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note :
a "no-name" factory design Lubitel (black front paint whith original rivets) may be to be silk screen rebadged in export or just for International exibition ? (never used)
and an original Kristall whithout usual hammered grey enamel.Seem to be factory made like this : soft matt aluminium (whithout any scratches or cracks)...I can confirm never painted.
serial number : 61018045

fuji positive film rvp100,my son

This is a preface to a preface. On May 31, 2026, I met Greg Prior at a camera show in Detroit, Michigan. We had a very pleasant conversation and soon discovered that we shared an interest in Isaak Maizenberg. Greg had known Isaak personally, while I knew of him through his reputation and through many people in the camera collecting community who had known or worked with him.

Isaak was a prominent figure in the Soviet photographic world. He authored numerous articles for Soviet photography magazines, books on camera repair and was a renowned camera repairman in both the Soviet Union and the United States. He was also one of the pioneers of Soviet camera collecting and restoration, helping to shape the hobby and preserve its history for future generations.

After the show, Greg and I continued communicating and agreed that it would be a great idea to write an article about Isaak. The article below was written by Greg and is accompanied by an article from Shutterbug magazine. Together, they serve as a tribute to Isaak's life, his contributions to photography, and the lasting impression he made on those who knew him. I believe this site would be a perfect place to host this article. Thank you @Greg Prior!

https://ussrphoto.com/modern/Wiki/default.asp?WikiCatID=50&ParentID=49&ContentID=1738&Item=Memories+of+my+friend+Isaak+Maizenberg++

Hi all,
I added this supposedly rare Smena Symbol to my collection, does anyone have this one to compare serial #? Mine is 79250290


Best regards,
Vlad

Hey all,

Does anyone know much about repairing the Zenit 16 shutter? Does it need specialist repair or could any film camera repair store do it?

The shutter is only firing at 1/1000 no matter what shutter speed i set it too.

Hello,

I fell on this very curious GOMZ Industar 7 some days ago. It is here now.









I don't know when, nor by whom it was made. But that does not look like a "home made" work. I am astonished too by the very early serial number... If anybody has an idea...

Thanks! Jacques.

Hey,

Does anyone happen to be selling a working Zenit 18?

Hello,

I have received lately a proxi device for Fed 1.



It was certainly prewar made, when the "macro" 3,5/50mm Fed did not yet exist, so before 1938.
An interesting device, with an additional +2 lens which fits only the 3,5/50mm lens, and a very well made correcting finder with two optical parts. All that is connected to the rangefinder, of course. As to make correct photos with all that...🤔

Hello,

I think this might be of interest to you all too, so I have put all my repair instructions, which were scattered all over my website, together on one page.
All pages are still in German, but I will translate them into English in the future.

If you are interested you can have a look: http://ritzelkiste.de/kameras/repair/index.htm

Have fun
Ulrich

http://fotos.cconin.de

All,

Due to a recent massive spammers attacks on this forum, I am temporarily closing new member registration.

It can be opened by request if you would like to register and participate - please email me at ussrphotohelp@gmail.com with a short introduction of yourself and why you want to join and I will open it for a few hours so you can register in the forum.

I will reconsider reopening it in a couple of months to see if spam subsides.

Thanks for you understanding and I apologize if anyone got any spam emails from this site.

Best regards,
Vlad
USSRPhoto.com Admin

Hello,

I want to trade my Contax S 1949 type A s/n 890 with a Sonnar 2,8/18cm s/n 549900V60-2, march 1949, M42 prototype, against a Fed b (1/1000th, slow speeds, 2/50mm lens) of course original.

The reasons: this Fed b misses my collection. I am not such a SLR Contax fan to keep it: other collectors will keep this camera alive much better than me. And I don't sell it because I am very reluctant to mix money and history...



Amitiés. Jacques.

Hello to all,

take a look at this 88-year-old FED 1c. It’s almost unbelievable how good the vulcanite and chrome look.
The vulcanite has a different grain than usual, and the chrome shines exceptionally well.
This camera is likely one of the last ones to still have the small bolt on the bottom cover.









Ulrich

http://fotos.cconin.de

After a long time, something interesting to post: Zenit APk with MC Zenitar-K 1.9/50

Hi guys,

I bought it recklessly a pistol hand grip handle for Kiev 88/Salyut ... but it was sold to me without the metal fixing platform !!!

Can any of you help me with the dimensions/diameters/thickness etc? Maybe with a simple drawing with dimensions.
many thanks to everyone.



--------------------------

Only dead fish follow the stream ...

Hello,

I have found this rare Zenit B Global. It is in very good condition, inside it looks as if it was never used.
The shutter was stuck, it won't run after releasing, but with a litte bit force I was able to let the first curtain run :-) Now it works smooth.

Unfortunately the lens is not the original one, a silver-black Helios with white digits would be the right one.





Ulrich

http://fotos.cconin.de

This is a wonderful forum with plenty of valuable information and rare data bases. But obviously there are too few to contribute (includes me, shame on me). On the other hand a forum with no newer messages will not attract new visitors. Often it's a month without any message and then there are quite some within days. I have a look nearly every day and then I pass on...

So how about pushing the dates up with this thread every 2 weeks? I would be happy to take on this task. What do you think about it?

www.a7camera.com www.120folder.com www.instantphoto.eu www.135compact.com www.oddcameras.com
www.subcompactcam.com

I heard about LOMO will no more manufacture or sell goods do consumers.
Now the plant belongs to Kalashnikov industies and is going to exclusive weapon manufacture. (weaponized-LOMO)
WHo can say anything about?
Regards to all.

From Beriozhka

Hey everybody, I'm currently repairing a couple of zorki-3's but I've run into a bit of an issue. I want to repaint the knobs and one of them has a poor spring inside, but I can't seem to remove the dial from the rest of the body. I've taken out the set screws that seem to be holding the dial onto the inner shaft, but from there I can't remove anything. Perhaps I'm going at it wrong or missing a step? For reference, I'm turning 3 partially working bodies into 2 fully working bodies, and they're all 1954 models with the standard slow speed knob (no lock)