FED Zarya

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I have just recently bought a FED Zarya with the Industar 26 lens. It should arrive in a few days. I bought it as I had heard it was a delight to use and, in fact, could not find a negative (pardon the pun) review of this camera.

Do any of you have experience with this camera? If so, I would like to hear from you.

Cheers
Peter
 
It is not a bad camera. What I did not like with it is that it is like a stripped down soviet rangefinder camera. I prefer the a Fed/Zorki, a Fed-2 with a collapsible lens, or a Zorki-4 with a Jupiter lens on it.
It is not a bad camera by any means, it is just that it looks to be a low budget version of a Fed-2.
It is a viewfinder camera and you will have to guess the distance to your subject and set the lens' focus accordingly. Other than that, it performs, feels and even sounds exactly like a Fed-2.
 
found an old thread on RFF with exactly same name :)) and not much information.

I gather it's sought after because it's rare.
 
I had one for a while, no complaints, a perfectly decent simplified version of the FED-2. My thinking was to use it with the Orion-15 28mm lens, as you rarely need to bother about range for that. Nothing wrong with the Zarya; in the event, I sold it and kept the FED-2, just to cut down the number of camera choices I have to make ;) .
 
I have a relatively rare blue Zarya, it's much prettier than your average rangefinder, it's basically a black box with a viewfinder and a shutter. Bare to bone.

It's ideal if you use a wide lens like a Jupiter 12 or a Orion 15 with an external finder and exploit the DOF of these lenses, but on a bright day with a fast film if you can close a normal 50 mm lens to f8 or more you can use it as a point and shoot, you compose and pull the trigger.

It's fun.
 
It is scale focusing camera instead of RF. FED-2 were affordable for most, but Zarya was made to be even more affordable.
How good you are at scale focusing with 50mm lens? As almost any lens, I26 is most interesting from 2.8 to 8.
And as with many FSU who knows what is real condition of the shutter...
Good luck and Cheers!
Ko.
 
I did good with mine until I fried the shutter.

FED Zarya/ Industar-26M/ Kodak T-Max 400

15527617320_2fbd6903c7_z.jpg

Chief by P F McFarland, on Flickr

PF
 
Simple Is Best

Simple Is Best

Thanks to all who replied.

Yes, I know it is a bare bones camera and that is the appeal. Estimating the distance for focus is not new to me as I have numerous 120 roll film folding cameras that require this.

One thing that Wulfthari mentioned, and I did not think of, was using a wide lens. Using the body as a dedicated wide angle camera really interests me. This being said what would I pay for an Orion 15 or Jupitar 12 and do they come with finders?

Cheers
Peter
 
ARCHIVIST said:
... what would I pay for an Orion 15 or Jupitar 12 and do they come with finders?

Cheers
Peter
Click to expand...
Completed ebay BuyItNow listings in the UK commonly lie between £100 and £200 for the Orion-15, most likely to be from the FSU e.g. Ukraine so you would have to take account of postage to wherever you are accordingly. The Jupiter-12 seem to be in the region of a quarter or a third of that - there is more choice for f=35mm.

They don't 'automatically' come with finders, although e.g. one of the FSU dealers might be able to supply both at the same time.
 
ARCHIVIST said:
One thing that Wulfthari mentioned, and I did not think of, was using a wide lens. Using the body as a dedicated wide angle camera really interests me. This being said what would I pay for an Orion 15 or Jupitar 12 and do they come with finders?

Cheers
Peter
Click to expand...

Pretty sure that today Zeiss Ikon and Bessas make "Zarya type" cameras, they call them "wide lens cameras", for instance this one, that is a normal Zeiss Ikon without rangefinder and viewfinder:

image.jpg


You can think about the Zarya like a camera of this type with an integrated 50mm viewfinder.

The Jupiter 12 is relatively cheap, the Orion not so much, KMZ at the time made an external 35 mm finder:

finder35metal_exc.jpg


Sometimes ebay sellers sell it in a package with a J-12, unfortunately it doesn't appear they made a 28 mm variant of it, so I assume if you have to use the Orion the best thing to do would be to use the famous Zeiss/KMZ turret that was meant to be used with the completed Soviet RF system: J-11,9, 8, 12 and Orion 15.
 
J-12 fair price is fifty bucks and you are usually will be able to find it locally or "locally".
Don't get fooled bt "white&old" J-12 superiorities over newer black ones. Just get the hood and it is very big difference is.

O-15 wasn't made in huge numbers, so even if it as bad as J-12 for handling you would have to pay 200+ for it.
Both lenses are good optically.

They don't come as kits with external VF, but some sellers will include primitive 35mm FSU VF with J-12.
I never seen FSU dedicated 28mm. They have "Viewfinder Universal" thing. Which is overpriced by ebay sellers. It is very good in its optical performance. But it is huge and heavy, at least to me. Two versions were made one for Zorky/FED another for Kievs. Both are "wrong" for cold shoe on Zarya.
To be honest, the best option will be with DIY VFs for 35 and 28mm. 28mm source for VF core will be plastic PS and for 35 some old broken japanese camera. Like Nikon AF.
DIY instructions are here:
http://jay.fedka.com/index_files/Page358.htm
 
It Arrived

It Arrived

My Zarya arrived today and cosmeticaaly it is near mint. All functions seems to work perfectly. I will put a roll through it over the weekend.

Were their any lenses wider than 28mm?

Cheers
Peter
 
The widest Russian/Soviet made M39 lens I know of is the Russar MR-2 with a 20mm focal length. Others non Russian/Soviet are the Voigtlander Ultra-Wide Heliar 12mm, the Voigtlander 15mm, Leitz Wetzlar Super-Angulon 21mm and a few others that cost many times the price of Zarya.
 
Photos...............

Photos...............

I will try and get some images of the Zarya up over the weekend.

I know the Voigtlander 35mm Bessa cameras and those fantastic little wide lenses but I will make this an all Russian affair. I will seek out a Jupitar 12 w/finder.

By trade I am a darkroom technician and photographer - I've been doing this for 42 years. Currently I work in education in the photography section of a Fine Arts Dept. in a tertiary college.

Although I use very expensive digital equipment at work I find I get more enjoyment from the simple cameras such as the Zarya will give. My favourite users are my Voigtlander Bessa II and my Yashica 635.

Cheers
Peter
 
The Russar F/5,6-20mm will be also available this month NEW, made by Zenit made for Lomography for a price of Eur. 599,- which is of course a steep price. In a nice fancy box and a LTM-M adapter included.
 
The LOMO one seems doesn't include the 20mm viewfinder. Or does it?

I think they are also advertising some 32mm Minitar (the lens on LC-A) in M mount lens, with an insane price tag, as usual.
 
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