Iskra Instructions Needed

The instructions for the Iskra (6x6) came with the camera, original, in
Russian! I'm reasonably literate in Spanish, but Russian-not a clue.
I can figure out how to operate most older cameras, but I have been told that the Iskra's main failing point is the film advace system, so I don't want to
force anything. Any suggestions genuinely appreciated. I have searched all
the sites I can find, but, no luck.

It's a Super Isolette copy, so you could use the instructions for that, which are here:
http://www.certo6.com/cam/superisolette.html

You can also check Dead Link Removed They seem to have manuals for the Iskra and Iskra-2 in Russian, but not in English; however, you could try translating them via an online translator service, like PROMT. In my experience, this usually produces something that's very stilted but mostly intelligible, particularly when you get used to the weird translations of photographic terms. Note that as I was checking the manufacturer site, it seemed to go down; I got to the main page OK, but then I started getting DNS errors when I tried to read the actual manual pages. So if you have problems, try again later; it's probably a temporary DNS glitch.

This page describes how to use the camera:
http://www.reportajes-jmserrano.com/@2j.m.serrano.htm

Hope it helps.

-g

I spent some time once copying the Russian text into an online converter (babblefish) and converting it into English. It was a rough translation but I was able to read enough to figure out that it said just the basics. I had already learned enough by just playing with the camera. Send me an email and I will go dig up the electronic version and email it to you if you really want it. Feel free to email me if you have any other questions about the Iskra.

The only odd thing about the Iskra is the way that you load the film. Assuming that the frame counter is working, procede as follows. Put empty spool on the side with the winding knob and the full spool on the other side. Thread the end of the paper film backing through the slot on the empty spool and wind the film just far enough to insure that it is not slipping. Close the back and wind the film until it stops. As you wind the film you will hear a ratcheting sound which changes tone as the counter mechanism "detects" the point where the film is attached to the backing paper. When the winder stops, you will see that the film counter is set to 1.