Another brown FED 1 from 1935

Hello folks,

some month ago I showed pics of a brown leathered FED 1 from 1935 with very fine made vulcanite.

Now I have another FED 1 from this year (serial 16087, maybe it's from the beginning of 1936) that has the same vulcanite as the one with serial 13748. It's much finer as the later ones and tends to be more brown than black (my older one is more brown).

Maybe(!) they have made dark brown FEDs in that years or the color wasn't so good and looses it's black over the years.

There is another curios thing of that camera, look at the picture. On the shutter housing is a number engraved (looks as it was engraved by craftman) that shows the year(?) 33.

I have seen a lot of this engraving before, on several FEDs and very early Zorkis, always in the same style (roman letters). But this couldn't be real, I think. Or do they have had old shutters from 1933 that were put into a 1935 camera? Btw, the shutter runs as smooth as a Leica shutter.



Ulrich

http://fotos.cconin.de

Hello Ulrich,
Very interesting engraving. My opinion would be that the '33' is not a year. As far as I have read, in 1933 only the first 30 FEDs were made. So, at this early stage, I don't believe they were making enough shutter cage assemblies, or shutter cages, to have enough to put in a camera in 1935.
Probably the number, which looks more scratched into the metal by hand, rather than with an engraving tool, may identify the person who assembled the interior, the inspector, or possibly refers to a batch of shutter cage assemblies that were made (in order to match them with other parts made to the same specifications or just to refer to a batch made all at once). Sometimes repair persons will also make marks similar when they clean a camera, although they usually seem to put a full date such as "3/15/36' for reference as to when the camera was last worked on.
What is the serial number of this camera?


Regards, Bill

Hello Bill,

I also don't think that is the year, I think you are right, that it shall shows parts that belong together or is a marking of an inspector or the craftman. The serial number of the camera is 16087.

It has btw. an interesting history, I bought it together with another NKVD-FED (serial 124xxx) from an older man, who told me that he has the cameras from the wife of a german colonel who took them away from sowjet soldiers in WW2. After he died the wife gave him the cameras because she knows that he is collecting such things. Now he has sold them because he is 70 years old and not more able to use them.

Here are some other pics of it that show special markings on the body and the shutter, maybe so that they know which parts belong together. An interesting thing are the markings on the lens which show a 531 or 53,1 and 1/36, they could be the real focus in mm and month/year of the production of the lens. The serial number of the lens is close to the one of the body.

2 III's on the shutter and the body:





The markings on the rear of the lens:



Here is a closeup of the "brown" vulcanite, it seems that it was black before, but the color can't be lost by heavy usage because the camera looks not often used:



And another interesting point, the 2 screws for the shutter spring tension adjustment look as if they were never used after they have been sealed with black paint. And the camera runs very fine :-)



Ulrich

http://fotos.cconin.de

Hi Ulrich,

One question, please. Does your Fed #16087 still has a depression under the shutter knob? According to my database, #16317 comes without depression already. Thanks!

Best Regards,
Aidas

Hello Aidas,

no, it hasn't the depression anymore.

Ulrich

http://fotos.cconin.de

Hello Ulrich,

I have the same vulcanite on my # 12840. It seems common between c.# 12xxx and 16xxx, but we cannot find it anymore afterwards.
We discussed with Bill in another topic about the colour and it was certainly originally black.

These early 1b-s are much more precise and smooth than later ones: I totally agree with you. Especially if we compare with the 1d-s, at least those I own: mass production, probably...

Amitiйs. Jacques.

Hello Jacques,

yes, compared to the later ones they run very smooth. There must be a break after serial 20000 or so, I think. The 23xxx and 41xxx I own run more rough than the 13xxx and the 16xxx.

But the 124xxx that comes with the 16087 runs so smooth and quiet that it is a real pleasure :-) And it has curtains so new I have never seen on such an old FED, but they don't look as if they were replaced.

Aidas, btw, the 16087 hasn't the depression under the speed dial but it has the big speed dial as my 13xxx with the depression.

Ulrich

http://fotos.cconin.de

Hi Ulrich,

thanks for your information! According to my records, the latest Fed with big shutter head I know is #22038. Fed #22756 is the 1st known with small head already ...

Best Regards,
Aidas

Hi Aidas,

My # 20251 has already a small (13mm) speed dial, without depression, of course.
But it can have been changed...
And the modification was probably gradual.

Amitiйs. Jacques.

Hi Jacques,

I'm ready to agree with you! Shutter head can be changed easely, from the other hand, I was collecting these samples from public sources and some photographs were sooooooooooo bad quality to recognize them correctly ...

Best Regards,
Aidas