FED 3  COMETH THE LEVER WIND MONSTER

The camera  photographed  above and  in some photographs incorporated in the main text with the Industar-26m f2.8 52mm lens is my own FED-3 type a Serial Number (SN) 4325101 which dates from the 1961-63 period.  This is a beautiful looking camera just as much a fashion statement than a serious photographic tool.

These new cameras came into  being at the height of the Cold War. The USA had just  become involved in the Vietnam Conflict. In 1961 the Berlin Wall was constructed and Western Europe was plunged into a hysterical panic about Soviet intentions. In 1962 the world held its breath as the Cuban Missile Crisis brought the Soviet Union and USA to the brink of a Nuclear Holocaust. While all this brinkmanship was going on in the USA the primitive agricultural  Argus C3 which first appeared in 1939 was the camera to own and in complete contrast in the Soviet Union they had the far more advanced  FED-3 and Zorki 4.  Argus however did make a serious effort to keep up with the times.  With there most advanced camera being the Argus C44R.  It had bayonet mount interchangeable lenses , a hot flash shoe, a rapid advance lever, shutter speeds of 1/10 -1/300 of a second, a pull out  rewind crank  a detachable turret viewfinder, and the worlds ugliest selenium meter that
could be fitted over the shutter speed dial.  The C44 & C44Rs were made from 1956-1962.

The above two photographs show the two main detail design changes between the type "a"  and "b".

On this new camera the long base 67mm combined rangefinder viewfinder has gone and in its  place a more conservative traditional Leica type. The type "b" now has a lever film advance shutter cocking mechanism.  The simple dioptic eyesight adjuster is now the actual rear viewfinder window surround which can be rotated to adjust to the individuals eyesight.  The film loading is a simple task as it is  identical to the FED-2 in having a  removable Contax style back. The shutter now is of more traditional Leica type with the addition of the slow speeds 1/2s, 1/4s, 1/8s and 1/15s. However no longer with the ability to set the speeds in both the cocked or uncocked state.

 WARNING you must cock or arm the shutter before setting the shutter speeds or it is possible to damage the camera.  It is also advisable to not store the camera with the shutter speeds set on the slower settings.

The  type "b" camera are more bloated and less appealing and certainly not something to take mountaineering or hiking. This trend was not just isolated to FED but also the Leica M series cameras which also became heavy door stops!  The original concept for this camera had been portability and small size now destroyed by the rush in my opinion incorporate new unnecessary features and follow the latest fashion. 

Above photograph showing the beautiful shape of the 1961 FED-3 type a camera. This Industar-26m lens is a rengineered Industar-50 of a Zeiss Tessar origin.

One of  the unknown outcomes of the Great Patriotic War  was the Soviet cameras industry access to superb Carl Zeiss optics. When hostilities ceased in 1945 the heart of the German camera industry found itself in the Soviet Zone and they promptly made use of all this new technology which also spawned a whole series of modern new Soviet camera designs. The vast majority of Soviet camera lenses can be traced back to this period. 
  
Above photograph showing a close up view of the Industar-26m f2.8 52mm lens

The cloth focal plane shutter  on the FED camera is not a new idea and dates back to the late 19th century.  The version used in the Leica and FED camera was in  fact developed by Oskar Barnack of Leitz in Germany in early part of the 20th century. Oskar Barnack managed to adapt this simple design into what was then a miniature 35mm system camera with a great selection of lenses.  The shutter has a variable slit between the blinds (or curtains) which as it passes over the film exposes it to light. When the shutter is released this slit moves across the film. To vary the speed you vary the slit width with the shutter speed dial and not the speed of travel of the blinds. Having a wider slit means that as it travels across the film more light passes through. When cocking the shutter and advancing the film the slit is self capping to stop light getting to the film. I hope you all understood that brief technical description of the shutter in action.

Above photograph showing the door stop shape of the 1963 FED-3 type b camera. 

FED 3 DEVELOPMENT HISTORY

COLLECTORS GUIDE

The following types unless otherwise stated are nomenclature used by collectors as no FED-3 camera was actually marked in this way. I have included some brief descriptions so as to ease identification. 

3a 1961 -63   New camera based on previous FED-2. Rangefinder base reduced to make room for slow speed mechanism. Step in top with knob film  advance mechanism. Fitted with  Industar-26m f2.8 50mm(52.4mm) lens.  For more detail see specification in section some way below. 

3L 1963-69  Same as 3b except 3L being a factory designation for cameras equipped with the then new  Industar-61 f2.8 52mm(52.4mm) lens with rare earth slightly radioactive Lanthane elements. 

