"Large" Soviet camera?

Hi All, while tooling around Minneapolis on business this summer I

was in Northern Camera Exchange and noticed the display of vintage

cameras and saw what I believe was either a Zorki or a Fed or ??? I

didn't take the time to really look as I was in a hurry but are any

of the FSU rangefinder cameras have really large bodies as compared

to any of the others? Just trying to get a handle on what camera it

actually was, it just seemed BIG compared to my Kiev 4.....thanks,

Mark

Maybe a medium format rangefinder like an Iskra?

Or even a Moskva -- 6x9 folders, outgrowths of the original Moskva-1, which was a duplicate of the Super Ikonta C made on Zeiss-Ikon equipment taken as war reparations. The Moskva-5, with numerous minor improvements, is a smoother working camera than any 6x9 rangefinder Ziess ever produced, though I find it hard to hand hold well enough to get sharp images.

The Kiev 5 is kind of bulky. There is also a rather large camera called the Leningrad. And the FED 5 is large-ish. All of the cameras in the later years lost the lens-to-body size balance that was part of earlier camera aesthetics.

 

Just like Russian babushkas who once looked so svelte in those early photos from summers past at the dacha.

Do you mean National Camera? Which one of their stores was it? Most likely the main one in Golden Valley; it's the largest and has the most stuf (inluding a basement full of darkroom stuff). There are a bunch of classis cameras are in a large display just inside the door (not for sale unfortunately).

 

They also have a "shutterbug department" upstairs. That's where you go to find the good used stuff. Downstairs is mainly new equipment with some used 35mm SLR's. Upstairs are used Leicas and many differnt MF and LF cameras/lenses. Unfortunately that department is only open on weekdays and I rarely get to Minneapolis when it isn't a weekend. I've only managed to get up there once...it was my kinda place though.

 

I'm sure I'll be up there again in a couple weeks if you want any more identification from the camera.

 

Alan

Hi Alan! YES, that is the store! The exact camera that I am referring to is in the display case that you describe! I think it is a Zorki, like I mentioned, it just happened to catch my eye as being rather large as I have never seen one before...Small world! Where are you from Alan?

 

Thanks, Mark

I'm from Northwest Iowa (Estherville to be exact) but my girlfriend is attending the U of M in Minneapolis. So for the last couple years I've gotten to know Minneapolis pretty well.

 

Where are you from?

 

Alan

Central Wisconsin, Westfield