Fed Red Flag

If more numbers are needed, I have a Red Flag #200990

Thanks, Yuri!
Serials are always welcome.

Could you please tell us the lens s/n as well?
Some pictures of your camera would also be great, we still have only very few examples and they seem to differ a lot.

Regards,
Christian

Another "NKAP":
http://molotok.ru/fed-aviacionnaya-promyshlennost-i3644387619.html

Not completely convincing, I fear...

Amitiйs. Jacques.

Hello,

A new Red Flag, here. But not a "classical" one. Here are some photos of the seller:







So, no fine milling on the buttons, iron sheet for the shutter box, common vulcanite. But a correct "NKAP" cover, as it seems.

I have taken it to pieces, to know more about the camera. Especially if it belongs to a series of Fed, or if it was made from spare parts.





Vulcanite, shutter box made of iron, idem for the press film which has a hole. Probably a camera of the 1d series, s/n between c. 115xxx/145xxx.

Other photos to follow.

The cover seems normal, compared to those I know. The typical letters seem good. And the serial number has the three first digits ("200")which slightly go up, like on other NKAP.
About the speed mechanism, there is no hole for the slow speeds. I don't know exactly when we find this hole. Anyway, the upper plate cannot belong to a 1b series (without hole for slow speeds) because of the centered screw, completely visible on the front.

So, the camera is probably a "nearly pure" 1d. The s/n of the lens points towards that direction too (s/n 117836).

Is it a genuine NKAP?
It has been my guess at the beginning of this thread that besides the "classical series" of NKAP, workers had to use what they had to achieve the series of 1800 cameras.

A word more about the covers. This one has the same drawing of letterings as my NKAP s/n 200209. But the shape of the angle round the speed dial is different: sharp on the 200898, blunt on the 200209. That could mean that covers of different series were indistinctly used and reingraved...

I hope a discussion!

Amitiйs. Jacques.

Something more about the camera.

When I took it to pieces, all was very tight. I even damaged one of the four screws of the lensplate to remove it. The shutter was curved and non working due to age and non useness. I had to clean the mechanism. No doubt: the camera had not been opened during a very long time.

About the screws, I had the surprise to notice that some are magnetic and others are not, as if the workers had a box of used pell mell screws to mount the camera. Always concerning that question, the photo counter is magnetic too. I will have to check all my other Fed 1...

Questions and comments are welcome!

Amitiйs. Jacques.

Jacques greetings!
On my cell №200347 the nuts are not covered by anything.
This we can see in the early FED-Sharp # 00221.
This is understandable, since all spare parts from Berdsk came to Krasnogorsk in 1942. And part of the spare parts in 1946 returned to Kharkov.

As for the comparison of the selected detail, it is clearly from the early FED of the NKVD of the Ukrainian SSR to No. 40.xxx.
If I'm wrong, correct me please.

Thanks for your comments and photos, Alexey!
Just a remark concerning the press film.

I have checked them, and I can find press films which are magnetic and have a hole only on my cameras s/n 119792 and 127195. Before, the hole is there, but the press film is not magnetic. After, there is no more hole and the press film is magnetic. So, I think that this part belongs to a Fed 1d s/n c. 115/145xxx.

About the crown which fastens the cover and the accessory shoe, I think the one I have shown (with six holes) is regular in those numbers. What is the s/n of the camera where you have this crown with three holes? I will try to find the same on my cameras...

Amitiйs. Jacques.

So, a new Red Flag arrived here, s/n 200977.
Nothing odd. The vulcanite (stretched) and engravings seem genuine...

... and the bolts and nuts are ordinary too:



I just wonder at the small extra cup, which was added inside the bottom plate. Perhaps the locking was not safe? If you have an idea...



Amitiйs. Jacques.

To stabilize this belt of metal ? Is it moving ?
If it is moving sometimes there could have been problem to take off bottom plate because this was not possible to turn a lock.

Hello,

it is a special feature which locks a reloadable cassette ?

Bravo, Jean! You are absolutely right.
I have just checked. The cup exactly fits the locking button of the cassette.
As I can suppose: when the bottom is put with the cassette inside, the copper plate presses on the locking button of the cassette. This movement frees the locking button, and the bottom plate can be closed.
But I am not inside to check!

Amitiйs. Jacques.

A new Red Flag here! And I am particularly happy, because that time, there is absolutely no doubt: it is a real fake!
Here it is:



Bad lens (violet coating with new scale of speeds), incorrect vulcanite, incorrect milling of buttons, etc. In fact, all the features of a 1d between s/n 110/15xxxx. But all that is probably not so important compared to the engraving of the cover...

A beautiful chrome, and a very regular engraving. Much more than the original one if we compare:



There are many differences: depth of engraving, size of letters, space between lines, surface covered by text, etc. For me, the two main visible differences are
- the absence of dash between NKAP and CCCP on the s/n 200068
- the low "T" on the second line (always on the 200068).

Several Red Flags are shown on this site:
http://hylee617.tripod.com/hylee617/russian/fed/fed1eftg.htm

On this site, the s/n 200006 and 200202 have the same "T" and absence of dash as my s/n 200068. Probably two other fakes. Note that these Red Flags are in our wiki... See please
http://ussrphoto.com/Wiki/default.asp?WikiCatID=98&ParentID=1&ContentID=812&Item=Fed+NKAP+%28Red+Flag%29

Certainly, these cameras were made by the same "faker" as my s/n 200068.
But, more generally, when can we say that a "Red Flag" is a fake?
Are there genuine cameras with 1c or 1d bodies? Not impossible. But the engraving of the cover is certainly essential to differentiate genuine from fakes.

Your comments are welcome!

Amitiйs. Jacques.

No comment?

Another possible comparison with the s/n 3245, always on the hylee.617 site.


That time, the fake is evident...
In fact, this s/n 200068, and his "brothers", the s/n 200006 and 200202, certainly have an engraving which is too perfect, compared to the genuine Red Flags. I suspect it was made with modern tools, unless a there is a second set of tools which was used.

Amitiйs. Jacques.