Show Off Your FSU

[Ron (Netherlands)]

This one's been here before, but this time dressed in a home-made leather half-case... (I was too lazy to stitch it, so I rather glued it together 😉)

There's also my home-made leather strap. Sorry Luigi - but I can't afford yours...

Very well done Ondrej!
How is the camera attached to the halfcase? (I am also considering making some cases by myself or with the help of my shoemaker)

 

[Spyderman]

Ron: there is a screw as with similar cases. I had some of these screws just laying around... There is a 3/8-1/4 adapter in the camera and 1/4 screw.

 

[malkmata]

I just got this Fed 2 last week. I'm still testing my first roll of film with it.

 

[KaraSinek]

Hi,
here is my special "50th ANNIVERSARY of October 1917 Revolution" model

 

[Denis M.]

Here's mine

Here's mine

 

[shead]

Here are mine. New here but thought I'd share.

 

[Spyderman]

Welcome shead !

That is a nice couple - the ultimate FSU LTM cameras IMO. The Z-3C is much better (quality of finish) than the later 4's, and the F-2 is the simplest smallest (with the exception of Barnack clones) and most reliable of them all. Congratulations.

PS: and I just love those tabbed FSU lenses...

 

[Trawlerman]

Here are a couple of shots of my 1976 Zorki-4K and one of my Zenit EM. I know the EM is not an RF camera but i'm gonna include it here anyway as i know that there are people who would be interested to see it regardless.


The Zorki-4K was recently recovered by myself with a kit from Aki-Asahi. The meter on the top is the Kopil CDs meter. I haven't had the chance to get out and shoot with the Z4 and meter but from what I've seen of the meter is seem relatively accurate.

 

[bcostin]

My new-to-me Zorki 6. The lens is a rigid Industar-50, sporting an old Kodak Series V hood..

 

[malkmata]

I recently acquired two more Soviet friends.

I like the Fed 2 better. The Zorki 4's viewfinder is brighter but having 1:1 magnification makes it hard to see the edges of the viewfinder.

 

[vladhed]

Dynamic Duo

Dynamic Duo

I recently acquired two more Soviet friends.

*image of Zorki4*

*image of FED2*

I like the Fed 2 better. The Zorki 4's viewfinder is brighter but having 1:1 magnification makes it hard to see the edges of the viewfinder.

Nice pair!

That's the same pair of FSUs I use. I like the Zorki's VF much more, because it is brighter and has a ~40mm coverage so I typically put my J12 on the Zorki without an accessory VF (which I don't have anyway).

However the FED2 just feels more solid so my J8 with the same "heavystar" vented hood is on the FED2 and is my preferred camera for shooting outside on nice sunny days. The FED2 is what I travel with as a backup for when my DSLR messes up for some reason.

 

[petronius]

Three of my russian family: a Zorki 1e from 1955, a Kiev 4a from 1970 and a FED 5v from 1977. There is a hard falloff in design-quality, elegance and handling from the old to the young. The optical quality contest of these three is won by the Industar 61L/D though it has the worst mechanical quality.

 

[Highway 61]

If you would like to match the rendering of the I-61LD in Kiev mount, there were some NOS Helios 103's on ebay recently, very cheap, much sharper than the J-8.

No, no, no, you can't get no satisfaction with a H-103.

The I-61 LD in Kiev mount (click) exists already.

😛

 

[petronius]

Pixtu, I thought first I could live with this infinity lock, but it´s evil! (I even filed off the the locking pin on my Elmar some years ago!). I´m very pleased with the performance of the Jupiter-8 (I owned a black one for my Zorki 15 years ago). The I-61 is sometimes too sharp! The greatest lens of the kit you sent me is the Jupiter-12. I really love the sharpness, the bokeh and the complete lack of distortion!

 

[petronius]

I received my FED 5v new from Russia and the finish is horrible. Looking at the body´s rounded parts I can see the grinding facets under the chrome.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

I've found the same issue with the I-61L/D: great optics module. It screws into the Kiev J-8 mount, and I use it on my Nikon and Contax. It will work on your Kiev once you make the mod.

 

[malkmata]

Just picked up this Fed 1 a couple weeks ago from Fedka.com.

 

[malkmata]

A shot from the first roll of film;
http://www.flickr.com/photos/15851331@N00/2552852032/

 

[Valkir1987]

I finished the repairs on my Fed NKVD, which I got 2 day's ago, replaced the old curtains with new ones. I cleaned and brushed almost every moving part before lubricating them, which was really worth the time. It works smoother than almost any other camera I have.
Can't wait to shoot a roll of film with it. 😀

 

[cjm]

Since selling my Zorki 4k last year, I've very much regretted it (it was my first rangefinder). I recently won a 1959 Zorki 4 on eBay and got lucky. Judging from the 4k, this Zorki 4 has almost certainly been CLA'd. It's very smooth and the shutter is almost as quiet as the Leica III and IIIc I used to have. It came with a J8, Industar 61LD, and Industar 26M.