FED-2

[mehguy]

Hi,

I've been thinking of getting a FED-2. What are your opinions of this camera and how much do these typically sell for?

 

[Sirius Glass]

I have no personal experience, but based on what I have learned from others: any money saved by buying this camera instead of real Leica will be spent many times over to make it work correctly. Do you really need the aggravation, heartache, wasted time and expense to save some money and still not have the camera that you REALLY WANT?

 

[Ko.Fe.]

I have it for decades now. It originally was given as wedding gift to my parents. I borrowed it long time ago and still like to use it.
It was serviced only once few years ago.
It is elegant, simple camera, made for 50mm lens.
If you want it, get it only after real CLA and lens aligned with RF.
I purchased one like this few years ago, while mine went for CLA. Same as mine with I-26 l/d kit lens.
It is amazing camera, sold it to one customer in Toronto. He likes it for high quality pictures.
Honestly, after trying of several different FSU RFs, I'm glad to keep FED-2 as only FSU RF camera.
Another FSU camera is Smena-8M, same as my wife and her mother used to have. But this copy is sharp. No Zenits in our house.
I have Canadian M4-2 as my main RF, but FED-2 is joy to use as well. Long RF base, same as on M Leica. And no crappy extra shutter speeds, like on Z-4 and no useless crude advance level like on Z-5,6.

 

[zanxion72]

Indeed it is a fine and elegant FSU camera. Get it with the collapsible Fed lens (Industar-10). Depending on the quality of the glass it works wonders providing that it is mechanically sound.
The next best I can think of is a Fed-1 just because it is even smaller.

 

[albada]

I have no personal experience, but based on what I have learned from others: any money saved by buying this camera instead of real Leica will be spent many times over to make it work correctly. Do you really need the aggravation, heartache, wasted time and expense to save some money and still not have the camera that you REALLY WANT?

Yes!
I've acquired a few FSU (Former Soviet Union) cameras, and many required extensive repairs to fix goofs made by the factory. After servicing Japanese and German cameras, and becoming accustomed to their high precision and careful workmanship, I've been disgusted with the things I've seen in Soviet equipment. Things like a hole being much too big for a shaft, causing said shaft to wobble around. I fixed that by pounding on the nearby casting with a punch, causing compressed metal to flow into the hole, making it smaller. Gears that bind or barely engage due to holes being drilled inaccurately. Focus- and f-stop-calibration of lenses that were wrong. And on it goes. The Soviets were capable of very creative failures, and I finally said "never again".

Mark Overton

 

[Sewin]

My Fed 2 works fine, it did have a CLA before I bought it though. I also have a Zorki 4, but can never decide which is the best allrounder.

 

[02Pilot]

I've had a FED-2 for several years now. It was my first rangefinder, and I've used it extensively.

First off, purchase the best you can. The cheap ebay options from the FSU may be tempting, but there is a relatively high level of uncertainty associated with their condition and operability. If nothing else, they are prohibitively expensive to return in the event of a problem discovered on arrival. I got mine from Fedka, which has an excellent reputation and is US-based.

If everything is working correctly, the FED-2 is quite good. While it may not exhibit the fine attention to detail that characterizes some more expensive options, the workmanship on my example is not bad at all, and actually quite nice in most areas.

The design is well thought out. The long RF base and integrated RF/VF make for easy focusing; the VF is still small, so framing is a bit of a guessing game, but on mine at least the VF is pretty tight, so you get some additional area on the negative that you don't see when framing. The removable back makes loading far easier than on a bottom-loader. It is a slightly larger body than the bottom-loaders, but still relatively small; with a collapsible lens it still fits easily in a pocket. The absence of slow speeds and 1/1000 doesn't really matter in the vast majority of operating conditions.

I bought mine as a relatively cheap entry into LTM, but I found it was actually less of a compromise than I expected it to be.

 

[monkowa]

I have a FED2 and a FED3 and I like them. They're temperamental, strange little brick-like range finders. I've had to do a lot of maintaining on them which i enjoyed because it taught me a lot about cameras, I've gotten really good photos out of both. If you're into weird cameras I say go for it. Make sure what you're buying is tested and guaranteed at least somewhat, cause the quality varies. They were mass produced with little quality control.

