Collecting Soviet cameras is a hobby that almost every photographer goes through.
But for some it is like a slight “disease”, such as mumps or whooping cough in childhood, for others it is a passion for life.
Cameras are displayed on the site in random order, according to the author's short-term victories over laziness. Continued page at http://leica.boom.ru/RusCamera2.htm
Some items that do not have a thematic place on this site can be found at: http://www.antique.boom.ru/other.html

Copyright c Alexander Bronstein

FED "Red Flag" Why such a name? On the lid of only this batch there was an inscription like: “NKAP Order of the Red Banner of Labor Plant named after FEDzerzhinsky.” The abbreviation NKAP is the People's Commissariat of the Aviation Industry. It was produced during the war years and immediately after the war in evacuation in the city of Berdsk.

Kyiv with a stereo lens. Many stereo attachments/prisms were produced for Zorky and Kyiv. This lens is like Leizov’s STEMAR, and in combination with a prism, it’s something truly rare. On mine there is the inscription CH-5 and the number 00004. Year of manufacture 1952.

UFA - it seems the first camera released for the KGB. Lens 2.7/20(?) mm with fixed focus. Aperture 2.7; 4; 5.6; 8. Shutter speeds: 1/10, 1/20, 1/50 and 1/100. Frame format: 10.5 x 15 mm. 16 mm film for 20 frames in special cassettes - receiving and supplying. There is no rewind. Shutter release with simultaneous rewind - electric. The power supply and shutter button are remote. The original design of the folding pressure table. On the bottom cover there is a retractable catch for the receiving cassette. Camera dimensions: 90 x 57 x 31 mm. My camera number is 450200. Or, according to Soviet tradition, it should be camera No. 200, year of manufacture - 1945. And I definitely want to remember the previous owner of this camera. This is a wonderful person and talented cameraman Suren Shahbazyan.

FT-3 Tokarev panoramic camera. Quite a rare model, unlike the more common FT-2

FED-S, or “commander FED” The main differences from the standard model are the shutter speed of 1/1000 and the 50mm f/2 lens

Even before the war, GOMZ produced the SMENA bakelite chamber.

"Reporter" is the first Soviet camera for professionals. Shutter speeds 1/5 - 1/1000 sec. Curtain shutter. Less than 1000 pieces were made from 1937 to 1940. At the State Optical-Mechanical Plant named after. Before the war, the OGPU was worked by two talented designers, two brothers - Bagrat and Andranik Ioannisiani. Junior, Andranik, leading designer of the GOMZ photographic equipment design bureau, developer of the REPORTER camera. Here is A.K. Ioannisiani’s letter to the editor" Leningradskaya Pravda ", written by him in September 1937: "To your letter sent to me by the editors of Leningradskaya Pravda, I answer with a brief description of the Reporter camera, which, obviously, will exhaust all your questions. This camera is intended mainly for a qualified photojournalist, but, obviously, will also suit the tastes of a highly developed amateur photographer. It allows the production of photographs of any nature, except reproduction, and is a hand-held camera with advantages in terms of ease of use and speed of shooting, which are so necessary for quick reporting. The frame format chosen is 6.5 x 9, which allows both direct (contact) photo printing and enlargement to a large format. Slit shutter (curtain) with automatic speeds from 1/5 to 1/100 and K and D shutter speeds. Aiming is carried out using frosted glass and a distance scale, as well as a special rangefinder built into the camera and mechanically connected to the lens (like a Leica), which guarantees fast and accurate focusing. The lenses are in quick-release frames, and the main one is Industar-7 1:3.5 F = 10.5 cm. And it is supposed, as additional ones, 1 aperture 1:2.8, 1 wide-angle and 1 telephoto lens (acute angle). The viewfinder is Newton type, and it is possible to quickly install various devices and sights at different focal lengths of additional lenses. The camera is all-metal, covered with leather. Adaptations and lenses for it are expected to be released for sale separately." On July 2, 1941, Andranik Konstantinovich was mobilized for defense work and died. From an article in the magazine "PHOTOmagazine" 12 "2000. In the fundamental reference book "Russian and Soviet Cameras", author Jean Loup Princelle, two designers of this camera are listed. In addition to Ioannisiani - A.A. Vorozhbit. Based on the information kindly provided to me by LOMO employees, we can conclude that Alexander Vorozhbit developed only the camera shutter, and the main designer was Ioannisiani. I got the impression that after releasing the camera, the plant never solved the problem of calculating and producing optics for it. Judge for yourself, the Industar-7 lens, intended for a cheap bakelite TURIST camera, was used as a normal lens (albeit in a better version). During the 4 years of production of the REPORTER, the production of interchangeable optics was never established. I don't think the war is to blame. The camera was discontinued in 1940 for various reasons. Sometimes it seems that Soviet factories were ready for the mass production of complex photographic equipment and optics (with the exception of the FED phenomenon) only after the war, when equipment exported from Germany, partly technologies and parts of finished products were used.

CHANGE-STEREO A small batch was released in 1970. Lens f4/40mm. Shutter speeds 1/15 - 1/250 sec.

F-21 Miniature camera produced for the needs of the KGB. The photo shows a camera with a masking attachment that imitates a button. Produced since 1951.

FED No. 180,000. Leitz, for example, knows the first owners of all cameras with “round” numbers. So Lake No. 500000 was donated to Mr. Ernst Leitz II and is now in the Leitz Museum. Camera No. 750000 in 1955 went to the brilliant Cartier-Bresson, who never betrayed Leika. Watering can 1111111 was received in 1965 by the Chief Photographer of Look magazine - A. Rotstein; 980000 - President Eisenhower in 1960... It would be nice to trace the fate of Soviet cameras with "zeros".

FED of the first model with a three-digit number. The top cover is galvanized. On the back wall there is a hole with a plug for adjusting the optics. In addition to the well-known information about the history of the FED, the following quote is from the 1933 book “Pocket Guide to Photography” by Dr. E. Vogel, edited by Professor J.K. Laubert: The experimental laboratory of the Ukrainian children's commune produced an apparatus of the “Leika” type. An examination carried out by a group of participants at the Mendeleev Congress recognized that film cameras with a slit shutter and lenses with an aperture ratio of F: 3.5 “are made entirely from domestic materials and the task of designing and manufacturing on a serial scale is resolved quite well” and that “the lens, manufactured for the first time in the USSR (in Leningrad), calculated by Soviet specialists."

FKP 2-1 This camera was installed on an aircraft to record target hits. FKP - "PhotoKinoPulemet" I would like to know when, how many pieces, at what factory and in what years were they produced?

Exposure meter EP-4. Actually, I wasn’t going to put exposure meters on this page, but the EP-4, in my opinion, was a completely professional device for its time and worthy of special mention. The upper part of the device, in which the element is located, rotates relative to the lower one. In front of the photocell there is an iris diaphragm, which allows you to increase the measurement range by 2; 10; 20; 50; 200 times. Illumination is measured through frosted glass, brightness is measured through a honeycomb grid with a lens raster. Developed by NIKFI and produced by the MKIP plant in 1954. Mentioned in almost all photo literature of the 50s. For some photo books on my shelf, see the page http://www.antique.boom.ru. I will try to write in detail about exposure meters at http://www.leica.boom.ru/photometry.htm

Camera of the Steffen Trading House in St. Petersburg. I consider all cameras produced and sold Russian trading houses, such as Steffen, Yosif Pokorny and others, were completely Russian cameras, even if their components were supplied from abroad. For example, a TV produced in Russia, despite the Japanese picture tube, will be considered Russian as long as it is produced under a domestic brand.

Camera "ARFO-2" 9 x 12. Single fur stretching. Lens "Periscope ARFO" 15 cm. In general, there is a fair amount of confusion in the descriptions of the ARFO camera by the authors I respect. The periscope is mentioned with a focal length of 13.5 cm, but the camera has a 15 cm periscope; the shutter on the ARFO-3 is described with speeds of 1/25 - 1/100, and on my camera there is an imported 1/2 - 1/100.

"ARFO - 3", format - 9 x 12, lens - Anastigmat ARFO 13.5 cm, f - 1/4.5. Double stretch fur.

"ARFO" 6 x 9 Everything here is "like in the books." Lens "Anastigmat ARFO" 1:4.5 - F=12 cm. No. 03991 Double stretching of fur. Although more than 100,000 ARFO cameras were produced (produced by the Moscow artel “Phototrud”, later renamed Arfo, it seems) it is relatively difficult to quickly get them into the collection. The more actively I try to understand the history of Russian and Soviet camera manufacturing, the more ambiguities and contradictions I discover. So the first Soviet/Russian lens is proposed to be considered the “Periscope”, installed on the first EFTE cameras in 1932, and the camera was manufactured since 1929 (Yu. Ryshkov, Short story Soviet camera). N.Ya. Zababurin in his book “Portrait Photographic Optics” writes that the first ORTAGOZ lenses were produced by VOOMP in 1929, and also reports there that already at the beginning of the 20th century, optical plants “Fos” (the company Alexander Grinberg and Co. in Warsaw) The first Russian photographic anastigmata lenses were released, under the name "Planastigmata FOS". There are many such contradictions in the small list of literature on the history of Russian/Soviet photographic equipment. So we all have to thoroughly understand this very story together!

