j-dogg
Member
Paid a whopping 14 dollars shipping to adapt it to my EOS 5d, turns out this is actually made for rangefinders and not Zenit SLR's like I thought......so I guess I'll put it on a proper glorious Soviet motherland body.
Thoughts on the FED-2 Leica-III clone?
Thoughts on the FED-2 Leica-III clone?
Penny Lane
Hopelessly Citrophile
Lovely wide-base RF, relatively easy loading, fairly hassle-free (in operation as well as maintenance). Shutter speed range is more or less limited though but I've never found that a real problem. Pretty, too! Good choice, I say 
There's a thread on here to get the RF sorted properly including some useful anti-reflection tricks that you might want to apply should you get one.
Derk
There's a thread on here to get the RF sorted properly including some useful anti-reflection tricks that you might want to apply should you get one.
Derk
ray*j*gun
Veteran
Fed 2 is IMO the most reliable of the FSU's. I'm sorry I sold mine.
Sid836
Well-known
Add to that that it is the best looking FSU rangefinder!
Dez
Bodger Extraordinaire
FED 2 or Zorki 6 would get my vote. Very good VF/RF, which you need to focus a fast lens like that, and relatively well made. Lack slow speeds though.
Getting both slow speeds and a good VF/RF in a Russkii camera is pretty tricky. believe it or not, the Leningrad is the best looking of the few designs that include both.
I guess that says a bit about the other contenders.
Cheers,
Dez
Getting both slow speeds and a good VF/RF in a Russkii camera is pretty tricky. believe it or not, the Leningrad is the best looking of the few designs that include both.
I guess that says a bit about the other contenders.
Cheers,
Dez
j-dogg
Member
FED-2 it is then......time to cruise eBay.ru lol
going to be a big step up from my current system, Yashica Lynx 14-e and Kodak 35rf
going to be a big step up from my current system, Yashica Lynx 14-e and Kodak 35rf
lukitas
second hand noob
fed2
no doubt. sleek and a workhorse too. good-lookin' and hard-workin'.
no doubt. sleek and a workhorse too. good-lookin' and hard-workin'.
Dez
Bodger Extraordinaire
It's hard to find better value for the money than a FED-2 with a J8 lens.
Cheers,
Dez
Cheers,
Dez
j-dogg
Member
Found this today! Was cruising eBay for the FED-2, by chance decided to find one closer, found this 20 miles away and they allowed local pickup and cash payment.
It's got the Industar with the better coatings and the whole thing needs a LOT of work. The shutter sticks at all speeds...even bulb. Surprisingly, the parallax looks very accurate compared to the distance scale on my Nikkor F-mount lenses.
I'm considering doing my own CLA on it, as there are enough writeups on the Internet about it. I specialize in laptop repair so this should be a walk in the park just have to know what to do. Shutter looks physically okay, no pinhole leaks I've checked it with a flashlight.
It's got the Industar with the better coatings and the whole thing needs a LOT of work. The shutter sticks at all speeds...even bulb. Surprisingly, the parallax looks very accurate compared to the distance scale on my Nikkor F-mount lenses.
I'm considering doing my own CLA on it, as there are enough writeups on the Internet about it. I specialize in laptop repair so this should be a walk in the park just have to know what to do. Shutter looks physically okay, no pinhole leaks I've checked it with a flashlight.
Attachments
Dez
Bodger Extraordinaire
Very nice indeed! You should have a lot of fun with this outfit.
While a complete CLA is a fair bit of work, you can probably get it working well with a minimal amount of work. It's not for nothing that I'm the "Bodger Extraordinaire". Try the following..........
When I take a camera apart, I use an egg carton to put the pieces in. That way there should be no confusion about what goes where when it's time to reassemble it.
