FSU rangefinder recommendation

If you specifically want to try FSU cameras, then there is some good advice above.
If you specifically want to try rangefinder cameras, then there is some good advice above.
If you want the best, most reliable picture taking machine you can get for very little money, look for a Nikon FM in good working order and use that until you can save up for a Bessa, Leica or whatever.
In my opinion, that is...
 
FSU cameras are wonderful for folks who like to tinker and take a crack at becoming a Jr. Brian (King of the Tinkerers). Or if you just want to learn how cameras work, they are a GREAT option. I did not have the time and found it very frustrating. I did not start with FSUs but wanted to have a low risk (if it got trashed) camera system. While I think I have the skills to do all of the GREAT instructions I found on the net, I did not have the time.

If you do not have the time go Nikon, Canon or a Leica. If you have give a FED 2 a go, wonderful little camera design.

B2
 
Re-thinking about it.

Re-thinking about it.

All the replies by you guys make good sense,specially the one by David Hughes and have made me think it over again.I really don't have the budget to afford a Bessa system,unless I save for almost a year and a half,and savings have better and more important priorities in my life at my age and having three grown up kids.
I'm kind of a dreamer,I like the Bessa system,but in reality a FSU rangefinder like the Kiev 4 fit me fine.I sent an email to Yuri at Fedka and he has 3 with working lightmeters,but he told me too that these were not very accurate,even out of the factory,but that will do for print negatives.I don't intend to use slide,just B&W film,occasionally color.If the lightmeter is not working fine for even these films I can sell it and get a Kiev 4 A and buy a cheap used analog lightmeter.Sorry,but I'm getting old and I forgot the sunny fules and I like the use of a lightmeter.
I might buy later a wide angle(35mm or 21mm)lens and a longer range one(85mm).I might enjoy these FSU cameras and start buying more as time pass by and my starting painting business grow up(fingers crossed).
I like also the Zorki 4 too,mostly because it has an adjustable diopter(I use glasses),pretty convenient and for its sleek design.
Pablito,are you a saboteur?Suggesting a SLR camera in the rangefinder site 😉? .
C'mon,you know that an SLR will have some vibration due to mirror return slap and the shutter isn't as quiet as any rangefinder.Besides an SLR is more bulky and noticeable(slighter bigger lens and noisy shutter as mentioned before).
Over time I might buy my own developing stuff and a decent scanner can be purchased for around 100.00,so I develop and scan my own photos.In the meantime I found a mail order lab that will develop and scan a 36 exposures B&W film for 7.95.Later a printer will make sense too for the prints I want to enlarge and display or show.
Beside the Contax type(Kiev 4) and the Leica type(Zorki 4),which other will be a good option?Sorry folks, don't suggest a Kiev 5,I find it pretty ugly for my taste(that matters a bit 😱).
Does any other have adjustable diopter besides the Zorki 4?
I assume that none have aperture priority mode.
In the lenses matter,which ones will be my best choices for a 35mm(or 25,even 21mm),a 50 mm and a 85mm?
I'm after fast lenses that can deliver sharp and contrasty B&W photos(if all that can be found in a FSU lens).I have read that FSU lenses are of quite good quality.I will start with the common 50mm,but I will buy later a wide angle for more street photography and a 85mm for portraits.
Are the FSU filters for B&W photography of any quality?If not what diameter does these lenses have?
Sorry guys,but I'm a newbie to rangefinders cameras.
Who is Oleg,by the way?What company does he own that sells FSU rangefinders cameras?
In Fedka the guy that replied my email is named Yuri as i said above.
Which links or sites will you suggest for more information in FSU rangefinders,lenses,history,paraphernalia and may be repair?.
I'm not quite sure of the later yet since I have to dedicate more time to painting and I lack patience and I'm a bit clumsy with small objects and assembly,but who knows if after time I might try,improve my skills and like it.If I fail I assume that CLA or repair if needed isn't expensive.
Sorry if I packed too many questions at once 😱.

