Leningrad Camera

I have recently been studying my Leningrad cameras and trying to catagorise the various changes throughout their production.
My observations are these:
1. Cameras manufactured between 1956 and 1958 have a 1/25 shutter speed, a flat top to the spring housing and a glass pressure plate.
2. Cameras manufactured between 1959 and 1966 have a 1/30 shutter speed, concentric rings on the spring housing and a metal pressure plate.
3. Some, but not all cameras manufactured between 1957 and 1958 have two screws rather than four on the front of the camera.
4. Some cameras manufactured between 1957 and 1966 have a two digit year prefix to the serial number.
5. Cameras with serial numbers beginning 000, 00 or 0 can occur anywhere between 1956 and 1963, but do not necessarily run in numeric order.

Does anyone have a Leningrad that does not comply with these catagories? Also does anyone know why some cameras do not have a year prefix to the serial number?
There is also a number inside the camera on the bottom of the film advance drum. These numbers do not run in the same order as the camera serial numbers. They appear to be five digits after 1959 and three and four digits before that.

David.

Hello David,
I would try to answer some of your questions:

1) <i><b>a year prefix</b></i>
The standard serial number of Leningrad cameras has 6 (six) digits. The production of these cameras grew rapidly and in some year the quantity of the made cameras was going to approach 10000. Then was made a decision to remove first two digits of production year and to replace them with zeros, so the serial number could go close to 1000000.

2) <i><b>the numbers inside the camera</b></i>
These numbers a the internal numbers of camera parts and have nothing common with the serial number of the cameras.


Regards, Alexander

Hello Alexander,

Thanks for the explanation. Do you know in which years the zero prefix was used. From my own cameras it would appear that this certainly happened in 1958 and 1959. Is it possible that identical numbers could have been used in different years of production? I believe my camera number 015295 was made in 1958 and 014371, an earlier number, was made the following year in 1959.

David.

Hello David,

the most cameras, as I know, were made from 1958 till 1960. The whole production from 1956 till 1968 was about 75000 cameras, so it is possible of course, that in different years were used the same numbers with differen year prefixes.

Regards, Alexander

Hello David,
Did you see this helpful link? http://www.sovietcams.com/index.php?-398124798
Aidas did big work.

Hello David,

we have discussed this Topic some time ago already. Please, follow thelink below:

http://www.ussrphoto.com/Forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1664&SearchTerms=leningrad

Best Regards,
Aidas