| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| dee |
Posted - Jun 25 2010 : 01:58:20 AM
Just a thought - it seems that many USSR cameras of the 50s are derivatives of 1930s technology - and East German cameras followed the Contax D model .
What could be callled a genuine 1950s camera designed in that era ?
The Start ?
dee |
| 3 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| cameraseller |
Posted - Jul 16 2010 : 2:27:04 PM
Depends when they upgraded the technology The USSR, until the cold war were far behind America and the UK in terms of technology available to them, it wasn't till the 1950's that russia actually got a load of money. |
| okynek |
Posted - Jun 28 2010 : 10:56:32 AM
I have to agree with you dee.
Zorki and FED are carbon copies of 1932 Leica, made in 50th using mostly German and US built machinery. Kiev - Arsenal is a relocated Contax factory. Same with Moskva and Lubitel-Voigtländer Brillant But not only cameras was copied by USSR from "terrible West", most of the automobiles, tractors, heavy machinery, chemical products, electronics, home goods, and a lot of military production in USSR one way or other was copied from the West (or East). This is a fact!
And if production of FEDs in 30th considering economical, political, and industrial problems in USSR at that time can be considered as a great achievement, almost miracle; restarting such production in 50th and produce 20 years old models are less then impressive at best to me. But I cannot blame Soviet engineers for luck of trying to innovate and design original Russian cameras, or at list improved products. Cameras like Zenit, Start, Drug, Leningrad, and especially Kiev-10 I consider to be innovated enough to be call truly Russians cameras of 50th and 60th. Unfortunately incompetent Soviet political leadership and inadequate local management was impregnable wall on the way of progress. Most of the innovative cameras except may be Zenit had no follow up models (arguably). The production of such cameras, if it started, was seas just in few short years. Clearly that innovation was not a priority in USSR. Mostly, in my opinion, because luck of competition and monetary stimulus to do better product.
Also I believe this happens in part because Soviet government was not interested in camera production. All foto factories were in reality military enterprises, designed and ready to spin military production on first notes. Cameras were only cower-up for Arsenal, Lomo, or KMZ. So any innovation there creates only hassles for leadership and has to be quietly killed at any cost. The result after 70 years of production FED is essentially the same camera only added light meter.
But this is only my humble opinion. |
| Zoom |
Posted - Jun 25 2010 : 07:07:43 AM
quote:
Originally posted by dee
Just a thought - it seems that many USSR cameras of the 50s are derivatives of 1930s technology
All others -- too... Or you think that cameras from Japan of the 1950s are not "derivatives of 1930s technology"? ;)
quote:
Originally posted by dee
...and East German cameras followed the Contax D model .
Interesting: what Soviet camera "followed the Contax D model"?
Btw. Do you know who was the official manager of the "Contax-S" project? |
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