Boxed Fed Set

Nathan,

I'm very fascinated to have you in Forums! WELCOME!!!

I have to say, that exactly your amazing website inspired me to create my own site, which is improved regularly by me and friends from our Forums ...

What to say about your FED set?

!

It's fantastic!


Best Regards,
Aidas

Nathan, a hearty personal welcome to you as well from me! I have visited your site very many times when I just started collecting - a great resource!!

I have received you message, thank you for your permission to repost for your site I will add it to the list in the sticky thread on the forum, with condition that credit is provided.

I will join Aidas saying this is quite an amazing set you got there, how did you come to find it?

Thank you for posting it!!
Vlad

Hello Nathan, nice to see you here!

Of course your site has helped and inspired us all, so thanks for it!

Very nice FED set. Can you tell us what year the camera is and also, the metal plaque seems to say "FED-b" so is this a FED-B camera? Since I don't see a slow speed dial ... maybe not?

Regards, Bill

I do not have access to the set right now but I will in a week or so. You are all looking at the wrong item in the set. The macro lens is one of 2 known and the other one is in poor condition. The meter has no serial number, still works and has a hand written dial. From memory the camera is a 1(b)1

All I can tell you about the set is that it was brought to me from the USSR by someone who told me that he wanted it to have a good home!(of course I still had to pay for it!) I and Michael Kamph who just joined were well known in the Polish flea market in Berlin, just before the wall fell and right after.

I see! The macro lens is a prototype version, like the one pictured on page 108 in Princelle 2nd Edition from the Moscow Polytechnic Museum. Very rare.

I have one too, but a slight variation, and the only one I have seen. It is the same FED prototype macro lens with the only difference being the texture of the very bottom ring, near the lens mount. Mine has vertical lines rather than cross-hatched lines. Here are two photos (I will put some more photos into Wiki also):
http://www.ussrphoto.com/UserContent/IMG_5878.JPG


http://www.ussrphoto.com/UserContent/IMG_5875.JPG


http://www.ussrphoto.com/UserContent/IMG_5881.JPG



Regards, Bill

Bill,

BRAVO!!!

So, if Nathan's boxed set has this very rare prototype macro lens, certainly the set was either made for someone very important, or as a sort of prototype "Macro Fed Set" with engraved labels, to show to important people in the Soviet government, party or industry. The labels look to be silver as they are tarnished! And the wood box is very nicely made too!

It would be very interesting to know more about the camera which is with it. I wonder if originally it had a FED-B with slow speed and what the serial number / date of the camera that is in place in the box is?

Regards, Bill

Everything Fantastic!
In Natan entry the Universalniy objectiv FED19 in its wooden case imediatly made me compare to Bill's Fed macro prototype. Immediatly seen is the diamond finish on mounting thread against the parallel cart of the prototype. I believe the lens on case is older than the Bill's proto. Great Bill's photos show exactly its construction.
The best of my enthusiasm to both.
Regards
LP

The cameras serial number puts it in the mid of 1935 production. The other interesting item is that it has the sandblasted appearing finish of a Fed-1b(2). The FED with slow speeds was made with the next variation of finish. Makerenko suddenly left the FED works in the middle of 1935. All the clues lead me to believe believe that the set was hurriedly made to give to him as a parting gift, but unfortunately there is no proof. However the accessories give credence to the set being hurriedly made and assembled. All of the plates are hand engraved and appear to be hand made. The light meter has no serial number and the scale in it is hand printed.

If this had been made to show off production everything would have been perfect. If it had been made as a "salesmans sample kit" there would be more than 1. As it is we have suspicions but no proof!

That sounds right, Nathan. Probably a presentation gift as the box, etc. do seem to have been made quickly. I thought of Makarenko also, which is why I put the wood commemorative plaque on the Wiki! An I think Luiz is correct that the prototype macro lens in your set is a bit earlier than the one I have, and in the production model, first made in 1937, they dropped the ring at the base of the lens altogether and used a standard flat mount.
A very historic set and hopefully someday some documentation, if there is any, will surface!

Regards, Bill

Hi Nathan...
please , tell me , (us !) the guy which wsold the set for a "new home" isn't he in Finland ? ...if yes , I think i know him (he told me the same and now live in a hight standing marina appartment.!)


So why not this set in wooden bow a collector or amateur presentation device ? Or something for an exibition ?

So I make something like that in the past for my future descendants(look at the pict.)
So they will say in 2050 : what is this enigmatic set ???



anyway and seriously it is a very nice and interesting craft : i would like to buy it if somebofy offer me such a device (specially because these rare lenses and engraved nameplates !).

alain


look at the rare black jupiter 11 inside (teleconverter too ;-)


http://www.ussrphoto.com/UserContent/black set zorki.jpg

and now anther wooden box(name plate are made in my friend's printer factory in magnesium whith acid attack ) :


http://www.ussrphoto.com/UserContent/boite 1948.jpg
and the end : a fed accessory set...


http://www.ussrphoto.com/UserContent/boite fed.jpg

Merci! The set came out of th Ukraine to me!

Never feel bad about your English. Je parle Francaise comme une vache Espaneol!

Wow!!! All 3 sets are amaizing!!
They are a treasure boxes to me !!!
Alain, is it black J-11 on the first picture? And what are the lenses on the left side of the box?

dear okineck,
lenses are more common (but my game was to hunt only black ones as you saw )

on the left side :
- Russar
- converter (39mm)
- jupiter 3
- jupiter 12
on the right side :
- jupiter 9
- industar 30.

forgot :

boxes came from IKEA 7 years ago. (i just add lock and hinges)

Industar 30?

I also want to welcome Nathan to the group. I recall earlier years back to the ("original"?)
Russian Cameras @ Yahoo.com group, long defunct, and Nathans site was THE source.

It's nice to see you here, Nathan.

Take Care,
Steve