Best of the Russian Leica copies

[JRieke]

I've decided that I'd like to have a Leica II (my mother gave away my grandfathers when told it was just an old camera and wasn't worth fixing) I've been looking at Russian copies since I'm currently an engineering student, translation: no money. There are tons of them on Ebay and some of them are pretty cheap. Since they seem to be simple cameras I could probably fix most small problems if any.

So which ones are best? I'd like to hear from people who have used/worked on/know someone who has either.

Thanks

Jeremiah

(Please note, saying "there have been threads on this in the past" is not helpful at all! The search engine sucks on this forum and you wind up wading through more garbage than you do finding answers. If you are irritated by my post, don't read/respond/rant! Move on! However, if you have interesting/useful/intelligent information to share please do so. Thanks)

[Anscojohn]

I have a Fed 3 with a Tessar-Formula Industar 61 (the "radioactive") lens. the lens is excellent and the camera is capable enough. It does not look exactly like a Leica--some of the other earlier Feds and Zorkis look the part, but I do not know how good (or unbad) they are. My Fed 3, with red leatherette covering, cost me about thirty bucks with shipping.

[Erik Petersson]

These cameras tend to be a little inconsistent, among other things because they are old. I bought one that was cosmetically perfect, but the shutter is somehow stuck. Maybe you feel that you can fix such problems on your own. Or you could buy one from a dealer that cleans and tests the cameras before sale, then again that is not as cheap. Or get a guarantee from the seller.

[denmark.yuzon]

i kinda like the FED2.. fixing them needs some skill and know how with old cameras though.. there are tons of sellers in ebay that cleans, fixes these cameras before selling..

[Mark Fisher]

I have tried 3 different ones and only one works properly. It is an obviously very used Fed2 with the Industar 61. Great lens and great (if a little crude) camera. My theory on Russian cameras is that the one that looks the most obviously used is probably the one that actually works. The ones that didn't work looked nearly new (and probably weren't used for good reason!) .

[2F/2F]

Leica IIs, and even IIIs are not really very expensive, even through KEH, which asks higher-than-normal prices for their stuff. I would save up and get a $200 Leica (or Canon) rather than taking a chance on a $50 camera that could be good or bad, and which would have to be shipped back to Ukraine, Russia, etc. if there is a problem...and that is assuming they will even take it back. With KEH, you have 30 days, and no hassles or high costs if you need to return something.

I got both my Leicas on E-Bay. Each was about $225. One had a Summar (IIIa) and the other had a Summitar (IIIc).

You can hold yourself over with something like a Yashica Electro 35, if you must have something now.

[Ulrich Drolshagen]

You may be interested in this site: http://www.commiecameras.com If you don't mind reading some German text you may find some useful links on your topic here: http://fotos.cconin.de/links.html

Ulrich

[Fotoguy20d]

I have a IIIC with Elmar 50mm (around $250 on ebay). I also have a Zorki I with Industar-22 (around $65 on ebay from this seller - http://myworld.ebay.com/leon1965jazz/ - YMMV, and his prices seem to have gone up). Both cameras work well but I will say that the Zorki lacks the smoothness and refinement of the Leica (everything on the Zorki that moves feels stiff or gritty - advancing the shutter, you can feel the poor quality of the gear teeth, the shutter button doesn't release as nicely, etc).

Dan

[martyryan]

I bought 4 different Russian cameras looking for a good one, all had some problem that made them unusable, I finally gave up on the enterprise.

Marty

[guissimo]

I have a Fed 2 that I bought for $25. According to the seller, the camera had been CLA'd. Well, it works fine except the viewfinder is tiny and very dim. So, I rarely use it because it takes me forever to get things in focus.