Original Smena

35mm paper backed film / Bakelite body - small folding bellows
lens : triplet 50mm f.6.8 / scale focus 1.5 meter to infinity
factory : GOMZ / Leningrad, USSR
year : circa 1939 - Original and only pre-World War II model of Smena
Production between 1939-1941 - quantity unknown
(Combined total production of about 150,000 Liliput, Malutka, & Smena cameras from 1937-1941)

notes: This little camera was inspired by the Kodak "Bantam" of 1935, but re-designed by important Russian camera designer, I. Shapiro, who later designed the Smena-1 and the Leningrad.

The body is made of bakelite, the shutter has only two speeds: "B" and 1/50th sec. ("M"), and the aperture has only two settings: wide open and half open. The small bellows is leather, there is a simple folding frame-finder on the top, and a small metal mechanical film counter (with only two dots) on the back. There is a small metal folding foot to stand the camera up in a vertical position and the shutter release is a simple lever under the lens.This model is the black version and the camera also came in several other colors of bakelite.

The Smena is a rare camera today and this example still has its original velvet lined, custom-shaped and very moder-design case, which I have never seen before.



Photos of manual and case by Aidas P (www.sovietcams.com)