iskra

[supermax]

Have you ever took photos with a iskra?
What do you think about its lens quality?
I would like to buy a not heavy MF camera and I read on the internet that it is very good

[VictorM.]

It's a great lens on a pretty good camera. It is larger and heavier than you might expect. Mine weighs about 1 kg (about 2.2 lbs), almost as much as my Rolleiflex 3.5E.

[supermax]

Do you think there is a better folding Mf RF or another light MF camera?
I have Lubitel but lenses don't sutisfy me
I need a very good quality lens

[lubitel]

there are lots of other folding cameras. Or do you only mean russian?

look here.
http://www.certo6.com/cam/superisolette.html

[supermax]

No, I mean cheap and good

[Richard Black]

If you can find an Agfa Isolette or Zeiss Ikon you will get a simple 6x6 folding cameras. Some problems, holes in the bellows and sticky shutters. I have an Isoleette I love, light and pocketiable. Upscale, I have a Fuji GS645 Professional that has been serviced and a new English leather bellows added and it is exceptional, but it is expensive.

[VictorM.]

Zeiss Ikon with a Tessar or Agfa Isolette with a Solinar are best. If you are willing to stop down to f/8, then a 3-element Novar or Apotar will work just as well and cost much less. The Zeiss cameras have much better build quality than all but the later Agfas. The bellows and focusing grease on most Agfas will need replacing. I prefer the simpler Zeiss and Agfa folders to the Iskra.

[jano]

Iskra is great, especially if you don't care about overlapping framelines. The lens makes an interesting swirly background at the wide apertures :)

[iñaki]

There are some threads about the Iskra in RFF. Look here (http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32215&highlight=iskra)
and here (http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32377&highlight=iskra)

I love mine (some photos in my gallery). I bought it from Alex-photo (ebai) and works well as described, but is not perfect (stiff focusing) If you are looking for info about MF folders or want to buy a perfect working MF folder, take a look at www.certo6.com (he sells in ebay too).

[supermax]

I read on the internet that lenses of Iskra (and Tessar I suppose after your responses) are better than Kiev 88 and Kiev 60 lenses: do you agree?

[Solinar]

Yes it is heavy and tad bulky, but for the money the Iskra is probably the best of the old folders, that is if it has been serviced by Oleg at http://www.okvintagecamera.com/

Agfas built between 1949 and 1955 usually need their bellows replaced. I've been playing with a Voigtlander Perkeo II for the past couple of months - It is by far the smallest 6x6 folder.

[jano]

I put a canon digital strap on mine, boy do I get some funny looks :D

[Diggin99]

I have two folders from Certo6, I would highly recommend getting a folder from him! I have also had an Iskra, but as said above, it was much more heavy than I was expecting!

[Iskra 2]

Iskra is great, especially if you don't care about overlapping framelines. The lens makes an interesting swirly background at the wide apertures :)

I'll have to try it wide open. :( Seems ok when stopped down a bit. :D

[center]http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/data/6162/medium/1024_Iskra-2-at-the-Marina.jpg

Isn't overlapping frames a common problem with all the old roll film mechanical advance systems? My RB67 backs sometime get confused. :bang:

Regards. :angel:

[jano]

Iskra 2, no idea about the overlapping frames. I just know it appears to be a problem with most of the iskra cameras out there (I researched the heck out of it, and certo6 took a look at mine to see if he could fix it, no luck, needed a full new system inside as the gears were all worn). The swirly background thingy is kinda neat.. look at the background in the green, it's hard to tell on the small picture, but when you get to about 33% zoomed in on the full res scan, or print 10x10, it's fairly obvious:
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=46011&ppuser=2711

By the way, amazing color on your photo!

[Iskra 2]

Many Iskras have been heavily used so it is not surprising the film advance mechanisms are worn on some. I have three Iskra 2's and the film advance works on all of them. Tessars are not noted for their 'bokeh', and your shot demonstrates that characteristic. I'm going to try some closeups wide open with one of mine. I have an old Schneider 210 Xenar which has an evil 'bokeh' when used wide open on a close subject.