Cameras "Liliput" and "Baby". Nice bakelite cameras, more like a toy. "Lilliput" was produced from 1937 to 1940 in several modifications: inscription on the front or back, bakelite different color. The camera is a copy of the Siga and Siga Extra cameras, produced in 1936 - 1938. The Malyutka camera was produced for a couple of years, starting in 1939.

The S-64 reproduction unit would have remained among other specials. cameras produced by the Soviet defense industry, if not for the almost detective story of its appearance on the market. The distant resemblance to the Leika 250 "Reporter" gave impetus to the imagination of Moscow camera "exporters" and a Legend was created. The camera was naturally disconnected from the tripod and all the other “revealing” parts, received the code name “Yelochka” and, like the Russian “Reporter”, in this form was sold to foreigners as gullible as children for four-digit sums in convertible American currency. I bought mine for about 10% of the originally requested amount, but saved the seller from having to disassemble the installation. By the way, to this day I still have the warmest memories of the people who laid the foundation for the creation in Moscow, and from there throughout the country, of the antique camera market. I hope there will still be a photography historian who will describe these energetic and talented people, and this is a unique time - photo-collectible Klondike of the 80s - 90s of the last century

It is believed that FC cameras with a 13x18 cm format were produced at GOMZ, the Kubuch workshops, the Leningrad Photographic College, and the Kharkov Photo Factory. In this case, where should I include the “Experimental Film and Photo Production Workshops. SOYUZKINO. Leningrad”, which manufactured the camera I have? It may well be that this is a synonym for one of the above organizations. Which one?

If we could only assume about the lens of Stefan Dubinsky from Kyiv (http://leica.boom.ru/OldLens.htm) that it was made specifically for the photographer, then on this lens it is directly stated: “Manufactured for Anatoly Werner from Kharkov” . That is, it can be argued that the practice of Russian photographers ordering cameras and optics directly from the manufacturer was generally accepted.

MOMENT camera. Considered to be a copy of the POLAROID 95 camera released in 1948. MOMENT is the first Soviet single-stage process chamber. I have a couple of these cameras, I have come across many more and almost all of them were in perfect condition. Most likely, the owner was not able to make special use of them: either the film was not sold, or the photographs on it did not turn out, or maybe just careful people got it... You probably noticed that I do not present the cameras systematically. As a rule, I also do not describe the technical data of cameras and lenses. I did not set myself the goal of showing the entire history of the Russian/Soviet photo industry. This has already been done brilliantly on Georgy Abramov’s website (link on the main page). Just a few cameras from my collection and comments on them in a fairly free form.

FOTON is the second Soviet camera of a single-stage process. To my taste, the plastic PHOTON is a step back in relation to the good metal MOMENT. In the classic book “Russian and Soviet Cameras”, author Jean Loup Princelle, 4 models of this camera are mentioned: “FOTON”, “FOTON - M”, “FOTON - 2” and “FOTON - 3”. I was unable to collect all four.

PhotoSniper GOI No. 1585. I suspect that these cameras were not produced in such quantities. Maybe the numbering of the VOOMP cameras, produced by the same GOI, was continued? In any case, it is remarkable that before the war, in 1937, they were honored to produce such an excellent camera. Take my word for it that it fits in your hands like a glove. The camera body is FED. The camera is mounted like with attached cassettes - one press of a button and the camera is unfastened. Pulling the trigger raises the mirror and releases the shutter. These cameras were produced in two colors: black and protective green. At the end of the war, a batch of identical cameras was produced by the Krasnogorsk Mechanical Plant. They were marked, in addition to the camera number, with a Hammer & Sickle, a star, a Krasnogorsk “coffin” and the year of release.

In Estonia, in the city of Nõmme, on Valdeku Street 29a lived a young man Walter Zapp. At that time, the most advanced achievements in Estonia were in the field of optics, so it is not surprising that Walter became interested in photography. In the 1930s, he came up with the idea of ​​a new miniature camera that did not yet exist in the world. He was a smart guy, but you can’t make it on your own, so he put together a creative team. It included watchmaker (precision mechanic) Hans Epner, optician Karl Indus. Their friend Richard Jurgens agreed to cover the running costs. And by August 1936, they created a new apparatus. Since it was completely new, it had to be given an appropriate name. Zapp's friend, photographer Nikolai Nylander, handled this. It was he who called it "Minox". Then they began to look for a factory that would implement the device. Richard Jurgens turned to the German company Agfa. And he was rejected. Then Richard remembered his friend - the head of the Estonian branch of the Riga VEF plant. Old friendship does not rust - and soon an invitation came from Riga to show the innovation. Zapp and Jurgens arrived in Riga and received a very warm welcome there. True, the residents of Riga did not hide some doubts - they say, were the photographs retouched? And then VEF director Teodor Vitols suggested taking new pictures right on the spot. They convinced everyone, and on October 6, 1936, an agreement was drawn up. While its details were being clarified and the final text was being signed, the director of Agfa changed his mind and sent the authors an invitation to Berlin by telegraph. But it was already too late. (I wonder what the fate of the invention would have been if he had immediately reacted positively?) In November 1936, Walter Zapp moved to Riga and became the chief designer of a group specially created at VEF. There, final improvements were made and the camera went into production in April 1938, just in time for the 100th anniversary of photography. VEF had already begun to think about building a special plant, but then the war began. And on July 1, 1941, the Germans captured Riga. They found a lot of ready-made cameras in the VEF warehouses. Reichsmarshal Goering began to issue Minox as a free and honorary supplement to all holders of the Knight's Cross. The inventor Zapp did not wait for this; in March 1941 he fled to Germany. Financier Jurgens did the same, but later - in 1945. There the friends, naturally, met and founded the company Minox Gmbh Wetzlar. Over the course of two years, they significantly improved the characteristics of the device. By that time, about 3.6 million cameras had already been produced. Now mass production was carried out by more than a thousand workers. The enterprise has grown. And here the interests of the inventor Zapp and the businessman Yurgens collided. The financier organized a new board of the company, and the author of the idea was simply pushed out of there. Mortally insulted, Walter Zapp went to Switzerland, where he became a “free artist” (designer). On September 4, 1997, he turned 95 years old. Now Zapp's idea belongs to the Leika concern, which continues to produce new modifications of the legendary camera. The history of Minox is fascinating and instructive. (This text was found on the page: http://www.infonet.ee/~dd/18-1.html without signature).

Stereo kits for Kyiv and Zorki cameras. Both are from 1957. Minor differences: Zorkiy - a special viewfinder, Kyiv - an attached frame to the camera viewfinder. The design of stereoscopes is different - one is tabletop, and the other is handheld. The Zorky stereo attachment's bag also includes space for a camera and viewfinder.

Attachment for microscope MFN-1. 6x9 frame, flat cassettes, 1949 release. No. 0277.

Microscope attachment MFN-12 No. 700278 manufactured by LOMO. Released in 1970. Sold in a plywood box. The set for the console included: a Zorki 4 camera, color and gray filters, interchangeable eyepieces, and an extension tube.

The photo shows a line of lenses and accessories that were produced for the pre-war FED. 1 - FED 3.5/50mm MACRO (shooting at 1/2 scale, not coupled with a rangefinder) 2 - FED 6.3/100mm (four lenses glued and two components) 3 - FED 2/50mm (six-lens anastigmat) 4 - FED 4.5/28mm 5 - FED FED 3.5/50mm (Produced in two types, with different divisions of the distance scale) 6 - FED Angle viewfinder 7 - FED Self-timer 8 - FED Viewfinder 100mm The following accessories for the FED are not shown in the photo: Universal frame viewfinder (28,50,100mm); Selenium exposure meter (round); Oil self-timer; attachment lenses; yellow filters No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, No. 4; Template for trimming the ends of the film; enlargers U-0, U-100, U-200. A small batch of 100mm lenses with aperture designation 1/5.9 was also released. However, with such aperture, the lens did not cover the entire frame sharply, as a result of which it was decided to reduce the aperture to 1/6.3.

TSVVS is one of the most mysterious Soviet cameras. I'm not even sure it's called correctly. The plaque with the dedicatory inscription reads: “To Colonel Maksimov LK for long and impeccable service in the units of the Military-Technical Cooperation S.A. from the Chief of the V.T.S. on December 9, 1957.” Hence the unexpected assumption arises that the name of the camera should be read in a circle, as was actually customary in Russia, and perhaps it should not sound like TSVVS, from the Topographical Service of the Military Air Force, and VTSVS? Who knows now!? The camera is a strange hybrid of a Leica/FED body and a Zonnar lens with a Zeiss mount. It seems to have been produced in Kharkov, at the FED plant. The appearance of this camera can presumably be explained by the fact that a batch of captured Zonnars fell into the hands of the military and the idea arose to create a particularly high-quality camera. If FED-S was called “commander’s”, then this camera is already “general’s”. And judging by the fact that my copy was handed over 7 years after production, they were in no hurry to give away a small batch of prestigious cameras.

