Lens and camera serial numbers

[Whateverist]

I've seen it mentioned once or twice that matching serial numbers on a lens and camera body increase the value of a camera. What I'd like to know is, why is this? Is this purely a matter of collectability - the knowledge that all the bits and pieces rolled off the assembly line together, so to speak - or are matching numbers an indication of quality?

If you have no particular interest in either collecting or reselling a camera, only in using it, are matching serial numbers a concern?

 

[HuubL]

As far as I know, lens and camera serial numbers are always different. However, there are lenses, like the Leica 50mm DR Summicron of which the lens head kan be removed from the focusing mount. These were handpicked to match and both parts should have the same number.

Oh, I see you posted in the FSU forum. For those I don't know and neither for the Nikons.

 

[Whateverist]

Thanks for the info.

 

[fanshaw]

It is not just the rangefinder. Buyers of Soviet cameras were advised to take their cameras to a repair shop if they changed the standard lens. The reason for this is the poor precision of manufacture. Bodies and lenses required manual adjustment as a final production step.

 

[rxmd]

FSU Cameras often had their RF set up with a particular lens.

Those still had different serial numbers. I'm unaware of any Soviet interchangeable lens camera that had the camera and lens serial numbers matched. Then again I don't know about the really weird ones like the Sport or the Kiev-SKD. But even prototype cameras like the GOI that took custom lenses appear to have had lenses with non-matching numbers.

Incidentally I don't think people were "advised" to have their camera adjusted if they changed the standard lens. Repair manuals certainly mention that the working distances of lens and body need to be matched (p. 184-185 in the Russian edition of Maizenberg), but I haven't seen a notice like this in camera manuals so far. (EDIT: OK, I now have. I retract that comment.) On the other hand, people were generally expecting things to need adjustment every now and then, and since what needs to be adjusted on a lens change is really just the rangefinder which is really easy to do on FSU cameras, I guess that adjusting cameras to lenses was a rather frequent operation.

Interestingly enough, in fact many Soviet rangefinder camera buyers seem to have been unaware that the lens was supposed to be interchangeable at all (I've heard this several times now).

Philipp

 

[rxmd]

Hi Richard,

First from a Fed2 manual, second from a Zorki4.

View attachment 60864 View attachment 60865

Thanks! Live and learn.

Philipp