Cartridge question: unrecognized spy camera

Hello eveyone,

I need your help here. Below I placed few samples of 21mm film cartridges for unrecognized camera. I was said it should fit unknown KGB camera, but nothing more to say recently. Any ideas would be very appreciated. Thanks, Aidas

How big are they? They don't fit Ayax? I was thinking maybe this was a separate cassette cartridges version instead of a single one - have you tried fitting it? You know like you could use either single or 2 cassettes?

Vlad

Unfortunately it's impossible to use this cartridge with Ajax, Vlad. It's much bigger in comparison with standard casette. The appr. size of cartride is 23x25 in milimeters. You can imagine the size while 21mm tape is included in sample #2.

Regards,
Aidas

This cartidge is from "Zaslon " camera
see http://www.photohistory.ru/Zaslon.html

"Zaslon" is the forerunner of "S 112" copy camera

Wow Luiz, you are really on top on your Abramov stuff! He just added this camera! I just wish he had search on his site, it's quite hard to navigate...

I personally can not agree with Mr. Abramov on designation of such cameras. They are really big and clumsy for spy cameras and hard to use and set up concealed. And for conspiracy… it hardly fit inside the packet and it clicking when making pictures(at list my C112 does). I believe the same mif as KGB Photosniper.
Kiev 30 would do much better job and it was available for ages. Pretty strange cameras in usefulness.

Luiz,
Great find - thank you a lot!


Regards,
Aidas

Only small problem now - to find "Zaslon" camera by itself ...

Okynek,
I agree with you. These are not "spy" or "surveillance" cameras. But they are often used by police, military, even probably KGB at times, for copying passports, files, and things like that. For example, I have been told that some Soviet Navy ships had a Yolochka kit that could be set up and used if a foreign vessel was captured, to copy documents onboard before the ship was released.
I think the small cameras like C-112 were used to photograph travelers (foreign or Soviet) passports and personal identification papers.
Probably sometimes a "spy" might have some use for it, but mostly just "authorities".
Our WIKI here on this site makes the distinction between "military and official use cameras" and "KGB & Spy cameras". This is a good thing as there is a big difference.

Regards, Bill

Hi,

it's easy to get a camera, if you possess Zaslon cartridges already ...