3b 1963-76   Rectangular top with lever film advance mechanism. Some minor modifications in 1970 including a new mechanism to prevent the release of a partially cocked shutter and the possible jamming that could occur. 

3L/D 1977-80 Fitted with Industar-61 L/D  f2.8 52.4mm lens.

Note previous FED- 2 type e was a cut down economic version of the FED 3 type b. Shutter mechanism the same as FED 2 type d therefore having no slow shutter speeds. 

The following table when completed will give a rough idea of numbers manufactured per year.

FED 3 SERIAL NUMBERS - PRODUCTION NUMBERS

Information not known.

Please note that these serial numbers are approximate as is the estimate production numbers.  It is also a work in progress  as unlike the FED-1 there appears to be no detailed information available.  Total production is known to be in the region of two million cameras.

If you are going to invest in one Soviet Camera Collectors book the Princelle Guide is the one to go for:

The Authentic Guide To Russian and Soviet Cameras
Made In The USSR by Jean Loup Princelle
Hove Foto Books - French and English Language Editions.

LENS TYPE INFORMATION

50mm f2.8  Industar-26m f2.8 50mm(52.4mm) lens. Fitted to FED-2 from 1956. This lens is based on a Zeiss Tessar

52mm f2.8 Industar-61 f2.8 52mm(52.4mm) lens with rare earth slightly radioactive Lanthane elements. Some FED-2 camera bodies when fitted with this lens marked FED-2L. Later versions of this lens as fitted to FED-3, 4 and 5 were marked Industar-61L\D.

KMZ made rangefinder lenses would also fit the FED-2 camera. These briefly being:

20mm f5.9 Russar

28mm f6 Orion

35mm f2.8 Jupiter-12

50mm f1.5 Jupiter-3

50mm f2 Jupiter-8

85mm f2 Jupiter-9

135mm f4 Jupiter-11

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION

Notes:
1963 type b   with rectangular top with lever film advance mechanism.
1963  same as 3b except 2L  fitted with  Industar-61 f2.8 52mm(52.4mm).
1977 type 3L/D fitted with Industar-61 L/D  f2.8 52.4mm lens.
Note previous FED- 2 type e was a cut down economic version of the FED 3 type b. 

WARNING

CHECKING YOUR CAMERA 

If you are collecting these cameras for use and not display then you need to check very carefully the following  areas or confirm with seller before purchase that camera is fully functional. 

The main problem area on these cameras is perished Shutter Curtains that need checking for holes and ripples.    You will need to remove the camera back and unscrew the lens and remove it from the camera. You can then examine both sides of the shutter curtains which can be observed from the back and through the aperture in the camera front.  You must examine both the first and second curtains very carefully. The second curtain can be viewed when you cock the shutter, and the first curtain after you release the shutter.  If you use a small very bright torch in a dark room  you can insert the torch through the lens aperture in the camera front taking care not to touch or damage the shutter curtain.  Look for leaks from the camera back, these normally look like small pin holes of light -  remember to check both shutter curtains. 

Rangefinders need to be checked for brightness and double image alignment both in the horizontal and vertical plane. The double Image needs to be checked it is adjusted correctly and that it is bright and usable.  Sometimes the range finder mirrors are dirty resulting in the double image being hard to see and focus. Before checking this make sure that the all the viewfinder rangefinder external glass is clean. Check that the double images align with the lens set at infinity. This is not a difficult thing to adjust

You must check the shutter for tapering. This is the phenomenon of the shutter   closing before it completes its travel. This is  normally only an issue on the top 1/500th second shutter speed.  To check the shutter remove the lens and camera back. Hold the camera up to a very bright sky - not the sun and release the shutter at each speed  while looking through the shutter.  You should be  left with a retained image of the whole rectangle of the shutter. If this retained image is less than the whole shutter area then the shutter is tapering. Check all shutter speeds starting with the slowest.  Remember to check that B setting also functions correctly. 

The only real test is to put a film through the camera and get it developed. Try all the shutter speeds and look out for any light leaks - they will be obvious. Also check that the pictures are not light down one side of the frame and dark the other this could mean the shutter curtains are moving at slightly different speeds(tapering)  as they cross the negative -  please bear in mind that this could also mean you had a light source that was very bright located to one side of the photograph. 

All FED-3 cameras I have used have had perfectly light tight shutter curtains and fully functioning shutter mechanism on both the high and slow speeds. Unfortunately some of these cameras have had misaligned rangefinders however these are easily adjusted. Scratched lenses and dust inside the elements probably will not impact that much on image quality albeit ideally you want the cleanest optics you can get.  

FURTHER READING & REFERENCE

© Stephen Rothery 2007
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