Russian FED-2 rangefinder

On Tue, 26 Apr 2005 22:57:49 +0000, Thom wrote:

the FED-2D is the classic and the best. It has 3 half balls on the
winder knob for quick ID. The only version of the FED-2 that has a
rapid wing arm is the FED-2e which is the FED-2D out in the FED-3B
body and marked FED-2.

Unfortunately no D model available from this seller. I am looking at the
F model.

Though the slowest speed is officialy 1/25th you can get a 4
second
exposure by setting it on B and then firing it from the self timer.

Most of the Ukraainian eBay dealers charge $14-15 dollars shipping, $20
with an original box.

But there is a major problem... buy one and this desease called FEDOLOGY
gets you and you must have more and more till you have every model!!!
:-)

Oh crap. Just what I needed. Another camera must-have-itis variant! I
already suffer from Nikonitis and Leicitis. This may push me over the edge!

--
Be careful what you wish for.

On Thu, 28 Apr 2005 08:27:25 +0200, Roxy d'Urban wrote:

On Tue, 26 Apr 2005 22:57:49 +0000, Thom wrote:

the FED-2D is the classic and the best. It has 3 half balls on the
winder knob for quick ID. The only version of the FED-2 that has a
rapid wing arm is the FED-2e which is the FED-2D out in the FED-3B
body and marked FED-2.

Unfortunately no D model available from this seller. I am looking at the
F model.

F's? Heres a problem. Some say there was an F while others say no
while others start tallking about series within the models. Heres a
generalization
FED-2A: I-22 lens, no flash, winding parts and knob from the FED-1
FED-2B: Older style I-26M lens and a PC connection
FED-2C: New winding knob, PC connection moved to the upper body, self
timer added
FED-2D: New (again) winding knob, new shutter, new shutter speed
dial, the shoe elevated 3mm's on a step in the rear, new style I-26m
lens, the front view finder frame replaced with a flus window and the
front name changed from FED-2 to FED in 2 languages and then a 2.
FED-2C/D: this is my designation and means that when they went from C
to D they used up all the old parts on these mutts. They are
collectable. I have one (SN 3573869) that is a C except for the
shutter and shutter dial
FED-2e: This is the FED-2D guts put in the FED-3B body and usually a
Panda I-61. The outer skin is also the F3B linen pattern rather than
the Fed-2's pebble.
FED-2L. This is a full blown D with linen skin pattern and a Panda
I-61

You see some so called FED-2a's on Ebay but they are B's with an I-22
lens (which is legit) but you can see its a B by the presence of a PC
connector.

The FED-2's are my favorite FEDs with a special mention of the FED-3a.

Though the slowest speed is officialy 1/25th you can get a 4
second
exposure by setting it on B and then firing it from the self timer.

Most of the Ukraainian eBay dealers charge $14-15 dollars shipping, $20
with an original box.

But there is a major problem... buy one and this desease called FEDOLOGY
gets you and you must have more and more till you have every model!!!
:-)

Oh crap. Just what I needed. Another camera must-have-itis variant! I
already suffer from Nikonitis and Leicitis. This may push me over the edge!

play the lottery! :-)

THOM

--
Be careful what you wish for.

On Thu, 28 Apr 2005 09:29:14 +0000, Thom wrote:

F's? Heres a problem. Some say there was an F while others say no
while others start tallking about series within the models. Heres a
generalization
FED-2A: I-22 lens, no flash, winding parts and knob from the FED-1
FED-2B: Older style I-26M lens and a PC connection
FED-2C: New winding knob, PC connection moved to the upper body, self
timer added
FED-2D: New (again) winding knob, new shutter, new shutter speed
dial, the shoe elevated 3mm's on a step in the rear, new style I-26m
lens, the front view finder frame replaced with a flus window and the
front name changed from FED-2 to FED in 2 languages and then a 2.
FED-2C/D: this is my designation and means that when they went from C
to D they used up all the old parts on these mutts. They are
collectable. I have one (SN 3573869) that is a C except for the
shutter and shutter dial
FED-2e: This is the FED-2D guts put in the FED-3B body and usually a
Panda I-61. The outer skin is also the F3B linen pattern rather than
the Fed-2's pebble.
FED-2L. This is a full blown D with linen skin pattern and a Panda
I-61

You see some so called FED-2a's on Ebay but they are B's with an I-22
lens (which is legit) but you can see its a B by the presence of a PC
connector.

The FED-2's are my favorite FEDs with a special mention of the FED-3a.

Okay here's a link to the camera I am looking at buying:

http://www.wholesaledigital.co.za/no.%201%20full.htm

Hopefully the link will work.

Oh crap. Just what I needed. Another camera must-have-itis variant! I
already suffer from Nikonitis and Leicitis. This may push me over the edge!

play the lottery! :-)

Yeah, probably not a bad idea!

--
Be careful what you wish for.

