The early ("stepped") Fed 3

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Hello,
I have recently completed my collection of Fed 3s. It's a camera I love; don't ask why... It is well known and common. But it seems there are (very!) tiny details not known until now.
So, if you are interested...

The first of my Fed 3 is the 1000245, so the 245th.
All the very early Fed 3 have in common one logo only on the front, the special cornered top plate mouldings and the rim around the finder. This one has too:
- an ocular with radial stripes,
- very fine engravings on the speed dial, perhaps made by hand.
Please, have a look at the photos.

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Now, the s/n 1005855.
The special top plate mouldings and the rim around the finder are still there.
But
- the ocular wears decorative dots,
- the speed knob has ordinary engravings,
- the rewind button is different with a protruding axle. This sample is the only one I know with that detail.

Next Fed 3: the s/n 1018303.

Jacques.

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The s/n 1018303 shows an "ordinary" rewind button, without the protrusion of the axle on the s/n 1005855. All the rest is the same.These 3x Fed 3 correspond to the Fed 3 type 1 first version, by the wiki : USSRPhoto.com - Russian / Soviet Cameras Wiki Catalog - Fed 3a Type 1 first version- From 1961.
Around 23000 samples were made by the factory in 1961.

Jacques.

Jacques,
my 1005960 has the flat rewind button axle, so it is only 105 numbers after yours. No other changes at all.

Ulrich

https://ritzelkiste.de

Thanks, Ulrich.
In fact, I have in my data the s/n 1002136 which has too this protruding axle. Probably a trial of the factory before dropping it...
To morrow, the Fed 3 type 1 second version, before the type 1 third version and then the type 2...
A too complex classification, certainly (it's me who made it in the wiki!). For the factory, it's rather a question of evolution towards reduced costs...

Amitiés. Jacques.