Thanks for the compliment on the pix. Astia 100 captured the "Kodak Moment". Regards.

[wlewisiii]

Have you ever took photos with a iskra?
What do you think about its lens quality?
I would like to buy a not heavy MF camera and I read on the internet that it is very good

I'm coming in late, but I'll do this answer without reading the other responses intentionally.

To me, the Iskra was the finest camera made in the FSU. Period. The lens is simply the finest they ever fit to any camera. There is an internet rumor that they used the last of the glass confiscated from CZJ at the end of the war to make the Industars in the Iskra. I don't know if it's true or not, but the lens is so much better than anything else I've seen from the FSU that I find it very easy to believe.

It remains the single finest of the "folders" made in the east or west. A good example is worth far more, I believe, than they are currently commanding. One of my favorite examples from the one I used to own (alas...) is here: http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=13322

What more can I say? Diamonds & rust...

William

[Joao]

Hi
An Iskra is certainly worth having. I bought mine as a "parts" camera in the US, send it to Oleg for repairing and CLA, and it is a fine camera now (no leaks, no overlapping frames so far). Some photos here, scanned from ordinary contact prints http://public.fotki.com/BlueWind/iskra/
Regards
Joao

[jano]

Evil bokeh? hahahahahaha :D

I kinda wish my I2 wouldn't have overlapping frames.. the thing looks almost new on the outside, the meter still works, and the inside is a little worn out, but very clean. I have a hard enough time cutting the damn 120 neg straight to fit in the sleeves, let alone figuring out where one frame ends and where one begins. *grumble*

[supermax]

Before my richo kr10m (SLR) i used a fed3 with industar 61 55/2.8 which was not perfect at the maximum diphragm. Much better was the lenses of Zorki 10 at any diaphragm.
Do Tessar,solinar and 58 work well at any diaphragm?

[supermax]

Befor my Richo kr10m i sometimes used a Fed 3 with an Industar 61 55/1.8 which was not perfect at 2.8 diaphragm. Much better was my Zorki 10 (i haven't got it any more because of shutter problems) perfect at any diaphragm.
Do yuo think Tessar, Soligor and Industar 58 works well at any diaphragm?

[Iskra 2]

I believe we have stumbled on something here that has gone undiscovered/unnoticed for many years. :D The 'Time Machine Look' of the Iskra lens when used wide open. The circular tunneling bokeh must be a unique characteristic of the FSU design ........ or ........ do all the other folders of the era exhibit a similar OOF area? :( Regards.

[jano]

Perhaps the Iskra is the Court Jester of Bokeh? :D

[supermax]

Sorry, i said industar 61 but it is a fed 61 (fed 3 lenses).

[supermax]

I think we could take an image or a series of image to test our cameras and shot standardized photos to post on this web site, in order to value the different character of the different cameras.
What do you think?

[filmgoerjuan]

You want a swirly background from an Iskra photo? I'll give you swirly background from an Iskra photo:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/66/184768201_31fa56eb66.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/filmgoerjuan/184768201/)

I forget the name of this effect, but it's not just on the Iskra. I've gotten something similar with my Canonet 28 shot wide open and at shallow focus.

[jano]

Now that's what I'm talkin' 'bout :D (evil villian accent) Look eento my bokeh! (maniacle laughter)

[P C Headland]

A bit late but, anyhow...

The Iskra is a very good camera, one of the best of the folders ever. Big bright viewfinder, great lens, and while it is "substantial", you can carry it around all day. For the price, it can't be beat.

Neither of mine overlap frames, although on the Iskra I the 1st two frames can be almost kissing, depending on the film. Other than that, it works fine.

Take a look through my galleries to see quite a few Iskra I and II shots (as well as from a bunch of other classic cameras).

[Brad Bireley]

I love mine. I just got to get out & shoot more! Here are a few.

Brad