On Thu, 28 Apr 2005 15:31:04 +0200, Roxy d'Urban wrote:

On Thu, 28 Apr 2005 09:29:14 +0000, Thom wrote:

F's? Heres a problem. Some say there was an F while others say no
while others start tallking about series within the models. Heres a
generalization
FED-2A: I-22 lens, no flash, winding parts and knob from the FED-1
FED-2B: Older style I-26M lens and a PC connection
FED-2C: New winding knob, PC connection moved to the upper body, self
timer added
FED-2D: New (again) winding knob, new shutter, new shutter speed
dial, the shoe elevated 3mm's on a step in the rear, new style I-26m
lens, the front view finder frame replaced with a flus window and the
front name changed from FED-2 to FED in 2 languages and then a 2.
FED-2C/D: this is my designation and means that when they went from C
to D they used up all the old parts on these mutts. They are
collectable. I have one (SN 3573869) that is a C except for the
shutter and shutter dial
FED-2e: This is the FED-2D guts put in the FED-3B body and usually a
Panda I-61. The outer skin is also the F3B linen pattern rather than
the Fed-2's pebble.
FED-2L. This is a full blown D with linen skin pattern and a Panda
I-61

You see some so called FED-2a's on Ebay but they are B's with an I-22
lens (which is legit) but you can see its a B by the presence of a PC
connector.

The FED-2's are my favorite FEDs with a special mention of the FED-3a.

Okay here's a link to the camera I am looking at buying:

http://www.wholesaledigital.co.za/no.%201%20full.htm

Hopefully the link will work.

I got a 404 error page so lets do it this way
1. The skin on the camera. Is it linen pattern or pebble?
2. Is the PC connector in the black area or by the winding knob
3. What lens?
4. In the main viewing window, is it flush or does it have a little
frame around it?
5. Are there 3 half balls on the winding knob?

Part of the problem with dealing with the Soviet stuff is that their
keyboard is different. You see for instance a FED-5S or 5V when its
actually a B or C camera. They aren't being dishonest just having a
problem trying to type in English.

Cheers
THOM
Oh crap. Just what I needed. Another camera must-have-itis variant! I
already suffer from Nikonitis and Leicitis. This may push me over the edge!

play the lottery! :-)

Yeah, probably not a bad idea!

--
Be careful what you wish for.

On Thu, 28 Apr 2005 23:20:04 +0000, Thom wrote:

http://www.wholesaledigital.co.za/no.%201%20full.htm

Hopefully the link will work.

I got a 404 error page so lets do it this way

Weird, it works for me.

1. The skin on the camera. Is it linen pattern or pebble?

Pebble.

2. Is the PC connector in the black area or by the winding knob

In front of the camera, winding knob side, near one of the RF windows.

3. What lens?

Industar 26M 52mm.

4. In the main viewing window, is it flush or does it have a little
frame around it?

On the front side it is flush with the camera body.

5. Are there 3 half balls on the winding knob?

On the top of the winder, yes.

Try the link again. I just tried it and it seems to be working.

--
Be careful what you wish for.

On Fri, 29 Apr 2005 07:45:52 +0200, Roxy d'Urban wrote:

On Thu, 28 Apr 2005 23:20:04 +0000, Thom wrote:

http://www.wholesaledigital.co.za/no.%201%20full.htm

Hopefully the link will work.

I got a 404 error page so lets do it this way

Weird, it works for me.

how strange I still can't get anything but a 404????

1. The skin on the camera. Is it linen pattern or pebble?

Pebble.

OK. eliminate the 2E and 2L

2. Is the PC connector in the black area or by the winding knob

In front of the camera, winding knob side, near one of the RF windows.

eliminate the a and b

3. What lens?

Industar 26M 52mm.

Is there a big knob or a single arm sticking out?

4. In the main viewing window, is it flush or does it have a little
frame around it?

On the front side it is flush with the camera body.

eliminate the a, b and c

5. Are there 3 half balls on the winding knob?

On the top of the winder, yes.

Its probably a FED-2D which is the best of the lot for various reasons
unless you want a rapid advance arm.

One of the fun things about these old FEDs is that with no rapid
advance arm it makes you think about what your doing when you shoot
cause you may only get one shot.

ENJOY
THOM

Try the link again. I just tried it and it seems to be working.

--
Be careful what you wish for.

On Fri, 29 Apr 2005 07:08:12 +0000, Thom wrote:

Weird, it works for me.

how strange I still can't get anything but a 404????

Try this one:

http://www.wholesaledigital.co.za/fedhome.htm

The camera I am looking at is #1 on the table they have.

Is there a big knob or a single arm sticking out?

Big knob. Whoa! That sounds positively Freudian!

Its probably a FED-2D which is the best of the lot for various reasons
unless you want a rapid advance arm.

Nah. As I get older the only thing "rapid" about me is the rate at which I
seem to be acquiring cameras!

--
Be careful what you wish for.

On Fri, 29 Apr 2005 10:53:46 +0200, Roxy d'Urban wrote:

On Fri, 29 Apr 2005 07:08:12 +0000, Thom wrote:

Weird, it works for me.

how strange I still can't get anything but a 404????

