Fed 3 Focusing problem, help!

[juliagillard]

I recently bought a FED 3 on eBay, an exact copy of one that I already own and love that has a light leek that I have tried to have fixed a number of times, unsuccessfully. So, I bought this other FED and when I got it in the mail I realized that there was no way for me to focus the camera. The focusing ring is smooth and moves uninhibited but there is no movement of the prism inside the viewfinder, so I cannot line things up. Is there a way to fix this without taking the camera into the shop? I am not sure what connects the focusing ring to the prism but thought I would see if anyone out there knew of a trick that I don't. Thanks.

 

[David Murphy]

Julia. My advice is the spend the money to get a quality Japanese or German rangefinder. Expect to spend $150 and up for an interchangeable lens rangefinder body that works well and is well made. I can't count the number of posts like yours where members spend good money repeatedly on broken FSU cameras, only to be dissapointed. The bottom line is they are not reliable and cause a lot of frustration. They are a good case study of why the Soviet Union failed economically (mass produced low-quality goods). They DO have a cult following, and I think all the Web sites out there promoting them as something they are not is part of the problem.

(By the way I've owned several, and every single one had at least one issue major or minor -- usually major)

 

[payasam]

Where are you located, Julia? If in the U.S.A., www.fedka.com sells dependable products and also offers a repair service. Ignore blanket denunciations of the products of any place, any period. I have bought not one but two M Leicas that had major problems. One of them came from a person well known on this forum and highly regarded by many.

 

[pakeha]

Julia, have a look at the link below, it is slow to load sometimes, scroll to first picture, ignore click to fed/zorki. The first series is fed3. Also look at the thread from `wolves' in the sticky list of FSU
regards
CW

http://rick_oleson.tripod.com/index-58.html

oh and a quick look at a few other areas here reveals the following

LEICA LTM, 16 problem threads first 5 pages
LEICA M 14 " " " " "
FSU 9
YASHICA 10 only 2 pages
CANON 9 only 3 pages

 

[fanshaw]

Julia
Obviously if the camera was supposed to be in working order your best option is to end it back for a refund. However you could investigate the reason for the fault.
The first thing I would do is to check the reason for the non-working rangefinder. If you unscrew the lens you should see a cylinder at the rear move in or out as you turn the focus ring. It is unlikely that this is the problem, but it should be checked. The cylinder bears on an arm that you can see at the top of the lens mount opening on the camera body. If you push the arm gently with a finger it should move and spring back. Look through the viewfinder and gently push the arm. You should see the rangefinder spot move as you move the arm.

The Fed-3 is a very reliable camera and I would not be put off getting another just because this one is not working properly. I have used and sold more than a few and I have not had any problems like this.

 

[Steve M.]

As David so correctly stated, chalk it off to experience and get a better camera. Blanket pronouncements are OK sometimes. I wouldn't buy a Ford Pinto on a bet, nor a Chevy Vega. These losers were awful cars, and no matter what you fixed, in the Pinto's case, you still had a potentially exploding car. Not good!

I just got a camera back from FEDKA and after $125 for a CLA and a shutter replacement it still has light leaks, a badly operating shutter, and a misaligned RF. As for the M cameras, yes, these cameras are very old. If you buy one expect to have it overhauled, as you would w/ most any 50 or 60 year old camera. If you just want a reliable body for the least amount of money, buy a Bessa R. Not the best build quality in the world, but usually dead reliable and has a nice meter in it. There are people that manage to find good Russian cameras, but the odds are against you. Play the percentages.

 

[batterytypehah!]

As expected, your question has already elicited blanket condemnations of everything not German (or at least Japanese), and a quick and handy analysis of the reasons for the Soviet Union's downfall.

All this while nobody is taking the time to ask what lens you have.

Yes, we have some really helpful photographic experts on this forum. I advise you wait for those to join the thread.

