35mm lens for FED-3b

tom43 · Dec 3, 2022

I have a FED-3b with an Industar-61 52mm lens. Beside the viewfinder (dark, scratches glasses) it is a very nice and solid rangefinder.

Can anyone recommend an affordable 35mm lens for this camera? Second question goes to the viewfinder: Will be one of these plastic Chinese viewfinders initially sufficient or any other recommendation? Many thanks in advance.

cramej · Dec 3, 2022

Jupiter 12 and Kodak 35/80 finder is about the cheapest rangefinder coupled solution. The Jupiter 12 is a nice lens and the finder, made for the Retina cameras, is still fairly inexpensive and better than the plastic ones.

ntenny · Dec 3, 2022

Second the Jupiter-12. The Soviet 35mm finder made to go with it is pretty reasonable too.

I found some little adhesive padded rings for the viewfinder eyepiece, which helped a lot with the scratches. Unfortunately that was probably 15 years ago, and I can’t remember what they were sold as, but something like this should exist.

-NT

eli griggs · Dec 3, 2022

Try thick, unmedicated mouse skin felt, used for callous and corns or some of the thinner stuff with rubber strengthening car gasket material, built up with blue silicon 'till the last felt layer.

The Fed 3b is my favorite FSU 135 camera.

Good luck.

tom43 · Dec 4, 2022

Great infos. Thank you so much!

j-dogg · Dec 18, 2022

A bit of warning, the J12 is a great lens but the Jupiter lenses aren't always calibrated for FED cameras. They will mount but don't perfectly register focus especially on stuff like FED-2. I tried on my 3a and haven't got the test roll back yet but on something wide like 35mm, shouldn't make a difference. I have a J12, find a red letter P model.

35mm lens for FED-3b

tom43

cramej

ntenny

eli griggs

tom43

j-dogg

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