Zenit 7 is a rather rare camera. In total, a little more than 3000 pieces were produced. I distinguish 3 models of this camera: exactly the same design as in this photo, but with a self-timer and two sync contacts, then ones like this camera of mine, and finally cameras where “Zenit 7” is written on a black shield above the lens. Lens Helios 44-7 2/58mm. Lens mount - 42x1 thread. In this case, the lens is screwed not directly into the camera, but into the M42/bayonet adapter. The passport for the camera states that the kit also included an adapter for M39 and an extension ring with a bayonet mount. My camera number is 6901590, lens number is 001466.

I have asked myself more than once: Why is FED-Zorkiy, and not just Zorkiy? The answer came by itself when in one of the old books I saw a photograph of a FED camera, under which it was signed “Leika”. Of course, all the first FEDs were “our Lakes”, and the first Zorkiye were “Krasnogorsk FEDs”. How is everything so far copy machines- Photocopiers. Tradition! About 5,500 of these cameras were produced, so mine, No. 5436, is one of the last. In the literature known to me, the FED-Zorkiy of 1949 is not mentioned.

According to the official version, the first Soviet large-scale camera was released in 1930 and was called “Fotokor-1”. However, this information requires comment. In the article “Photographic equipment of the Soviet period” (“Subjective” No. 3, 1996), L.I. Balashevich writes: “In ... 1929, the first meeting of the photographic community was held in Moscow, at which a demand was also made to immediately launch the production of an inexpensive camera. A year later, the magazine “Soviet Photo” held an “All-Union Rally” on its pages on the topic of what a Soviet camera should be like. It is not difficult to guess that the vast majority of its participants, selected on the basis of class, also spoke in favor of the release of a cheap mass-produced folding camera in the 9x12 cm format, priced up to 150 rubles. The slogan “cheap and plentiful” sounded already when the domestic photographic industry was just in its infancy. This was a social order of the beggars, since the wealthy and skilled user and connoisseur was destroyed or expelled during the revolution and after it.

The first to respond to this order was the modest artel of the Industrial Cooperation “Phototrud” in Moscow (later it received the name “ARFO”, and in 1937 it was renamed the artel “XX October”). It was organized on the basis of small private workshops that existed before the revolution and was engaged in the production of photographic plates. In 1929, Artel received an advance from the Central Union, which acted as the customer for the production of cameras. This is what the Central Union commission saw in the artel during its acquaintance with the progress of the preparatory stage of work. There were no suitable ones in the artel production premises. There were no raw materials. Even the leather for the camera bellows had to be bought abroad; velvet for the gaskets was bought from the population. To test the strength of the paper bellows pad, a worker manually squeezed and unclenched the glued bellows accordion for several days in a row and counted the number of movements made. Artel promised to release the first 300-500 devices in November 1929, but by the end of the year they managed to assemble only 25 cameras using

Kaluga Electromechanical Plant (KEMZ) under the leadership of designer A.B. Andreev...

These cameras had German lenses (Kengot anastigmat 1:6.3) and a VARIO shutter. But even in March 1930, serial production of the devices in the artel had not yet been organized; assembly began only in the second half of the year... This first Soviet mass-produced camera is known to collectors under the name “EFTE-1” by the inscription that is embossed on the leather strap of the camera... . The lens in production cameras was already domestic - “Periscope” 1:12 with a focal length of 150 mm and had the inscription on the frame: “Moscow. Periscope. “EFTE” f=150 mm”…. The EFTE device was sold at a price of 45 rubles. The semi-handicraft method of its manufacture affected the quality - its owners complained about the disgusting quality of the cassettes, which were difficult to open, bulkiness and other shortcomings.

Since 1932, the Soviet analogue of the VARIO shutter, developed in Leningrad at the GOMZ plant, which bore the name of the plant, began to be installed on EFTE cameras. At the same time, a higher quality 4.5/135 mm lens was mastered. The camera modernized in this way is known as “ARFO” after the new name of the artel. A smaller version of the camera (ARFO-IV) with a 6.5x9 cm format with a 4.5/105 mm lens and double bellows stretching was also produced, which cost much more - 125 rubles. In just two five-year periods of the artel’s existence, 130,000 cameras were produced. In 1939, their production was discontinued, and this was the end of the unique experience in the USSR of manufacturing photographic equipment at a non-state enterprise.”

Simultaneously with the ARFO-IV camera, its simplified version was produced - Komsomolets with a Triplet 6.3/105 lens.

As for “Photokor”, in another article by L.I. Balashevich (“Made in Leningrad”, “Subjective” No. 4, 1996) we read:

The issue of the creation and mass production of a Soviet camera was resolved by a special order of the Supreme Economic Council of the USSR dated May 24, 1923, which entrusted the implementation of the program to the Trust of the Optical-Mechanical Industry (TOMP). Even before the publication of this decree, the GO3 plant, as follows from data published in the magazine “Soviet Photo,” produced the simplest “boxes” that were sold for 12 rubles apiece. In total, about 40 thousand of them were made before 1930. There was already experience in constructing more complex cameras. So, around 1925, designer P.F. Polyakov created the “Photo-GOZ” camera, which, although it was mainly suitable for reproduction, was remarkable in many respects. It was the first original camera designed during the Soviet period and, in addition, the first camera for film shooting. According to A. Erokhin (1927), it existed only in the form of a prototype and was a miniature variation on the theme of a traditional camera with double-stretched fur and frosted glass, which, after focusing, was replaced by an attached cassette with film. Filming was carried out on a standard film frame using a lens with a focal length of 60 mm and an aperture ratio of 1:2. Engineer F.L. Burmistrov also designed a small-format reproduction camera for shooting on film (Syrov A.A., 1954).

In pursuance of the decision of the Supreme Economic Council, by March 1, 1929, drawings of a camera were made, the prototype of which was a folding plate camera with a format of 9x12 cm from Zeiss-Ikon. Preparations for its mass production were fraught with enormous difficulties. There was not enough space to organize production, since the photo workshop was located in the factory administration building. There was an acute shortage of optical glass, there was no high-quality metal for the manufacture of iris diaphragms and shutter cutters, and there was even a lack of material for gluing camera bodies. Due to the extremely low qualifications of workers and the lack of production equipment, defects in a number of operations reached 100%. The lens for the camera was designed by Professor Ignatovsky, who was part of the VOOMP design group, and manufactured on his own, but the most complex part of the device - the shutter - had to be purchased in Germany. In February 1930, to ensure the start serial production 4,000 COMPUR valves were purchased at a price of 7 gold rubles per piece. Despite all the difficulties, by the opening of the XV Congress of the Bolsheviks (June 25, 1930), the plant reported on the assembly of the first hundred Soviet cameras, called “FOTOCOR-1”.

There is evidence that some cameras produced in 1930-1931 were equipped with an imported “Compur” shutter (1-1/200 “B” and “D”) or a simpler imported “VARIO” (1/25, 1/50, 1/100, “V” and “D”), which was also used in the “EFTE” camera (and since 1932, the domestic GOMZ shutter with shutter speeds of 1/25, 1/50, 1/100 “V” and “ D", calculated by A.A. Vorozhbitov and P. G. Lukyanov - my note. G. Abramov). Cameras with imported shutters have already become a rarity, since only about 15,000 of them were produced (4,400 in 1930 and 11,400 in 1931).

This is how contemporaries assessed the significance of the release of this camera: “In terms of quality, Photocor No. 1 is not inferior to the best foreign cameras, and its appearance on the Soviet market immediately produced a revolution, both in relation to the widespread development of photography and in the sense of a sharp reduction in prices for foreign cameras and lenses" (Polyak G.N., 1936)." It is also known that before 1941, more than 1 million Photocows were produced.

By 1933, the All-Union Association of Optical-Mechanical Industry ("VOOMP") employed 11,000 workers in all its factories, and its two glass melting plants produced 200 tons of optical glass per year.

Meanwhile, 1934 comes, when in January the first 10 FED (Felix Edmundovich Dzerzhinsky) cameras, produced by the Dzerzhinsky labor commune in Kharkov, saw the light of day. These FEDs were a copy of the Leica II. In fairness, it must be said that copying of early Leica models has acquired an almost worldwide scale, with different versions of copies being produced both before and after World War II. For example, the first Canon model (then Kwanon), as well as its variants and later modifications, American model Kardon from Premeire Instruments (military and civilian versions), as well as many others, not to mention the Chinese ones. Against the backdrop of the renaissance of rangefinder technology that has begun these days, models with threaded (M39) mounting of Leica optics have appeared. An example of this would be Japanese models“Bessa” (Voigtlander, Cosina) and model “Yasuhara T981″ from Yasuhara. This camera has a trigger, TTL metering, sync at 1/125 and shutter speeds up to 1/2000. Thus, it is necessary to recognize that the history of both Soviet and world camera manufacturing developed, to a large extent, on the basis of these cameras. In the USSR, 18 models of FEDs alone were produced from 1937 to 1977.

At the same time, in the 30s, analogues of the standard FED model were produced in small quantities: Pioneer (1934) - at the VOOMP pilot plant (about 500 units), and FAG - at the Moscow Geodesy plant (about 100 things).