 

[David Murphy]

As expected, your question has already elicited blanket condemnations of everything not German (or at least Japanese), and a quick and handy analysis of the reasons for the Soviet Union's downfall.

All this while nobody is taking the time to ask what lens you have.

Yes, we have some really helpful photographic experts on this forum. I advise you wait for those to join the thread.

Your statement is ridiculous. Japan, Germany, and Russia are the only countries that mass produced and exported cameras on a large scale in recent history, so if we don't support Russian Cameras, that leaves Japan and Germany! Manufacturing standards are high in Japan and Germany. What we are seeing, as in every thread of this type, are what I call FSU cultists coming out of the woodwork in defense of these novelties. Yes novelties - fine for collecting and tinkering with, but pretty useless as serious photographic tools.

Incidentally, East German cameras are also of very uneven quality at best, and many are downright awful. I've never seen a Praktica SLR made after about 1965 that did not have a problem of some sort (usually they are completely broken by now). The Exakta's (an SLR) are also marginally practical and usually have problems, although they are fun to own if you can find one that works. After years of trying, I finally threw in the towel on using Praktina's, which were supposedly the flagship Eastern European Pro Quality SLR. I'd have them repaired, and six months later they'd break again. So when I recommend German cameras I mean West Germany or the new Germany. There is no doubt that the quality of manufactured goods can be correlated generally with the country of origin.

I won't even begin to describe the quality control issues I've seen with Soviet cameras. Some are so bad it's really funny, but what a horror to imagine living in a society where all consumer goods are like that.

 

[rxmd]

I won't even begin to describe the quality control issues I've seen with Soviet cameras. Some are so bad it's really funny, but what a horror to imagine living in a society where all consumer goods are like that.

You get used to it.

Nowadays people buy cheap Chinese imports and say "things aren't like they used to be, now there's only this Chinese junk, back then when the Soviet Union was still around at least we had quality products". I had this conversation literally hundreds of times.

 

[Davidin10003]

Julia, hey's it's David from the diner last night. Looks like you found the RFF. Hopefully some of these folks will be able to help, or at least point you in the right direction. Keep us posted!
David

 

[David Hughes]

Welcome aboard Julia, I'm afraid there are a lot of people out there who hate ex-USSR cameras and who will tell you they are nbg. My opinion is that we are talking about a second-hand camera that was made about 50 years ago and heaven only knows what has or hasn't been done to it.

Luckily a lot of good firms repair them and a lot of people on this forum will be happy to help you with your problem. And you'll find a lot of people praise the lens.

As for repairs, just be thankful you haven't a German camera. I was quoted UK £258 to sort out a lens last year and they wanted UK £45 from me to pay for the quotation etc. BTW, I didn't think there was anything wrong with the lens, it just happened to be on the camera when I took it in for a quote...

As for Russian quality, it's takes more than one old camera to carry much weight if you think about it. A lot of us have been using them happily since the 60's alongside Leicas and so on but without the huge repair bills. All cameras need servicing from time to time and the longer they go without the worse the problem will become. It's nothing to do with the makers after a few years but more to do with the owners and repairers.

Just a thought, the RF is powered by the lens moving a little piece of metal that juts out in the top centre of the hole the lens screws into. It can be adjusted by turning but someone could have over adjusted it or else twisted it off. If over-adjusted it may not be making contact with the lens.

Equally it could be there but too far down (ie towards the centre) they are usually about a millimetre or two from the screw thread.

If you locate it and give it a gentle push towards the back of the camera, whilst looking through the eyepiece (without the lens in place), the RF central image should move about. There's advice about adjusting it yourself but if you can take it back to the shop, then I'd advise it. Especially if you are armed with the knowledge of what's wrong.

Regards, David

 

[payasam]

For starters, Julia, you might hold the camera down on a table top and unscrew the lens by gripping it at its base (where it meets the camera body) and turning anti-clockwise. That's the only way you can see the parts to which others have pointed you. On a table top, so that nothing falls to the floor.

