Armoured
Well-known
I've been meaning for a while to get another FSU body. I like my old FED-2 (picked up years ago for twenty bucks or so and then forgotten about, until relatively recently), but I now use it primarily for extra-wide lenses (Voigtlander 21mm and 15mm), with the occasional use of a standard or an 85mm. I've been meaning to write a review of using these wide lenses on the old FSU bodies - given the depth of field, the lens register and even focussing is not really an issue - and one of these days will get get my thoughts down.
One big problem with my FED-2, though not all, is that the accessory shoe is recessed down from the top plate and 'crimped' - so it won't accept some, or even most, external viewfinders. When it does, they're kind of awkwardly hanging off - maybe the big FSU multifinder fits better, but I don't have one. Also the Fed folding lens (fed version of the Industar-22) flares like that was its one goal in life, and it long ago fulfilled and surpassed its own five-year plan.
So today after a long walk near the Arbat, I dropped into one of the old-school used camera shops still functioning. What appears to be a highly serviceable Zorky 4 free of any obvious damage - with the accessory shoe well up and happy to take external viewfinders - cost me 1000 rubles (about $33). And that was with a Jupiter-8 (well used but not much more than cleaning marks), lens cap and leather case (of roughly the same supple high quality leather that one would use to attach a plough to oxen). No complaints - Moscow has its advantages, particularly if you like FSU equipment.
Looking forward to giving the kit a try - and most of all to using my viewfinders. So far the Fed-2 fits marginally better in my hand, as it's a bit smaller, but I'm perhaps just used to it.
One big problem with my FED-2, though not all, is that the accessory shoe is recessed down from the top plate and 'crimped' - so it won't accept some, or even most, external viewfinders. When it does, they're kind of awkwardly hanging off - maybe the big FSU multifinder fits better, but I don't have one. Also the Fed folding lens (fed version of the Industar-22) flares like that was its one goal in life, and it long ago fulfilled and surpassed its own five-year plan.
So today after a long walk near the Arbat, I dropped into one of the old-school used camera shops still functioning. What appears to be a highly serviceable Zorky 4 free of any obvious damage - with the accessory shoe well up and happy to take external viewfinders - cost me 1000 rubles (about $33). And that was with a Jupiter-8 (well used but not much more than cleaning marks), lens cap and leather case (of roughly the same supple high quality leather that one would use to attach a plough to oxen). No complaints - Moscow has its advantages, particularly if you like FSU equipment.
Looking forward to giving the kit a try - and most of all to using my viewfinders. So far the Fed-2 fits marginally better in my hand, as it's a bit smaller, but I'm perhaps just used to it.
