Moskva 4-5 or Iskra ?

[Screwy]

Thinking of getting either a Moskva 4 or 5 or an Iskra and giving medium format a go for a change . anyone have any experience with either of these cameras ? anything to watch out for (apart from dodgy sellers) .

Paul

 

[JonP]

I prefer the Iskra (even with its leaking bellows), but my Moskva 5 is rough!
Main thing with the Iskra is the film advance/double exposure prevention, its as unreliable as the Super Isolettes

 

[iñaki]

I love my ISKRA (you can see a few photos in my gallery). There are some threads about the ISKRA in RFF, some of them with photos taken with foldings like the ISKRA and the MOSKVA. I chosed the ISKRA after seein some wonderful photos by Tood and other members here.

 

[Terjesko]

I have a Moskva 5, a Moskva 2 and an Iskra, and I LOVE THEM ALL!!
the Moskva 5 gives excellent results with 6x9 color film, the Moskva 2 is great for b/w BIG negatives!, and the Iskra takes care of my need for 6x6 format. After a while I discovered that the film advance mechanism on the Iskra works OK if I see to it that the tab under the advance knob is properly pushed in by the back door when closing it after film change.

 

[Terjesko]

As to which camera to chose, I would say GET THEM ALL! Its no big investment and a lot of fun!

 

[Screwy]

As to which camera to chose, I would say GET THEM ALL! Its no big investment and a lot of fun!

Oh god don't be putting ideas like that into my head :bang:


😉 😀



Paul

 

[pshinkaw]

I have an Iskra I plus a pair of working Mockba-5's and Mockba-5 spare for parts.

The pumpkin shot was taken with the Iskra on Agfa Optima color negative.

Assuming that everything works as it should, the Iskra is good for a wider variety of uses. However, scenics shot on a 6X9 negative can be spectacular.

-Paul

 

[rxmd]

I've got a Moskva 5 and no Iskra, so I'm somewhat biased because I like to do 6x9 and I've got a Super Ikonta for 6x6 😉 But: The Iskra viewfinder is a lot better than the Moskva's, and I mean a lot; it's one of the best 6x6 RF viewfinders I know. And the film counter windows in the back of my Moskva tend to leak light. And the transport lock on the Moskva is a pain in the rear, so I disabled it by unhooking a spring in the left knob.

So I would recommend the Iskra. (And you can pick up an extra Moskva any day for $20, if you feel like it.)

 

[Mister_Hat]

I have both a Moskva-5 and an Iskra. The Iskra has an excellent combined rangefinder/viewfinder while the Moskva has separate windows. The Moskva is more reliable with frame spacing since you have the old red window frame counter, and you can shoot either 6X6 or 6X9 if you get one with the mask. Buy from a reliable seller like Fedka or Alex Photo and you'll be pleased with either one... or both. 😀

 

[Screwy]

Well just snapped up a medium priced Moskva 4 , no 6x6 mask unfortunately but the only one I saw with a mask was twice the price 🙄 anyone know if the Moskva 5 mask is the same ? or has a Moskva 4 mask that they can give me dimensions from and possibly a picture (I'm a jobbing machinist by trade 😉 and have a few contacts in sheet metal fabrication ) An Iskra is possibly on the cards but I will have to see how the wife takes the Moskva first 😀






Paul