 

[pakeha]

Your statement is ridiculous. Japan, Germany, and Russia are the only countries that mass produced and exported cameras on a large scale in recent history, so if we don't support Russian Cameras, that leaves Japan and Germany! Manufacturing standards are high in Japan and Germany. What we are seeing, as in every thread of this type, are what I call FSU cultists coming out of the woodwork in defense of these novelties. Yes novelties - fine for collecting and tinkering with, but pretty useless as serious photographic tools.

Incidentally, East German cameras are also of very uneven quality at best, and many are downright awful. I've never seen a Praktica SLR made after about 1965 that did not have a problem of some sort (usually they are completely broken by now). The Exakta's (an SLR) are also marginally practical and usually have problems, although they are fun to own if you can find one that works. After years of trying, I finally threw in the towel on using Praktina's, which were supposedly the flagship Eastern European Pro Quality SLR. I'd have them repaired, and six months later they'd break again. So when I recommend German cameras I mean West Germany or the new Germany. There is no doubt that the quality of manufactured goods can be correlated generally with the country of origin.

I won't even begin to describe the quality control issues I've seen with Soviet cameras. Some are so bad it's really funny, but what a horror to imagine living in a society where all consumer goods are like that.

I think you missed this so i`ll repeat

oh and a quick look at a few other areas here reveals the following

LEICA LTM, 16 problem threads first 5 pages
LEICA M 14 " " " " "
FSU 9
YASHICA 10 only 2 pages
CANON 9 only 3 pages

Next time someone asks for asstitance, see you have something constructive to help them with their problem,if not leave it to those that can.
You assume the OP has no knowledge.
Also , the list is much, much longer than that old cliche the Pinto.
CW

 

[batterytypehah!]

Your statement is ridiculous. Japan, Germany, and Russia are the only countries that mass produced and exported cameras on a large scale in recent history, so if we don't support Russian Cameras, that leaves Japan and Germany! Manufacturing standards are high in Japan and Germany. What we are seeing, as in every thread of this type, are what I call FSU cultists coming out of the woodwork in defense of these novelties. Yes novelties - fine for collecting and tinkering with, but pretty useless as serious photographic tools.

Incidentally, East German cameras are also of very uneven quality at best, and many are downright awful. I've never seen a Praktica SLR made after about 1965 that did not have a problem of some sort (usually they are completely broken by now). The Exakta's (an SLR) are also marginally practical and usually have problems, although they are fun to own if you can find one that works. After years of trying, I finally threw in the towel on using Praktina's, which were supposedly the flagship Eastern European Pro Quality SLR. I'd have them repaired, and six months later they'd break again. So when I recommend German cameras I mean West Germany or the new Germany. There is no doubt that the quality of manufactured goods can be correlated generally with the country of origin.

I won't even begin to describe the quality control issues I've seen with Soviet cameras. Some are so bad it's really funny, but what a horror to imagine living in a society where all consumer goods are like that.

Your response is so utterly besides the point I was making that it's not even funny anymore. You have a nerve to call my statement ridiculous, pal.

I take exception to being called a cultist.

I have better things to do than to worry about the rest of your pathological post.

 

[wolves3012]

Julia. My advice is the spend the money to get a quality Japanese or German rangefinder. Expect to spend $150 and up for an interchangeable lens rangefinder body that works well and is well made. I can't count the number of posts like yours where members spend good money repeatedly on broken FSU cameras, only to be dissapointed. The bottom line is they are not reliable and cause a lot of frustration. They are a good case study of why the Soviet Union failed economically (mass produced low-quality goods). They DO have a cult following, and I think all the Web sites out there promoting them as something they are not is part of the problem.

(By the way I've owned several, and every single one had at least one issue major or minor -- usually major)

Why oh why does this attitude keep coming up? I have a problem with my Lieca - advice: buy a Nikon. I have a problem with my Nikon: buy a Bessa, I have a problem with my FSU: buy anything else ad nauseam.

