Is the Industar 61L/D good enough?

[ForestCap]

As 36 or 37 lenses can be tested with a cassette of film I don't see that as an expense. And a lot of sellers in what was the USSR seem to have expensive digital cameras, even Leica M's.

RF lenses focus accuracy can be tested with a piece of ground glass or matte-finish tape sticking to the film rails of the camera, and lens sharpness can be tested by using digital camera. In this way it's even cheaper. But most FSU (eBay) sellers just don't have the attitude to do so. In best cases I've seen the sellers showed a picture taken with the lens on Sony NEX, but no more than that.

 

[Fotohuis]

I've met very few people who have bought a brand new USSR made camera, especially rare are people who bought one brand new in the 1950's, 60's and 70's.

So far I found one Zorki-6 with I-50 brand new (from the 60's) in the box. I have spend also Eur. 50 for a complete CLA on it and it is not only looking at new it is also working very precisely. But when I got it, the same problem with sticky grease.

Comparing this camera with my Leica M7 (from 2005) and some Leica lenses it is not that big difference in smooth handling. However the used (lens) material, Alu is cheap and when you drop it, it is finished.

But apart from the mechanical thing if you have a good assy FSU lens the optical performance is simply good. When using a micro film you can do some tests and you can see the resolution is pretty high. But the coating is like any other 50's-60's-70's lens not that good so you need very often a sun hood on these lenses. At open aperture these lenses are always a bit soft. But OK if a Jupiter-8 ($50) was as sharp at open aperture and had the same resolution and coating comparing to an actual Leica Summicron of $2000 nobody would buy any new Leica lenses anymore.

Further a W.A. lens made for a range finder is always in (optical) construction better then for a SLR.

So if you know the weaker points of these cameras and lenses you can have a great result on your photos. In not too extreme light conditions a photo printed on 18x24cm from my Leica gear or Zorki-Jupiter gear is even for me difficult to see the difference. The FSU combination is about 100x less expensive and maybe 5% worse.

 

[radi(c)al_cam]

FSU lenses were made in millions. […] constant and repetitive blaming of self-repairs is not significant […]. Made in millions FSU lenses have huge fluctuation in the quality right from the factory.
And some of the lenses are good, actually because of capable people to fix is after.

Dear Konstantin,

to an extent I can agree with you, because (albeit I'm Western European) I had the chance to make some intriguing observations regarding the Eastern Bloc economy during my teenage years.

I'd say: there were reasons why this was so. And it was not the «vodka», on the contrary: there have been really sensible reasons why some of the stuff came out of the factory in need of repair. 😉

 

[David Hughes]

Exactly. I had a Leica Standard almost the same; the dried grease and oil had spread or melted in little puddles and dried up; there was even one around the film winding knob and that decided me to buy it. I spoke to the tech. who refettled it and he said some parts looked unused and one part had rusted and was replaced but mostly he just scrapped the dried lubricants off and replaced them as he put it back together.

And, as I said previously, users will wreck things. I have spoken to technicians who have had to deal with an open can of fizzy, sugary drink dropped inside a delicate piece of electronic equipment. Luckily, the customer didn't blame the makers for that breakdown...

But there you are, I retired 25 years ago and can still remember the stupid and silly things customers would do, and the occasional stupid expert who made it worse.

And a few/many customers confuse guarantees with insurance policies after they've dropped something on a concrete pavement and, again, attack the makers over it, or sell it on the internet...

Regards, David

 

[David Hughes]

David, I'm reading same Pickwick papers from you again and again.
May I dare to bring you closer to the real life?

None of the FSU LTM cameras were build like Leica. NONE. This is why Leica repair specialists are not taking them for repairs. They are doing it not because here is no prestige Leica label, but because those cameras build in the way where you can't guarantee or predict.

Most of FSU lenses are sold for pennies. With miserable profit. And do you really think what people who are selling it from Russia and Ukraine have money to test it on film and still make couple of dollars?

David, two dollars in Moscow is the cost of meal or bottle of vodka. But film ain't cheap...

DIY manuals for lens CLA exist and available for any kind of lenses. Including Leitz made. And people are doing it regardless how much lens cost.

FSU lenses were made in millions. Your constant and repetitive blaming of self-repairs is not significant as frequency of your repeats about it. Made in millions FSU lenses have huge fluctuation in the quality right from the factory.
And some of the lenses are good, actually because of capable people to fix is after.

Konstantin.

Hi,

I have just read this thread:-

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=158449

And, to save you all looking, it says "... a friend of mine gave me a bunch of zorki 1 parts and i am attempting to put it together... "

Now, did I imagine that?

Regards, David