Leningrad with small serial number

Hello forum,
some time ago I have found a Leningrad camera with small serial number 009298. The camera has old sutter speeds (1/25, 1/50, 1/100, etc.)
As I know the fist two digits must show the year of production. Is it really old camera or any special edition?


http://www.ussrphoto.com/UserContent/112010_Leningrad-1.jpg


http://www.ussrphoto.com/UserContent/112010_Leningrad-2.jpg



Alexander

Hi Alexander,

I also have a Leningrad like yours, serial No. 006508, also with the old speeds, smooth top of the winding knob, and other features the same as yours. Although mine has a box and instructions, there was not a passport to be able to date the camera.

I believe that Leningrad cameras with this kind of early number are also early in the regular production run and date to 1956, with the serial number representing the actual production (ie. ... your camera will be the 9,298th camera made).

Probably after 10,000 cameras were made, the numbers started to have the year date before them (1e. ... No. 560009 ... for 1956, as illustrated on page 318 of the New "1200 Cameras..." book.

Your camera looks very nice and maybe some would consider it to be a pre-series since the number begins with "00..." however, I think the different style of serial number probably just coincides to when the factory decided (or was told by the government) to use the year as the first two digits.

Here is a link to photos of my camera so you can compare ...

http://www.nightphoto.com/leningrad.html

Regards, Bill

What I am always confused about these though is that the 00 serial # Leningrads - lots of them have 4 screws, when the '56 Leningrads had 2 screws on front. It's almost like they did 4 screw version then made a few years of 2-screw then went back to 4-screw.. I can't find logic in that...

Vlad

If you look at the leningrad pictures on www.commiecameras.com there is a frontal picture of a 2 screw with a 50mm lens that has a gomz logo on it. It is one of the 00 sn cameras but the lens is the only one that I have ever seen with a gomz logo.

Vlad,
I agree ... it is a bit confusing and I have never been able to figure it out for sure. I also think that it was 4-screw, then 2-screw, then 4-screw again. It seems clear that the winding knob has a flat ground surface before 1959 ('56-'58). Also on this winding knob there is always an arrow engraved, but by 1958 there is also an engraving that says "made in USSR" in Russian. After 1958 there are ridges on the winding knob. So it seems that these "00..." serial numbers must be 1956 or 1957.

I agree with Nathan that there are both 4-screw and 2-screw versions before 1959. The answer may be in figuring out why 2 more screws were necessary, or why, for a time, it was thought that 2-screws was enough!

Regards, Bill

It is very confusing for me as well. I have another Leningrad with 2 screws, but already with the year of production in s/n: 573884 !!!


http://www.ussrphoto.com/UserContent/212010_Leningrad-3.jpg


http://www.ussrphoto.com/UserContent/212010_Leningrad-4.jpg

Regards, Alexander