He Who Buys a Fed Buys Junk!

Bill58 said:
I 100% concur w/ this opinion. Add an inexpensive Canon 50/ 1.8 lens and you got one, fine rig for the rest of your life.

With respect to the FSU crap, is it any wonder why the former FSU folded--sh***y quality of mfg. goods (except for their beloved Vodka) and corruption at every level of business/ gov't? RIP.

BTW-I've bought several LTM lenses (NO bodies!) from Yuri and they've ALL been hand-picked, higher priced than the normal, and CLA'd by him. Never a problem w/ any of them. He's tops in my book.
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Guess this below will really p---- you off then. Hahaha, `corruption at every level of business/govt ' who you talking about?? FSU or FGD?;)


http://www.astronautix.com/engines/rd180.htm
 
Soviet built cameras, good? I don't know why people think they might be. Was the Yugo a good car?


There are many copy Barnacks by Japanese companies at low prices that it makes little sense to gamble on a FSU.
 
The difference between a camera/lens from fsu and a from Leica/ canon/ bessa you name it...is that you need to be lucky to have a good fsu, while it takes to be unlucky to get a real dog from the other ones.
I agree that while Leica is certainly expensive, there are good, cheaper alternative that, for me, turn the "russian roulette" into a game I'm not willing to play (anymore).
 
chris00nj said:
Soviet built cameras, good? I don't know why people think they might be. Was the Yugo a good car?


There are many copy Barnacks by Japanese companies at low prices that it makes little sense to gamble on a FSU.
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Can't speak about the other Japanese Barnack copies, but I can for Canon and Leotax. Having been "in" them, I can say that they're not much different from the FED/Zorki Barnacks. Only the slow speed mechanism at the bottom of the crate is different- the FED/Zorki didn't have them.

A Zorki-1C has about the same build quality as a Canon II.
 
> I always thought guys liked FSU cameras because they were cheap
> and broken, and they liked to tinker with stuff?

That's why I like them. You get tired of stuff that just keeps working reliably. Out of 16 Nikon RF's that I've had, only one required new curtains. One has a faded RF patch, but still able to use it after taking out the Mask on the RF window. How boring is that!
 
Every week we read here of problems with relatively modern gear ( even Leicas! ) and folks unable to contact the famous repair men - because they are so busy - to enquire about their pride and joy!. It seems to be an expected part of the pastime, and yet if a humble fifty year old Fed, Zorki etc. malfunctions - it's JUNK!. I'm not particularly pro-FSU and just have the one - a Fed 2, bought from Fedka about four years ago, it has never given the least bit of trouble, and is nice little user.
Dave.
 
I've bought about 30 or so FSUs, most models included. They are all old, they're mechanical, they need to be serviced. Is that a surprise? Would you buy an old car that had never been serviced and expect it to run?

Because they're cheap no-one bothers to get a CLA like most Leica & co will get. Most of mine worked at least reasonably well as-bought. The rest needed (mostly) minor fettling. A couple needed new curtains (one is 71 years old and was bought as a non-worker), not bad overall. They all take pictures beyond my abilities, do I need more?

It's obvious to me that any old mechanical camera is a gamble, unless it's bought with a known history. FSUs are not as well made as my Leica but they do do a similar job!
 
I never realised so much bitterness existed within this forum!
A few years ago I saw an FSU seller offering 10 Fed-2 with cases for $100 delivered. I bought them and they were duly sent in individual parcels. I found that only two needed repair. One needed new curtains and another was just missing the part that stops the winder from going backwards. I have sold a few of the working cameras on Ebay and got excellent feedback. The ones I sold more than recouped my initial outlay. I am still using the rest.
 
Well according to the fact that you had holes in your shutter curtain three times. I'm wondering in what kind of climate you live. It could be either to dry or humid.
I usually replace curtains on Zorki 1 and Fed 1 camera's. The others are mostly in good shape.

Most russian camera's have grease that simply dry out over a decade. Thats the reason why so many camera's have been screwed open for home repairs, with missing shimms etc. We just keep on complaining about 'Quality Controll Issues' Well I can tell you I had almost untouched camera's (no home repairs) that where just into specs.

