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Kalimar and Soviet Exports in USA

Added by Vlad in Articles

Memories of my friend Isaak Maizenberg

Added by Greg Prior in Articles

kiev 15 TEE and lens outfit

Added by Luiz Paracampo in Kiev / Arsenal - Kiev SLR

Kometa brochure

Added by Vlad in Advertising Brochures

Tento Zenit Brochure

Added by Vlad in Advertising Brochures

SKF-1 on Digital cameras

Added by Luiz Paracampo in Stereo Attachments

Kiev 4AМ Black aftermarket modification

Added by Denn_kirov in Kiev / Arsenal - Kiev Rangefinder

Kiev III/IV crossover model 1957

Added by Denn_kirov in Kiev / Arsenal - Kiev Rangefinder

Recently Edited Updated catalog entries

Kiev 4 Early - no top ridges

Last edited by Jacques M. in Kiev / Arsenal - Kiev Rangefinder

No Name Kiev second version 1964

Last edited by Jacques M. in Kiev / Arsenal - Kiev Rangefinder

Kiev 3 / III Ukrainian Logo

Last edited by Jacques M. in Kiev / Arsenal - Kiev Rangefinder

Vladislav Kern

Last edited by Vlad in Collectors and Collections

Fed 1 Anniversary 1654-1954

Last edited by Jacques M. in Commemorative Cameras

Kalimar and Soviet Exports in USA

Last edited by Vlad in Articles

FED macro collapsible Industar 10

Last edited by Jacques M. in FED

Memories of my friend Isaak Maizenberg

Last edited by Greg Prior in Articles

Kometa brochure

Last edited by Vlad in Advertising Brochures

Tento Zenit Brochure

Last edited by Vlad in Advertising Brochures

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Jacques M. 10/20/2026 07:20Collectors and Users Open Forum8 views

The Fed 1c #94913 was "liquidated"...

Hello,I had purchased that Fed some days ago in USA. And I received yesterday a message from ebay saying it had been "liquidated".
It's not the first time that such a thing happens. Vlad knows that too.
But, in that precise case, this Fed was made in 1939, in Kharkiv, which is in Ukraine, as everybody knows. More of all, it is still engraved with YCCP, Y for Ukraine, of course. So I don't understand why the US restrictive decrets were applied.

I was (or will be) reimbursed. But I wonder about the reason of this liquidation. Who took that decision? Ebay? The US administration? And this 1c was the last known, for the moment.
All that is grotesque.

Jacques.

Vlad10/20/2026 08:50

Hi Jacques, yes it also happened to my prewar Smena, it is Ebay's global shipping that is doing that then selling it to a liquidator seller. It will show up on ebay in a few weeks. If you see it listed again I can help you but it and resend it via UPS.

Vlad10/20/2026 08:52

Anything with keywords soviet ussr Russian is being intercepted and liquidated this way by eBay, it doesn't even reach US customs it's a preventative measure by the company to avoid liabilities for any sanctions

Jacques M.10/20/2026 10:30

Thanks, Vlad. I have asked ebay about a direct repurchase (with the explanation of their mistake), but I doubt they will accept.If it is relisted, I will call you for help...

Amitié. Jacques.

uwittehh 03/02/2025 14:18Collectors and Users Open Forum4,916 views

Repair instructions on my site

Hello,

I think this might be of interest to you all too, so I have put all my repair instructions, which were scattered all over my website, together on one page.
All pages are still in German, but I will translate them into English in the future.