In 1935, as mentioned above, the “Sport” camera, designed by A.O. Gelgar, appeared (the original name was “Helvetta”; the device received the name “Sport” after several improvements at the GOMZ plant), which became the world’s first single-lens reflex camera for shooting on 35mm film. The camera had a metal body, a curtain shutter with metal curtains (1/25 - 1/500 and “B”) and was loaded with non-standard cassettes of 50 frames. In total, about 20 thousand pieces were produced.

Since the aforementioned “FED” and “Sport” cameras were quite expensive and inaccessible to the mass consumer, simpler and cheaper models were produced. Of those produced in the 30s, it is necessary to mention such cameras as: “Liliput”, “Malyutka”, “Cyclokamera”, “Yura”, “FEDetta”, “Smena”.

In general, we can consider that the “first” (or “preparatory”) stage of the development of Soviet camera production ended by the early 30s, after which the next began - the stage of creating mass-produced and relatively inexpensive cameras produced in hundreds of thousands of units. Nevertheless, despite the obvious focus of the photographic industry on the production of mass products, attempts to produce high-quality professional cameras continued.

So in September 1937, the GOMZ plant in Leningrad produced the first samples of the professional camera “Reporter” - a device high class for working on 6.5x9 plates, format and roller film (produced until 1939). The design, apparently, can be considered successful, especially considering that the subsequently released Japanese camera Mamiya Press (1962) was structurally built on the “Reporter” principle. And a year earlier, in 1936, a folding camera “Tourist” with 6x9 cm plates began to be produced in Leningrad (produced until 1940).

In the 30s, a number of simple plate, so-called “box” cameras were also produced, which had a characteristic “box” body type: “Record”, “Pioneer”, “Apprentice”, “Young Photo Correspondent”.

Here it is necessary to note another feature of the Soviet photographic industry. In the 30s, with the beginning of the industrialization of the country and the gradual militarization of the economy, most of the photographic equipment was produced at military factories in consumer goods shops. The production of civilian products at military factories was mandatory, although it was a small percentage of military production. However, this was an unnecessary headache for the management of enterprises. Apparently this also interfered with the production of professional photographic equipment.
During the war, the production of photographic equipment was almost stopped. By the time World War II began, the “second” stage of development of Soviet camera production was ending. It is believed that by the beginning of the war, about two dozen models and modifications of cameras had been produced, among which the most popular were “Fotokor” (more than 1 million units) and “FED” (160,650 units). After the end of the war, the “third” stage in the development of Soviet camera production began. The era of small-format cameras is coming, although medium-format photography, even among amateurs, will not lose its position for many decades.

At the end of the war, the production of cameras was resumed, and a feature of camera manufacturing in the first post-war years was the reproduction of the best captured samples with their subsequent improvement. Already in 1946, new models appeared: “Moskva” - a folding camera in 6x9 format (an exact copy of the Zeiss Super-Ikont camera, model A), “Komsomolets” - a two-lens reflex camera, which was the predecessor of the “Lubitel”. Of the pre-war models, only the FED and plate wooden cameras of the FK type, used in the photo studio of the Consumer Service, remained in production - all other models were replaced by new ones.

In 1948 (by May 1), the Krasnogorsk Mechanical Plant (KMZ) produced the first 50 “Zorkiy” devices (initially, the name “FED” and “coffin” was engraved on the upper panels of the devices - a logo without an arrow, then “FED 1948. Zorkiy"; and the camera received its final name in 1949 - by this time the word "Zorkiy" was almost a common noun among the plant staff; in particular, the factory newspaper was called "Zorkoe Oko"), which was a variant of the pre-war FED apparatus, but with an improved curtain shutter - the so-called principle was applied. “hard” slot, which significantly improved the reliability of the shutter. In 1949, KMZ had already produced 31,312 units, and by 1980, 14 models of the Zorki camera were produced. In many ways, the process of increasing the production of 35 mm cameras in our country was greatly facilitated by the fact that after the war, the factory that produced cameras was completely exported from Germany to Kiev (Arsenal Plant) for reparations (together with specialists, spare parts and components) Contax. By the end of the 40s, the production of cameras under the new name “Kiev” was already established (in 1947, the first two models were released, repeating the design of “Contax-II” and “Contax-III”) and continued in various modifications until 1985. It is curious that the first “Kievs” were produced from German components, and therefore their collectible value today is quite high. By the mid-50s, i.e. in just 7-8 years from the start of production of “Kievs”, the hundred thousandth model was already assembled, dedicated to the 20th Congress of the CPSU.

In the same year, 1948, the restored Kharkov FED plant began producing the FED camera, which fully corresponds to the pre-war standard model. After minor upgrades in 1952 (improvement of the shutter button and transition to a new series of shutter speeds), this model was replaced in 1955 by the FED-2. There, at the Kharkov plant after the war, the production of large-format FC cameras (13x18 and 18x24), which had previously been produced by GOMZ, was launched. (By 1986, the production of these cameras, as well as their modifications - FKD, FKR - in Kharkov was discontinued in connection with the preparation of the release of "Rakurs" at BelOMO).

Since 1948, the export of cameras abroad has become a constant source of income for the country. For the first time, Soviet cameras began to be exported abroad in the pre-war years, but these were sporadic deliveries. In conditions of intense competition in foreign photographic equipment markets, the main trump cards of our equipment were low prices and good maintenance. It also played into the hands of our exporters that it was no secret to anyone abroad that almost all optics in the USSR were made in military factories, and the authority of the Soviet defense industry after the war was quite high.

In 1949, the “Amateur” appeared - a two-lens amateur-class SLR with a three-element lens of the “Triplet” type, which was a development of the Komsomolets model. Since 1952, the same Krasnogorsk plant began producing “Zenit” - a single-lens 35mm SLR, which was a “Zorkiy”, with a mirror and pentaprism attached to it. In the same year, the Leningrad Plant (LOMO) produced the Moment device - the first attempt to introduce a single-stage process in our country. In 1953, the Smena (LOMO) scale camera was released, which subsequently gained great popularity among the people. Since the mid-50s, almost all cameras began to be equipped with sync contacts.

Over the next few years, most of the camera models produced underwent numerous modifications. So, by the beginning of the 60s, the fifth model of the “Moscow” camera, the second model of the “Amateur”, the second model of the “FED”, the second, fourth and fifth models of the “Zorkiy” camera were already produced. “Kyiv 4a”, the third and fourth models of the “Smena” camera were also produced. At the beginning of the 50s, a transition was made to a new series of shutter speeds (1/25, 1/50, 1/100, 1/200, 1/500...etc.) in accordance with the new GOST.
Here is an interesting quote from A. Gusev’s book “The Photographer’s Companion,” published in 1952 in a circulation of 200,000 copies: “Now in the Soviet Union, as a result of the industrialization of the country, an advanced photographic industry has been created. Every year the mass production of excellent and diverse cameras with advanced lenses and mechanisms increases. Domestic negative film has no equal in the world in terms of basic photographic characteristics.”

In 1958, a world exhibition was held in Brussels, at which, among other things, samples of domestic photographic products were presented. The most notable among them were the 35mm Leningrad rangefinder camera, with a built-in spring motor (received the Grand Prix), and the completely new Comet camera, which received very good press. Here is an excerpt from No. 8 of Soviet Photo for 1959: “The American monthly Popular Photography, having described in detail all our exhibits, admits that they contain “a lot of innovations” and that “in the photographic field, Soviet designers showed no less courage and originality than in the area of ​​intercontinental ballistic missiles and satellites." In another article, “Will the Russians Beat Us on a Fully Automated Camera?”, after comparing the Comet with the best foreign models, the magazine concludes that the Soviet camera is “as automated as 35mm equipment can be these days,” and “furnished the Western cameras.” Indeed, the camera had excellent technical characteristics, but, unfortunately, it was never put into production.

Russar Lens At the same Grand Prix exhibition the following lenses were awarded: Russar 5.6/20, Mir-1 2.8/37, Tair-11 2.8/135, Tair-3 4/300, “MTO-500″ 8/500, “MTO-1000″ 10/1000. Here is a quote from the article “Photography in the USSR”, published in the French magazine “Photographer” in October 1958: “The production of cameras in the USSR began after the end of Civil War. Currently, the country produces annually more than a million cameras for various purposes of the latest types, including high-class cameras such as “Zenith”, “Kiev”, “Leningrad”, “Start”, “Zorkiy”, etc.” (“Soviet Photo”, No. 8, 1959). It is interesting that after the Brussels World Exhibition, the volume of exports of our cameras abroad increased. Here is the full text of the article “Soviet Cameras in England”, published in No. 8 of the magazine “Soviet Photo” for 1959.

By the beginning of the 60s, new camera models appeared, such as “Relay” - a 6x6 cm scale camera, “Salyut” - a 6x6 single-lens reflex camera of the Hasselblad type; camera "Yunost" - a rangefinder small-format camera with a rigidly built-in lens; quite progressive and high-class for those times “Start”, stereo camera “Sputnik”, panoramic camera “FT-2″ and others. The following lenses were prepared for release: “Sputnik-4″ 4.5/20 (for a 24x36 frame); “Orchid-1″ 2/50 with automatic aperture setting depending on the distance and guide number of the flash lamp - the automatic device was supposed to operate in the range from 1 to 11 m with light numbers from 8 to 64; Argon-1 lens for 6x9 format cameras with parameters 3.5/90; family of interchangeable lenses for the Narcissus camera - Mir-5 (2/28), Mir-6 (2.8/28), Industar-60 (2.8/35); Vega-2 2.8/85 lens for 35 mm cameras. “I would like to hope,” writes I. Kravtsova, chairman of the jury of the competition held by VDNKh, in the article “Honorary Awards” (“SF” No. 2 for 1961) “that the Economic Councils, which are in charge of photographic industry factories, will accept necessary measures to introduce award-winning products into the shortest possible time" Alas, her and our hopes were not destined to come true.

