Nikita Khurschov and Fotosniper

Hi All,

I've also posted this query in Russian on http://rangefinder.ru/club/viewtopic.php?p=21141#21141 hoping maybe someone at the source will have the information, but my question is this:

In different literature, sites, I don't remember where I've read it already - there is a reference on how Nikita Sergeevich Khruschov the Head Secretary of KPSS was a photo enthusiast and loved to use to FS-2 Fotosnaiper during the WWII.. at some point he came back to KMZ and asked them to start a production of a new FS-3 camera which he later shot with. Is there truth to the story? Does anyone know any additional details? When I posted this story on IDCC (topic was famous people with cameras) someone had asked me whether there was a record of that, whether there were any photos left that Nikita had shot... I found this to be the most intriguing question and decided to find out more. So any further info, bit and pieces are appreciated!

Thanks!

Vlad.

A little bit of Photosnaiper history.
At http://www.xs4all.nl/~tomtiger/ main page select the menu, go to FotoSnaiper, click on FotoSnaiper, the Early Years and see:
The most famous user of the FS-2 was Nikita Khrouchtchev.
I will quote this famous story from Princelle;
"The story goes that Nikita Khrouchtchev, a famous amateur photographer and proud owner of a FS-2, went one morning to the neighbouring Krasnogorsk to have it serviced and was suprised that the factory no longer made them. The fist secretary's wish was granted in 1965 with the arrival of the Zenit-E. That year, 350 Zenit-E and 15 PhotoSniper outfits were to be marketed." End of quote.
Reproduction of the site page
LP

Yes, that's the same story that is printed in Princelle's second edition, I bumped into it when I was rereading the KMZ FS-2 page this morning. Page 172.

Hi Vlad,

Well this won't help with your question, but it is on the subject of Khrushchev and Russian cameras ;-)
Here is a photo, that I have in my collection, of Nikita Khrushchev and some buddies at his dacha in the winter of 1959. You can see a man using a Kiev IIIa. He is taking a photo of the photographer of this photograph, while Khrushchev looks on. I have some other photos of this group getting into a car and driving away ... with a KGB officer at the wheel.

http://www.nightphoto.com/images/nikita1.jpg

http://www.nightphoto.com/images/nikita2.jpg

http://www.nightphoto.com/images/nikita3.jpg

Regards, Bill

Bill,

I am glad you posted these! This photo at Belovezhskaya Puscha was actually one of the reasons I started to become interested in this topic when I ran into it on your site about a week ago. There is definitely quite a lot was going on in terms of photography and Khruschov. Somebody posted on rangefinder.ru parallel topic about this that he had quite taken up the photography as hobby during his retirement, citing some Russian documentary film.

Also that he had shot quite a lot with Hasselblad, and the start of manufacture of Salyut camera was initiated by him.

Thanks for these!

Vlad.