Russians with framelines

[Chuck A]

Hi all,

Do any of the russian LTM cameras have brightline frames in the viewfinder? I have been looking around and can't seem to find that info.

[mac_wt]

There is a type of Fed 5 that has brightlines for the 50mm lens. But I don't think that is what you're looking for. As far as I know, of the rangefinders with changeable lenses, only the second version of the Kiev 5 has brightlines for more than 1 lens: 50 and 85mm. And the Kiev 5 has no LTM but half a Contax mount.

Wim

[kiev4a]

I believe the Leningrad has framelines. It has probably the best viewfinders of FSU cameras but the finders also but it is also one of the most fragile. Most people with Leningrads don't shoot them much.

[Zorkiiglaza]

Yes Leningrads do have Framelines- I believe 35- 50- 85- but I not sure without going in to storage to dig one out. I have only ever shot 1 or two rolls of film through these cameras due to their tempermental nature. I have also seen more broken ones than not.
The first one I saw was just a box of parts in an old repair shop in Central Asia.

[wlewisiii]

The Kiev 5 has a viewfinder where the whole of the finder is a very close approximation of 35mm FOV. Then all of them have a bright line for the 50mm FOV and rf patch is a "close enough for most work" approximation of the 135mm FOV. Then the last few of them, made in 72 - 73, had an additional line added for the 85mm FOV. This is especially nice since the Jupiter-9/Sonnar 85/2 is one of the finest lenses ever made (IMO and all that).

Mine is a '72 and has the 85mm lines and it is an excellent camera.

William

[mac_wt]

Hey, I didn't know about the Leningrad. That put that it a few spots higher on my wish-list.

Wim

[Chuck A]

I wasn't sure if any of these cameras had framelines. Thanks for the info.

[jlw]

Hey, I didn't know about the Leningrad. That put that it a few spots higher on my wish-list.

Wim

The Leningrad has an interesting finder, but it's not the same type of projected bright line finder as seen on M Leicas, Bessas, Kiev 5s, etc.

The lines are etched black outlines, for 50mm, 85mm, and 135mm lenses; the outer border covers a 35mm lens. Because of the unusual design of this finder, in which the rangefinder patch stays stationary while the entire finder image moves from side to side as you focus, the frames are "semi-compensating" for parallax -- the horizontal offset is corrected for, but the vertical offset is not.

Another odd thing about the finder is that unlike almost any other rangefinder camera's, the rangefinder patch is NOT semi-transparent. You don't see two coincident images through it; you see only the RF image in the patch, and only the viewfinder image around it. You line up the two using the split-image principle. This is very accurate as long as your subject has well-defined vertical lines in it -- but it's difficult with subjects that don't, such as textures, grassy fields, human faces, etc.

Still, the Leningrad's finder is bright, precise, and reasonably pleasant to use. If it had been attached to a camera less eccentric than the Leningrad, it might have been very successful! Unfortunately, the Leningrad has several other quirks which make it a bit unfriendly to use for everyday photography, even if you get an example that works perfectly:

-- The design of the lens surround means you can't mount any lens with a base diameter greater than about 1-15/16 inches; anything larger fouls on a ridge above the lens mount. It seems oddly contradictory that the designers would create a viewfinder system covering a wide range of lenses, and then add an unnecessary mechanical restriction that drastically limits what lenses can be used!

-- The sprocketless film advance system results in uneven frame spacing; at the start of the roll, the frames are very close together, and gradually get farther and farther apart as you get farther into the roll. This isn't a big deal if you're shooting black-and-white and cutting the negatives yourself; if you're sending your film to a lab that uses automatic cutting equipment, which is designed for evenly-spaced frames, the later frames will inevitably get cut through.

-- Another contradictory feature is that while the Leningrad's spring-loaded advance lets you go through a roll rather quickly, it is an incredibly inconvenient camera to load and unload. The rewind release requires you to unscrew a textured disc with your thumb; then you turn a large, geared rewind knob almost interminably as it s-l-o-w-l-y rewinds the film; then to get the back off you have to unlatch a Contax-style folding catch AND unscrew another knob to allow you to slide off the back!


A while back, when I had the mad idea of trying to sell my Leningrad (I've since given up) I put up a web page of photos highlighting its quirks and peculiarities. The page is still there at:

Leningrad link (http://homepage.mac.com/jlw/leningrad/)

If you're thinking of coveting a Leningrad for taking pictures (as opposed to coveting one simply because it's a weird, interesting camera) I suggest you have a browse through so you'll know what you're getting into!

[kiev4a]

Agreed, the Leningrad is interesting but not a real shooter. It's a real contradiction in that it has a motor drive from shooting fast but arguably the slowest loading and unloading procedure of any RF or SLR.

[John Robertson]

There is one other less well known Russian with frame lines. The Drug (Friend) it has 50, and 85 frames. and a trigger winder on the bottom. Its a very nice camera with full range of speeds was made by KMZ in the early sixties. Widely used by professionals in FSU its very difficult to find one in good condition.

[jlw]

There is one other less well known Russian with frame lines. The Drug (Friend) it has 50, and 85 frames. and a trigger winder on the bottom. Its a very nice camera with full range of speeds was made by KMZ in the early sixties. Widely used by professionals in FSU its very difficult to find one in good condition.

I saw a picture of the Drug in the Princelle book and remember thinking it looked like one of the more usable FSU cameras -- kind of like a Canon VI-T, only with a non-variable-magnification viewfinder. A couple of oddities: unlike Canon, which included a collapsible winding knob on its trigger-wind cameras, the Drug doesn't give you any options other than the trigger; and, unlike most RF cameras, the eyepiece is located toward the center rather than toward one end, which might be convenient for left-eyed users but means you have to balance it on the ridge of your nose, like an SLR.

I was tempted to look for one as an occasional shooter, but I got worried about possible legal repercussions from Internet postings that I "want to buy Drugs from Russia"...

[John Robertson]

I spotted a Drug on ebay on sunday night, I was just to late to bid, it went for $60, ah well, the bank account is safe for a few more days.! :bang: It looked in good condition. Camara Mate in Vienna has one as well.
I regret selling the one I had a few years ago.