To FED or not to FED

[Antonio Shalder]

1) Is the FED 2 (or any other FED) parallax corrected? If not, how much of an impact is that going to make in my shooting?

Only significant when photographing at 2m or less. If you shoot landscapes, barely no impact.

2) I've read the warnings about arming the shutter before setting the shutter speeds. How much of a real problem is this?

In Fed-2, you may set the wrong speed and tha's all. The manual recommends to set the speed AFTER cocking the shutter, but I think this will damage only the cameras with the slow speeds mechanism, like Zorki-3/4, FED-3-4-5

3) I think I know the answer to this, but just so I'm straight: the FED's use the same LTM mount as the Leica III series and the Bessa R, right?

Yes. But some Canon and Nikon has a different rangefinder coupling that can misalign the camera's RF shaft.

4) Is it pronounced "In-dust-ar" or "In-du-star"? (I guess that one's for Nathalia 😉

second option

 

[pshinkaw]

So is e-Bay's off-site surveillance better than Homeland Security's?

A lot of the best e-Bay Seller's operate off-line web stores. I don't look over my shoulder to see whose watching what I'm buying. I don't violate e-Bay rules when I'm on their site either.

Fedka has his own web store. Alex-Photo has an e-Bay store. If you ask him to look for something he can put it on the e-Bay store and sell it to you without violating e-Bay's rules.

I personally think the gamble of getting something good or trash on e-Bay is a lot of fun, as long as you don't get too serious about the prices. But when I need something and can't wait, I go directly to the best source.

-Paul

 

[rl1856]

I too have just purchased a Fed-2 d/e (some debate as to which I have). Lens is the Industar-26. Overall, I am impressed with the camera. It seems to be a good and basic mechanical device, the likes of which are quickly disappearing in the automatic digital age.


The viewfinder/rangefinder window is bright and the dioptor is usefull.

There is no parallax correction built in; but if you think there may be an image problem just frame your image just off center and adjust by cropping....

I don't have a problem with the relative lack of shutter speed choices. Using 200asa film, I did not even use 1/500th on a sunny day and I do not anticipate doing much in low light conditions. In fact the lens appeature is continious (instead of click stop) meaning that you can set it between f-stops if your meter suggests a speed that you do not have available (each halfing of speed increment lets in approxately 2x as much light).

I have taken 2 rolls of film so far and the results are satisfactory. What I found is that I still have a learning curve and that the camera works !

I purchased my Fed from a US seller who no longer wanted/needed the camera.

I have since purchased a Zorki 3m/Jupitor-8 combo from Russia ($65 BIN !!) and am awaiting delivery. The 3m is closer to my original intent in wanting to aquire a FSU Lecia copy. After I receive it, I will compare it to the Fed and eventually 1 will be sold off.

Oh and outside of playing around with ~80yr old technology, the camera is a real conversation starter !

Best,

Ross

 

[gabrielelopez]

a Fed2 can be a really nice experience...I'm loving it for his use-feeling, good lenses around and pocketable size. A Bessa is a good improvement for more dedicated shooting, but I'm sure The Fed has even more passion in it, you'll feel it when you'll have her in hand. Absolutely not different than using a SM Leica.
Get a Fed, not a leica, and with the remaining money make a trip!!
I got mine, made her service for some euros (the same I've payed for greasing mechanisms and calibrating shutter times) but who cares, now works smootly like no fed seen before.
Things don't have to be always rational.

good luck!

 

[Nick R.]

A lot of the Russian stuff has been showing up at camera shows recently, at least, in the NYC area. If there are any shows near you check'em out before you order online. At the very least, you'll be able to handle the gear before you order it.

 

[captainslack]

A lot of the Russian stuff has been showing up at camera shows recently, at least, in the NYC area. If there are any shows near you check'em out before you order online. At the very least, you'll be able to handle the gear before you order it.

We never get camera shows in NC. 🙁

Probably a good thing for my savings account, though. 😉

 

[rumbliegeos]

I just picked up the first roll of color prints (Kodak Gold 100) from a Fed2b with 26m lens I bought from Rafael at rafcameras. I am amazed at the quality of the images. Most FSU camera fans seem lukewarm about the 26M lens, but the one on my Fed is sharp, and the contrast is great.

The shutter fires with a pronouced ka-chunk detonation, but all the photos in that roll were hand-held, and all are sharp. I think I will try a roll of slide film, and check the accuracy of the shutter speeds.

In short, I like the camera. Learning to wind the film and cock the shutter before setting the speed is not difficult.