The top comes off very easily. Put the wind knob back on so you can operate the shutter. With the top removed, study the rotating bits under the shutter dial as you operate the shutter until you clearly understand the working of the releases of the two shutter curtains. The mechanism is dead simple in the FED 2 with no slow speeds. Be careful of the flash sync mechanism to the right of the shutter mechanism- it is rather fragile. It is almost always the case that all the parts are doing what they are supposed to do, but are just gummed up. About the only actual mechanical problem is with the long lever attached to a shaft going vertically down to the bottom of the camera. This is the second curtain release, and it is held in place with a spring attached to the body casting. If that spring is not in the right place, both curtains will probably release at the same time.
You need a fairly gentle solvent, a small paintbrush, and a bowl. A spray can of compressed air is handy as well. Do not use something strong such as lacquer thinner. it will dissolve away the crud for sure, but will also ruin the paint and vulcanite. Turpentine or lighter fluid would be good. I do a lot of work with watches, so I use watch rinsing solution designed for ultrasonic cleaners.
Put half an inch or so of the solvent in the bowl. Hold the camera upside down, and using the brush saturate all sides of the rotating shutter bits with they brush, allowing the liquid to drip back into the bowl. Do a thorough job of this with the shutter wound and unwound, and allow it to drain completely while still upside down. This will almost always clean up the shutter function. Allow it to dry thoroughly, and then apply a small amount of light oil between the various rotating bits you have just cleaned. I use a medium grade clock oil, but any light oil (sewing machine oil, for example?) should do the job. While the top is off, clean up anything you can with a dry brush, and maybe the canned air.
A better job can be done with a complete stripdown and all the specific lubricants of course, but that usually means giving it to a repair shop and paying four times the value of the camera to have it CLA'd. I'm just too cheap to do that.
Cheers,
Dez
While a complete CLA is a fair bit of work, you can probably get it working well with a minimal amount of work. It's not for nothing that I'm the "Bodger Extraordinaire". Try the following..........
When I take a camera apart, I use an egg carton to put the pieces in. That way there should be no confusion about what goes where when it's time to reassemble it.
The top comes off very easily. Put the wind knob back on so you can operate the shutter. With the top removed, study the rotating bits under the shutter dial as you operate the shutter until you clearly understand the working of the releases of the two shutter curtains. The mechanism is dead simple in the FED 2 with no slow speeds. Be careful of the flash sync mechanism to the right of the shutter mechanism- it is rather fragile. It is almost always the case that all the parts are doing what they are supposed to do, but are just gummed up. About the only actual mechanical problem is with the long lever attached to a shaft going vertically down to the bottom of the camera. This is the second curtain release, and it is held in place with a spring attached to the body casting. If that spring is not in the right place, both curtains will probably release at the same time.
You need a fairly gentle solvent, a small paintbrush, and a bowl. A spray can of compressed air is handy as well. Do not use something strong such as lacquer thinner. it will dissolve away the crud for sure, but will also ruin the paint and vulcanite. Turpentine or lighter fluid would be good. I do a lot of work with watches, so I use watch rinsing solution designed for ultrasonic cleaners.
Put half an inch or so of the solvent in the bowl. Hold the camera upside down, and using the brush saturate all sides of the rotating shutter bits with they brush, allowing the liquid to drip back into the bowl. Do a thorough job of this with the shutter wound and unwound, and allow it to drain completely while still upside down. This will almost always clean up the shutter function. Allow it to dry thoroughly, and then apply a small amount of light oil between the various rotating bits you have just cleaned. I use a medium grade clock oil, but any light oil (sewing machine oil, for example?) should do the job. While the top is off, clean up anything you can with a dry brush, and maybe the canned air.
A better job can be done with a complete stripdown and all the specific lubricants of course, but that usually means giving it to a repair shop and paying four times the value of the camera to have it CLA'd. I'm just too cheap to do that.
Cheers,
Dez
Penny Lane
Hopelessly Citrophile
That's a very nice FED-2! Congrats! Is my screen playing tricks or is it a green one?
As to lubricating the gear train of these: I usually apply some light grease. Oil works well enough but I find there's to much gear train feedback with just oil applied. Some light grease dampens that out a bit to give a smoother feel.
