Show Off Your FSU

I had always thought that the FED-2 was my favourite screwmount FSU, based on functionality and just looking way cool, but some recent posts praising the Zorki 6 talked me into buying one. They were right- this is a really nice camera!
Both cameras had the cloth covering that I stripped off and replaced with leather, an easy job and very worth the effort. So now, I just can't choose.

LeatherFED2.jpg


LeatherZorki6.jpg


I specify "screwmount", because my all-time favourite FSU camera is still the very early Kiev 2, which is in some ways superior, and no ways inferior to the Contax of which it is a copy.

Kiev1949.jpg



I keep seeing posts that say that some camera or other is better than the FED 2 because it has X-sync, presuming the FED 2 doesn't. Every FED 2 I have ever worked with synced with electronic flash just fine at 1/30. Are there some that don't?


Cheers,
Dez
 
Dez said:
Every FED 2 I have ever worked with synced with electronic flash just fine at 1/30. Are there some that don't?

Cheers,
Dez
Click to expand...

Indeed your flash will fire, but not at the right moment; non of the FED 2 I had for servicing were synchronized for x, only for bulb flash. x-flash was an extra feature on some zorki's like the Z5 and Z6. There is no synchonization mechanism built into the FED 2.
 
There is something strange here, I assure you that the FED 2 in the picture is correctly synchronized for electronic flash, and reliably exposes the entire frame. To the best of my knowledge, I have never worked on the sync mechanism of this camera.

It makes sense that a camera with non-adjustable sync from this period would be correct for flashbulbs rather than electronic flash, but there it is.

I recall repairing a faulty sync on a FED 2 that I sold a couple years ago. It is an unusual mechanism and rather fragile, but I don't recall having to do anything heroic to X-sync correctly on that one as well. I did not make any notes on the repair process.

I guess I will need to get another FED 2 and experiment with it. If there is some simple way to reset the sync, I'll take some pictures and post the process.

Cheers,
Dez
 
Ron (Netherlands) said:
Indeed your flash will fire, but not at the right moment; non of the FED 2 I had for servicing were synchronized for x, only for bulb flash. x-flash was an extra feature on some zorki's like the Z5 and Z6. There is no synchonization mechanism built into the FED 2.
Click to expand...

Dez said:
There is something strange here, I assure you that the FED 2 in the picture is correctly synchronized for electronic flash, and reliably exposes the entire frame. To the best of my knowledge, I have never worked on the sync mechanism of this camera.

It makes sense that a camera with non-adjustable sync from this period would be correct for flashbulbs rather than electronic flash, but there it is.

...
Click to expand...


I frequently used my FED 2 (bought in 1991) with electronic flash in the early 1990s. It seemed to work even at 1/50 s (at that day and my age of 12 I assumed that a focal plane shutter would be fully open at 1/50 like my dads SLR) with the electronic flash - at least I didn't noticed the opposite while looking at the pictures (C41 process). Perhaps just the shutter was working incorrectly...
 
Ron (Netherlands) said:
Indeed your flash will fire, but not at the right moment; non of the FED 2 I had for servicing were synchronized for x, only for bulb flash. x-flash was an extra feature on some zorki's like the Z5 and Z6. There is no synchonization mechanism built into the FED 2.
Click to expand...
Ron,
That's interesting because the two FED 2s I have used (1 sold and 1 still owned) are most definitely synched at 1/30th for electronic flash. One strange thing about FED's synch mechanism is that it works correctly only at 1/30 and at no other speed (even on models with slow speeds), not even on "B". In contrast, the Zorki 3S, 4 and 4K had a proper synchroniser that works correctly at all speeds of 1/30 and slower, including "B" and those without slow speeds also do work properly on "B".
 
wolves3012 said:
Ron,
That's interesting because the two FED 2s I have used (1 sold and 1 still owned) are most definitely synched at 1/30th for electronic flash. One strange thing about FED's synch mechanism is that it works correctly only at 1/30 and at no other speed (even on models with slow speeds), not even on "B". In contrast, the Zorki 3S, 4 and 4K had a proper synchroniser that works correctly at all speeds of 1/30 and slower, including "B" and those without slow speeds also do work properly on "B".
Click to expand...

Might be that there is a difference between earlier and later models. I guess for the early ones it seems plausible they had one socket for bulbs since electronic flash was not generally in use in the fifties, not even in the sixties (many pro's used bulbs so that they were able to use flash at higher speeds). Electronic flash was really a modern feature in camera's of the fifties, and normally as an extra besides the ability to use bulbs. Anyhow when I 'service' a camera I always try to get the x-flash right since I like it very much to play with flash and available light. With the several Fed 2' s I had in my hands, only part of the frame illuminated - and - if my recollection is right - I could only adjust the flashtiming in the Zorki's (and Leica's). Perhaps with later models the socket is indeed meant for x-flash at the 1/30 speed.
 
Can't shoot a pic with all of my stuff at once, or my wife will have a chance to see how much stuff I have accumulated. 😀

Let's start with this, the one I'm using right now:
rOyuE.jpg


It's got an Industar 61 L/D but it's not the lens that came with the camera (took it from a FED-5 from my collection). The collapsible one is simply not as good as this one.

Actually, the one in the picture is a third lens: an Industar 61 with markings in feet that I took from my FED-4. 😀

The Metz 20 is VERY useful as I'm using mainly ISO 100 film, and that is for indoor and outdoor.
 
not much thought gone into this photo, in fact so little that i just grabbed the auction photo😀 6x6 frame included. I really like the tactile process of using this camera.
 

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Nkdv Fed 1940

Nkdv Fed 1940

Here's one that I have restored recently - its curtains were all shot and its viewfinder was blurry:

IMG_4855.JPG


the old curtains fell apart:

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just after installing new curtains:

IMG_4858.JPG


and this is what it looks after I put everything back in place:

IMG_4894.JPG


However two screws at the back happened to be far from original and not well fitting so if anyone has this type of screws please leave a note....(it are the screws that attaches the body shell to the top, the same as the 3 screws at the front of the camera at the chromium part)
 
Love that demolition shot!

And that's really good FED and those chrome plates looks really sharp (new overlay or just good cleaning?).
 
Very nice! I have one FED-2 in the same state of disassembly to replace the shutters, but I'm waiting to find a suitable material. I ought to take some photos 🙂
 
Martytoof said:
Very nice! I have one FED-2 in the same state of disassembly to replace the shutters, but I'm waiting to find a suitable material. I ought to take some photos 🙂
Click to expand...
I can recommend Aki Asahi's double-layer cloth. Excellent quality and stable in both directions. I've re-shuttered a FED 1 and Zorki 3M with it. It comes with a thin shutter tape which is deceptively strong.
 
FED-5 with Industar-61:

_DSC0281.jpg


I briefly put this combo up for sale in the classifieds earlier, but decided to keep it. If I do decide to sell again, it will just be the body.
 
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