 

[mehguy]

It seems that Soviet Cameras are quite unreliable from reading these comments. Should I look for a different rangefinder?

 

[Sirius Glass]

There are a number of Leica like cameras that perform well for a much lower price. The range finder forum can provide a list of those cameras. I prefer slrs and so I am not the best person to advise range finder cameras. My concern and reason for posting is to warn that while some people have had success with FSU cameras [FEDs, Zorkis, ...], one would be much better off avoiding wasting time and money on those cameras when there are so many other better cameras available for a little more money.

 

[02Pilot]

There are a number of Leica like cameras that perform well for a much lower price. The range finder forum can provide a list of those cameras. I prefer slrs and so I am not the best person to advise range finder cameras. My concern and reason for posting is to warn that while some people have had success with FSU cameras [FEDs, Zorkis, ...], one would be much better off avoiding wasting time and money on those cameras when there are so many other better cameras available for a little more money.

If you have no personal experience, how can you be so certain that these cameras are such a "wast(e) of time and money?" Please provide some sort of evidence to support your assertion that there are other "Leica-like" (by which I assume you mean Leica Thread Mount) cameras that can be had for a "much lower price" in comparable condition.

The simple fact is that a good FED-2 can generally be had for a reasonable sum, if one pays attention and knows what to look for. Blanket dismissals based on hearsay evidence tend to keep prices low. There are, of course, other options, some of them reasonably priced (Canon LTM RFs have come down a lot lately, for example), but just because they exist does not lessen the value of Soviet LTMs.

Soviet lenses, BTW, are notably cheaper than their German and Japanese equivalents - a far greater price disparity than you see with the bodies - and can be used on all LTM bodies, regardless of origin.

 

[Sirius Glass]

If you have no personal experience, how can you be so certain that these cameras are such a "wast(e) of time and money?" Please provide some sort of evidence to support your assertion that there are other "Leica-like" (by which I assume you mean Leica Thread Mount) cameras that can be had for a "much lower price" in comparable condition.

I guess you have not regularly read APUG and pnet. There is a long history of people asking for help. There are also many people that are happy with the FSU cameras, but the number posters of the later group is much smaller than the former. You should be able to do the math.

 

[02Pilot]

I guess you have not regularly read APUG and pnet. There is a long history of people asking for help. There are also many people that are happy with the FSU cameras, but the number posters of the later group is much smaller than the former. You should be able to do the math.

I've read fairly regularly, but I'm also aware that people who have cameras with problems they are trying to solve are more likely to post than people whose cameras are working perfectly. One can also easily find posts wherein people ask for help with much more expensive cameras, especially of similar vintage. That there may be issues with a 50+ year old camera with an unknown history should come as a surprise to no one, but to make blanket statements of reliability and value based solely on unquantified third-party statements seems imprecise and unproductive at best.

 

[onre]

Somehow faults are more acceptable when they appear in $500 equipment than $20 equipment.

 

[adknrsst]

I've got two FED-2s. One was sold as-is, so the curtain doesn't move and the shutter mechanism doesn't cock. That's fine: it's for disassembling out of curiosity anyhow.

The other is a well-patinaed but entirely functional camera. Its lack of a slow-speed timer means it doesn't suffer from the difficulties of FED-3s and Zorki-4s, where you'll try to set a 1/15th and end up at 1/4. I've not yet missed focus on it, and it's not needed any RF calibration -- maybe this is because of the f/2.8 5cm lens never getting all that thin a DOF at the 1m minimum focus distance. I paid about 30€ for the working one, and 9€ for a lens that didn't have crap inside it. Get a lens with the index/middle finger focusing tab, it's far nicer to use than a turny ring over a throw of something like 270°. Expect swirl and barrel distortion when wide open; opinions vary between "oh that's lovely", "this is somehow very hard to look at" and "i'm about to throw up".

Between my FED-2 and my Zorki, though the former is a bit ugly and a bit dirty, its vf/rf finder beats the pants off the Zorki's twin squinties. The VF approximates the view from a 5cm lens, no frame lines or parallax correction of course, but in general I've managed to frame things properly even up close.

