Soviet Officer with Camera

Here is a late 1950s or 1960s photograph I bought recently ... a Soviet Lieutenant I think.

Looks like he has a Leica, but what lens is that? And the finder? German or Soviet?







Regards, Bill

Hello Bill

I think it's a common Jupiter 11 and a not so common right sided revolver finder made by KMZ. For the camera I don't know, but it looks like a Leica III.

Best wishes - Guido

Very probably a Leica III model F (1/500th.) or model G (1/1000th): impossible to know.
The two ones were pre war made.
A good picture!

Amitiйs. Jacques.

PS: A Fed B is impossible: they were not made with a viewfinfer with step.

The camera is by sure a Leica III or IIIa
Proofs:
1)Diopter adjustment
2)Leica name
3)Window style
4)slow speeds



The lens is a M39 Jena Sonnar 4/135mm
Proofs:
1)The heavy numeral series fonts
2)Clearly seen: Carl Zeiss Jena



The Finder probably should be also Jena
once it is built the "wrong way" Firsts Zorkis aldo were but considering the Zeiss lens the finder should be from the same maker.
FED or Zorki leather case. Much probable FED once this could be a previous 1948 picture.

I agrees, it's a Leica IIIa (I own one) and it seems to be a Sonnar in M39 mount. The finder could be either from KMZ or from Zeiss.

Ulrich

http://fotos.cconin.de

Thanks Ulrich

For those who does not know: Zeiss 135mm
Triotar M39:



Sonnar M39 (any similarities?)


LP

Extremely nice picture, Bill!!! My best congratulations!!!

Best Regards,
Aidas

And what can say yourselves about the name of factory of the cigarette ??? :-)))

I can say that it looks like the Lieutenant will be dropping his nice Leica to the ground in about 20 seconds, as this cigarette burns down a little closer to his finger while he is posing for the photo portrait! But what brand ... ???

Regards, Bill

This is a very nice picture, and it appears to be some sort of studio setting, staged shot with props (Leica, cigarette, oak branch on the background, good light, perfect composition).

It is also look quite sharp to be a 35mm shot, could be medium format.

It is probably hard to operate a Leica with a cigarette in your right hand. But looks VERY sexy. His girlfriend will be very proud showing this pictures to her co-workers.

The camera is clearly a IIIa.

Hello,
If I can precise: a III (model F) or a IIIa (model G).
No difference between an F and an early G, except the maximum speed, not visible on the picture.
But all that does not matter...

Amitiйs. Jacques.

Of course the cigarette is a "Krasnii Proletarii".
No doubt:
Regads
LP

Yuri,

You may be correct about a studio setting, although it is hard to tell for sure ... there does not appear to be movement of the tree branches and in my experience it is often the case that some movement can be seen with thin tree branches outdoors ... on the other hand, to me it looks like a real tree ... not arranged cut branches.

Also the grain is not so detectable and so it was either made with a medium format camera, or very fine 35mm film ... I would also guess medium format.

Probably this may be some type of propaganda or magazine photograph as it appears that the two lower fingers of his left hand have some retouching around them on the negative (or careful dodging during printing) to make them stand out more.

My Grandfather was a US Army photographer during WWII and just after and this looks very much like the kind of photographs he made of officers, so maybe this is a Soviet Army photo, although not an official one since there are no stamps or markings on the back.

In the old days, when I was young, I was a smoker and often held my cigarette, just in the same way as this guy, when I was photographing! So now I have quit smoking many years ago and use a digital camera almost always in this 21st century! Not so sexy as I used to be!!!

Regards, Bill