But if you pick up a nice Braun Paxette or Baldinette from the 50ies, it won't work either unless you have it serviced. With FSU camera's there is an attempt to do it yourself.

It's just like buying a second hand car, you need the right knowledge, the right person you buy from and you need some luck.

Working Soviet camera's that are reliable and satisfying DO Exist :)
 
uhmm how come there are still no FSU cameras for sale in the classified ads?

PS: anyone wants to let go of their fed/zorki 1 or 50's kiev for peanuts? :)
 
My last Fed arrived from the Ukraine. Looks beautiful. Against my better judgement I ran another roll through this one and headerd back down to Walgreens, where they are getting to know me by my first name w/ these camera tests. Alas, the usual shutter problems. It's always that, or light leaks. It's like some sort of endless Greek tragedy. Only 3 out of the 24 on the roll had this problem, but still, one would expect all the photos to come out. Can't wait for my Bessa R to arrive. It will b a wonderful thing getting a whole roll of properly exposed photos for once. At least the Industar 61 lens that came on this Fed du jour is really sharp.

One more to arrive, the refurbished one from FEDKA. Does anyone know who the god of Feds is? Maybe I can make an offering to them or something. It's actually getting pretty funny, which is a positive step from all the frustration earlier. Like the bumper sticker I once saw said, "Life is so much better now that I gave up hope".
 
tenderobject said:
uhmm how come there are still no FSU cameras for sale in the classified ads?

PS: anyone wants to let go of their fed/zorki 1 or 50's kiev for peanuts? :)
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Because the Zorki 3M with J-8 I sold never made it into the classifieds before getting snapped up. I'm down to two of them now. Three was a little much.
 
I've had a few FSU cameras by now, and all of them have had issues of one kind or another. Fortunately, they are simple machines, and I'm mechanically inclined, so getting them into good working shape was not difficult (or expensive).

My first one (a Zorki 1) cost me only $40 with a lens, but the shutter was dry-rotted and full of holes. A new curtain assembly cost me $8 (including shipping), and took an hour or so to install. The shutter speed is adjusted using the adjusting screws located in the bottom of the camera, it took a little time to get those right, but once properly adjusted, I had a very nice and practical camera. I actually sold mine for a profit, and I'll probably pick up a couple more this week to tinker around with.
 
Steve M. said:
I will Never, Ever buy another one of these tin cans again. No one consistently has this sort of bad luck, as Yuri suggested.
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I've got two FSU cameras, an FED3 and a Moskva 2, and both work perfectly. Okay, okay, I had to do a vertical rangefinder adjustment on the Moskva that left me a nervous wreck and loathing the very sight of it for a couple of months, but I'm almost over that now and it's okay; I only start twitching and break into tears once a month or so now. On the other hand, I have had the same sort of luck you have with FSU cameras, but with other makes and models. Sometimes it feels like somebody up there is laughing at you, doesn't it?

I bought a Balda Super Baldina once that was missing the rear lens element. Okay, I stripped it for parts and I bought another one. It turned out to be missing one part. Can you guess which one? Yep -- the rear lens element. I bought three of them to get one with all the elements.

Every Minolta Hi-Matic I ever bought jammed solid on the first roll -- four of them. I was able to fix them, after a lot of work, but I figure Hi-Matics just don't like me. That's okay; there are lots of other cameras.

Edit: Oh, and by the way, Let's agree that I stay far away from your Hi-Matics and you are not allowed to be in the same room with my FSU cameras.
 
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I've owned several FSU cameras over the years and yes some needed work. But at the time of purchase I knew of the issues. In fact my latest a very nice condition Zorki 4 needed the rf bearings for the rf mirror which was supplied by a member here. But these cameras are very capable of being serviced and made into fine working models and they are a lot of fun to use especially when out shooting and you notice the looks from people who are probably wondering "what is that thing".... :D
 
Having been a Fed/Zorki enthusiast for quite some time, when friends ask about purchasing these cameras my usual reply is, "are you mechanically inclined and have the patience to DIY?"

I believe it is an integral part of enjoying classic and obsolete technology - cameras, audio equipment, cars and etc.
 
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