It can be considered that by the beginning of the 60s, the “third” stage of development of Soviet camera manufacturing had ended, characterized by the emergence of new factories producing photographic equipment, the development of new models and the expansion of their range.

The beginning of the next, “fourth” (“golden”) stage of Soviet camera production occurred in the 60s, which were marked by the true flourishing of not only world, but also Soviet photoengineering thought and the photo industry. The era of 35 mm cameras was coming, allowing automation of the filming process.

At the end of the 50s, a plant in Belarus (Minsk mechanical assembly), where in 1957 the first camera, “Smena”, was produced, the drawings and working documentation of which were received from LOMO. At the same plant, the production of professional photographic enlargers “Belarus-2”, and then “Belarus-5” was launched. Since the mid-70s, BelOMO began producing Zenits, and even earlier, Vilia-Electro, Vilia-Avto; short-format "Spring" and "Spring-2" (24x32); half-format “The Seagull” (named after V. Tereshkova).

Since the country had a non-market economy, care for customers was centralized. Here is an interesting leaflet from the Moscow base of the Glavkoopkulttorg Central Union about the sale of photographic goods in village stores, issued in the late 50s.

There were successes, although even in those years there was some fair criticism from below. Here is an excerpt from T. Ostanovsky’s article “Photography equipment - to the level of modernity” published in No. 4 of “Soviet Photo” for 1963: “Serious concern is caused by the fact that instead of developing fundamentally new models based on the latest achievements in the field of camera engineering, insignificant changes are being made to cameras changes. Here are examples regarding two very common cameras.

The device "Smena" in a plastic case, inexpensive. The original model included a sync contact and a self-timer, which increased the price of the camera. The need for changes to this simple and cheap camera there was none, especially since a flash lamp costs 2-3 times more than the device itself. Next, the film rewind unit was changed, and the cameras were named “Smena-3″ and “Smena-4″. However, this unit had to be abandoned, and the first models began to be produced again. The matter did not end there. More changes followed; "Smena-5" and "Smena-6" appeared. Finally, instead of the Smena camera, which was far from perfect, a similar type of camera, Vesna, was released, the quality of which raises serious complaints. The existence of “Spring” turned out to be short-lived. The question arises: why was it necessary to release an obviously weak device with many shortcomings?

Another example is the Zorkiy apparatus, which was also changed many times (10 times). Each time a letter or number was added to its name. Now, of all the “Zorki” models, only two are left, however, their technical characteristics are also outdated. It is not clear what caused the release of the same type of cameras “FED” and “Zorkiy”...

...All the best in foreign experience deserves the most serious attention in order to use it in our photographic and cinematic technology. We need to put an end to the lag in this area and start developing new models that would correspond to the level of world technology.”

On the other hand, by the mid-60s, the state of the domestic camera industry was far from so dire, if Soviet photographic products were exported to more than 70 countries around the world. Naturally, the equipment sent abroad was assembled and tested to a higher quality than the rest. The most popular abroad were: “Smena-Rapid”, “Smeny” (in some countries they were called “Cosmic-35″, in others “Global-35″), “Photosniper”, “Horizon”, “Lyubitel-2” ″ (under the name “Global676″), “Falcon”, “Zenit-3″ (Zeniflex), “Zenit-V”, “Zenit-E” (“Cosmorex SE”, “Prinzflex 500E”), “Salyut” (“ Zenit-80″), “FED-4″; rangefinder Kyiv; lenses "Mir-1", "Tair-3A", "Telemar-22", "Tair-11", "MR-2" (Russar), "MTO-500", "Orion-15", "Mir" -3″, “Tair-33″, “Helios-44M” (“Auto Cosmogon”), as well as large quantities binoculars and night vision devices (at a later time). Exports developed quite successfully and, for example, doubled between 1965 and 1969. Approximately 60% of exports went to socialist countries.

In the book "Practice" professional photography”, also published in Russian in 1981, Philip Gotlop writes about Soviet cameras sold in England: “There are several types of Soviet cameras on sale and you can’t go wrong by buying any of them. Russians are proud not only high quality its products, but also its control system before sending the goods to trading network. I had the opportunity to visit the station control department at a service station in North London and was very impressed with the quality of the staff. These are mostly mechanics from Russian factories, and most of them speak English quite well.
...Working with some devices is a real pleasure, and, in my opinion, the Soviet “Horizon” is one of them.”

Here is a note published in No. 2 for 1964 in the magazine “Review-Photography” (Czechoslovakia) “GOMZ - the state optical-mechanical plant in Leningrad - was visited by the English reporter G. Crowley. He was amazed by this plant, equipped with the latest technology, employing 25,000 workers, using the most advanced production methods. Crowley wrote that his attention was drawn to, for example, automatic machines for making camera parts. 300 machines were serviced by six workers. The plant has air conditioning units and production is controlled by electronic devices. Everywhere is impeccably clean, and the plant as a whole makes the same good impression as the most advanced photographic equipment factories in Germany. Crowley emphasized the strict controls in the production of even low-cost cameras."

By the beginning of the 60s, there was a clear tendency to use ideas and developments that were advanced at that time in camera manufacturing. Examples include the following: “Narcissus” - a high-quality SLR camera with interchangeable lenses in 14x21 format for 16mm film; "Zenit-6" is a SLR camera that had a central (!) lens shutter, standardly equipped with a 14-element lens with a variable focal length "Rubin" 2.8 / 37-80 (in the end, it is not so important that the idea and technical the details of this family of cameras were borrowed from the German company Voigtlander), a built-in motor drive in the Zenit-5 camera (the world's first 35mm SLR with a built-in electric motor), semi-automatic exposure testing in the Zorkiy-10, -11, and Kiev- 15″, automatic in Sokol and Kiev-10.
With the Record-4 Sokol lens", produced at LOMO since 1966, had a five-program automation system and was equipped with a central Copal Magic shutter (Japan) with a shutter speed range of 1/30 - 1/500, built into the Industar-70 lens ( 2.8/50). At the turn of the 60-70s, an experimental sample of the Record-4 lens with record parameters of 0.9/52 was released for rangefinder cameras of the Kyiv series. At the same time, GOI produced a pilot batch of wide-angle lenses “Sputnik-4″ 4.5/20 (see photo below).

By the end of the 60s, in connection with the increase in the production of cameras, a crisis of their overproduction began to be felt for the first time, which reached its peak by the beginning of the 70s. The consequence of this was a decrease in camera production volumes, which, in turn, led to a shortage of cameras on store shelves by the end of the 70s. Again, emergency measures were taken and by 1980, all factories in the country were producing almost 4 million cameras per year of more than 25 types and models, of which more than one quarter were supplied to foreign market. In the 80s, the situation with overproduction and shortages was repeated almost exactly.

GOIK unfortunately, the trend of use latest technologies in the domestic camera industry did not continue for long and faded away by the mid-70s, and by the beginning of the 80s, the trend towards structural simplification of cameras and a noticeable decrease in build quality prevailed. And if by the end of the 40s it was somewhat premature to talk about dividing photographic equipment into professional and amateur, then after only 20 years such a division could already be seen quite clearly. It was during this period that it became obvious that domestic photographic equipment would forever remain, albeit at a good level, but still amateur level(the existing exceptions only confirm the rule).
At the end of the 70s. more than 1000 firms and enterprises in different countries the world produced annually over 40 million cameras (including about 3.5 million in the USSR), 2.5 million movie cameras (over 100 thousand), 1.5 million movie projectors (about 165 thousand), 2 .0 million overhead projectors (over 300 thousand); Moreover, about 75% of the products were intended for the mass consumer.

It was at the end of the 70s that a sad tradition finally developed in our photographic industry, when the build quality of photographic equipment varied from copy to copy. One got the impression that if it weren’t for the massive public dissatisfaction spilling out onto the pages of the country’s only photo magazine, “Soviet Photo,” then no improvements and modernizations of the models already existing by the early 80s, as well as the mastering and development of new ones, would not have occurred at all. The cutting edge of the country's design thought in the field of camera manufacturing moved to the pages of the above-mentioned magazine - let us recall, for example, the competition "10,000 technical ideas", in which it seemed that the entire country took part, with the exception of developers of photographic equipment.