Thanks in advance,guys,

Robert
 
Robert,
If you go with a Kiev camera, your lens choices are more limited--this may be an advantage since it means you can "collect them all!" relatively inexpensively. 21mm lenses for the Kiev will be tricky; I don't know if the Contax, Nikon, or Voigtlander lenses will mount on a Kiev and none of those are likely to be cheap. But, The FSU lenses made for the Kievs are pretty good, I think. For Kiev, the 35mm lens is the Jupiter-12. It uses 40.5mm threaded filters.
For 50mm, there are three fairly common options: Jupiter-3 and Jupiter-8. The J-3 is faster at f1.5, the J-8 is an f2 lens. Both share the same size filter as the J-12. And there is the Helios lens. 50mm and f1.8(I think. I've never used one)Inexpensive and it seems to have a good reputation. For longer lenses, there is the 85mm/f2 Jupiter-9. Much bigger than the 35 or 50s. It uses 49mm threaded filters. And the Jupiter-11. It is 135mm/f4. And it has the 40.5mm thread.
If you use any other lens than a 50mm, you will need an external viewfinder. My suggestion is one of the FSU turret finders. These have settings for 28, 35, 50, 85, and 135 lenses so you only need the one finder for all the lenses. You would focus with the camera's VF and frame your photo with the external VF.

Most of the FED and Zorki cameras have an adjustable diopter built in. I have recently seen screw on diopters for Kievs.

Oleg is Oleg Kalhyavin who owns OK Vintage Cameras. He is an expert repairman and sells cameras also. Very nice guy, excellent work and great prices. http://www.okvintagecamera.com/index.html

I used FSU cameras for quite a while but am now mostly using a Bessa R2a. But I have kept my FSU lenses. If well adjusted, they are quite capable. But the are NOT modern designs.

Good luck!
Rob
 
The longer the lens, the better the quality in most cases:

135/4 - superb
85/2 - good portrait lens
50/2 - OK
35/2.8 - indifferent
28/6 - OK if you don't mind super-slow

Bear in mid that these are VERY old designs (1930s Zeiss) and that it would be surprising if lens design han't improved since.

The only wider lens I know that will fit is the 25mm Zeiss Topogon but these are very rare indeed -- I've only ever seen one.

If you want a good choice of decent lenses, avoid Kiev.

The filters are very good.

Cheers,

R.
 
I'll go along with what Rob and Roger have said, especially about the Kiev/Contax stuff. They are an acquired taste in my opinion and, as has been said, there's very little choice of lenses.

And I don't trust elderly built in light meters. Either go for modern TTL built in meters with average, centre and spot reading or use an old hand held. The old Westons have the advantage that they are made by a reputable firm and have a large following; meaning that you can get them overhauled and made as good as new. And the model II to V cover every shutter and aperture combination possible. For the record I use a modern digital meter or an elderly Weston II and the Weston gets most use.

Eyepiece adjustment is built into the FED 2, 3 and 4 but the version in the FED 3 is designed to scratch your glasses and is very fiddly.

Of all the lenses mentioned I'd suggest the Jupiter-8 as first choice it's a 50mm f/2 and is best seen as a slightly updated Zeiss. The coating on it is what makes it so much better. I use mine on FED's and Leicas. It twists when focusing and so a Leica style lens hood is needed but they are dirt cheap from our friends in China. Here's a picture of mine with a little meter on top:
500392005_28zTX-L.jpg

The meter is for show not use, btw.

The cameras mentioned so far are purely manual, meaning you have to stop and think after looking at the meter reading and then twist dials etc.

There are millions of dirt cheap filters for B&W out there as everyone bought them in the days of B&W but very few want them these days.

You mentioned contrast, well, for B&W that's something added afterwards in the printing but - if it will help - I'll add that there's an Industar 50mm f/2·8 lens available from the usual FSU sources that's generally reckoned to be what you are looking for within the limits of this discussion. (I won't go into how Leica etc do it and how excellent they are for colour slides... )

BTW, if you just want a camera for street and B&W photography, then you ought to look at (say) the Olympus 35ED, 35RC and 35ECR and, of course, the XA. They are all CRF's with the excellent Zuiko lenses fitted. But look carefully at the specifications. F'instance the batteries for the 35ED aren't made any more but a modern one fits it and means you either have to use old ones, which will have declined to the old voltage, or else modify the PCB inside - something I'd like to have done to mine...