Try this one:

http://www.wholesaledigital.co.za/fedhome.htm

That one woiked fine and was surprising. If your refering to the
camera marked SOLD in the upper left hand corner its a D or a C
probably a D if the lens is the one that came with the camera. What I
did find surprising was the cases. I have never seen cases with 2
snaps on any FEDs before. None of mine (21 of them) have it.

The camera I am looking at is #1 on the table they have.

Is there a big knob or a single arm sticking out?

Big knob. Whoa! That sounds positively Freudian!

what I mean is a big solid knob like on the Leicas/FED-1's vs on that
has a smaller shaft as in T shaped. The A's and B's had the older
Leica type.

Its probably a FED-2D which is the best of the lot for various reasons
unless you want a rapid advance arm.

Nah. As I get older the only thing "rapid" about me is the rate at which I
seem to be acquiring cameras!

--
Be careful what you wish for.

This website gets into the
"type and variant" phase of the collecting. My personal approach is
to get an example of each model 2a, 2b, 2c etc first and then dig
deeper into all the little changes. This I guess means far more home
work, far more money and feeding the FED habit intravenously! :-)

The 2's were the ones with all the colors and of course you just have
to have all the colors or your guanna die! :-) There may have been
some FED-5's in factory colors but it appears that 3 etc were all
re-covered with kits you can buy especially on eBay for about $10.

Then theres that C/D thing were they were using up parts and creating
all kinds of variants and types. Then you can get further into the
quicksand and talk about expot models.

of course one should start with the FED-1's with its minimal of 7
variations. Sure you want to get into this? :-)

THOM

On Fri, 29 Apr 2005 10:53:46 +0200, Roxy d'Urban wrote:

On Fri, 29 Apr 2005 07:08:12 +0000, Thom wrote:

Weird, it works for me.

how strange I still can't get anything but a 404????

Try this one:

http://www.wholesaledigital.co.za/fedhome.htm

That one woiked fine and was surprising. If your refering to the
camera marked SOLD in the upper left hand corner its a D or a C
probably a D if the lens is the one that came with the camera. What I
did find surprising was the cases. I have never seen cases with 2
snaps on any FEDs before. None of mine (21 of them) have it.

The camera I am looking at is #1 on the table they have.

Is there a big knob or a single arm sticking out?

Big knob. Whoa! That sounds positively Freudian!

what I mean is a big solid knob like on the Leicas/FED-1's vs on that
has a smaller shaft as in T shaped. The A's and B's had the older
Leica type.

Its probably a FED-2D which is the best of the lot for various reasons
unless you want a rapid advance arm.

Nah. As I get older the only thing "rapid" about me is the rate at which I
seem to be acquiring cameras!

--
Be careful what you wish for.

This website gets into the
"type and variant" phase of the collecting. My personal approach is
to get an example of each model 2a, 2b, 2c etc first and then dig
deeper into all the little changes. This I guess means far more home
work, far more money and feeding the FED habit intravenously! :-)

The 2's were the ones with all the colors and of course you just have
to have all the colors or your guanna die! :-) There may have been
some FED-5's in factory colors but it appears that 3 etc were all
re-covered with kits you can buy especially on eBay for about $10.

Then theres that C/D thing were they were using up parts and creating
all kinds of variants and types. Then you can get further into the
quicksand and talk about expot models.

of course one should start with the FED-1's with its minimal of 7
variations. Sure you want to get into this? :-)

THOM

On Fri, 29 Apr 2005 23:48:01 +0000, Thom wrote:

http://www.wholesaledigital.co.za/fedhome.htm

That one woiked fine and was surprising. If your refering to the
camera marked SOLD in the upper left hand corner its a D or a C
probably a D if the lens is the one that came with the camera. What I
did find surprising was the cases. I have never seen cases with 2
snaps on any FEDs before. None of mine (21 of them) have it.

Interesting that you are seeing SOLD on the upper left hand one. That's
the one I have bought and should be receiving today (hip hoorah!). I must
have these pages cached because only the top middle one (no. 2) shows up
as sold.

You have 21 FED cameras??? Hell's teeth...

This website gets into the
"type and variant" phase of the collecting. My personal approach is
to get an example of each model 2a, 2b, 2c etc first and then dig
deeper into all the little changes. This I guess means far more home
work, far more money and feeding the FED habit intravenously! :-)

The 2's were the ones with all the colors and of course you just have
to have all the colors or your guanna die! :-) There may have been
some FED-5's in factory colors but it appears that 3 etc were all
re-covered with kits you can buy especially on eBay for about $10.

Then theres that C/D thing were they were using up parts and creating
all kinds of variants and types. Then you can get further into the
quicksand and talk about expot models.

of course one should start with the FED-1's with its minimal of 7
variations. Sure you want to get into this? :-)

It will be a lot cheaper than collecting Leicas, that's for sure!

The seller has just emailed me with all the details for me to pick it up
at our post office and he mentioned that you can only change shutter
speeds before you cock the shutter otherwise you could damage the shuter
curtain. What's that all about?

--
Be careful what you wish for.