The final confirmation: Smena-18 does exist!

Hi,

Indeed, today is great day for all Smena camera collectors! Happy to show you alive (...and in working condition either) example of mysterious Smena-18 camera! The particular camera was made in 1984 ...

My special thanks to respectable member of our Forums for invaluable help in obtaining this!


http://www.ussrphoto.com/UserContent/1492009_DSC03183_rsz.JPG


http://www.ussrphoto.com/UserContent/1492009_DSC03188_rsz.JPG


http://www.ussrphoto.com/UserContent/1492009_DSC03195_rsz.JPG

Best Regards,
Aidas

Congratulations my friend! So this myth is busted: it does exist and it is a LOMO like the low quality scans so far have shown. Also proof that last pieces of many puzzles still show up with time and patience :)

Best regards,
Juhani

BRAVO!! WOW! This is an amazing discovery! This creates another mystery: what came first - LC-A or Smena-18? Was Smena-18 created when LOMO was having difficulties making LC-A from Cosina or was this created as a cheaper alternative to LC-A with all-manual operation?

Great, great, great find Aidas, this really made my day this morning..

Cheers,
Vlad

To Juhani,

Thanks a lot! Still a lot of puzzles about Smena numbers indeed ... Who can tell us more about Smena-15, Smena-16 and Smena-17? And were is Smena-10 right now?

To Vlad,

Thanks a lot! Your both versions are possible, but cheap alternative sounds better for myself ...

Best Regards,
Aidas

Hi Aidas,

There are few things more exiting to a camera collector than the discovery of an unseen model. Many thanks for sharing this with us. We are now all searching for a Smena-18 to add to our collections.


David

(http://www.rcccuk.com)

Aidas : very efficient hunter ! congratulations

I knew about existance of this camera. It was created immediatly after LOMO Kompakt and was a proposed cheaper alternative. It was announced at Sovetskoe Foto and in the Technointorg Bolletin. It has the same body and shutter, no more battery operated but the single dial operates the speed and aperture concomitantly.
Unhappyly, the production was voided due the "much more status" of the LOMO LCA. Note: the original plastic shoe cover was black. the red ones only came in 1990.
LP

Hi,

although Alain is calling me as a stony-faced hunter for soviet rarities again, the most important thing for me is to know the whole story about Smena evolution c. 1952... The fortune was friendly to me this time, thoug I don't care which collector of us do possess a particular camera indeed ...

The most important thing for me is, that many very serious camera collectors like Alain, Viktor, Juhani, David, Alexey and Vlad, etc... like to collect these cheap, but pretty cameras, ... that's great!

Best Regards,
Aidas

Congratulations Aidas!
A very nice camera to find. Very nice that it came to you as your web site is the best!

Regards, Bill

hi ""stony face hunter""....
if you see another example of such camera in the future .....please tell us...mau be you will attend a hard entertainment on the forum

Aidas
Of course this extra rare camera deserves a place in our wiki catalogue.
Regards
LP

To Bill, Alain, David and Luiz,

Thank you for your kind words! I have had a chance to buy NEVA just few days ago, but it was soooooooooooo expensive and ... I said NO unfortunately

Best Regards,
Aidas

Hi Aidas!
I am far from being a specialist of Lomos or Smenas.
But I know what excitement we can feel to discover something new, especially when it is a piece of a puzzle.
So, happy for you and congratulations!

Amitiйs. Jacques.

Hi Aidas,

I found a Smena 19, here it is : http://molotok.ru/item774637452_fotoapparat_smena_19.html

Detlev


http://www.ussrphoto.com/UserContent/10102009_Smena19.jpg

Hi Detlev,

yes Smena-19 is not very rare, it's uncommon but you can probably always find one or two listed on Molotok...

Cheers,
Vlad

hi Detlev,

thanks a lot for your help! I'm proud owner of 2 beautiful Smena-19 cameras already and I'm looking for 3 more versions right now ...

Best Regards,
Aidas

I have only two versions so far

Best regards,
Juhani