Trying to understand the reasons for the very modest successes of the domestic photographic industry over the past 30 years, it is necessary to recognize that the lack of internal competition in the photographic equipment market was of paramount importance. Here is an interesting quote from the article “The Start is Taken” by Vl. Ishimov, published in No. 8 of “Soviet Photo” for 1959: “It seems incorrect to us that factories are completely excluded from setting prices for cameras and lenses. Until now, all connections between enterprise managers and the distribution sector consist in the fact that they receive orders and take the goods to the trading base. This is where their mission ends. They are not directly connected with the consumer and the trader; they do not study market conditions.” Absence feedback between the consumer and the manufacturer (and in our country trade still intervened between them, as an autonomous and little predictable factor), as well as the lack of economic interest of the manufacturer, led to the fact that domestic designers could experiment more irresponsibly with models and modifications of cameras, not particularly caring about how the market will greet it (apparently, it is from these roots that stem, for example, such obscure things as the appearance of the trigger cocking unit in the Zorkiy-10 in a somewhat non-standard place or the unsuccessful attempt to modernize the rangefinder "Kiev" - the "Kiev" model -5″, etc.). At a time when the consumer was waiting for high-quality, but inexpensive models, the manufacturer supplied to the market what was most convenient for him, not caring not only about technical specifications, but also, at certain stages, about the quality of the build. There were often cases when a more advanced model was removed from production and replaced with a more simplified one. Naturally, when Soviet model economy, such interest, one might say, dependence of the well-being of the producer on the results of his work could not be in sight. It seems that in the conditions of a systemic crisis we could not have had anything else!

“The industry that produces products to satisfy the maximum number of people targets a significant share of its products at the mass consumer. The mass consumer, and this is also shown by the experience of other countries around the world, is interested in “trouble-free” photographic equipment: with light sensitivity encoding on DX cassettes, with fast charging and film rewind systems, autofocus... The domestic industry cannot take on the production of some kind of camera in dozens of copies." (“SF”, 8/87).

By the mid-70s, the “golden” (fourth) stage of development of Soviet camera manufacturing was ending. The Soviet photographic industry entered a period of stagnation, which in the early 90s smoothly turned into a period of chaos.

P.S. I’ll tell you about myself, I managed to take quite a lot of photographs with this camera:

There were baths and red light and spinning a barrel of film... :-)

And from the times of the USSR I would remind you, as well as The original article is on the website InfoGlaz.rf Link to the article from which this copy was made -

Today, almost every person has a camera - these are SLR cameras, amateur point-and-shoot cameras, or simply built into mobile phones. Now you don’t need to develop films, run to the store for chemicals and photo paper…. We take thousands of pictures, sharing them on blogs or simply sending them e-mail. But just recently this was far from the case...

In Soviet times, many people were interested in photography, but then everything was a little different. Remember how we captured our most memorable moments with a camera, locked ourselves in the bathroom, turned on the red light to develop the film, and then took photographs, hanging them right there to dry...

For some it was difficult, but for gourmets of this business it was a pleasure. For those who did not want to bother with all this, there were photo studios where they could send the film for development and print photographs there.

Each photograph was very valuable for the Soviet people - after all, our memories were captured in these photographs. Many home albums still contain these pictures that are dear to the heart and memory.

In those days, everyone interested in photography had to have a mandatory set of items in addition to the camera itself - various films, a photo tank, a photo enlarger and a photo glosser, a photo flashlight, as well as photo paper and photo chemicals.

First, the film had to be developed, intermediate washed, fixed, finally washed and dried.
After this, the photographs themselves were printed - using a photo enlarger, the image was projected onto the exposed photographic paper.

Black and white photographs were taken with a special red light, color ones with a special green light. The processing stages of photographic paper are similar to those of photographic film. At the very end, the developed photographs were carefully hung to dry in the same room.

Some models of popular Soviet cameras

I have highlighted only those that I had the opportunity to work with...

Lyubelitel 166 - Soviet medium format dual lens reflex camera, aimed at amateur photographers. The body of the device is plastic. The lens frames, viewfinder shaft and mechanisms are metal. Built on the basis of the Lyubitel-2 camera. Produced in various modifications from 1976 to 1990.

Moskva-2 is a Soviet rangefinder camera from the Moskva family. Produced from 1947 to 1956 by the Krasnogorsk plant in the city of Krasnogorsk, Moscow region. A total of 197,640 pieces were produced.

The prototype was the German Zeiss Super Ikonta C camera. The camera is foldable, the lens is connected to the camera by leather fur, and is extended automatically on a lever system when the front cover is opened. The case is metal with a hinged back cover. Lens "Industar-23".

Moscow-5 is a further improvement of the second version of Moscow-2. It has a more durable and rigid body, a higher aperture lens with a shorter focal length is installed. This was the last production model in the “Moscow” family of scale and rangefinder devices. Produced from 1956 to 1960 by the Krasnogorsk plant in the city of Krasnogorsk, Moscow region. A total of 216,457 units were produced.

Photocor No. 1 (also “Fotokor-1”, often simply “Fotokor”) is a Soviet plate folding camera from the 1930s-1940s. It was a universal rectangular chamber of 9x12 cm format with a folding front wall and double stretching of the fur. The first Soviet mass-produced camera - over 11 years of production (from 1930 to 1941 inclusive) more than 1 million copies were produced.

Smena-8 (my first)!, 8M is a scale Soviet camera produced by the LOMO association since 1970. “Smena-8” and “Smena-8M” were produced in total in the amount of 21,041,191 (up to 1995 inclusive).

“Smena-8M” began to be called “Smena-9”, but in a modified case and differed in that focusing could be carried out not only on the distance scale, but also on the symbol scale. Lens - “Triplet” T-43 4/40 (3 lenses in 3 components), non-replaceable, coated. The angular field of view of the lens is 55°. iris diaphragm

Smena-35 is a Soviet scale camera produced by the LOMO association since 1990. The camera was a restyled version of the Smena-8M in a new housing with a central sync contact. Lens - “Triplet” T-43 4/40 (3 lenses in 3 components), non-replaceable, coated. The angular field of view of the lens is 55°. iris diaphragm

Etude is the simplest medium format camera produced in the USSR by the BelOMO association. The lens is a single-element plastic 9/75 mm (11/60 mm), set at the hyperfocal distance.

Lomo-135 is a scale camera produced by LOMO. Since 1975, 85,902 copies have been produced. The model marked “M” differed only in symbolism. The latter produced 89,500 copies. Lens "Industar-73" (2.8/40). Focusing using a distance scale.

Lomo-Compact Automatic (LKA, LCA) is the first Soviet pocket camera equipped with a wide-range automatic electronic shutter controlled by an electronic exposure meter. The camera is distinguished by its durable body, lightness and compactness, as well as ease of use.

Sokol-2 is a rare rangefinder film camera produced in the early 80s. Lens "Industar-702 F=50 mm 1:2.8. The camera worked in two modes: manual and automatic. Automation takes into account all installed filters and attachments.

Viliya, Viliya-auto - Soviet scale cameras. Produced in 1973-1985, produced by BelOMO. Improved versions were produced under the names “Silhouette-Electro” (1976-1981) and “Orion-EE” (1978-1983) (the original names were “Vilia-Electro” and “Vilia-EE”, respectively).

Lens “Triplet-69-3” 4/40 (3 lenses in 3 components), non-replaceable, filter thread M46×0.75. Focusing according to the distance scale (symbols). Focusing limits from 0.8 m to infinity. The four-blade diaphragm is located outside the lens optical block, behind the shutter.

“Vilia-auto” is a basic model, “Vilia” is a simplified model without automatic exposure control and an exposure meter.

Zorkiy-4. Soviet camera from the Zorki family of rangefinder photographic devices. Produced by the Krasnogorsk Mechanical Plant (KMZ) in the city of Krasnogorsk, Moscow Region in 1956-1973. It is an improved camera “Zorkiy-3S”. The most widespread and technically advanced model among Zorki cameras. A total of 1,715,677 units were produced.

"Zorkiy-4" was sold complete with one of two lenses - "Jupiter-8" 2/50 (more expensive option) or "Industar-50" 3.5/50. There is information that a small number of devices were equipped with a Jupiter-17 2/50 lens. Allows the use of interchangeable lenses.

Cameras based on Zorkiy-4 were also produced:

“Mir” is a cheaper device, which differs from the basic model in its simplified design: automatic shutter speeds only from 1/500 to 1/30 s, there is no long exposure mechanism. Probably, for “Worlds” they used shutters made for “Zorkikh-4”, but rejected due to unclear testing of the shutter speed of 1/1000 s. Lenses - “Industar-50”, less often “Jupiter-8” or “Industar-26M” 2.8/50. In 1959-1961 156229 units produced;

“Zorkiy-4K” with a hammer cocking mechanism and a non-removable take-up reel. Lenses - “Industar-50” or “Jupiter-8”. In 1972-1978 and 1980. 524646 pieces were produced.

Various photo recorders for use in scientific and military equipment. They were equipped with a special attachment point to the optical channel of the corresponding device. They did not have a viewfinder, rangefinder, or flash shoe that were unnecessary in this case. Foreign collectors call these cameras “Labo”

Kyiv-4, 4a. The Kyiv rangefinder cameras are based on the design of the German Contax II and III devices. Documentation, technological equipment and a backlog of parts for Contax cameras were exported to the USSR from Germany as part of reparations after the Great Patriotic War from Zeiss Ikon factories.

