FED-S arrived from the Ukraine

[hammerman]

howdy campers! my FED-S arrived yesterday after a five and a bit week wait from the Ukraine. not an issue but now i know how long to wait next time. i'm having some teething problems. it is clean and the shutter speeds work pretty accurately i think, according to my finely tuned ear. even up to the 1/1000 shutter speed which seems to travel fast. not sure if i'll use it, though.

i'm having probs tracking the film onto the takeup spool. not sure how far in to push the takeup spool to allow sprocket tracking on the film. i have run two rolls of XP2 through it just to find i have ripped the film and either it is not winding on, in one instance, or it ripped loose when i finally wound back from the end of the roll. lost both, which is no hazard as i was just playing. but still a waste of film in one respect.

the other interesting thing is i put my CV Ultron 28/1.9 onto the body and the barrel markings for focal length and focus are on the bottom of the camera when fully screwed on! not an issue but an anomoly.

can anyone tell me if the focus tracking is coupled? there is a split image in the rangefinder which moves but i don't know it it will focus. it is sunny spring here in Oz so i can use DOF on the bottoms-up barrel.

any hints on the camera? no manual, though. i'm hoping it'll sort itself out. looks a fun glove box camera.

cheers,

dj in oz

 

[hammerman]

cheers, sitemystic. even with the barrel markings at the bottom i can still use it. when i focus to infinity, though, i get a split image not aligned. i'll run this roll through and see what happens. ta.

dj

 

[xayraa33]

is the lens mount on the camera attached 180 degrees out?
have you put on any other lenses on the camera and got the same results?

 

[hammerman]

had a similar thought, xayraa33. when i took the threaded ring off it has a part of it milled out to accommodate the overlap of it onto over the top plate of the camera body casing which means it can not be turned over. bummah, eh? but thanks. i may play a bit more. i have a jeweller friend in melbourne who may be able to mill it out for me.

ta.

dj

 

[hammerman]

right, i made a paper gasket to accommodate the milled out section and turned the ring over, attached it and the lens now sits with the barrel upright like a grown up camera. i'll finish this roll of film to see if there are any leaks.

then the next problem is how to adjust the pressure plate. it won't allow the film at the cassette end slide into its travel groove at the bottom of the camera. i have to load it manually with the lens off and the shutter open and slide the film into place with my fingers. awkward and slow, to say the least. not worried aobut how many shots i lose on a roll but i would eventually like to just lock and load with ease.

looks kinda pro with the CV 28 1.9 on it. any pressure plate suggestions out there?

ta.

dj must do something with the rest of this spring sunday...

 

[okto]

What is a FED-S? The Google doesn't know anything about it.

 

[wolves3012]

What is a FED-S? The Google doesn't know anything about it.

A FED S is a FED 1 with 1/1000 added and an f/2 FED lens.

 

[wolves3012]

right, i made a paper gasket to accommodate the milled out section and turned the ring over, attached it and the lens now sits with the barrel upright like a grown up camera. i'll finish this roll of film to see if there are any leaks.

then the next problem is how to adjust the pressure plate. it won't allow the film at the cassette end slide into its travel groove at the bottom of the camera. i have to load it manually with the lens off and the shutter open and slide the film into place with my fingers. awkward and slow, to say the least. not worried aobut how many shots i lose on a roll but i would eventually like to just lock and load with ease.

looks kinda pro with the CV 28 1.9 on it. any pressure plate suggestions out there?

ta.

dj must do something with the rest of this spring sunday...

If you've added a paper gasket you will have ruined the focus by moving the mount away from the film. It's unlikely to focus to infinity and the lens scale and RF will be off. If you really must have the scale right-way up on the CV, get the mount milled to allow it upside down - this will, of course, make the standard lens mount wrongly.

Don't do the fingers-in-mount film loading! You are liable to damage the pressure plate and its springs. Are you cutting a "Leica leader"? If so it should not be difficult to load, with a little care and practice. See the thread on loading in the LTM section of the forum.

It's nothing unusual for non-original lenses to mount with scales in odd places. If the RF is set up properly you really don't *need* to see the scale all that much.

Enjoy the FED!

 

[hammerman]

makes sense, wolves, good point. have gone halfway through the film so i'll see what transpires with the paper episodes. i will contact my mate in melbourne to see if i can have a new mount made with the milling on the 180 degree side so no loss in focal length to film. is a good point you raise so we'll see. happy to report when there is something to report. fun to play, though. a weekend camera, to be sure. jobs are jobs and dig videos and the DSLRs take over for the weekday crust to pay for the weekend indulgences. fortunately no "trouble-and-strife" to take the fun out of it, however the mother of the inheritees has spoken already today about my indulgences. back to the shiraz, i say...!

dj

 

[xayraa33]

All Fed 1 types except for the last Fed 1 type g used a thread mount that is not 100% compatable with Leica thread mount lenses.
only period Fed lenses matched to this camera will work properly on it, like the 50mm f2 Fed lens that you mentioned.

 

[hammerman]

just FYI i got a roll of film processed with the CV 28/1.9 on the FED-S with the lens attachment ring screwed on upside down. yes, it does sit a bit skew, maybe half a mil (a fair bit) but at f8+ and using DOF focusing all my images came out sharp and not distorted to the point it would show in an exhibition. i have printed A3 landscape from a full frame and it is fine. but i agree with Wolves...it isn't really kosher and shouldn't be recomended. i'll get a new ring milled.

cheers, all. dj in oz