I hope this helps.

Regards, David

PS many years ago, in another forum, I got tired of people ranting about modern lenses and published a series of prints taken with the 1938 vintage ones I was using at the time. It shattered a lot of delusions; I would say that for most people the Jupiter-8 is a brilliant lens. I've not done any 24" by 32" prints with it but, luckily, I don't think this is the standard we should use for lenses when recommending a starter kit. Also, I can't afford them...
 
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my experience of RF camera's is limited to my Konica auto and an old Olympus 35SP so cant comment too much on the pro's and con's of FSU RF camera's but I can comment on FSU SLR camera equipment such as my trusty zenits.

I used to get a lot of grief off people for my use of zenit ironmongery, yes its old, yes it can be unreliable, but overall its a cheap way into that field of photography. And if you use an old zenit 11 or 12XP your looking at a potentialy huge variety of lenses available for your kit. then there are the lenses... my kelios 44 and industar 50/2 lenses give superb results, easy as good as my pentax prime 50mm lense IMHO. I guess it will be the same with the rangefinder gear. I hear good things about the jupiter 8 lense after all- i have just bought a jupiter equiped Zorki 4k so will be able toreport back on that shortly.

What i like about the soviet gear is the value for money. ANY 50 year old camera has the opportunity to fail, if its a FED it is at least easy (cheap) to replace.

good luck!
 
DanOnRoute66 said:
I would second the comments above to look at Canon or even Nikon RFs. The early Kievs (I'm thinking of the II and IIa) can work reliably for many years with a good CLA, but you're probably still going to pay nearly as much as you would for the more readily available Nikons and even the Canons.
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Nikons and Canons may be a option in Asia, Australia or the US, but in Europe they are almost unobtainable.
 
I bought my late model Nikon SP with titanium shutter and distance scale in meters from an RFF member in France.

Also- they pop up here for sale.
 
Pablito said:
If you specifically want to try FSU cameras, then there is some good advice above.
If you specifically want to try rangefinder cameras, then there is some good advice above.
If you want the best, most reliable picture taking machine you can get for very little money, look for a Nikon FM in good working order and use that until you can save up for a Bessa, Leica or whatever.
In my opinion, that is...
Click to expand...

I think this is the best advice here, although lots of options beyond the Nikons (and I'd add the FE/FE2 are also great). You can get great, simple, working SLRs for $100 or so.

If you have never used rangefinders and want to try them out, get a fixed-lens japanese first and see if that works for you (in the Minolta himatic, Olympus various, Konica, etc) - heck the Ricoh 500 series can be had for tens of dollars and are also great.

Once you've tried a fixed-lens RF out and determined it works for you, THEN consider plumping for the interchangeable lens.

I love the FSU but it sounds more like you're looking for a 'first' film camera. There are cheaper and simpler options.
 
Bobar57 said:
C'mon,you know that an SLR will have some vibration due to mirror return slap and the shutter isn't as quiet as any rangefinder.Besides an SLR is more bulky and noticeable(slighter bigger lens and noisy shutter as mentioned before).
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I think you'll find a quality SLR will have a manageable amount of vibration - technique will mater more than the camera. If you really want to minimize, a leaf-shutter fixed-lens rangefinder will have almost none.

Again, it sounds to me like you have a lot of different ideas - that's why I think starting with a basic SLR or fixed-lens rangefinder to start will be cheaper and easier.
 
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Quote:

"Again, it sounds to me like you have a lot of different ideas - that's why I think starting with a basic SLR or fixed-lens rangefinder to start will be cheaper and easier." .... a whole-lot less hassle.
 
What???!!!!

What???!!!!

Armoured said:
I think this is the best advice here, although lots of options beyond the Nikons (and I'd add the FE/FE2 are also great). You can get great, simple, working SLRs for $100 or so.