The first batches of “Kyiv-2” and “Kyiv-3” cameras were actually relabeled Contax cameras. From their prototype, the Kiev cameras inherited a very complex design of the shutter speed, focusing and rangefinder mechanisms. The Kyiv-4 and Kyiv 4-a cameras differed in the presence or absence of a built-in exposure meter and were produced from 1958 to 1985.

Kiev-60 TTL - a SLR camera with a frame format of 6x6 cm of the TTL system was intended for amateur photography and has been produced since 1984. The camera is designed for the use of reel-to-reel, non-perforated photographic film 60 mm wide (type 120). When using this film, 12 frames are obtained

FED-1 or simply FED! - Soviet rangefinder camera. Produced by the Kharkov production machine-building association "FED" from 1934 to 1955.

What raises the most questions is the numbering system (or, rather, the lack of a system that we understand) of the FED cameras of the first years of production. At the moment, the generally accepted version among collectors is that “chrome”, “zinc”, “nickel-plated”, etc. “FEDs” had different numbering lines.

It was produced from 1934 until the mid-50s, when it was replaced by FED-2. Countless variants and upgrades of this camera were produced under the name “FED” (the first model).

It is well known that the FED was a copy of the Leica II, produced by the Kharkov labor commune. It had a curtain-shell shutter made of rubberized fabric curtains with shutter speeds: B (or Z), 20, 30, 40, 60, 100, 250, 500.

The rangefinder and viewfinder (Albada type) had different viewing windows; the viewfinder had a magnification of 0.44x, the rangefinder had a base of 38 mm and a magnification of 1.0. To charge the camera, the bottom cover was opened.

There was no sync contact or self-timer. It was equipped with a “FED” lens (later “Industar-10”, “Industar-22”) 3.5/50 in a retractable tube with the following aperture steps: 3.5, 4.5, 6.3, 9, 12.5, 18 (the first experimental batch of lenses was produced at VOOMP and designed at GOI). Threaded lens mount - M39.

FED-2. Produced by the Kharkov production machine-building association "FED" from 1955 to 1970. It was equipped with a coated lens "Industar-26M" 2.8/50; the shutter had shutter speeds of B, 25, 50, 100, 250, 500.

The shutter speed could only be set after cocking the shutter (in 1956 the shutter speed head was redesigned, making it possible to set shutter speeds before cocking the shutter), the shutter speed head was rotating.

The viewfinder is combined in the same field of view with a rangefinder with a base of 67 mm and a magnification of 0.75x. The camera provided the possibility of diopter adjustment.

The back wall was opened to charge the camera. Both standard single-cylinder cassettes and double-cylinder cassettes were used, which, when the lock of the back cover of the case was closed, opened and formed a wide gap, which significantly reduced the possibility of damage to the surface of the film during its advancement. In subsequent models, a synchro contact appeared (1956).

In 1958, a self-timer with an operating time of 9-15 seconds appeared on the camera, in the same year a new GOST was introduced for a number of shutter speeds - 1/30, 1/60, 1/125, 1/250, 1/500, since 1957 was completed with the Industar-26m lens, and since 1963 - Industar-61l/d 2.8/52 with lanthanum optics (FED-2l). Since 1969, a lever cocking mechanism with an under-cocking locking mechanism has been introduced, and new building with a reduced rangefinder base. A total of 1,632,600 models called “FED-2” were produced.

FED-3. Produced by the Kharkov Industrial Machine-Building Association "FED" from 1961 to 1979. Compared to the previous model, the shutter speed range was expanded, 15, 8, 4. 2, and 1 seconds were added, and therefore the vertical size of the camera increased. It could also be equipped with an Industar 61 2.8/52 lens.

The rangefinder base is reduced to 41 mm, magnification 0.75x Viewfinder with diopter adjustment +/- 2 dpt. The release options differed in the shape of the viewfinder window, the presence of a cocking head or lever cocking, and the inscription “FED-3”. Since 1966, it has been produced with a lever cocking; since 1970, a mechanism for blocking the under-cocking of the hammer has been introduced.

A total of 2,086,825 units were produced. When supplied abroad, the camera was called Revue-3 (especially for Foto-Quelle).

FED-4 was produced from 1964 to 1980. The main difference between this model and FED-3 is the presence of a selenium exposure meter. Several types of cameras were produced, differing in design features. The export version of the camera was called Revue-4.

FED-5V was produced by the Kharkov production machine-building association "FED" from 1975 to 1990. The camera differs from previous models in the absence of an exposure meter and a luminous frame with parallax marks.

The presence of a curtain-slit shutter ensures shutter speeds from 1 s to 1/500 s. The camera is completely mechanical. Exposure is measured only using an external exposure meter. The viewfinder eyepiece allows focusing within a small range, depending on your vision.

FED-Mikron was produced by the Kharkov Machine-Building Association "FED" from 1978 to 1986. In total, about 35 thousand units were produced.

The camera was intended for amateur and professional photography on standard black and white and color photographic film type 135 with a frame format of 24x36 mm. The fixed lens "Industar-81" provided focusing limits from 1 m to infinity.

Chaika (72 frames:) (“Chaika”, “Chaika-2”, “Chaika-2M”, “Chaika-3”) - a series of Soviet scale half-format cameras.
Named in honor of Valentina Tereshkova (her call sign during space flight was “Chaika”).

They were produced in 1965-1974 at the Belarusian Optical-Mechanical Association (BelOMO) by the Minsk Mechanical Plant named after S.I. Vavilov.

Lens - "Industar-69" 2.8/28. Starting from the “Chaika-2” model, the lens is removable, the connecting thread is M39×1, like the rangefinder FED and “Zorkiy”, but the working distance is different (27.5 mm), so lenses from rangefinder cameras to the “Chaika” (and on the contrary) are not suitable.

Zenit-4 is a Soviet single-lens reflex camera with a central shutter, developed at the Krasnogorsk Mechanical Plant (KMZ) and mass-produced from 1964 to 1968. The basic model of the family, which also included the Zenit-5, Zenit-6 and Zenit-11 devices (the first under this index, non-serial). The first serial KMZ camera with a built-in exposure meter.

Zenit-6 differed from Zenit-4 only in its configuration: it was sold with a Rubin-1Ts lens with a variable focal length (for the first time in the USSR). In 1964-1968, 8,930 units were produced.

In the film comedy “Zigzag of Fortune” by E. Ryazanov, “Zenit-6” is the dream of the main character, photographer Oreshnikov. He looks at a camera in the store window with a price tag of 400 rubles.

Zenit-E is the most popular Soviet single-lens reflex camera, developed at the Krasnogorsk Mechanical Plant (KMZ) and mass-produced in 1965-1982. at KMZ and from 1973 (according to other sources, from 1975) to 1986 at the Optical-Mechanical Plant in Vileika of the Belarusian Optical-Mechanical Association (BelOMO).

Produced in quantities of more than 8 million units. (of which 3,334,540 were at KMZ) - a world record for single-lens reflex cameras. The index “E” was assigned to the camera in honor of the director of the KMZ from 1953 to 1965, N. M. Egorov.

The camera was sold complete with one of two lenses: “Helios-44-2” (focal length 58 mm, relative aperture 1:2) or “Industar-50-2” 3.5/50.

Retail price of Zenit-E in 1980 with the Helios-44-2 lens it was 100 rubles, with Olympic symbols 110 rubles, with the Industar-50-2 lens - 77 rubles.

If there was a choice, buyers preferred cameras produced by KMZ rather than BelOMO, not without reason considering them to be of higher quality (this also applied to other models produced at the two enterprises).

Outside the USSR, Zenit-E was sold both under the original name (in Latin - “Zenit-E”) and under the brands “Revueflex-E” (Germany), “Phokina”, “Photokina-XE” (France) , “Kalimar-SR200”, “Kalimar-SR300”, “Prinzflex-500E”, “Spiraflex”, “Cambron-SE” (USA), “Meprozenit-E” (Japan), “Diramic-RF100” (Canada).

Zenit-ET - modernization of the Zenit-E camera, had a non-rotating shutter speed head, a focusing screen with a microraster and other improvements. The Vileika plant BelOMO produced this model in many versions, including with a pressure diaphragm drive, without an exposure meter, etc. Produced by KMZ - 1981-1988, 61099 units, and Vileika plant - from 1982 to the mid-90s , about 3 million pieces.

Zenit-11 is a single-lens reflex camera designed for a wide range of amateur photographers.

The camera was sold complete with one of the lenses: Helios-44M, MS Helios-44M, Helios-44M-4, MS Helios-44M-4. A total of 1,481,022 copies were produced. It is an improved Zenit-E device (a pressure diaphragm mechanism has been added, a non-rotating shutter speed head, a hot shoe for flash, a focusing screen with a microraster, and other minor changes have been made).

Things absolutely necessary for a Soviet photographer

Carbolite tank for processing 35 mm photographic film

Framing frame

Film cassette

Photographic films

Positive film

Flash lamp

Set of chemicals for processing colored photographic papers

Jupiter-21 lens

Lens Industar-50

Reducer, 1983

Developer, 1988

Fixer, 1985

Photo Cutter

Time relay for photo printing Silhouette, 1985.

Photo relay TRV-1

Cable for cameras for smooth release of the button

Photo roller. Used for smoothing wet photos on a glosser

Photo paper

Flash NORMA1

Flash Electronics

Photo enlarger Leningrad 4

Photo enlarger Tavria

Photo exposure meters

It installs ridiculously, although it performs its functions with a bang!

