It's time for a laugh I think, so here are a couple of photos.
It's my new (to me) Fed-2! It came with the Fed-50 lens which was a bit stiff (mostly arperture), so I working it while watching a movie and it's much better now. It still really needs a CLA though to make it operate really smoothly.
But the screws in the lens were filthy - lots of blocks of dried lube which had to be cleaned out. The difference afterwards was a revelation! Now it moves smoothly and easily, better than some new lenses I've had! I've taken a test roll but need to get it developed first to see if it's ok. Looking through it, it seems alright, but the acid test is the quality of pics.
The camera itself showed capping but after running a spare film through and a brief CLA, it seems to be working absolutely fine. I had to clean some grime and dirt off, but it was fun (and surprisingly easy compared to Japanese cams) to take the top off. Curiously, the limits (lack of slow speeds and no exposure meter) seem to add to its charms.
But - a question for Fed-2 owners - I keep on picking it up and playing with it - just focusing on something, winding on and hearing the shutter release, or just handling it. Is this wierd or does every Fed-2 owner do this? Although the camera is awkward and old, it just feels so nice?!
btw - the pictures were taken with an old Praktica SLR with a Pentacon 1.8 lens and extremely poor light (just one floor lamp and the main light in a lampshade) so the lens was wide open - hence the enormous DoF (partially intentional as I haven't used the camera for years and wanted to find its limits) and poor exposure (all my fault). Apologies!