If you are interested you can have a look: http://ritzelkiste.de/kameras/repair/index.htm

Have fun
Ulrich

http://fotos.cconin.de

uwittehh05/25/2026 15:43

Jacques,

thank you very much. I was also really surprised by the camera’s modular design and high-quality build. I suppose that’s why so few were ever made. It wasn’t possible to manufacture it at a profit under the Soviet system.
Of course, I kept the bolt; maybe I'll take the other Droug apart again just enough to see if it belongs there or not :-)

Ulrich

uwittehh10/14/2026 17:20

Hello to all,

two new repair instructions:
A complete disassembly of a Zorki 1:
http://ritzelkiste.de/kameras/zorki1complete/indexe.htm

And servicing a rigid Industar 22, it was a hard job to reassemble it:
http://ritzelkiste.de/kameras/i22rigid/indexe.htm

Have fun :-)

Ulrich

http://fotos.cconin.de

Vlad10/20/2026 10:16

These are absolutely fantastic guides! I am going to follow one to to fix Zorki 4 lagging curtain issue as you show disassembly really well!

By the way, you should add an SSL certificate to your site all browsers complain about unsecure connections

Vlad 04/05/2024 16:50Collectors and Users Open Forum3,033 views

Kiev III/IV crossover model 1957

This i a very interesting Kiev 4 (?) camera wiki entry that warrants some discussion, first of all it has the "T"-shaped ridge on top of the light meter which is fairly atypical for the 1957 Kiev 4 and what happened to the flash sync contact? this is extremely weird. Denn I saw you post this, is there a photo of the bottom of the camera? does it have a leg like III or it's flat like IV?

Denn_kirov06/04/2024 13:05

quote:Originally posted by SteveA

The thing is that so many components are interchangable. You can effectively make any combination of meter, shutter speed dials etc. Also accessory shoes with the serial number can be easily swapped. The tripod bush was redesigned and did move slightly sideways when the Kiev 4 came out but shutter crates, top covers, front covers etc., can all be interchanged. Thats not to say there may be some genuine unusual cameras out there..
Cheers,
Steve

Exactly. For this reason I take cameras with a history of ownership and if possible with documents from the owners, not from resellers.
Best regards.

AlexanderK06/22/2024 07:54

It seems for me to be repaired. May be the lightmeter was changed, but the owner wanted to have original s/n as in the camera att.

Regards, Alexander

Jacques M.10/20/2026 08:40

A (late) question about that thread...Concerning these early 1951 Kiev 4, is the graduation in GOST? By what I have found on wikipedia, GOST graduation was introduced only in october 1951.

Jacques.

cedricfan 03/15/2008 10:27Collectors and Users Open Forum3,084 views

Odd Zenit-E covering

Found this today at a flea market, and took pics with my Communicator to ask if this leather like covering is rare?
So excuse for the poor picture quality by Nokia:

Smena rules

Vlad08/19/2026 18:03

In Ukraine, FED had the same covering (probably same leather maker) on FED-5b (maybe other 5's too), FED-50, and Arsenal had it on Kiev 30

Vlad08/19/2026 18:03

but now that's I'm thinking maybe not the same exact grain..

Francesco09/13/2026 05:39

I just found a similar Zenit E today N°66004557 with an unusual MMZ Helios 44 N°6033626, cirillic engraving,white shutter speed disk and m39 mount.

RCCCUK 11/07/2011 02:18Collectors and Users Open Forum2,131 views

Zenit-E

According to J L Princelle's book, Zenit-Es manufactured by KMZ between 1965 and 1968 did not have instant-return mirrors. The earliest camera that I have found so far is a 1968 model, and that certainly has got an instant-return mirror. Can anyone confirm that the earliest versions of the Zenit-E did indeed not have instant-return mirrors. I assume that these early versions would only be available with 39mm lens mounts. Any information would be much appreciated.

David.

Luiz Paracampo11/11/2011 18:28

To fotomuda
PLs send us your homepage address.
Regards LP

cedricfan11/13/2011 09:53

Click the "My Collection" on left...