This is not helping the OP at all. They've asked for help in sorting a problem. The advice of buyng something else does NOT contribute to solving the problem! Additionally, buying a body from Nikon, Canon etc does not help - a lens is needed as well!

Undoubtedly there is a lot of FSU junk out there, tinkered with, codged from parts bodies and unserviced, worn out rubbish. There are also good, reliable examples and those that have been properly cared for ARE reliable - I have numerous examples in such condition.

 

[wolves3012]

I recently bought a FED 3 on eBay, an exact copy of one that I already own and love that has a light leek that I have tried to have fixed a number of times, unsuccessfully. So, I bought this other FED and when I got it in the mail I realized that there was no way for me to focus the camera. The focusing ring is smooth and moves uninhibited but there is no movement of the prism inside the viewfinder, so I cannot line things up. Is there a way to fix this without taking the camera into the shop? I am not sure what connects the focusing ring to the prism but thought I would see if anyone out there knew of a trick that I don't. Thanks.

To make a more useful contribution to your problem:

First, check what others have said, does moving the RF pickup arm make the images move?
Second - what lens is on the camera? It could be the wrong lens with no coupling-cam (some 39mm lenses were meant for SLRs and have no cam). The cam might also be missing the arm if the arm is bent. Taking the lens off and looking at the camera and the lens will show how the mechanics work, it's very simple in operation.

Find the cause of the problem and you're halfway there.

 

[David Murphy]

I've really not gotten involved in these sort of threads over the merits of FSU and East German cameras before, but I think I've had enough direct experience with them to comment with some authority. (And by the way to the previous poster, no slight intended, I'm just tying to enjoy a spirited debate. By cultist I mean in the sense of a devoted hobbyist, obviously not like a cult member in a religious sense - this is an expression in English.)

Here's the one thing that really gets me about so many of these cameras I've seen. I can recall only one FSU camera that I film tested (and I've film tested several) that did not at least on some occasion leak light. Either I've had the most remarkable lack of bad luck, or most of them leak light to a greater or lessor extent. It's not that Leica's or Canon's don't ever leak light, its just much less common. The ability of a camera design to be inherently light-tight is really very, very fundamental!

I think a lot of the desire for FSU owners to hold their cameras up as something special comes from a certain angst about the cost of Leica and other prestigious brands. They view this expense as sort of an unnecessary consequence of elitist collectors (etc.). There is certainly some truth to this, but the fact is that most of this cost is the actual cost of functionality and usability. They also take a lot of pride in having overcome the often extensive problems of acquiring and getting their body and lens kits onto working condition, and so of course become sensitive to criticism.

As to the original poster, here is some practical and specific advice of interchangeable lens rangefinders I could recommend that are reasonably priced for what they are. They are typically found in working condition:

Canon 7, P, L, L3, IV-L, Vt (and similar models)
Canon III or II series (make sure the shutter and curtains are good before purchase)
Leica II, III series (ditto regarding shutter curtains)
Bessa R, R2, R2M, R3M
Leica M2, M3, M4-P

There are a few others I've probably missed.

 

[radi(c)al_cam]

(...) FSU cultists coming out of the woodwork (...)

Aha, Mr Murphy.

It's already very OT, but statements like the one above are really impertinent.

 

[batterytypehah!]

And by the way to the previous poster, no slight intended, I'm just tying to enjoy a spirited debate. By cultist I mean in the sense of a devoted hobbyist, obviously not like a cult member in a religious sense - this is an expression in English.

You manage to insult me more while you're pretending to apologize. I understand English very well, I'll have you know. Hint: Look at my location.

 

[David Murphy]

You manage to insult me more while you're pretending to apologize. I understand English very well, I'll have you know. Hint: Look at my location.

Being from New England does not necessarily mean you are a native English speaker (I lived there six years), but of course I believe you. You strike me as very aggressive and angry that's for sure. You seem determined to find offense in anything I say. You will probably even in this post, so what can I do.