Fed 1b with red dots?

Hello,

Here is a curious Fed 1b...
It's a "regular" early 1b, serial number 13259, with a patterned brown vulcanite.
But why these two red dots? One on the vulcanite, near the distance scale, and the other next to the speed dial...


http://www.ussrphoto.com/UserContent/17112011_Photos PYC 0 015.jpg


http://www.ussrphoto.com/UserContent/17112011_Photos PYC 0 016.jpg

The other curious features are an accessory shoe in inox with depressions but without tab, and a yellow filter on the rangefinder.

If you have an explanation...

Amitiйs. Jacques.

The filter on the rangefinder is easy: it's there to improve RF contrast. Leitz offered these little slip-on filters in red and orange (ORAKO & OKARO). By changing the colour in only one ocular, the rangefinder patch becomes much more clearly visible. I don't know if Leitz had yellow RF filters, or if this is a Russian parallel.

The dots and the stainless accessory shoe are beyond me though...

Cheers,
Derk

The scientific name of any animal that does not either fight, or flee from its enemies is "lunch".

Thanks, Derk.
I forgot to say that this one is not a "push on" filter, as usual, but a "screw in" one.
One must unscrew the original ring to place this one...

Jacques.

Ah, I thought it was a slip-on type because I (thought I) saw a cut in the edge of the filter in the photo.

Now that you mention it's a screw-in type, I seem to remember having seen an early Leica II that had a yellow filter screwed into the outermost RF ocular. The reason to do so is the same though: RF contrast. I don't know if Leitz made those filters in chrome, I've seen it only in black. Might be an interesting line of inquiry though.

Cheers,
Derk



The scientific name of any animal that does not either fight, or flee from its enemies is "lunch".

Here is Zenit B with 2 red dots. I assume that it was used for microscope, but not sure. It arrived without lens or accessories.


http://www.ussrphoto.com/UserContent/8122011_DSCF9002.JPG

Interesting, Okynek.
I had too a red dot on the distance scale on a 1933 Leica II. It was an infra red position.
On this Fed 1b, we can imagine it is a position for a a special use: microscope, telescope... But why this other red dot near the speed dial?
The two ones are very neat, and the one next to the speed dial was precisely marked by a tiny trace on the chrome...

Jacques.

I once had an Olympus for reproduction use. It had extra red dots for control positions, so that it could be used both all-round and in reproduction without researching where the controls should be in that use.

Best regards,
Juhani