "Selecting an FSU", it may help you decide what features you want. Of the ones on your shortlist I'd probably take the Zorki 4 first since it has the most features, the FED 2 second since it's just a lovely camera and the FED 5 last since it's ugly (personal opinion) and big and often isn't very well made.
 
Pick one or the other because eventually you will try them all and decide which you like best......or keep them all. :)

Fed 2 with Jupiter 8 is a great start. Buy some Tri X to go with it!
 
Do I have to use a lightmeter along with Zorki 4 ? Is it a neccesary item since the RF doesn't has a built in lightmeter ?
 
I think we should introduce a little bit of order here, which other friends may correct or dispute.

You have posted this thread to the Former Soviet Union cameras subforum of RFF. Therefore I am not surprised not a single word has been said in favour, nor even about, the Japanese cameras you mentioned. I will try to balance it a bit.

But before that, the starting point should not be, in my opinion the procedence of the camera but other very relevant issues.

All the FSU cameras you mentioned, carry the estrategic advantage that they are system cameras, i, e, you may add other lenses beyond the standard one.

All the FSU cameras you mentioned carry the disadvantage of lacking any kind of light meter, besides one Fed 5 model which carries a sellenium cell meter. A selenium cel meter of the kind found at the Fed 5, is a very limited light meter - in case it will be working at all.

Now let's review your Japanese list. The first feature of your list, jumping to my eyes is the unclear selection, for which I don't blame you. So I would like to introduce a kind of order there.

In your Japanese list there are extraorinary cameras, but there other no less good camera missing. What all of these cameras have in common is being single lens cameras. This is the first factor to consider.

During the sixties appeared many legendary single lens models, to which the Yashica Electro you mention belongs, which as a very general common denominator they all are rather big, compared to what followed. This may be for you either an advantage or a mis-advantage.

The Yashica Electros are a rather special cathegory in itself, for not allowing you control of the shutter speed, which is automatic. No reason to desperate since other very nice features are present in this cameras

However, if speaking about big cameras of the sixties, with auto AND manual exposure and outstanding lens, we must add to the list the Konica auto S2, and the Yashicas that preceded the Electro series, the Yashica Lynx series- with their many variations for you to search. Most of these models are not sold in working condition and will require a fixer.There are also a series of Minoltas, the HI MATIC series, but I personally am not knowledgeble about them, as a kind of hole in my mind, and not for the cameras being inferior,

In terms of price, all the Japanese models mentioned so far are quite close and at the cheaper end. For $50 and below you have great chances to own a very good working model.

Now we have a further evolution in the seventies making a series of much more compact cameras, to which the Olympus RC belongs, besides the Konica Auto S3, and a the Minolta 7SII

These models are very very compact, perhaps too much compact for the hand, depending on each one's hand, but very practical at some opportunities - not to speak about their lens excellency. These compacts are sold around the $ 150

Finnally there are two unique cameras in between to be conwsidered too. One is the Canonet you mention, bringing a full package of features, exellent lens, medium size and weight between the sixties and the compacts - and as a bonus a not so crazy price. For around $ 100 you must get a fully working model. For around $ 50 you may be taking a risk. A risk is a risk - not suicide.

the last cameras to be mentioned dwell on the most expensive end: The Olympus RD and the Olympus SP. I will not extend here, but limit myself to state that many will swear their higher price is related to their optics being even more outstanding than the others, previously mentioned. This assertion is very much disputed. What is not disputed is their higher price, around $250 and up.

Ok, I hope to have made some order, although with many holes in between.

Cheers,
Ruben
 
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I think most here have gone through the same dilema, at one time or another.... I know I did. At one time, I used only the Japanese RF's but, eventually I got my first FSU RF, a very nice FED 3 with Industar 61-LD. Fell in love with it almost immediately, with it's ease of handeling and great results with it's fantastic lens. Then came a FED 2 with the Industar 26..... Another "winner". By then the Electro 35GSN, Minolta 7S and my Konica S2 were getting a lot of "shelf time" and, I sold my Canon QL-17. I still used my Konica C35 quite a lot because it is a very light, quick handeling, inexpensive RF that gives great results. Eventually I added the Zorki 4, FED 1, Zorki C, Kiev 4 and on and on until, now I have, at last count, 20 FSU cameras. My favorite, top three "users" though, I would rate as follows:
1. FED 2 with Industar 26M (Very nice looking, fast handeling, easy back-loading and built like a tank)
2. FED 3 with Industar 61 LD (Not too pretty but, fast handeling, easy back-loading, built like a tank and best results from 61 LD)
3. FED 1 with FED 3.5 collapsible lens (BEST looking, fast handeling, NOT too easy bottom loader, smaller and more compact with collapsible lens and great results with FED 3.5... It's also built like a tank)

I must admit, that I usually carry my Konica C35 along. It is absolutely my favorite for those times when it is "now or never" or just making a quick "snapshot".....

Final "warning".... "collecting" is ALWAYS a danger!
Final "suggestion".... Get them all :)

Frank
 
Let me begin, by stating both the Canonet QL17 GIII and Electro 35 have a couple of features you won't find in a Soviet 35mm RF camera.

* Viewfinder with frames lines
* Built-in light meter for an automatic exposure mode.

The fly in the ointment for the Canonet and Yashica Electro 35 is that one has to find a suitable replacement battery - because the original mercury oxide cells are long out of production.

The Olympus 35 RD is fine camera - but way too expensive and it will most definitely need a $100 service before it is even usable. It too used a mercury oxide cell to power the meter for its AE mode.

chadavox said:
People said FED 2 is better than FED 5 but why ?
Click to expand...

Every FED 3, 4, and 5 is based on the FED 2 platform. The FED 2 is generally more compact than its successors. It retains the feel and hand-hold of an old Leica II. It's robust build inspires more confidence than the tinny trim on a FED 5.

More importantly, the FED 2 features a wider base-length between the RF and viewfinder window than its successors. In short, - with the exception of the Kiev, Leningrad, Zorki 5 and 6 - it has the ability to focus more accurately than the later Soviet 35mm RF LTM cameras.

The reasons people outgrow the FED 2 are its limited number of shutter speeds and for a camera with a better viewfinder.
 
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The Industar 61 LD as does any Soviet LTM lens will mount a FED 2. Each lens yields its own signature with regards to ascetics. That's the beauty of interchangeable lenses.
 
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