Experiences

Hi everyone.
I was talking with Aidas today, and in passing the subject of "camera hunting" came up. I think true to say that for many of us the fun of tracking down or finding a particalar long sought after camera, lens, or other Soviet photo equipment can be just as satifying as owning the item itself. I know that when I look at such items perhaps years later, it reminds of the adventures or sometimes hardships that I had in finding it in the first place. I'm sure that many of us have such experiences, and I think it would be good to share a few of these on the forum. So perhaps because I raised the subject I should go first!

After reading so much on the forum recently of Leica fakes and so on, I think this story is appropriate.
So here goes!!! Here's my story of the Fed-Leica!!!. Fed-Leica????, "no such thing" I hear you say, but there is, and I bought one.
The year was 1999, and I was working in Fergana, Uzbekistan. Fergana is quite a large town with a large Soviet built oil refinery and a large fertiliser plant.
At the time I was working at the oil refinery. It was well known among local people who knew me that I collected Soviet photo equipment. One day I recieved a phone call from a friend of a friend, of a friend saying that he had a Fed-Leica camera for sale and would I be interested in buying it!
Of course I told him that he must be mistaken because there was no such thing as a Fed-Leica, but he insisted there was and that he had one! Naturally my curiosity was aroused and I agreed to call round that evening at this mans apartment to have a look at this mysterious object.
The camera in fact turned out to be a Leica 1d standard with a Fed 3.5/50mm collapsable lens fitted to it. The young man selling the camera knew nothing about it other than it had belonged to his 88 year grandfather who had recently passed away.
After chatting to this young man it turned out that his granfather was a German soldier during the war and he had been captured and taken prisoner in 1942, or 1943 by the Soviets. After capture he was sent to Fergana in Uzbekistan to help build the oil refinery. After the war he married a local girl and settled in Fergana permenantly and there he raised a family. He had the Leica with him when captured. His grandson was not able to tell me what had happened to the original lens or how the camera came to have the Fed lens.
So of course I bought the camera and became the proud owner of the worlds only Fed-Leica!!!!!

Regards, Jim

Hey Jim!

What a lucky man you are!
My story is not so marvelous. Knowing by Princelle that some rare Feds 1a or 1b reingraved in Leica exist, I tried to find one of them, quite desperately, on eBay.
The result was not exactly what I had hoped. I found two cameras (in some three years) which were described as false Leicas with pictures showing details visibly belonging to Leicas. Of course, I bought them. The first was a true 1934 Leica, probably a IC, with the rangefinder and the cover of a reingraved Fed. The seller said it had belonged to a relative who had worked in Russia. Certainly a IC updated by a local craftsman with Russian spares: it's easier to take pictures with a rangefinder! Or a repaired IID.

As for the second, it is always in the Wiki, but not for a long time, I think! We discussed about it in a recent topic. It was sold to me as a fake Leica "probably made in Poland or Russia" by a member of the Leica Society. In fact, a true IC upgraded by an unskilled craftsman...

Now, I am somewhat a specialist able to separate the wheat (Leicas of course!) from the tares! But always no "real fake Leica"!

Amitiйs. Jacques.

Jim and Jacques,

Thank you very much for your stories - I like it a lot!


Regards,
Aidas

Hi Jacques,

I have recently been reading and following with interest your posts about the Leica fakes, modified Leica's and your genuine Leica upgraded to rangefinder with Fed parts. It was these posts that prompted me to tell my little Fed-Leica story. It was just one of those funny instances that happenn from time to time when hunting for Soviet camera's. Of course the camera that I found was a genuine Leica 1, but with a Fed lens. The grandson of the original owner knew nothing about cameras, he just saw that the body was Leica, and the lens Fed, so in his ignorance he thought the camera must be a Fed-Leica.
I know, as I'm sure you also know that Princelle writes about some early Fed-1's that were faked and engraved as Leica at the factory. I have never seen one, but wish you luck in your search. You never know one day you just hight find one, I hope you do!!!
Regards,
Jim.