If you have never used rangefinders and want to try them out, get a fixed-lens japanese first and see if that works for you (in the Minolta himatic, Olympus various, Konica, etc) - heck the Ricoh 500 series can be had for tens of dollars and are also great.

Once you've tried a fixed-lens RF out and determined it works for you, THEN consider plumping for the interchangeable lens.

I love the FSU but it sounds more like you're looking for a 'first' film camera. There are cheaper and simpler options.
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😱 First,lets start for clarifying than being new in this forum doesn't mean I'm new to film cameras.
I'm 52 years old.Since I was 11 or 12,back in Havana,Cuba,where I grew up,I wanted to photograph a fishing tournament ending(I was a fishing aficionado for many years),so I asked my uncle(who lived close to the marina where the tournament ending was performed)for a camera,he happened to have none and introduced me to his almost front neighbor.I expected a simple camera,like the cheap broken then,plastic Kodak that my mother had.Well,he happened to be nothing less than the photographer Alberto "Korda",the one whose photo of Ernesto "Che" Guevara was and is so popular and commercialized around the world.Of course,he had no simple cameras,he had a collection of what then I learned are SLR and rangefinders,also some TLR's.He showed me a rangefinder I remember clear,because of the two images effect of a viewfinder has,teach me the ABC's of photo in half an hour,how to focus,how to set the appropriate aperture and speed for sunny skies with the film it had already inside,how to set it for cloudy skies[-I wrote it down-and off I went.Of course these pictures weren't great at all,but I got curious with cameras and started visiting him,asking for more.He was very friendly and I got introduced to photography being that young,but teach me to handle SLR's.Of course it was FILM!
When I entered the Vocational School"Vladimir I.Lenin" on 1973 or 1974,I entered a vocational course of photography,I learned more about photo and we(a friend and I)were the photographers for the weekly bulletin of the school.We developed our own ORWO B&W film and used Zenit SLR cameras.
When I arrived to the US in 1988,after I settled and could afford it I purchased a Pentax Asahi K1000,the most affordable film SLR camera I could afford at the time.I remained loyal to film and manual cameras when the autofocus rage started.I become quite a friend of the owner of a photo store in Coconut Grove,who asked me why I wanted to remain with manual cameras,I told him:Because I like them!
I had owned and later sold Nikon's FE2,FM2,FM2N and FM3A.
Look on EBay for this same nickname and you will find-looking at my feedback- that on January this year I sold a black FE2 I had.It was a personal situation what prompted to sell it.
I have owned too a couple of Nikon DSLR cameras,but I don't like the plastic feel of them,don't believe in quality of a lens made in Singapore and with a plastic mount neither a camera made in Thailand.And I hate pixels!
So before assuming that it's my first film camera,without knowing nothing about me,I advice you that when that happens again with another member,ask first,because you can receive a less friendly response or private message 😉.
I used once back in Cuba a FSU rangefinder,but I can't recall the brand or model,I used it for a few weeks only,it wasn't mine.The brother of my now ex-wife was a photographer who did his own business(against government rules) of taking portraits on parties,marriages ceremonies, elementary school groups and so forth and developed in the bathroom.He went by,living how he could.He was the one who lend the rangefinder to me.I remember the solid feel,and I could easily focus with my then sharp 20/20 eyes.
I simply want to feel a rangefinder in my hands again,an affordable one,with interchangeable lenses and see if I can focus with or without the glasses.
I don't want a cheap fixed focus Minolta Hi-Matic.
FSU rangefinders used to be cheaper,it's true,now they cost more,but still are the most affordable-correct me if I'm wrong-interchangeable lens rangefinders you can find.And still the more inexpensive to fix in that category too.Right or wrong?

If they have followers if for some reason,despite the bad rap they get once in a while.I like a good bargain too and if they are,that is my rangefinder.I will aim for a Bessa R3A,but can't afford one now.I simply don't know which FSU rangefinder is the best to chose.I like the Contax copies,or transferred factory to Ukraine back then,Kiev's look.That is all.And forgive me for the long rant 🙄.