Best regards,
Juhani

runner08/17/2026 04:39

I purchased my earliest Zenit-E recently with serial 65000669. And it has an instant return mirror as any other Zenit-E. Also I checked mirror of 66001210 camera and several latest cameras of the same year. I'm definetely sure that old type mirror of earliest Es is just a myth. I wrote about it at Kosmo Foto here: https://kosmofoto.com/2025/03/the-krasnagorsk-cutlet-solving-the-mirror-mystery-of-early-zenit-es/
And if you interested about Zenit-E evolution you can also read this: https://kosmofoto.com/2022/11/zenit-e-solving-the-enduring-mysteries-of-the-worlds-most-popular-slr/

runner

cainiao_2020 07/06/2026 17:18Want to Buy256 views

cheap kiev4m/am

looking for a cheap spare parts kiev4a/am for a TTL metering project, i already have a spare shutter modified with a light sensor.
The body i originally wanted to use is no good tho.
I'm looking for spare Kiev4am body to drop the shutter in, a 4m would also be fine but the whole point is is kind of the get rid of the original selenium meter.

seany6508/04/2026 17:51

Hello and welcome to the forum cainiao.

Yuriy Lozinsky 06/27/2026 17:32Collectors and Users Open Forum226 views

Rare lens Industar-61 with distance scale in FEET

Hello everyone!
The export version of the Industar-61 lens with a distance scale in feet is very rare.
I know of only a few examples:
I-61 #6591212 (1965)
I-61 #8519490 (1973)
I-61 #8697161 (1974)
I-61 #8715502 (1975)
I-61 #8864961 (1976)
Does anyone have this lens or camera with documentation?
I'd like to know which countries they were exported to?

seany6508/04/2026 17:41

Hello and welcome to the forum Yuriy. Unfortunately I can't help, but I hope someone who can help sees this thread soon.

JTB 07/29/2026 11:54Collectors and Users Open Forum180 views

Luiz Paracampo books "2300 Anos de Fotografia"

Regarding the thread https://ussrphoto.com/modern/Forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3631 , I note that, sadly, the links posted by Luiz Paracampo are no longer accessible.

Could one of you please upload these files to the forum, or let me know where I can access them?

Thanks in advance

JT

Vlad07/29/2026 12:13

@JTB seems his novacon site is currently down, I've been trying to get ahold of Luiz to make sure everything is ok, currently I have a friend in Brazil trying to contact him as he's not replying to my emails. 🙏

Jacques M.08/01/2026 04:42

Please Vlad, tell when (if) you have news from Luiz.
Amitiés. Jacques.

Jacques M. 07/29/2026 11:41Collectors and Users Open Forum177 views

Fed 1a: a strange serial number

Hello,
Found on Meshok, this Fed 1a where everything is normal, except this extra (and evident) "1".
Strange...

Jacques.

uwittehh 07/25/2026 15:53Collectors and Users Open Forum184 views

A Witness to the Times

I found this film canister on eBay recently. It once contained AGFA Isopan F film, manufactured in Bitterfeld/Wolfen. What makes it special is that the label also includes Russian text.
Later, the name AGFA was replaced by ORWO.

Ulrich

http://fotos.cconin.de

Fotohuis07/25/2026 23:35

OrWo Filmotec and Inoviscoat are both just sold.
https://flic.kr/p/2sqwGsC

Detlev07/29/2026 08:54

AGFA Bitterfeld was in the Soviet-occupied zone and had to deliver films to the Soviet Union as reparations

Latest Catalog Entries

Kalimar and Soviet Exports in USA

Memories of my friend Isaak Maizenberg

Fed 5B, A gift from Viktor Georgievich Kulikov

Kiev 4/4a without logo on the clip (1968)

Teknointorg Istanbul newspaper ads

Industar-7 LTM

kiev 15 TEE and lens outfit

Kometa brochure

Tento Zenit Brochure

SKF-1 on Digital cameras

Kiev 4AМ Black aftermarket modification

Kiev III/IV crossover model 1957

Fed 1c

Kiev 4 Early - no top ridges

No Name Kiev second version 1964

Kiev 3 / III Ukrainian Logo

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Fed 1 Anniversary 1654-1954

Kalimar and Soviet Exports in USA

FED macro collapsible Industar 10

Memories of my friend Isaak Maizenberg

Mir 3V

Kometa brochure

Tento Zenit Brochure

Supporters