It's not a Leica, heck no. But it's a real camera with a proper glass lens, better than any fixed-lens RF in its price class (now that XAs have hipster tax), and owing to the low-ish price it ends up going to places that a more expensive camera never would. Certainly one of the better FSU cameras just for not having the speed issue.

 

[darkosaric]

It seems that Soviet Cameras are quite unreliable from reading these comments. Should I look for a different rangefinder?

my experience:
lenses are great, i recommend them all. but cameras - only troubles: from fed, zorki, zenit... only problems... better buy some canon, bessa or leica ltm camera. they are not that expensive

 

[darkosaric]

Somehow faults are more acceptable when they appear in $500 equipment than $20 equipment.

not once i had situation where FSU camera failed me in critical moment. then they say "what do you expect from 20$ camera"? i expect from every camera that it does not fail me in critical moment, no matter it is a M6 or lomo plastic fantastic. that is why i do not recommend FSU cameras, even if many are satisfied - i will always advice to run away from it.

 

[Xmas]

It is not unknown that you Buy an M Leica from web or brick shop and it does not work.

The Soviets made a large number of Feds, they cost the same as a M Leica to repair, all mine take ok photos, comparable with a M2, YMMV.

They are not suitable for a 5cm /1.2 as the rangefinder is simpler.

If you want Leica precision and better handling a Canon LTM is a cheaper choice.

 

[btaylor]

I have several. The lenses, in my experience, are for the most part excellent. My Fed 2 is my favorite amongst them. Simple, small , easy to use. They are 50 year old machines with dubious quality control at the factory and plenty of DIY repairs along the way. Fedka is a good place to buy, they guarantee the cameras they sell. I bought all my stuff from FSU sellers. It was fun, and cheap, but most of it needed to be serviced-- so Fedka would have been the better deal in the long run.

Most old cameras are going to need service so be ready and expect that. I bought a beautiful Nicca on this forum that I expected was going to need service, it works like new after shutter replacement and CLA. The Leica M2 I bought from another member was sold as NOT needing a CLA, but the shutter was slow and it did need work. It is a jewel now. Old machines need maintenance.

 

[onre]

that is why i do not recommend FSU cameras, even if many are satisfied - i will always advice to run away from it.

Ditto - more cameras for us!

 

[Ko.Fe.]

It seems that Soviet Cameras are quite unreliable from reading these comments. Should I look for a different rangefinder?

I don't think most of the comments are about how reliable FED-2 is. It is as reliable as any mechanical camera. Most comments are about getting this camera serviced. I could CLA FED-2 by myself and plenty of spare parts. Those cameras will outlast cameras with electronics and they are made without plastic parts. I can't CLA Cosina made ones, no spare parts and no service. And I have less trust in Cosina modern RFs in terms of long run (based on my own experience).
If you have some Canadian guts, get made in Canada Leica. M4-2 or M4-P, where are one of the best RF lenses made also in Canada. I'm proud to have M4-2. Service is available, they are reliable and divine to use.

 

[mgb74]

I've had a few of the FSU cameras. In one, the shutter failed, the other 3 worked fine - for what they are. The comparison with Canon and Leica RFs is a bit silly as the price differential is so great. I think if you buy one that is tested and working, and you keep it's limitations in mind, it's a good way to see if you like rangefinders. Then you can upgrade. I much prefer my Canon P to any of the FSU cameras I've had, but the body and lens cost 4x the FSU cost.

In general, it seems the Zorki and Kievs seem better than the FEDs. But maybe that's just a function of volume. As noted above, rarely does someone post in an equipment forum that their camera is working.

Some say the FSU screwmount lenses can be use as-is on Leica and Canon, others say they need to be shimmed.

On the flip side, a case could be made that you're just as well off starting with a Canon GIII or equivalent.

 

[Alan Johnson]

In the UK I believe these cameras were imported by Technical and Optical Equipment Ltd:
http://cameras.alfredklomp.com/toe/
IDK how they got to the US where they appear to have a lesser reputation.

 

[McFortner]

Just remember, people are always more willing to post negatives than positives about anything. It's just human nature. I like my FEDs. My FED-2 cameras were given a CLA and both work well.