It looks like you have the two-piece shutter speed dial. Make sure you center it correctly when you place it back or it may not engage all speeds.
Have fun with your FED and be sure to post some results
Derk
As to lubricating the gear train of these: I usually apply some light grease. Oil works well enough but I find there's to much gear train feedback with just oil applied. Some light grease dampens that out a bit to give a smoother feel.
It looks like you have the two-piece shutter speed dial. Make sure you center it correctly when you place it back or it may not engage all speeds.
Have fun with your FED and be sure to post some results
Derk
j-dogg
Member
CLA finished! Didn't have to do a complete stripdown just got the top off and got a little sewing machine oil into the mechanisms, all the speeds check out and I've probably fired it 500 times with success.
The only issue im having is with the rewind knob, I can't figure out how it goes back together properly, so if someone can take a shot of their empty FED-2 that would help. I can still load and rewind it but I can't pull the fork up.
Let it sit overnight, woke up this morning first thing and checked the speeds, it's ready for action! Only thing is the vertical adjustment of the parallax is off a wee bit but it still seems to be accurate. Test roll about to go in!
NOTHING LIKE SOVIET FED-2 BUILT LIKE LOYAL ROMANIAN WIFE WORK MANY YEARS IN FIELD.
SOVIET LENIN CAMERA STRONG UNLIKE NAZI ARMY WHO DECIDE TO FIGHT IN WINTER OF OUR GLORIOUS MOTHERLAND.
The only issue im having is with the rewind knob, I can't figure out how it goes back together properly, so if someone can take a shot of their empty FED-2 that would help. I can still load and rewind it but I can't pull the fork up.
Let it sit overnight, woke up this morning first thing and checked the speeds, it's ready for action! Only thing is the vertical adjustment of the parallax is off a wee bit but it still seems to be accurate. Test roll about to go in!
NOTHING LIKE SOVIET FED-2 BUILT LIKE LOYAL ROMANIAN WIFE WORK MANY YEARS IN FIELD.
SOVIET LENIN CAMERA STRONG UNLIKE NAZI ARMY WHO DECIDE TO FIGHT IN WINTER OF OUR GLORIOUS MOTHERLAND.
Penny Lane
Hopelessly Citrophile
If the knob lifts up, but not the fork, you're doing it right. The fork needn't (& shouldn't) go anywhere as the back & bottom are removed for loading & are thus not in the way when loading or unloading.
Derk
Derk
j-dogg
Member
I'm used to my Nikon F system that does that I guess. This is all new stuff for me.
Test roll came back! Some really good stuff on here! Test shots are all properly exposed within a stop of 0 and the focus is spot-on. I'm in love.....can't wait to finish building a system around it. Gotta get the turret viewfinder, 35 2.8, 135/4, some sort of 28mm lens. Damn G.A.S.
Penny Lane
Hopelessly Citrophile
Glad you like it! A full kit of Jupiter (3 and/or 8 50mm, 11 135mm, 12 35mm) lenses and an Orion-15 (28mm) couldn't do any harm to have with this...
And thanks, by the way, for triggering me to finally service my GF's baby blue FED-2
Derk
And thanks, by the way, for triggering me to finally service my GF's baby blue FED-2
Derk
j-dogg
Member
Test shots! Max resolution for IQ check. Film is Kodak Gold 200
50 2.8 Industar 26p 1/250 @ f11
50 2.8 Industar 26p 1/50 @ 2.8
Jupiter-9 85/2 @ f2 1/500th
Jupiter 9 1/250 @ f8
Jupiter 9 1/500 @ f2
50 2.8 Industar 26p 1/250 @ f11
50 2.8 Industar 26p 1/50 @ 2.8
Jupiter-9 85/2 @ f2 1/500th
Jupiter 9 1/250 @ f8
Jupiter 9 1/500 @ f2
Ron (Netherlands)
Well-known
great job! thanks for posting
