AFAIK, the first 2 digits of the serial number only applies to Zorki/KMZ production towards the early to mid 50s. The FED factory never had a serial numbering system that could identify it's date of production. One can just go by the model and engravings to guesstimate the age.
AFAIK, the first 2 digits of the serial number only applies to Zorki/KMZ production towards the early to mid 50s. The FED factory never had a serial numbering system that could identify it's date of production. One can just go by the model and engravings to guesstimate the age.
That's correct--The KMZ numbers started reflecting the year about 1950 (depending on the camera model) Kiev about the same time. I've seen a SN-MFG date list for some FEDs (don't remember where) but the numbers do not include the year.
AFAIK, the first 2 digits of the serial number only applies to Zorki/KMZ production towards the early to mid 50s. The FED factory never had a serial numbering system that could identify it's date of production. One can just go by the model and engravings to guesstimate the age.
I think the best you can do is to get a range of years based on the model type. The lenses have the same serial problems as the bodies. Occassionally you find one with a presentation engraving that may have date on it. However, the Soviets may not have had the same feelings toward giving used equipment as Americans, and so the presentation engavings could have been done on older used cameras. No one really knows.
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