eli griggs
Well-known
I picked up my cameras from the post office this morning. Sovietepoch, or Alex as some here know him, had placed two cardboard boxes taped together inside a loose canvas sack with a tight, protecting weave and sewn it neatly with black thread. The sewn seams of the sack were carrying six brown wax seals, deeply impressed with official stamps and the man behind the counter whom fetched my parcel told me he had never seen a package like this in all his time as a postal worker.
It took me a while to open the sack as I cut the seams free and deal with the seals. The wax is gritty on the inside and, if you receive such a thing, be sure to open it on a surface that will not be damaged by crumbling seals. Inside the boxes, which were taped together for safety, the cameras rested inside their Eveready cases, surrounded by sheets of Styrofoam. The packing has many loose bits and the static causes them to cling to everything; beware or bring a cat!
My first impression is generally a good one. The cameras are as depicted on the eB*y site and are reasonable clean. None of the shutter curtains have pin holes and there are no real surprises. I have been reading a while on the subject of FED cameras and am mentally prepared to learn/do work on them as needed. One reason I bought six at one time was economical, I could not afford to buy these one at a time and pay the high shipping fees that would entail, so I decided to push up the odds of my getting some working cameras, while combing shipping for the discount. Any resemblance to GAS is purely coincidental.
The FED 5B, FED 3A and FED 3B seem to be right on, with shutter speeds that appear correct and the rangefinder of the 3A only needs a touch on the vertical adjustment.
To my untrained eyes, it seems I have FEDs 2D, 2E and 2F.
The 2D needs a vertical adjustment, and the doppler lever springs back in the extreme forward position when I try to set it. The shutter wants to hang-up at 500 and feels weak. This will need work. Does anyone know of good directions/ web site for adjusting the tension?
The E has no Doppler lever and the viewfinder is a blur. I will try to adjust the viewfinder H &V and see if that helps. The right rear of the back moves downward more than I like and I wonder if I can adjust the locking screw. If anyone can share any info on cures for this, I’d like to hear them. The shutter is very crisp and has authority; I like it.
The F has the nylon cover and raised flash shoe. The shutter is softer on this than on the other cameras, including the other 5B I already had but the speeds appear correct. The rewind selector knob will not lock down in the rewind position and so needs fixing. This camera and the 3A and newer 5B look to me well cared for and are in excellent condition.
Alex also included a free, round plastic lens hood that needs a bit of tighten and a nice 40.5 mm1,4x yellow filter with black, padded lens case. He also gave me a magnifying 40.5 filter marked only 1+. How I use it with these cameras I haven’t a clue. I am grateful though, that he sent it.
Two of the six lenses carry dent free filter ring, and comprise of a 61 L/D, two panda 61s, and three 26ms. The glass seems good on all of these and I’ll try to put the threads right and relube as needed, not that all need it.
All-in all, everything is as it appeared on sovietepochs’ pages and I am going to go ahead and recommend him to whomever cares to listen. The shipping was fast; he sent things out on the 24th of Nov and they arrived on the 7th. I will buy from him again without hesitation.
Any tips on dealing with these camera repair issues, other than sending them out to Oleg or other repair person, will be welcomed.
Cheers,
Eli
It took me a while to open the sack as I cut the seams free and deal with the seals. The wax is gritty on the inside and, if you receive such a thing, be sure to open it on a surface that will not be damaged by crumbling seals. Inside the boxes, which were taped together for safety, the cameras rested inside their Eveready cases, surrounded by sheets of Styrofoam. The packing has many loose bits and the static causes them to cling to everything; beware or bring a cat!
My first impression is generally a good one. The cameras are as depicted on the eB*y site and are reasonable clean. None of the shutter curtains have pin holes and there are no real surprises. I have been reading a while on the subject of FED cameras and am mentally prepared to learn/do work on them as needed. One reason I bought six at one time was economical, I could not afford to buy these one at a time and pay the high shipping fees that would entail, so I decided to push up the odds of my getting some working cameras, while combing shipping for the discount. Any resemblance to GAS is purely coincidental.
The FED 5B, FED 3A and FED 3B seem to be right on, with shutter speeds that appear correct and the rangefinder of the 3A only needs a touch on the vertical adjustment.
To my untrained eyes, it seems I have FEDs 2D, 2E and 2F.
The 2D needs a vertical adjustment, and the doppler lever springs back in the extreme forward position when I try to set it. The shutter wants to hang-up at 500 and feels weak. This will need work. Does anyone know of good directions/ web site for adjusting the tension?
The E has no Doppler lever and the viewfinder is a blur. I will try to adjust the viewfinder H &V and see if that helps. The right rear of the back moves downward more than I like and I wonder if I can adjust the locking screw. If anyone can share any info on cures for this, I’d like to hear them. The shutter is very crisp and has authority; I like it.
The F has the nylon cover and raised flash shoe. The shutter is softer on this than on the other cameras, including the other 5B I already had but the speeds appear correct. The rewind selector knob will not lock down in the rewind position and so needs fixing. This camera and the 3A and newer 5B look to me well cared for and are in excellent condition.
Alex also included a free, round plastic lens hood that needs a bit of tighten and a nice 40.5 mm1,4x yellow filter with black, padded lens case. He also gave me a magnifying 40.5 filter marked only 1+. How I use it with these cameras I haven’t a clue. I am grateful though, that he sent it.
Two of the six lenses carry dent free filter ring, and comprise of a 61 L/D, two panda 61s, and three 26ms. The glass seems good on all of these and I’ll try to put the threads right and relube as needed, not that all need it.
All-in all, everything is as it appeared on sovietepochs’ pages and I am going to go ahead and recommend him to whomever cares to listen. The shipping was fast; he sent things out on the 24th of Nov and they arrived on the 7th. I will buy from him again without hesitation.
Any tips on dealing with these camera repair issues, other than sending them out to Oleg or other repair person, will be welcomed.
Cheers,
Eli