LOMO with range finder from FED

Viewfinder with rangefinder

Well, a little about exposure meters: initially I didn’t plan to collect them, but at the last moment I changed my mind! So the following exposure meters appeared:

Leningrad-2

and Leningrad 6

And finally, Shutter Speed ​​Calculator for Photo Printing

Last week we published material about ten legendary cameras of the 20th century. This time we would like to talk about the legendary devices produced in the USSR: although the vast majority of them are clones of Western models, among them there were also interesting devices with which many have warm memories.

Smena-8M

The creative path of many Soviet and post-Soviet amateur photographers began with this primitive camera (in the illustration above). Scale focusing (that is, “by eye”), a minimum set of shutter speeds and apertures, the absence of an exposure meter - all this, with proper skill, could not prevent getting good pictures, especially since the Smena-8M was equipped with a good and fairly sharp triplet lens with a focal length 43mm distance and f/4 aperture.

Leningrad

The Soviet Union produced many clones of German rangefinder cameras. However, in addition to the FEDs (which were poor copies of Leica) and Zorkikhs (which were further development“FEDov”), a truly unique device called “Leningrad” was also produced in the USSR (1953-1954). It is interesting primarily because it used a spring mechanism, which made it possible to produce continuous shooting at a speed of up to 3 fps, and the plant was enough for 12 frames. Other characteristics were also good for their time: a lamella shutter with a shutter speed range from 1 to 1/1000 of a second, a 57 mm rangefinder base, an unusual viewfinder with parallax correction and a “mirror zone” instead of the “double spot” usual for traditional rangefinders. The camera is used interchangeable optics with M39x1 thread and a working length of 28.8 mm (the same as “FEDs” and “Zorkiye”).

Zorkiy-4

Probably every Soviet family had cameras from the Zorki family. The most popular of them was Zorkiy-4, which was produced practically unchanged from 1956 to 1973, its total circulation amounted to more than 1 million 700 thousand units. Like previous Zorkih versions, the fourth model is equipped with a curtain shutter with a shutter speed range from 1 to 1/1000 seconds and uses lenses with an M39x1 connecting thread. By the way, there is no built-in exposure meter in Zorkom-4, so to create photo masterpieces it was necessary to either estimate the exposure by eye or use a manual exposure meter.

Kyiv-2

Another legendary Soviet rangefinder, the legend of which mainly comes down to the fact that it is an exact copy of the Contax II, and early batches of cameras were even assembled from Contax parts, a large stock of which (along with production equipment) was exported from East Germany to account reparations. Due to their successful design, Kiev rangefinder cameras were produced virtually unchanged until the 80s. Compared to other Soviet rangefinders, they had a very large and bright viewfinder, were equipped with a lamellar shutter with a shutter speed range from 1 to 1/1000 (in early models - up to 1/1250) seconds, and a Kiev/Contax mount was used to attach lenses.

Kyiv-10 and Kyiv-15

Kyiv-10

Kyiv-15

The Arsenal plant in Kiev produced not only rangefinder cameras, but also SLR cameras. The most interesting models, in my opinion, were “Kiev-10” and “Kiev-15”, and “Kiev-10”, released in 1965, became not only the first Soviet camera with automatic exposure setting, but also the first in the world (!) camera with shutter priority mode. Unfortunately, it used an outdated selenium light meter, which was also located outside the camera body. This drawback was corrected in the Kiev-15 (produced since 1976), which was already equipped with a TTL exposure meter based on cadmium sulphide photoresistors (CdS). The main disadvantage of the cameras was the unique and incompatible bayonet mount. Soviet lenses for "Kyiv-10" and "Kyiv-15" they had the designation "Avtomat" (for example, "Helios-81 Avtomat").

LOMO Compact-Automatic

Probably the most famous Soviet camera, which gave rise to a whole movement - the so-called “lomography”. It is a “point-and-shoot” with scale-type focusing (i.e. “by eye”) and automatic exposure setting. The camera was equipped with a fairly sharp Minitar-1 lens with a focal length of 32 mm and f/2.8 aperture. Probably the only Soviet camera that is still being produced (by order of the Lomographic Society).

Firework

The camera, which was called the “Soviet Hasselblad” - in fact, the Hasselblad 1600F was adopted as its model during design. Designed for shooting frames measuring 56x56 mm on medium format film type 120 or 220. All accessories for the Salyut are fully compatible with early Hasselblads, including film backs, interchangeable accessories and lenses. The camera was equipped with a focal length shutter with a shutter speed range from 1 to 1/1000 seconds. In total, 13 B-mount lenses were produced in the USSR, intended for use with Salyut and Salyut-S.

Horizon

This is us now, the spoiled ones digital technologies, we take panoramas for granted. And in film times, shooting panoramic shots was associated with a huge number of difficulties. Oddly enough, one of the best panoramic cameras in the world, the Horizon, was produced in the Soviet Union. The lens and shutter in this camera were mounted on a rotating drum; the frame size on standard 35 mm film was 24x58 mm. One of the secrets to the success of the Horizon was the lens - a very sharp four-lens anastigmat MS OF-28P, which was originally developed for military applications. In Soviet times, it was very difficult to buy a Horizont, since the vast majority of cameras were exported.

Zenit-19

There were many different models of Zenit cameras produced by the Krasnogorsk Mechanical Plant, but Zenit-19 is rightfully considered one of the best. This device has a mirror viewfinder that displays more than 90% of the frame (in earlier models - only a little more than 60%) and an electronically controlled lamella shutter that operates shutter speeds from 1 to 1/1000 s (earlier Zenits had a shutter speed range from 1/30 to 1/500 s). The device was produced until 1988; the most reliable models are those released in 1984 or later - they were equipped with a redesigned shutter (such cameras can be distinguished by the synchronization shutter speed, which is 1/125 s instead of 1/60 for models with the old shutter).

Almaz-103 and Almaz-102

The Almaz cameras were the first and last attempt by Soviet engineers to create a professional small-format reporter camera. The Nikon F2 was taken as a sample - a very reliable professional camera with interchangeable viewfinders and focusing screens. A fundamentally new mirror mechanism and a metal lamella shutter with a vertical stroke, capable of operating shutter speeds from 10 to 1/1000 s, were developed especially for the camera. To attach lenses, a K mount was used (as on Pentax SLR cameras). The Almaz-103 model was considered basic and was not equipped with a built-in exposure meter, but Almaz-102 already had a TTL exposure meter with digital exposure indication in the range of +/- 2 steps.

Unfortunately, "Diamonds" became legendary for a completely different reason - as the most unreliable Soviet cameras. The manufacturing plant (LOMO) did not have the equipment to produce parts with the required accuracy. Due to processing problems, the parts of the cam mechanism in the shutter were made not of steel, but of brass, which quickly produced chips that fell into the camera mechanisms and jammed them. As a result, “Almazov-103” was produced just under 10 thousand copies, and “Almaz-102” - only about 80 (not thousands, but copies) due to problems with the supply of the necessary electronics.

Cameras

The first camera models appeared in Russia in the middle of the 19th century. Before the revolution, only a few factories were engaged in their production, however, photographic life was not boring. The process of creating images and improving the functional characteristics of devices were the main topics among fans of the new hobby and inventors. In the 30s of the 20th century, mass production of cameras was launched in the USSR and by 1960, Soviet citizens had more than sixty models of devices and their modifications at their disposal.

Here are just a few of them:

• folding – Smena, EFTE (ARFO), Photocor No. 1, Reporter, Tourist;
• small format - FED (replica of the German Leica II camera), Kyiv, Zorkiy, Zenit, Yunost, Sport;
• medium format – Sputnik, Neva, Moscow, Salyut, Yunkor, Iskra.

It is worth noting that Soviet cameras were of the highest quality. Although they were not free from some shortcomings, they could nevertheless compete with similar foreign-made equipment.

Until now, antique instruments are very popular not only among collectors and antique dealers, but also among ordinary people who are interested in photography. And this despite the abundance of modern gadgets, their functionality and affordability. The USSR set prices for cameras in the same way as for any other goods: guided by the decision of the State Committee. In other words, the cost of similar things and items in all stores in the city was the same. But market economy introduced other rules, and entrepreneurs began their pricing policy.

Today, an antique camera can be purchased for 500 or 100,000 rubles, everything will depend on the place where you plan to make the purchase, the ambitions of the seller, technical condition, age and completeness of the device. If you want to purchase a rare device for taking photographs without overpaying, then you should avoid auctions, as well as suspicious sites selling antiques. In order not to run into scammers, contact only trusted salons, or even better, use the services of the Antique Shop antique salon. In our assortment you will find old cameras of rare models.

The exclusivity of the devices lies not only in their age, but also in the fact that they are all in working condition. Time hasn't spoiled them appearance and did not lose its original functions thanks to the caring owners who are accustomed to preserving objects dear to their hearts in impeccable condition. If you are a collector, a photographer (amateur or professional) or just looking for an original gift, take a look at our catalog of vintage cameras. We are confident that on its pages you will find exactly what you have been looking for for many years.