N00B ALERT! Fed 2B

[matthewm]

Well, I've gone and done it. Bought myself my first FSU RF last night. It's a fair condition Fed 2B (I think). I'm planning on using this as a "daylight" camera with the Sunny 16 rule and equivalent exposures. I have one of those nifty little light meter apps on my iPhone so I can always resort to that should I choose to use the thing indoors or something. I chose this camera because I wanted a no-frills, no-electronics, point and shoot of sorts. I plan to add some more M39 lenses - specifically something wide with a hotshoe VF like the Skopar 25/4 or similar and a portrait-length lens as well. I'll probably stick with the kit lens for a while, though, until I get the hang of it. I've never shot an FSU camera before although there is one at my house. It's my wife's FED 5B in snakeskin covering, but it's got a really quirky feel to the film advance (too tight) and I don't remember exactly but when she tried loading film, the advance lever felt like it was catching on something and she didn't want to ruin it so we shelfed it.

Anyway... Here we are a couple of years later and I'm trying my hand at another FSU camera. I paid a little more than I should have on this one, but it's from the US and has been tested and works so I don't have to worry about the long, long boat ride from Russia just to find out I got a dud.

This is the seller's image from the eBay auction (I'll get some more proper photos when I get it):


I can't quite tell from the photo, but from the limited research I've done, it looks like the lens is an Industar-61. I may be wrong here. If so, please correct me.

Anyway, I read through the guides in the Sticky section here and I think I have all the information I need to make a good first stab at FSU photography. I'll let you guys know what I come up with. Might be a flop, might be great. Either way, you guys get a show and that's worth sticking around for, right?

Looking forward to playing with it. Thanks for all of the insight and help here on the forum.

Best,
Matthew

[rxmd]

It looks like a very clean FED-2, and the lens is indeed an Industar-61, of the earlier "panda" variant, not contemporary to the body but a nice f/2.8 Tessar and one of the finest FSU lenses for all its low-cost glory.

Enjoy it and keep us updated and what you do with it

[Terry Christian]

I have a FED 2B, but yours seems to be a 2C instead, judging from the wind knob, the location of the sync port, and the existence of a self-timer. as well, and I absolutely love mine. By the way, the little swing-out lever at the upper right of the photo, attached to the bottom of the rewind knob, is the diopter. If you look through the rangefinder and everything looks fuzzy, don't think that you got a faulty camera; use the diopter to make everything sharp and clear. Secure it in place with a piece of electrical tape if the action is a bit loose.

More info on the various subtypes of the FED 2: SovietCams

[stratcat]

Beautiful! Well, if the camera works correctly, shooting with it is no different than shooting with any other full manual rangefinder; aside from the usual caveat of changing the shutter speed ONLY after winding the film.

Using it to shoot in the streets with sunny f/16 is great: compact, quick to operate, silent, discreet.

Enjoy your new toy!

[Keith]

Originally Posted by Terry Christian

I have a FED 2B, but yours seems to be a 2C instead, judging from the wind knob, the location of the sync port, and the existence of a self-timer. as well, and I absolutely love mine. By the way, the little swing-out lever at the upper right of the photo, attached to the bottom of the rewind knob, is the diopter. If you look through the rangefinder and everything looks fuzzy, don't think that you got a faulty camera; use the diopter to make everything sharp and clear. Secure it in place with a piece of electrical tape if the action is a bit loose.

More info on the various subtypes of the FED 2: SovietCams

That drove me nuts with mine for a while ... I resorted to a drop of super glue!

[matthewm]

Thanks guys. Looks like I do have the FED 2c after all. Great link, by the way. Looking forward to shooting with this guy.