rbiemer
Unabashed Amateur
I've been reading the Casual Photophile blog and there was recently a post about the FED 5b camera. Nice overview and a very brief history. See here:
https://www.casualphotophile.com/2018/05/21/fed-5b-camera-review-35mm-film-rangefinder/
Part of the quick history was this statement by the author of the blog: "But the skilled craftsmen and expert engineering employed by Leica was something sorely missing in the USSR. The Soviets, instead, had Ukrainian orphans."
Which I seem to remember from the Princelle book. And the book has one or two photos of the young workers. I think.
However, one of the comments had this to say:
"That’s a myth. The FED factory was built in place of former orphanage. Orphans were moved to other orphanages. It would be impossible to make such a complex devices as rangefinder cameras and optics using unqualified labour, even considering that soviet cameras were of more crude design."
(italic emphasis added by me) I agree that "unqualified labour" wouldn't be able to make a camera but I also think that well trained and supervised teenagers absolutely could learn to assemble a camera--they wouldn't need any optical or design experience--nor much knowledge--to assemble one correctly. A workforce like that would need supervisors and testing regimes such that the final product could be checked for function.
In fact, I worked in the Smith Corona factory building typewriters when I was 18 or 19 and I sure don't know anything about designing typewriters. But I was quickly trained to take a set of parts and put them together in the correct order and to see that they functioned how I was told they should. Got to be fairly quick at my task as well--it was a piece rate job so the more assemblies I made the better my pay was.
Anyway, I can't find my copy of Princelle's book about FSU cameras, so I can't check but I thought that the, presumably high-school aged orphans were actually the work force at the time--prior to WW II.
Anybody here know the actual history?
Thanks!
Rob
https://www.casualphotophile.com/2018/05/21/fed-5b-camera-review-35mm-film-rangefinder/
Part of the quick history was this statement by the author of the blog: "But the skilled craftsmen and expert engineering employed by Leica was something sorely missing in the USSR. The Soviets, instead, had Ukrainian orphans."
Which I seem to remember from the Princelle book. And the book has one or two photos of the young workers. I think.
However, one of the comments had this to say:
"That’s a myth. The FED factory was built in place of former orphanage. Orphans were moved to other orphanages. It would be impossible to make such a complex devices as rangefinder cameras and optics using unqualified labour, even considering that soviet cameras were of more crude design."
(italic emphasis added by me) I agree that "unqualified labour" wouldn't be able to make a camera but I also think that well trained and supervised teenagers absolutely could learn to assemble a camera--they wouldn't need any optical or design experience--nor much knowledge--to assemble one correctly. A workforce like that would need supervisors and testing regimes such that the final product could be checked for function.
In fact, I worked in the Smith Corona factory building typewriters when I was 18 or 19 and I sure don't know anything about designing typewriters. But I was quickly trained to take a set of parts and put them together in the correct order and to see that they functioned how I was told they should. Got to be fairly quick at my task as well--it was a piece rate job so the more assemblies I made the better my pay was.
Anyway, I can't find my copy of Princelle's book about FSU cameras, so I can't check but I thought that the, presumably high-school aged orphans were actually the work force at the time--prior to WW II.
Anybody here know the actual history?
Thanks!
Rob
retinax
Well-known
Do you know this article by Oscar Fricke? http://www.fedka.com/Useful_info/Commune_by_Fricke/commune_A.htm
This reads like the cameras were made by the orphans.
This reads like the cameras were made by the orphans.
rbiemer
Unabashed Amateur
Thank you for the link. I think that article confirms what I remember from Princelle and I may have read Mr. Fricke's article long ago when I started my own journey through the FSU camera world.
Much appreciated!
Rob
Ko.Fe.
Lenses 35/21 Gears 46/20
It is documented in memuars. Original and in original language.
I guess it might be hard for some western people to believe but, yes, kids were working on factories. Before war, during war and after war. My wife uncle used to work at LOMO, as kid.
And my wife has to start work well before 18...
FED was originally at working communa in orphans place. And before they have it set for cameras (with specialist help, of course) they have electric tools manufacturing already in place.
https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.seg...ja-zhizn-pervoho-covetckoho-fotoapparata.html
I have working 5B kit, BTW, if someone is interested
I guess it might be hard for some western people to believe but, yes, kids were working on factories. Before war, during war and after war. My wife uncle used to work at LOMO, as kid.
And my wife has to start work well before 18...
FED was originally at working communa in orphans place. And before they have it set for cameras (with specialist help, of course) they have electric tools manufacturing already in place.
https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.seg...ja-zhizn-pervoho-covetckoho-fotoapparata.html
I have working 5B kit, BTW, if someone is interested
rbiemer
Unabashed Amateur
Well, here in the US, we have our own history of child laborers and I'd guess that making cameras was a bit easier than mining. Or working in cloth factories.
And learning how to work is kind of a separate skill than how to do a specific job.
Given the huge numbers of orphans the Soviets had to do something with, the choices can only have been difficult.
Rob
Ko.Fe.
Lenses 35/21 Gears 46/20
In pre soviet time kids worked everywhere. Mining, factories, stores, farms and at homes.
And it was many orphans before revolution. But again, it is written in original memoars and in original language.
In soviet times, kids worked just as slaves in USA at cotton fields in Uzbekistan. I know it not from articles, but from those who worked.
And it was many orphans before revolution. But again, it is written in original memoars and in original language.
In soviet times, kids worked just as slaves in USA at cotton fields in Uzbekistan. I know it not from articles, but from those who worked.
David Hughes
David Hughes
I seem to recall that you can leave school and go to work at 14 in some American states...
As for the FED factory, it was part of the ophanage and youngsters were apprentices, as we would call them. It was destroyed during the war, the factory staff moved out and production started again but differently after the war.
If you look at the serial numbers of the lenses you may think, as I do, that a bulk order was made for the FED 10 lens before the war and they were then used up in no particular order when production started again. Being sent to the 1930 FED, then moved to safety, then moved back to the new FED factory after the war would account for the disruption.
Just my 2d worth, FWIW...
Regards, David
As for the FED factory, it was part of the ophanage and youngsters were apprentices, as we would call them. It was destroyed during the war, the factory staff moved out and production started again but differently after the war.
If you look at the serial numbers of the lenses you may think, as I do, that a bulk order was made for the FED 10 lens before the war and they were then used up in no particular order when production started again. Being sent to the 1930 FED, then moved to safety, then moved back to the new FED factory after the war would account for the disruption.
Just my 2d worth, FWIW...
Regards, David
Ko.Fe.
Lenses 35/21 Gears 46/20
Where is no FED-10 lens. It is camera.
First lens for FED was FED 50 3.5 and it has some official name, which was changed later on to I-10. I-10 before war is without coating, after with coating. It has FED on the lens front.
Just as many plants, FED was evacuated. To Berdsk city during war, they were making military parts where.
First lens for FED was FED 50 3.5 and it has some official name, which was changed later on to I-10. I-10 before war is without coating, after with coating. It has FED on the lens front.
Just as many plants, FED was evacuated. To Berdsk city during war, they were making military parts where.
David Hughes
David Hughes
I guess I sort of subsumed the two into a new lens...
I would have said that the Industar-10 dated from 1952 to 56 or thereabouts; again the numbers don't run in any sort of order.
Regards, David