1955 Soviet FED2 (read description)
I was out on a photoshoot this past weekend and stumbled on this old camera. It’s a 1955 Soviet FED2. The cameras are a direct copy of the Leica II. Leica cameras had become incredibly popular in the Soviet Union due in large part to the work of famed Russian photographer Alexander Mikhailovich Rodchenko (1891-1956). It became difficult if not impossible for USSR to import the incredible Leica’s so a decision was made to copy Leica and make their own Soviet version of the camera. Western copyright laws were not recognized by the USSR so work was undertaken to attempt to duplicate the design. The FED, which was named after Felix Edmundovich Dzerzhinsky the founder of the Soviet Secret Police - later known as the KGB, was released in 1934 and models continued to be released until production ceased in 1996. The FED may closely resemble a Leica but the quality could not be more different! Consistency in manufacturing varied widely from one camera to the next. In fact the only thing consistent about the cameras is the lack of consistency. Even the type of screws used can vary from one camera to another as it depended on what was available at the time. This FED2 is largely functional but does have some issues I am in the process of repairing. I hope to have it back to shooting film again in a few weeks.
Photo taken with Fuji XT20 and 7Artisans 60mm Macro
Website: www.sollows.ca
Vero: vero.co/jsollows
#photography #lensculture #canadian_photographer #canadianphotographer #vancouverphotographer #vintage_camera #filmcamera #fujifilmxt20 #7artisans #stilllife #photowalkpodcast
1955 Soviet FED2 (read description)
I was out on a photoshoot this past weekend and stumbled on this old camera. It’s a 1955 Soviet FED2. The cameras are a direct copy of the Leica II. Leica cameras had become incredibly popular in the Soviet Union due in large part to the work of famed Russian photographer Alexander Mikhailovich Rodchenko (1891-1956). It became difficult if not impossible for USSR to import the incredible Leica’s so a decision was made to copy Leica and make their own Soviet version of the camera. Western copyright laws were not recognized by the USSR so work was undertaken to attempt to duplicate the design. The FED, which was named after Felix Edmundovich Dzerzhinsky the founder of the Soviet Secret Police - later known as the KGB, was released in 1934 and models continued to be released until production ceased in 1996. The FED may closely resemble a Leica but the quality could not be more different! Consistency in manufacturing varied widely from one camera to the next. In fact the only thing consistent about the cameras is the lack of consistency. Even the type of screws used can vary from one camera to another as it depended on what was available at the time. This FED2 is largely functional but does have some issues I am in the process of repairing. I hope to have it back to shooting film again in a few weeks.
Photo taken with Fuji XT20 and 7Artisans 60mm Macro
Website: www.sollows.ca
Vero: vero.co/jsollows
#photography #lensculture #canadian_photographer #canadianphotographer #vancouverphotographer #vintage_camera #filmcamera #fujifilmxt20 #7artisans #stilllife #photowalkpodcast