FED 1 reproductions?

Hi everyone.

I have just been looking on ebay for early FEDs ...when I type in 'Russian Camera FED One' I get a lot of items that look like modern reproductions ( items listed as 'FED- Zorki new')

I was wondering splash out and purchase one..at around $A130 that's including postage the price looks okay..

UW

Hello UW

Well, do you really think for 130$ shipping included you will receive a real FED-Zorki 1948/1949? Hmm ... for such a real camera (1948 version) you had to pay 300 to 500$ at the moment (if you find an authentic one), for a 1949 version even more. The FED-Zorki was made by KMZ in the first years of camera production and there are around 50% of fakes around on eBay (at the moment around 75%). For the nice "copies" sold by Moscowphoto I can only say that they are very nice to look at (I have some of them myself and I like them very much!) and they are working well, but they are made from late Zorki 1(c to e) or FED 1 (c/d) build some years later (1952 to 1956 usualy). By the way: There were *no* FED or Zorki in black, not in gold and also not in brillant chrom, the lethering was always black.

For more informations about faked FED-Zorki's you may look at:

http://www.g-st.ch/privat/kameras/fedzorkifake.html (wrote in german, but you can use an online translator if you like; will be updated in the next weeks).

Best wishes - Guido

Guido many thanks for the info.

I didn't think for one moment it authentic.. but did think was it...

'A' a fake made by some small business tycoon.

or

'B' retro style reproduction made by the original company or under license

Colin

Hello Colin

I chose "A" ... The "fakes" were made by some small business ... workman (/-mens). It's a small production as you can see on some "production numbers" (AKA s/n): I have some "001-100" (will say number 1 of 100) and one "021-100" (number 21 of 100). So you can estimate the production numbers of this small business.

Reproduction or licensing ... no way. This would be much too expansive I think.

By the way I recently found a "Leica copy" made by an individual with an exorbitant quality made from a FED or Zorki, I like to say it was build by an artist! There are very big differences in this business too. I will come back on this occasionally.

Enjoy your copy!

Best wishes - Guido

Thanks Guido

In the next few months I will need three or four old cameras for an art exhibition I'm involved in.

Just purchased a FED 3 on ebay ( from what I can make out it's the late model)

After the Christmas holiday may order one of the $99 repo FEDs

also keep looking on ebay for cheap type 3's and early model 3's.

Just a little about my project of

Now retired and living the good life down on the south coast WA, one of my interests is Craft-art because I spent all my working life in the photographic industry ( started in 1959 testing Dufay films) the photographic image is the medium of choice


In just under two years I will be taking part in an group exhibition with the theme ' Decay ' plenty of that where I live .. damp cool air from the south.. so many rusty things I will have a real field-day. I didn't want to use digital, and one thing was running through my mind.. those early days and the 35mm cameras I used when I first started work..sorry not Russian but UK and east German i.e the Werra and Reid ( Leica copy) so I started looking for a few old Reid's.. scarce as hens teeth.. Then while searching range-finder cameras .. came across the Russian FED's.. just what I'm looking for .. so I have already purchased my first FED a late model type three, now over the next few month will be searching for a couple more.