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The FED is a Soviet rangefinder camera, mass-produced from 1934 until around 1996, and also the name of the factory that made it. The factory emerged from the small workshops of the Children's labour commune named after Felix Edmundovich Dzerzhinsky (the acronym of which gave name to the factory and its products) in December 1927 in Kharkiv (Soviet Ukraine, now Ukraine). Initially the factory was managed by the head of the commune Anton Makarenko, and produced simple electrical machinery (drills).〔https://web.archive.org/web/20080723190721/http://www.fed.com.ua/history.php〕 In 1932 the new managing director of the factory – A.S. Bronevoy (Russian: А.С. Броневой) – came up with the idea to produce a copy of Leica Camera. Large-scale production began in 1934, and in the same year the factory was put under NKVD control and Makarenko was fired . Production continued until 1941, when German forces destroyed the factory, and resumed in 1946. Until 1955, the factory made a huge number of cameras that resemble the Leica rather closely (and are often altered, given "Leica" markings, and sold as Leicas). However, the design is cruder: for example, the rangefinder cam is pointed and not circular as in Leicas. Other giveaways are the shape of the viewfinder window and FEDs have a gap at the left side of the accessory shoe. Also, screws on the front surface are always black - not chrome - on Leicas. Leicas also have film loading instructions on the inner surface of the baseplate. Shutter release button on FEDs is also different from Leicas. Beware also of fake Elmar lenses - recreated from Russian Industars. That said, the FEDs are interesting in their own right - often very well done and effective cameras - provided you don't pay Leica money for them. From 1955, FED began to innovate, combining the rangefinder with the viewfinder in the FED 2 and all its successors. The FED-3 added slow shutter speeds and on the later version FED-3 (b) the film advance was changed from a thumbwheel to a lever. The FED 4 (1964–77) added a non-coupled selenium exposure meter. The FED 5 marked the end of the FED rangefinder family, and was meant as a replacement for both the FED-3 and FED-4 that were in production at the time of its introduction. There were versions of the FED-5: the original FED-5 had an exposure meter, the FED-5B was a cheaper version without meter, and the later FED-5C had reflected framelines showing field of view of 50mm lens and an exposure meter. All FED-5 cameras were delivered with an Industar I-61L/D lens. Production of FED rangefinder cameras ended in the mid 1990s (Fed-5 Serial Number 545446 was made on February 28, 1994; Fed's site claims that it was in fact 1997: "Start of serial production of vertical drive for control system of tanks. Production of all types of cameras has stopped. 8,647,000 cameras were manufactured since the beginning.") ==FED 1 collector information== The following types are nomenclature used by collectors as no FED 1 or Fedka camera was actually marked in this way. Brief descriptions are included to help with identification. 1a 1934-35 SN 31- 6000 - some early production had poor galvanised finish rather than the normal satin chrome. Although early production quality was poor, these cameras are considered valuable due to their rarity. For more details see the specification below. 1b 1935-37 SN 6000 - 55000 - Some with the NKVD engraving "Peoples Commissariat of Internal Affairs" which was the new name for Stalin's secret police. Identifiable by the rectangular shape of the plate covering the front rangefinder; before it had been an irregular shape as on the Leica II 1c 1937-39 SN 55000 - 125000 - In 1937 a triangular cam-follower replaced the circular Leica-type cam follower, and the speed dial was modified slightly to resemble the Leica II. 28mm and 100mm lenses were made available. A pocket tripod, self-timer, close-up lenses, darkroom equipment and filters appeared in this period. S 1938 - 41 - Identical to 1c except that 2000 cameras were produced with a faster 1/1000" shutter speed. These cameras usually came equipped with a 50mm f2 copy of the Leitz Summer lens V (B) 1938 - Identical to 1c except with a faster 1/1000" second shutter speed and a slow speed dial. This was a copy of the Leica IIIa camera and was equipped with a 50mm f2 copy of the Leitz Summer. Only 40 were made, but a lot of fakes are in circulation to trap the unwary at camera fairs. 1d 1939 - 41 (August) SN 125000 - 180000 - Identifiable by the centre retaining screw being off-centre and not concealed by the lens mount flange. Also, in 1939 Ukraine lost its nominal independence from Russia and camera engraving changed to highlight this from UkSSR to USSR. 1d 1942 - 45 SN 174000 - 178000 - Around 4000 cameras manufactured in Berdsk from parts evacuated from the FED Ukraine factory before it was overrun by the Nazis. 1e SN 174000 - 180000 - Around 1000 manufactured in Berdsk in Siberia in the first few months of 1946 after hostilities ended using parts made before the war. After returning to Kharkov the FED organisation became independent of the NKVD. Also the camera had a superior shutter assembly in a brass housing rather than the earlier aluminium design. T Engraved "Red Flag" in honour of new masters produced around SN 200000 and was fitted with a coated 50mm f3.5 Industar 10 lens 1f 1949 - 53 SN 201800 - 400000 - New cursive script Fed logo, flatter shutter button, coated lens engraved with what were then called the international f stops, f4, f5.6 and so on rather than the earlier f4.5, f6.3. Lens came with a bakelite rather than metal lens cap. 1949 -50 TSVVS - A remarkable camera taking the Contax bayonet mount and Leica body to produce a hybrid camera. Produced in very small numbers for presentation to senior officers in the Topographic Service of the army air force known as the TSVVS. A much modified Fed with brass body rather than aluminium fitted with a genuine Contax bayonet mount Carl Zeiss Sonnar f1.5 or f2 50mm lens taken as spoils of war from the Zeiss factory at Jena. Again a lot of fakes in circulation. Also of interest is the Nikon rangefinder camera as it also had a Contax bayonet mount and Leica shutter. The true origin of the TSVVS camera is still unknown. Two major circulating theories is that the cameras has either been manufactured at Moscow's Almaz factory or it had been ordered for manufacture by the Soviets from East Germany (possibly Zeiss, but it is also not confirmed). This camera is probably the most mysterious in nature out of all Soviet cameras. An old belief that this camera was made by FED factory is disputed by the fact that the body is wholly made out of brass and it is different dimensions physically than the FED-1 cameras. (see forum discussions at (USSRPhoto.com ) for more detailed arguments about it between various Soviet camera experts). 1g 1953 - 55 SN 400000 - 800000 - Shutter speeds changed to 25th, 50th,100th instead of old Leica 20th, 30th, 40th, 60th. Threaded shutter button to accept standard shutter release instead of external thread Leica cable release which fitted over the button of earlier cameras. Mushroom type surround to shutter release. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「FED (camera)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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