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Vladislav Kern
Vlad
USA
4270 Posts
My Collection
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Yuri Boguslavsky
fedka
USA
244 Posts
My Collection
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 Posted - May 29 2025 : 4:46:27 PM
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| Vlad, the picture inside the mount - does it look like a half of the frame is masked? Horizontally? |
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Ulrich W.
uwittehh
Germany
867 Posts
My Collection
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Posted - May 30 2025 : 10:52:21 AM
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Vlad, a really weird camera! Never seen something before and I have bo idea what it could be used for.
Yuri, for me the mask looks like the normal frame border mask that is inside.
Ulrich
http://fotos.cconin.de |
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Jacques M.
France
2655 Posts |
Posted - May 30 2025 : 4:11:51 PM
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Hi Vlad,
On your last photo, the release spring seems curious.
- Its head, with the hole, looks like a Zorki 2's for the coupling of the selftimer. No need here.
- The curved cut out spring, with its relative disc, is used to engage/disengage the slow speed spring, on the Leica III, for example. No need here, once more.
A detail more, the release button visibly belongs to a late prewar Fed, or an early Fed-Zorki/Zorki 1a. Whereas the mechanism (and the serial number) are much younger.
A question: does it work, as it is?
Amitiés. Jacques. |
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Vladislav Kern
Vlad
USA
4270 Posts
My Collection
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Posted - May 30 2025 : 4:56:49 PM
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Sorry for late reply,
Yuri: no, it's a regular full frame, as Ulrich said it's a normal frame border mask
Jacques: it does work but as with most of these cameras stored for a while, the slow speeds are slugging, it's a very strange mix of things and mechanism doesn't look normal to me at all..
Best,
Vlad
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Vladislav Kern
Vlad
USA
4270 Posts
My Collection
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Posted - May 30 2025 : 4:58:21 PM
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| Jacques, the button is from FED or early Zorkis but the collar around it never seen before. |
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Jacques M.
France
2655 Posts |
Posted - May 31 2025 : 02:05:46 AM
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No doubt that the collar, the upper plate and the rear one were specially and professionaly made. All that is very neat...
That remembers a Fed I had shown years ago here:
http://www.ussrphoto.com/UserContent2/3152025_Photos PYC 0 019.jpg
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Yuri Boguslavsky
fedka
USA
244 Posts
My Collection
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Posted - May 31 2025 : 1:41:33 PM
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Serial number is from a late Zorki-1, but the shutter speed mechanism looks like from a Zorki-2 (or -S, 2S). And the strap lugs too.
I wonder if the cast body is from a Zorki-2)
It is indeed hard to guess what practical purposes were addressed by this mod. Looks like the point was to remove the RF mechanism and re-cover the body with a fancy material. And modernize the shutter speed setting mechanism.
Was it done to entertain camera collectors several decades later?
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Edited by - fedka on May 31 2025 2:12:35 PM |
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Juhani Halmeenmaki
cedricfan
Finland
1035 Posts
My Collection
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Posted - May 31 2025 : 2:53:25 PM
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The rail in the back looks like it was supposed to be mounted somewhere: reprodution, asrtronomical, or what?
Best regards,
Juhani |
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Vladislav Kern
Vlad
USA
4270 Posts
My Collection
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Posted - May 31 2025 : 2:55:21 PM
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Very cool FED Jacques, I have not seen this camera before! 
Yura, the covering is velvet-like with some kind of synthetic layer and it is heavily deteriorating so I think it's been covered before 1980s as it seems pretty old and worn.
Always like to have mystery cameras in my collection . Thanks for your feedback!
Best regards,
Vlad |
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Vladislav Kern
Vlad
USA
4270 Posts
My Collection
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Posted - May 31 2025 : 2:56:48 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by cedricfan
The rail in the back looks like it was supposed to be mounted somewhere: reprodution, asrtronomical, or what?
Best regards,
Juhani
Juhani, or it's a film speed memo pocket |
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Yuri Boguslavsky
fedka
USA
244 Posts
My Collection
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Posted - May 31 2025 : 4:34:02 PM
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Vlad, if you look at the pressure plate, with the shutter opened at B, is there an opening for some adjustments? The film memo holder - what is that round plug in the center? Can it be taken out (without much force)? I am thinking maybe this was more than just a memo holder.
The covering seems to hold a clue - if the camera was actually modified to have a special purpose, or it was modified because someone wanted to have a cool, one-of-a-kind camera.
As for the age of this mod - I would think this is long before 1980's, probably in the 1960's. |
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Juhani Halmeenmaki
cedricfan
Finland
1035 Posts
My Collection
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Posted - Jun 01 2025 : 01:26:43 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Vlad
quote:
Originally posted by cedricfan
The rail in the back looks like it was supposed to be mounted somewhere: reprodution, asrtronomical, or what?
Best regards,
Juhani
Juhani, or it's a film speed memo pocket
Looks like it has open top & bottom for that, and it is so thick it could be a sturdy mount?
Best regards,
Juhani |
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Yuri Boguslavsky
fedka
USA
244 Posts
My Collection
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Posted - Jun 01 2025 : 11:29:39 AM
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No, the bottom is closed, you can see a bent tab on the last picture.
They probably made it so sturdy because this was the only sheet metal (and tools) available to them.
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Topic |
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Special purpose Zorki?
