HELP with F.E.D camera versions please

[yardbent1941]

I have a FED 4(b)
and am considering a FED 3...but
with my limited knowledge gained from searching the internet - I'm a bit confused..🙁
so far I believe........

FED 3(a) has a film knob, strap lugs and a stepped top-plate
FED 3(b) has a film advance lever, no lugs and a flat top-plate

so what is this version....?
flat top-plate, film advance lever and strap lugs



many thanks

 

[p.giannakis]

The one you show above is the (b) version. I had it, nice camera.

The (a) looks very different.



The Fed3(b) does not have lugs. The one you show must be "homemade".

Mine came without lugs

 

[yardbent1941]

The Fed3(b) does not have lugs. The one you show must be "homemade".

thanks for a quick reply

No wonder I was confused -- i 'thought' it was a FED 3(b) but the lugs threw me

didn't occur to me that they might be 'homemade'............🙄

 

[WoodallP]

Jean-Loup Princelle in his pretty definitive guide to Soviet cameras (worth buying, it is amazing) notes two types of 3b but only varying because of a slight improvement on winding mechanism. Nothing about lugs however; so I also feel it is a later addition. People did it to Leica IIs so why not Feds.

 

[Valkir1987]

There is a less common version of the Fed 4 with a winding knob too. (Very weird aesthetics...)

 

[WoodallP]

There is a less common version of the Fed 4 with a winding knob too. (Very weird aesthetics...)

Fed 4a, it seemed to get a lot from the FED 3a including the lugs and then added the meter. The lugs were then again lost with the 4b which had a lever wind. It really feels like there were many parallel developments all happening at the same time and no one though to coordinate.

According to Princelle

FED-3 type a 1961-63 (classic wind)
FED-3 L 1963-69 (3a with Industar-61)
FED-3 type b 1963-1976 (wind lever, two variants based on wind lever mechanism))
FED-3 L/D 1977-1980 (3b with Industar-61L)
FED-4 type a 1964-1971 (meter, classic wind, lugs)
FED-4 type b 1969-1976 (meter, lever wind, no lugs)

I think there was a lot of stock clearance in overlapping years.

 

[WoodallP]

Fed 4a, it seemed to get a lot from the FED 3a including the lugs and then added the meter. The lugs were then again lost with the 4b which had a lever wind. It really feels like there were many parallel developments all happening at the same time and no one though to coordinate.

According to Princelle

FED-3 type a 1961-63 (classic wind)
FED-3 L 1963-69 (3a with Industar-61)
FED-3 type b 1963-1976 (wind lever, two variants based on wind lever mechanism))
FED-3 L/D 1977-1980 (3b with Industar-61L)
FED-4 type a 1964-1971 (meter, classic wind, lugs)
FED-4 type b 1969-1976 (meter, lever wind, no lugs)

I think there was a lot of stock clearance in overlapping years.

For those that don't know it, this is the book:



It can be had new quite cheaply from the author if you bump into him at camera fairs, and very expensively on the second had book market. He tends to wear a kilt and play the bagpipes very loudly so he is easy to recognise.

 

[santino]

Princelle‘s book is great but nowadays covers only about 2/3 of all the soviet cameras. There are also good online resources like sovietcams and ussrphoto.

The strap lugs are a nice feature on that Fed. Only early soviet cameras had strap lugs, later you had to use the ever ready case with it’s own strap.