Bob
 
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Thanks Paul

Thanks Paul

Thanks Paul for that info.I might look into them,I read that to the others if you have to wear glasses you need to add some type of foam,rubber O-ring,or punch-holed tape to evade scratching your glasses.

Bob
 
Did you place an ad in the "Want to Buy" section, asking for an FSU camera or other reasonably priced Canon, or comparable camera? I just sold an M2 in answer to a WTB ad.

Get a camera from an RFF member that has used it, and avoid most of the Ebay gamble.
 
Yes, possibly a forum member owning several FSU RFs will be pleased to sell you one of them, and you'll get a camera that works...

I have wanted to try a Russian lens some time ago, so I'm waiting for a collapsible 50 3.5 (Industar-22) I ordered: maybe I'll have it here tomorrow... and it was $30 like new... Some owners of that lens and the Leica 50 3.5 collapsible elmar, say they prefer the Russian one... Isn't it amazing? At least, for sure it will be a joy... I'll have fun painting it too!

I think a good idea for you would be to write "I'd like to buy a FSU RF" in your signature, so every time a forum member reads any of your posts, you'll have one more chance to get a well priced and working RF... I did it for a lens I had been trying to find for more than a year, and after a week of this advice given to me by a forum member, I got the lens for a very nice price... I couldn't believe it! This place is full of nice people... They just need to know what you want... Good luck!

Cheers,

Juan
 
Bobar57 said:
So before assuming that it's my first film camera,without knowing nothing about me,I advice you that when that happens again with another member,ask first,because you can receive a less friendly response or private message 😉.

...

I simply want to feel a rangefinder in my hands again,an affordable one,with interchangeable lenses and see if I can focus with or without the glasses.
I don't want a cheap fixed focus Minolta Hi-Matic.
FSU rangefinders used to be cheaper,it's true,now they cost more,but still are the most affordable-correct me if I'm wrong-interchangeable lens rangefinders you can find.And still the more inexpensive to fix in that category too.Right or wrong?

If they have followers if for some reason,despite the bad rap they get once in a while.I like a good bargain too and if they are,that is my rangefinder.I will aim for a Bessa R3A,but can't afford one now.I simply don't know which FSU rangefinder is the best to chose.I like the Contax copies,or transferred factory to Ukraine back then,Kiev's look.That is all.And forgive me for the long rant 🙄.

Bob
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Bob,

Apologies if I misinterpreted, and no need to get upset.

You have conflicting desires/goals/means - like most of us do 🙄. You want a rangefinder, so by all means, get a rangefinder.

There's nothing cheap about the Himatics and some other fixed-lens except their price. Using one of these while you save up for the Bessa may still be a viable (and possibly better) option, but ultimately up to you.

I like the Kievs but if you want to acquire lenses for use later on your future Bessa, would make more sense to start with a thread-mount like the Feds/Zorkis. As others have pointed out, choice of lenses is larger.

I don't think built-in meter is realistic on the FSU cameras - most cameras don't have them, and on those that do, they're old enough they probably won't work. Insisting on one will narrow the pool of cameras a lot. You've enough experience that guessing exposures with print film (B&W or colour) will probably work for you.

Apart from that, getting a decent working copy is more important than everything else, and Brian's suggestions about how to find one are good.

Good luck!

And I've no disagreement with the reasons you like the FSU RFs - they feel great and solid, and I like using them. They're not for everybody buy may be right for you.
 
The FED ! and Zorki I don't have the adjustment for us glasses wearers.

The FED 3 is the one where it scratches your glasses as the small knob is very sharply cut - a great pity. I had to sell mine on for this reason.

That leaves the FED 2 I mentioned above and a few other later ones that have built in meters. But I don't trust elderly built in meters. I wear glasses, as I said, and find the FED 2 the easiest to use and the Jupiter-8 the nicest lens, then the Industar-61. Also consider the Zorki 4 (with or without the lever wind and opening back, like the FED 2) and I'd tell you about the Zorki 3 if I'd owned and used one but I haven't.

I hope this helps.

Regards, David
 
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