FED 3 Medium Format!

Now since I'm such an impatient ass, I've been able to snatch this thing off eBay before all you guys and I'm sorry if I pissed anyone off.. I had this "thing" in my cross hairs from the second he listed it..

Now this being a collectors forum I want to take this thing verbally apart based on the photos provided. While I'm waiting for it to arrive I want to find out as much as I can about it...

Here's what I can tell based on observations and conversations with Bill Parkinson:
1. It's a FED3 body used as shutter and lens
2. It has a Blik rangefinder built-in on top to the body and covered with the same leatherette.
3. It's some kind of German camera used as a back
4. It's medium format


Here are the questions that I have:
1. What German camera is it?
2. Bill seems to think it's made partially of wood, I don't support this idea - any suggestions?
3. What the heck is that slide size window in the back?
4. What are the knobs for?












I will post it into catalog as soon as it arrives and once I make nicer pictures of it. But right now I want to hear your speculations.

Vlad

Vlad,
Now I am thinking that the body is sheet metal, as you said, maybe over a wood frame (but not sure about that). Also, I think the viewfinder, on top of the Smena rangefinder, is German, but probably not the whole black-box thing, which looks to me like it may be home made from different parts.

The FED-3 looks like it is used for its shutter and as a sort of lens-board. To me the lens looks like an enlarger lens of some type, but not sure of that either.

I think the large knob on the side is for focusing (by moving the whole FED-3 backwards and forwards on the 'rack and pinion' or whatever you call it that can be seen on the underside. But what is the little metal lever that prrotrudes frontwards from the small box with the accessory shoe on it? Maybe that opens the back up or something?

A very unique and nice find!

Regards, Bill

Yea that lever confuses me too, although I guessed as well that the knob was for moving the bellows just like on Fotokor...You may be right about the box, it may not be from a camera, just home-made...

Vlad.

Of course it is a hand made camera.
It uses the Fed 3 body only as a shutter.
The lens is a clearly modified Industar 23U (for enlarging).
Its original cone front was replaced by a turned ring in order to accept 40.5 mm filters. This lens register has 90.3mm if I am right from memory, so aparently the device focuses infinity.
The finder and bellows comes from an old Nettar or Ikonta from pre-war era.
The back seems to have also a pre-war modified Linhof 6x9 roll film adapter.
Probably the geared bed comes from an old ICA around 1918 or earlier, but could also be from Ihagee of the same vintage.
The knobs are for focusing and have a Japanese apearence from 35mm accessory bellows pehaps...(the advance knob of Marshal Press looks alike)
The scale have a very good hand made drawings or engravings
The hidden LOMO Blick rangefinder is so well disguised that I would not note if I was not told about.
Indoubtly a very strange beast! but of course-IT WORKS!
LP

Luiz,

thank you so much for all this information! You are always full of great encyclopedic knowledge! :)

What do you think about the housing? You think the box is made specifically for the purpose of this modification or you think it is another camera? Just interested in your thoughts.. So if it's a enlarger lens that means there is no diaphragm right? And what do you think the purpose of the white square is on the back? Bill seems to think it's a window for focusing on the glass..

Vlad

Those speculations are very funny but very interesting. Some times the reallity is somewhere different. In this case it seems to be one of those cameras ICA or Ihagee due the large chassis format (querformat kameras-in german)
When you see from the bottom, yuo see a 3/8" threat for the tipod in a separate plate. It denotes to be what once was a hinged front of a portable foldable camera that was now put in a rigid way. The body frame, which holds the large part of the bellows and the roll film back is also made of metal and everything was covered with that kind of brushed and laminated material. Is seems to be made from aluminium brushed sheets... pehaps anodized... pehaps stove painted. You see that the camera has no back cover but it is holg in the original front plate of the original 6x9 camera front. the white rectangle in the roll film back seems to be for writing notes. But where is (are) the red window?

Hi everyone,

Yes I think Luiz is mostly right about everything, including the different cameras, etc. Luiz, you know alot about many different cameras, not just Russian ... very helpful in this unusual example!

I also agree that sometimes when you actually get the thing ... everything is different than what you think from the photos. One thing is for sure though ... there is only one of these!

Regards, Bill

About the lens.
Industar 23 U is an enlarging lens - not a projection lens- althought both act the same way. All enlarging lens have diaphragm. This is needed for increasing depht of field when correcting perspective on enlarger (inclining, benting, etc the paper in the base)(some kind of in built "Corel Draw" in manual enlargers) he he! Or for optimize the eveness of ilumination and contrast in great enlargements. Projection lenses need no diaphgm because they are built for quick viewing of the picture without analisis. They are allowed to have also less resolution in favor of more brilliancy (higher apertures). Enlarger lenses are excellent pieces for Macrophotography once they are corrected for close distances.
LP

Luiz, Bill,

thanks so much for your input, now I at least have an idea what this may be... I guess we'll definitely find out more when it arrives. I love to do research on things that I don't have yet, so when it arrives I'm as educated on it as possible :)..

and thanks for that suggestion about using enlarger lens for macro, I just got macro bellows for my Nikon D80 with M42 socket for lens, I have the 120mm У lens so I will try it out! :)

Vlad

Which kind of 120mm "Uvilichitel'" lens you have?

Sorry Luiz, I just looked at it again it's 110mm И23-У.

Vlad

Vlad!
We want to know about impressions of this strange beast once in your hands!
LP

I've received it, and held it in my hands, I will take pictures of it and add it to catalog with my full review as soon as I have a chance :)

Vlad.

See the catalog post:

http://www.ussrphoto.com/Wiki/default.asp?ContentID=346&ParentID=1&WikiCatID=47

Vlad

Hi Vlad,

That is a very interesting and complex example of Soviet home-engineering. Your photographs of it are great and now I see how it has an actual roll-film casette at the back.

You won't see another like this one!

Regards, Bill