 

[Solinar]

So is e-Bay's off-site surveillance better than Homeland Security's?

-Paul

Hello Paul, sorry about the tongue in cheek regarding eBay. I doubt if they police off eBay emails or if they even do that great of a job policing their own ask-a-seller-question email system. If I was seriously trying to drive down the value of FED / Zorkis, then I wouldn't show this link to a FED3a .

Anyway, how's the weather over there in Dripping Springs? Austin is being inundated in perfect Spring weather.

Also, kudos to Gabriel mentioning the Bessa R series regarding their competence, versus the FED 2, which does require the shooter to be a bit more dedicated.

 

[2maneekameras]

I have a Fed 1 (1934) Fed 2d, Fed3a. Fed3b(incomplete) Zorki 1b(1951), Zorki 4(1957 earliest version). I like the Fed 2 and the Zorki 4 best as users. I think the Zorki 1b is the prettiest and the best finished of my FSU cameras. The FSU have one big advantage IMHO compared the my Leicas(m3, IIIa): they are: much lighter in weight and replacement cost is so low that I take them places I wouldn't go with the leicas. Also, they're faster to load. Separating the neverready case into two parts and only using the lower part which has strap lugs on it is a solution to the no lug problem on most FSU cameras.

 

[pshinkaw]

Andrew:

I thought it was tongue-in-cheek, but its hard to tell on online and some people get testy when you don't take them seriously.

I'm not in Dripping Springs. I'm north of Austin, but I was in "Drippin'" as they call it, this morning. Wildflowers are exploding all over the place.

If you could successfully drive down the value of Zorki's and Feds, they would be close to free. As it is, I think it perfectly sensible to buy two in order to get one that is 100% functional. Overall my ratio works out to somthing like one DOA for every 4 cameras purchased. It's always handy to have a supply of spare parts too.

I think a lot of wasted effort goes into bidding on things on e-Bay if you already know where to source the merchandise. However, I do enjoy getting small bargains, like the occassional $25 Zorki-1 or the $15 Fed-2. I try to think of it as more like ensuring that they have a good home in the West rather than simply collecting cameras.

-Paul

 

[captainslack]

In short, I like the camera. Learning to wind the film and cock the shutter before setting the speed is not difficult.

I honestly don't think that will be a problem for me. My shooting habit is to normally cock the shutter after firing anyhow. Of course, all my previous cameras had a rewind lever, not a knob.

 

[captainslack]

OK! I've gotten my money together and it's time to make my purchase!!! 😀 \

After much research, I've decided to get a FED 2d. Right now, I'm watching three auctions on Ebay and I'm probably going to make a move tonight.

However, this afternoon I came across a couple of posts about the dimness of the FED 2's viewfinder. This has given me pause. How much of an issue is this? Is it any brighter in the 3? What about in a Zorki 4?

 

[kiev4a]

The FED 2 finder is dimmer than, say, the Zorki 4. I think the FED finder's greenish color cast contributes to the problem. Still, it'd very usable. My FED 3A finder seems a little brighter than the finders on my two FED 2s but it still isn't as bright as the Zorki 4.

If you want the ability to correct for parallax, pick up one of the turret finder. It has limited provision for correction.

 

[John Robertson]

You also have an extra speed on Fed/Zorkis with delayed action (D/A). Set camera on B, wind the D/A and trigger it with its button. This will give about a 4sec exposure, varies slightly from camera to camera (check your own with a stop watch.) My Zorki 6 instruction book tells you about this! Tripod or support required of course. 😎

 

[tedwhite]

Green? My FED 2 viewfinder is definitely not green. Nor is it the brightest. But is certainly bright enough to do business. The bright ones are in the Leica M series and the Bess R series. However, it's not at all fair to compare, say a Fed 2 or Kiev 4A with either of these newer systems.

Having used both the FED and the Kiev I would say they take a bit of getting used to, but you can see what you need to see, just not quite as well as in the Leica or Bessa.

I think the neat trick with the FED might be to get a nice, easier-to-see-through clip-on viewfinder mated to the lens on the camera and just guesstimate.

That's what I have to do with my Bessa-L anyway. And I've gotten very few off-focus shots. (But then again, the lens is a cv 25/4.)

 

[Kin Lau]

Thanks for the timer trick John. Works for my Fed 2 & Zorki 4K at about 4 secs, and about 1-1.5 sec for the Kievs.

My Fed and Kiev'es also have a greenish tinge to the VF. My Zorki 4K has a redish/orangish tinge. The 4K is the brightest and largest.